The Story of Peter and the Potter - Canada

foreign [Music] thank you it makes you feel grown up to be alone in the city particularly if you've come a long way in from the country especially if you've got something important to do by choosing a card for your mother's birthday and a present too Peter had never had to make a decision like this by himself before present [Music] with so many things to choose from it was difficult to decide the blue ball or what the blue ball was the best 65 cents for the Bowl 15 cents for the card he'd have just enough money for both that is if he hadn't lost any [Music] body [Applause] yes you'd have that please the blue one there and that and now for home [Music] it makes you feel proud and excited to be going home with a present you've chosen and bought yourself along the familiar paths and over the fields to the river Peter knew every inch of the way by heart every tree every fence even though mother's birthday was still a full week away just having the bowl in your arms made your water hurry [Music] oh smashed to bits what would he ever do for mother's birthday now even the Birds were sorry for Peter no [Music] that was a strange whistle there are times when a girl isn't really so bad after all particularly if she's sorry about the ball and especially if she says she knows where he can get another she said her name was Annika and to follow her so off they went deep into the woods along a path Peter had never been on before [Music] all right [Music] pretty soon they came to a house like the top of the hill it had grass on the roof and a ladder foreign [Music] but that wasn't the only exciting thing [Music] he'd certainly like to know what was going on in there what was the man what the goggles doing meanwhile let's see what else he could find [Music] he'd be a foolish if he were caught but maybe there was something interesting going on in there too what were those little animals and why were they being dipped like that Peter didn't know what to make of any of it and Annika who might have explained had disappeared [Music] wonder what that thing is [Music] it looks like fun [Music] when Annika came back with her father Peter was busy and they couldn't find him [Music] Mr Dykeman who was annika's father explained it was a potter's wheel and he was a Potter he would make another present for Peter's mother out of clay now Peter thought that was very kind but he couldn't see how Mr Dyckman could make a bowl out of a lump of clay but he did thank you it almost seemed to grow as a tree might grow only very fast Peter watched how the hands drew the clay up and shaped it into a jar of tall and beautiful jar [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] Peter wanted for his mother's birthday so Mr Dyckman began again [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] no it wasn't a jug either that Peter wanted for his mother it was something lower and flatter with Atticus help he explained it had to be a bowl [Music] thank you [Music] now that was exactly right Peter was delighted yeah then annika's mother and sister arrived to examine the ball and annika's brother they told him the clay had to be left to dry and Harden come back on Thursday they said be sure to come back on Thursday [Music] when Peter returned on Thursday morning he found Annika riding on the tractor with her brother [Music] together they took the ball to show to Mrs Dyckman then Annika had a suggestion why not ask her mother to paint a design on the board would she she would and she could but she was a Potter too she was the person who had made the animals Peter had seen through the window Peter watched her work her hands as steady as Mr tightmans have been when he made the ball on the Wheel Peter wished he could draw like that [Music] [Applause] [Music] it was a perfectly wonderful Ball but didn't it need one more thing in that space at the top there [Music] [Applause] [Music] now that Peter the bowl is mine but no first it had to be baked baked said Peter yes Mr deckman explained all Pottery must be baked in a special kind of oven known as a kiln the heat of the Kiln changes the clay and in changing it hardens it Mr geickman and Annika put the fragile pieces in very carefully [Music] [Music] Peter couldn't understand why the Kiln had no door it seemed a lot of work to Brick it up every time [Music] hahaha [Music] [Applause] at the other end of the Kiln a blowtorch was set up now Peter began to recognize what he had seen as he climbed down the ladder and to understand why with a fire like that an ordinary door wouldn't be strong enough it would take six hours to bake and 12 hours for the Kiln to cool Peter should come first thing in the morning to see the bricks coming down Mr dichmann was as good as his word Brick by Brick the oven was open when Peter arrived on Friday morning his bowl was cool enough to be taken out it was really ready no not yet Peter Mr deckman said first take it along to the glazing room Peter was beginning to worry for tomorrow as his mother's birthday the glazing room looked like a kind of drugstore in it Mrs Dyckman was mixing and stirring she told him she was making a glaze from special kinds of ground up Rock the glaze would give the clay a hard smooth surface [Music] as far as Peter could see the glaze was only covering up the drawings what was the use of drawing designs on the pottery if all you did was cover them up again [Music] he liked the ball as it was but what could he do when Mrs Dyckman was determined to dip it like the rest [Music] Peter was very disappointed No don't touch it yet it's wet said Mrs stackman and it has to be baked again Mr dichmann told him but his only two days today and tomorrow if it isn't ready tomorrow cheer up Peter it will be ready but it has to go into the glazed kiln the pots go into the glazed Kiln through the top instead of the side this Kiln would get even hotter than the other one thank you it gets so hot in fact Mr Dyckman said that if a park wasn't perfect sometimes the heat made it crack Peter didn't want a second broken bowl for his mother's birthday and as he looked at it glowing in the oven he wondered if it could stand such heat well anyway thought Peter trying to cheer himself up whatever happens at least I have the card [Music] what a day for a birthday but the rain didn't stop and Annika and her father from being up early stop Peter he was up early too and hurrying to get his ball [Music] thank you but even before Peter got there the dyckmans were busy taking the pottery out of the kiln what if it had cracked yeah Peter was sure the worst that happened that's not your balls that Annika look yours is coming out next come and see [Music] and there it was finished at last and perfect [Music] oh it's beautiful Peter said and so smooth the heat had changed the glaze to a soft gray blue and the deer in the flowers looked as if they'd never been covered at all Annika was pleased too as pleased as Peter everyone had a last look before Mrs Dyckman took the bowl away to be wrapped [Music] outside the sky had cleared Peter and Annika examined the birthday card it was a bit crumpled but that wouldn't matter [Music] Peter attacked the dyckmans as nicely as he could and promised to come back soon but right now having the present in his arms made him want to hurry again but this time he'd remember that fallen tree no no no no it makes you feel proud and excited to be going home with a present made especially for your mother particularly when it's such a wonderful present and you can tell her all about how it was made [Music]