Verity's fabulous work! Made with guidance from the wonderful Mary at Crazy About Clay in Dartington, Devon.
My daughter and her old school friend Verity were chatting in the garden. It was early September and they had dashed outside between showers with their mugs of steaming tea to sit on the damp garden chairs. Life is moving quickly now and these young women pass like ships in the night grabbing any precious time they can together as they set off on their individual journeys in different directions. I was on my way to my little garden studio and I stopped to ask Verity how her university course was going. I expected to hear about her final year ahead and her future plans as a speech therapist, but instead she said with undisguised excitement in her voice, 'I've decided I'm going to be a potter'. Like so many people she had picked up the clay almost by accident and instantly knew it was her thing. She is only 21 and I felt a spark of joy for her. It may not be a smooth journey but art is a gift and if you can include it in your life from the very beginning then you are more than lucky. I am a great believer in things working out for the best even if the patchwork of pieces seems fragmented at the time and nothing looks like it will fit; speech therapy and pottery might seem an unlikely duo on paper but to be honest, I'm not sure I can think of a better combination - both for herself and the people she will work with once she is qualified - I hope she manages to find a way to combine them both as she steps into her future.