Pottering

Our grandsons have reached a nexus where they need full-strength adult vigilence. Highly mobile, brimming with confidence, relentlessly curious, craving independence, but still capable of making catastrophic misjudjements about what is stable and what isn't, what will move and what won't, how everyday objects can hurt you if a finger or a toe is misplaced

Watching a child, I suddenly realise that, not only did we all go through these - sometimes painful - lessons, but just how many sub-conscious micro-judgements are informed by our accumulated experience every moment of every day: where to lean; where to push; how to lift; keeping hands and fingers clear of traps; maintaining our balance. If we had to actively think it through all the time, it would be exhausting. As we age and our bodies weaken and lose flexibility, some of them have to be relearned

Today's lessons were on a stone floor, in an unfamiliar garden, at the playground and here, at one of the best-known and long-established potteries in the country, selling large, high-quality terracotta ware, as well as "work by leading British ceramicists". All breakages must be paid for! Really we went for the superb cafe, but it was an open day, with an invitation to view their private garden, which is a little slice of Tuscany in Warwickshire. Who doesn't want a pear and walnut on their lawn - a classic pairing. The beam of light from the topiary hedge is, I think, just a fortuitous bit of lens-flare