My computer's been playing up too(blog writing takes forever) and I've had email troubles - the stupid machine won't let me send replies, so please forgive me if you're waiting to hear from me. I'm not very good with computer stuff, but I've been trying to uninstall some of the many redundant programmes that the boys have put on here and since abandoned now that they have their own laptops. Hopefully it'll work better for me and I can start to catch up with things a bit.
Here are a few snapshots of what's been happening.
Last weekend Hil and I went to the opening of the Somerset Arts Week show at Blogger Paul's that I spoke of in my previous post. It was a really good, well supported event and Paul and Marion were great hosts. The red wine flowed and I felt just a little bit rough the next day that's for sure.
The show continues for another week - great to hear that Johnny Leach has been in to see it.
I forgot to take my camera, but there are some good pictures of the evening right here.
This picture is for Dave and Sue. They're ready whenever you can get here for them - it's cat crazy here at the moment.
We've had amazing weather for the last ten days or so, beautiful sunshine ripening the apples in the orchards and the berries in the hedgerows.
I love shiny conkers when the shells are freshly opened.
It's been a great year for sloes - there were hardly any last year. Not that I care, I don't like 'em!
The orchards smell incredible and are alive with the sound of drunken wasps and flies, feasting on the decaying fruit in the autumn sunshine.
The decoration on the big jug in this picture was inspired by the brambles in the hedgerow. The peculiar spouted vessel is an interpretation of a medieval pot in the York Museum.
These baluster jugs range from approx 20" down to 12".
Here they are slipped.
My friend and photographer Johnny came over during the week to document the pots that I'm taking to the show tomorrow. I've got the images on a disc, but I can't open it - I'll try again tomorrow night.
Lots of orders to make this week, including plates and a sgrafitto harvest jug with a maritime scene derived from the paintings of Alfred Wallace, which will be an interesting challenge.
Well I must pack these pots away in readiness for tomorrow's journey, they're are currently strewn across my living room floor which is also overrun with crazy kittens - dangerous.
Happy Monday everybody.
Hello Douglas! Good to hear from you here on the blog. Looks great. Hope you all are doing well. I just finished a very good sale weekend. Happy to have sold some pots! Two more shows coming up. Give our love to Hil and the boys. Catch ya on Skype this week maybe.
ReplyDeletehahaaa mr fitch there you are, man see what happens when you get busy workin your post is an epic and the 3 jug shot is cool kinda weird perspective happening there, love it..hope all is going well with the workshop redesign, your prob flat out making pots though eh? lovely kittens, I wonder what sloe and blackberry wine would taste like? HA! chat soon..
ReplyDeleteFruits ripening on the trees and hedgerows and ripening pots off the wheel! Those are some amazing jugs/pitchers.
ReplyDeleteIt's great to see what you've been up to.
There is a lovely line in Kenneth Grahame's Wind in the Willows that says something about the smell of the mud in the river bank being like "plum pudding". The rich, wholesome, and delightful image that Grahame's description evokes is pretty much what I feel when I looked at the photo of those two pots drying on your ware board. The jug, with its bramble inspired decoration, and the spouted vessel make me want to turn joyous cartwheels (not really recommended in my case, but the spirit is willing!).
ReplyDeleteLove the photo of the black berries and sloes, by the way.
lots been going on... so you all over there call those chestnuts bonkers? we call 'em buckeyes here. nice pots.
ReplyDeleteHi Doug,
ReplyDeleteGood to see everything is going well your end. Are you around on Fri 9th October? We are in France early next week, but could call down for kittens (2)on Friday, (or Saturday if thats easier). WE also want to talk tiles with you and Clive.....
Is that Blogger Paul or Andrew Lloyd Webber you are drinking with? :-)
Dave & Sue
Hello all. Ron, loving the new pots, yes hope to catch you on Skype soon. Reckon we would have to get Andrew to taste that sloe and blackberry eh Ang? Thanks MK and Peter - plum pudding :). It's a funny old pot that spouted one - not sure what anybody would use it for, but wanted to make one for a while. Jim, we call 'em conkers. Do you string them up and use them for conker fights? Sounds more violent than it is - you have to put them on a string, then bash yours against an opponents in turn - the idea being that you should smash the opponent's conker.
ReplyDeleteDave, I'm going to be in Cornwall that weekend looking after my mate's dog, but Hil says she can be here on Friday evening if that's any good? We should have a natter on the phone to make a plan (01363) 860183