Strange Type of Day

Do you know how some days just feel strange ?

I was in a very productive mood today and seemed to be busy all day

but when I look at my shelves

I wondered what all the energy had gone into producing.

I think it must have been something to do with the weather today

I loved the colours in this picture.

I'm still working on a good size bread bin design
This one is OK but it's not hitting me with the YES that's it factor.
so more work on these to come.

Ok I've just taken Caddy out for his walk this morning and I've been thinking this whole Bread Bin thing through.

If I'm the potter at the wheel and I know what type of shape I'm trying to make

- who the hell made this ?

Do I need to take more control of my thoughts and actions ?

Is this just Me ?

I would just like to clarify one thing

" I've never taken a drug in my life & have never had a desire to even try"

So this is a clean head I'm talking about here not some spaced out old hippie.

Half the day was like this.

And then as if the day had not been strange enough

only one visitor today I wonder why !!

I looked at my order book to ring a customer to tell her that her Harvest Jug is ready

The honey glaze has come out great

when I noticed at the bottom of the order it says colour

GREEN

" Oh Dear "

as you would expect from Me.

So I got back on the wheel and made another one and put off phoning the customer.

Eeles Family Pottery at Barrington Court

This is the white garden at Barrington court

I walked past it on my way to see the Eeeles Family Pottery Exhibition

in Strode House part of the Court.

I've met Simon in the pub a few times but I've never been to the pottery.

Interesting work

these Raku pieces are superb.

Chippidie Chippidie Pin

I can't believe it !

I got excited about my Chip and Pin Machine turning up yesterday.

watch out customers

NO More Excuses - I've Got you now!
I was in chirpier mood myself yesterday this was the second one of these I made
from 14lbs of clay
I dropped the first one off my shelf which was swiftly followed my a string of foul words beginning in these letters S, P, B, F & W.
I'm sure we have all been there, well not all I'm sure.
and then I very slowly turned around to see if anyone was in the showroom
Luckily Not.

as you can see the National Trust have painted my windows
but I'm thinking of ways to brighten it up.

and this is what the showroom looked like yesterday.

Normal Service is Resumed

I started to feel better yesterday afternoon

and by this morning I was a chirpie chappie again.

MY first thought was to get in the workshop early and crack on with making the pots I have orders for, but today is my one day off to do other things so I've decided to do the other things and give myself a bit more time to recuperate.

I put this small sign up yesterday

because some times I feel like a Zoo animal with people watching me.

It made a group of 10 kids laugh yesterday when they all rushed in before their teacher hauled them out again with military precision
Some of yesterdays firing

I had some more of those tall strait sided jugs come out yesterday

and I sold two almost immediately.

This was one of my favorites as plain as can be.

Feeling Crock

I've been feeling a bit Crock since Saturday but I soldiered on through the day

but only made 25 coffee cups.

I should have come home and gone straight to bed but we had a dinner party to go to in Barrington with some friends, a very few beers later and( I mean only a few)

it was 1am before we left.

on the Sunday I managed to get to the workshop for 12 noon and unload the bisc firing and glaze all the pots and re load the kiln. but you can tell how bad I was feeling it took me until 5pm

It's only a small kiln 10 cuft.

Monday, I only managed two hours in the workshop before coming home to bed just to rest.

This morning I'm feeling a bit better but know where near 100% closer to 60%.

But I did manage to go to the workshop and unload the glaze firing this morning

which is where this small jug came from.

This is the new Ash Glaze, so that's cheered me up.

and the blossom is coming out on the apple trees opposite the workshop

Nature can be a wonderful thing.
The weather has been great and I have so many pots to make at the moment.
I wish I knew what was wrong with me, it feels a bit like a chest infection
but even in this great weather I keep feeling frozen and very tired.

I'VE GOT TO MUCH I WANT TO DO TO FEEL CROCK !!
AARRRGGGGGHHHHHH !!!!!!!

Ash Glaze

The same ash glaze as before but with about 15% red clay added to try and warm it up a bit.

and a nice Harvest jug.

with a phrase I made up on the spur of the moment.

Post Bank Holiday Post

It's quite bizarre how you think things are going to be

and then they are not!

Two of my Daughters Sarah the youngest and Nicola the middle one came down to stay for the week, then Laura rang and said she was coming too, then we asked my mum Molly to come down as well on the Friday as it was her 72 birthday.

I was working on the Friday and sales were OK.

In the evening we drove down to a small fishing village in Dorset called "Beer"

and we all sat on the beach eating fish and chips.

it was just perfect.

This is Sarah tucking into an Easter egg on Sunday she will be 16 in May.

Although everyone was down for the weekend I had told the court I will be open all over the Easter break. and it was Busy i have never seen so many people at the court.

Lots of PR for me but sales were the same as any other day, where I had been expecting a big increase in sales this was not the case.

It made me wish I had just closed for the weekend and spent more time with my girls.

But if I had and i had then seen the amount of visitors to the court I would have been kicking myself for being shut.

You just can't win sometimes.

So Tuesday morning every one has gone back I'm in my workshop

quietly glazing harvest jugs and I sell 12 pots.
Glazing on the floor gives you so much more space.
Then in a quiet moment I had a look around the second hand book stall next door
and look what I found.
I met Kenneth Clark a number of times in the 80's when he was making ceramic tiles used in the deli bar area of Waitrose supermarkets, he was a lovely guy.

and this was a book I used to get from the Library when I was a kid

it was written the year I was born 1962 and I'm quite sure I was introduced to Dora once when I was a youngster.

So all in all it's been a good couple of weeks, sales are going well

despite the lack of an Easter spectacular.

I'm enjoying my new life as a potter

and it was great to see the kids again.

Rush Hour in Somerset

We drove past this Mother and her young chap

during rush hour in Somerset this week.

And this Harvest Jug has a nice sentiment for all bloggers over Easter.

If you can't quite read it it say's

" the gift is small but Love is all".

Happy Easter All

New Signs and New Pots

The nice people at Barrington Court put some signs up

Yesterday so visitors will be able to find me.

This big one is on the edge of the car park.
I believe I have been getting between 10 - 20 % of the visitors to the Court
coming to see my workshop. It will be interesting to see if that increases now.

New pots from the Kiln this week

a close up of the stamp

These are two of the 4lb jugs, I like this size for two reasons

One, I can get two shelves of serving dishes in the kiln above them

Two, this is a size that looks big but feels light, always a nice feeling.

I've also been asked to make a Harvest Jug for a wedding

so I've made five now, so at least I've got some spares if something goes wrong.

as you can tell the lens cover is starting to get stuck on the digital camera.

a rest day today before working all over the Easter weekend.

it should be a busy one.

John Leach Open Day - Visit

Marion and Me Popped down to the John Leach Pottery on Saturday morning at the start of his Kiln Opening day.

John has this type of open day off to a fine art and it's a real inspiration for potters and young children alike.
John does a number of throwing demonstrations throughout the day.

If you look up at the ceiling in this shot you might spot a green slipware jug hanging from the beam above John's wheel.

Yes indeed it's one of mine.

Can you imagine how proud I felt when I saw that there.

This was a view I just had to take a picture of.

This is his three chambered wood firing Kiln.

The first chamber door opened.

and the 3rd chamber door opened

Pots fresh from the Kiln.

and a view of Johns wood stack from inside the Gallery.

We couldn't stay long as I had to open my own workshop for the day

and I had my best day of sales so far.