Five days to go

Here's a new addition to the workshop - another electric kiln. A good friend of mine had it at home and wasn't using it so delivered it to me today. Amazing, it's virtually brand new - electronic programmer too. It'll help me speed up my bisc firing schedule no end and will put off having to buy another kiln - that's good as I have no money! I'm a lucky man, I have some very kind friends. This whole operation only works because of the help I get from people.



Here is my other kiln, which was sorted out for me by another good friend - I tell you, I'm a lucky man. The pots on top are drying out ready for bisc firing this weekend.



Here are some of the pots, already glazed inside, waiting for the outside glaze to be applied. You may be able to spot a couple of Hannah's in amongst them.



And here are some with the glaze applied. This is the traditional Galena glaze, the same recipe that was used by Michael Cardew at Winchcombe and in the country potteries before him. Grey-blue before firing, it becomes a beautiful, rich, yellow glass when fired to 1080 centigrade.

Mark's coming over tomorrow, we'll be glazing pots and starting to pack the wood kiln. I think we'll get it mostly done as the majority of the pots are large and will fill it quickly.

We also plan a trip to the woods to get a whole load of clay in while the weather's relatively decent. I'll feel a lot more excited about the firing tomorrow evening I expect - at the moment there's still a lot to do, all that lovely glazing for one thing - I really dislike glazing, you'll know that, I moan about it every time. I've got a firing on tonight in the electric kiln, testing all my glazes, just to make extra sure they're OK - I don't have a very good track record when it comes to glazing, so I'm trying to get my act together.

Five days to go - my first wood firing since the end of July.