This time next week..........

............it'll be all over. That doesn't rid me of the anxiety I'm feeling now! Everything's priced and I sit here midst complete chaos as my living room is currently housing a mock-up of my display. I don't want to go! I want to be a recluse!




I took these pictures yesterday. I remember the many times during the last three years that Marky Mark and I have discussed how good it would be to have a whole stack of pots ready and finished to select from for the shows and this year at last it's happened. Furthermore, the workshop is stacked full of dry pots ready for firing when I get back(this is just a few of them, there are lots more elsewhere in the workshop) - that means I'm either a whole lot of pots ahead, or a firing behind, I think the former so it's a good place to be.



As you can see, the woodland opposite the workshop has burst into a staggering explosion of green hues. Everything seemed to turn from brown to green within just a few days. It's beautiful in there, Mark and Neli(Mark's wife) and I took a stroll through on Sunday. There was a sudden deluge while we were in there, but in spite of getting soaked we enjoyed the sound of the rain hitting the leaves, it's a magical place.

I've started to walk home from work again recently, watching fascinated as Spring unfolds, hedges, fields and foliage changing rapidly each day.



Oh well, onwards, pots and pants to pack. Off to stay at Nic's tonight, then to Clay Art in the morning. Nic lives up on Dartmoor, a very rugged terrain, the influence of which is very apparent in his amazing pots. There are some great pictures of the Moor on my mate Cookie's blog Wood Art Words. It's a long way from Devon to North Wales so we'll share the driving in Nic's old truck.

I'm looking forward to catching up with old friends and of course Hannah and Matt.

Hil and the boys are going to Wembley on Sunday to watch Exeter in the Play-off final, wish I was going with them - instead I'll be trembling in a marquee, trying to do a demo. Come on Exeter, up the City!!

I'll be back.........................

Weekend working

Had to go to work both days this weekend, slipping pots and trying to get evrything up to date ready to go to Clay Art Wales. It's been a scorcher, ideal for speeding up the drying process in the sunshine.


Tonight I'm going to sort out pots that I'm taking and I'll set my stand up in attic. I'm really not looking forward to going away at the moment, a week's a long time to be away from my family. I'm also pretty nervous about the whole thing, particularly the demo I've got to do on Sunday.

I'm catching a lift up with my mate Nic, on Wednesday, so I'll stay at his place on Tuesday night. Lots to prepare before then.

Tee hee

I made a load more jugs in different sizes today, then finished off decorating the flatware.



It was another beautiful day, what a pleasure to be able to sit in the sunshine on the bench in my little garden with a sketch pad and pencil, scribbling designs.

The climbing rose on the end wall is going crazy, it's going to look amazing when it starts to bloom.

The rose made me think of something very bad I did a few years ago in a local discount superstore. There were miniature roses and climbing roses, so just for fun, I swapped the labels, tee hee. Naughty though it is, it still makes me titter the thought that somebody somewhere, has a trellis with a very small rose at the bottom of it and someone somewhere else....well I bet they got a nice surprise, tee hee - oh no, my Mum's going to read this! Now I'm in trouble.

Chubby jugs and sloppy slipping

Did loads of decorating today in a slippy sloppy fashion.



Made some three and a half pound chubby jugs too.



Band practice tonight so got to fly weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Lids

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooo tired tonight. All the bowls are turned and footed, little jars lidded. Lots of decorating tomorrow.

My blogging chum Ron Philbeck from the States called today and we had a good old chat. He recently built a gas kiln and he was doing his first glaze firing today. It's packed full of his lovely slipware, it'll be exciting stuff seeing that come out. Watch this space.

Everything I've done on the wheel today has involved poor posture and stooping so I'm off for a soak in the tub to ease my aching back.

Crocks, bowls and winning goals

I just had a great weekend, talking pots and drinking beer, how could life ever be better?

As I mentioned last week, John Edgeler is writing a book about the Fishleys of Fremington so this morning I climbed through all the junk that's piled up in my garage, in order to reach my pottery collection which has been packed away in boxes since we moved. Fortunately I've labelled all the boxes so I know what's in them and was able to find some old Fremington pots that I haven't seen for a long time. It's great to see them again. These pieces will be photographed for inclusion in the book which is due for publication in September.

I keep quite a few Fremington pots up at the workshop too for inspiration(and to hide them from Hil if she doesn't know I've bought them), including this huge, beautifully thrown, late nineteenth century crock.


The weather has been lovely all weekend, which has encouraged the countryside to continue bursting its buds, but has also dried out the pots which have been preserved beneath polythene since Saturday. I've been turning bowls frantically tonight and throwing on their footrings. Loads more to do tomorrow, they range from the largest at about 400mm diameter, to the smallest at 240mm.

Today was interrupted by celebrations as our local football team Exeter City F.C. deservedly won the semi-finals of the play-offs against local rivals Torquay. The boys were over the moon. It put me in a good mood and I was joined at about six o'clock by Marky Mark who had also won in the game he had played today, so we worked away happily into the evening.

None of this will make much sense to anyone overseas and probably nobody here will care too much either!

I'm not a huge football fan, I barely watch even if England are playing, but we often go as a family to the match. Similar to making pottery it fulfills that desire for great expectations, the excitements and the disappointments. We none of us in our house care for the top flight teams, Manchester United etc., that's all about moneymaking for PLC's with overpaid primadonnas, but despite a technically lower standard of play, life is never dull at our local club - we even had Uri Gellar and Michael Jackson as directors briefly, it's true.

So City'll be playing in the final at Wembley in a couple of weeks. Hil and the boys are going to go, but I'll be up at Clay Art Wales and will miss it, just like I did last year - drat!!!

Saturday

Just got home from the workshop. Everything is starting to dry out a bit so I've wrapped it all up under ye olde medieval polythene - don't know what potters would do without that stuff.

I decorated the big jugs with white slip, combed back to a black slip beneath and slipped bowls and mugs.

A spot of lunch now, then I'll hammer it up the motorway to Winchcombe and back.