It is somehow almost the end of the summer holidays, and I have no idea where the time has gone. Unlike most of my previous summer holidays, I have actually spent this one working. Not doing particularly taxing work, but work nonetheless. Driving around Northumberland in a leisurely way, teaching the keenest of my students, who still wish to have lessons in the holidays. Building myself a photography portfolio, so I can finally start turning my hobby into a means to make a living. And learning to edit film footage. One person who I have been working a lot with is Kate, who has The Last Homely House YouTube channel. Full disclosure: she is my mother-in-law(!) Kate has been building her YouTube platform for the last two years and now has over 11,000 subscribers. If you haven’t watched any of her videos, I highly recommend giving them a go. She is a maker of many things, so there are videos on quilting, gardening, cooking, book-making, and many more. A window into a creative life in Northumberland. As she is gaining a larger audience, she was in need of some assistance, so I have started helping her with editing her videos and working on ideas for content. It does not feel like work though, as we have so much fun doing it.

These photos were taken last week when I stopped by her new pottery studio to film a video. She has recently found herself a new space to work – in the old stables of a farm,  nestled in the hills in one of my favourite corners of Northumberland. We spent a few hours there, having an explore of the lovely old buildings and eating biscuits, while Kate threw some pots; it is such a peaceful place to spend time. When I arrived, Kate had her headphones on and was singing along loudly to herself, unaware of my presence. I managed to capture this on film, much to both of our amusement. After a few hours I left her to her throwing and drove through the beautiful late summer countryside to meet my friend’s baby girl, who was only a few hours old. It was a lovely day.