Toastracks

     Busy making toastracks last week, very fiddly to make and under-glaze but I love making them and whilst doing so a lovely couple came in and bought one, thank you whoever you were you made my day... I have collected old china toastracks for about 25 years and have a huge collection ......

February already...

Can't quite believe my last blog was last year... the studio really was too cold for a very long time so I just closed it down and hoped for the best. It was fine and nothing froze up thank goodness, so now I'm up and running again and the temperature in there in  double figures, just! Had my 2 electric fires on last week and it went up to 15oC  positively tropical I'd say!
    Anyway have had a few classes and sold a few pots and left some of my smoked porcelain jewellery bits at The Barn Gallery in Southwell so things are on the move again and am really looking forward to the year ahead.

    I am in the process of trying out a few new techniques with coloured slips so hopefully I'll have some new work to show very soon. Here are a few pics of my Thursday evening session ....with Grace,Amber, Gwen and Lucille.... 

Stand By Me......

This clip sends a tingle up your spine and tears to your eyes,amazing how music can bring about such  spirit...see how it makes you feel! click on the following   http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2539741
    
   

Snow,Snow Ice and more Snow..

I love the snow but getting really fed up now. My car won't start and I'm walking miles on compact ice, in those conditions the 2 mile walk to the studio is a real slog. Please melt now.!
   Went in 2 days ago and the studio windows were thick with ice and it felt like a box with no light,very clostraphobic. Anyway I set the kiln so all that ice will have melted and pooled on the floor today, Great!
    Did a bit of making at home but now I have to transport some very fragile dry work into studio at some point....also made quite a few bits of jewellery so now have to find a few outlets for the new year...

Thick ice on studio windows

   

     The countryside is so so beautiful in the sun, all so sparkley and bright, it was -7 yesterday and even colder the day before, some parts of Nottinghamshire reached -14 which was much colder than Moscow apparently. There are going to be plenty of burst pipes soon.....



Hoarfrost.

              Applied to sell through" madebyhandonline.com" hope they like my stuff,...fingers crossed.!

 

   

Snowed in.

These are certainly not going anywhere .

SWAN TRACK

KIRKLINGTON

Holly out playing in the snow!

   What a beautiful day!  one to remember for sure, could'nt get out of the village by car so took myself and my camera for a lovely trudge through the deep and crisp and even, tho it was'nt so even after my big wellies had ruined it's pristine surface. Followed  foxy footprints along the river and then came across a strange track in the snow that looked like a tractor tyre,   it turned out to be the track of a swan. (tried to take a photo of it but its not very clear). A lovely Buzzard flew over bringing up a huge flock of birds  and then I spooked 2  enormous Heron which took off from a ditch beside  me- amazing birds in flight , my heart missed a few beats until I realised what they were. Wish I had a better camera to capture things like that .......  One day Viv ! ...... Will have to get over to the workshop tomorrow pay my rent and check to make sure it's not  freezing, a long walk but hopefully the sun will shine,I'll bring a lump of clay home to play with....and hopefully a few more photos for my next posting.

NORFOLK WEEKEND

Had a great weekend away in Norfolk with our friends David and Wendy and their retired racing Greyhound Jenna. Walked along from Wells to Holkham through the pine woods and back along the beach...So lovely!

Wells-next-the-sea

Steve and David went off to Snettisham very early on Sunday morning to see the waves of knot take off at dawn with the tide an amazing sight apparently but far too early for us girlies...felt a bit jealous though when they showed us this clip....

The Clip!!!

Bet you wondered what clip I was talking about, could'nt manage to download or upload or offload or whatever it's called so am trying again.