Firstly, let’s start with what not to do when you’re opening your house in May: get your kitchen ripped out in March! It seemed a good idea in October when we booked the builder but now, as we sit here running two weeks late and Bob the plasterer is doing his best in the dark, draftee cave that was my kitchen, it is not looking good. I keep thinking about all those ‘domestic goddess’ cakes I need to bake and then look at the Baby Belling stove we are temporarily cooking on and my heart sinks. My friend, who opened his house for five years, told me his wife used to spend every Friday during the festival baking - and that was after she already had a freezer full of emergency Victoria sponges on standby.
On a more positive note, I did managed to catch up with Andrew Tanner, a brilliant ceramicist who has a workshop in Phoenix studios (as have I) and he accepted my invitation to exhibit here this year, so that’s one less thing to worry about.

continue