"I don't have a..."

 

Seen in a friend's workshop by his woodburner...

Afternoon out

 Started with a picnic lunch in the car in Troon for a change, a walk along the beach, large Italian ice creams, then a wander up to the harbour, returning along the ballast bank behind a huge wood processing works...logs in planks out! Then back along the beach to the car.

Wood!

 We have been helping a fellow villager clear some derelict land between the river and one lane out of our village..he doesn't have a chainsaw...Pirate does!

So to go with the small woodstove that I might be in line for as someone else upgrades....

Fuel!!

We were lucky to finish before the rain shower came through..this is it as it left us...

Sadly I didn't have a camera with me to capture the most perfect rainbow that we have ever seen....

After the shower, the sky was clear for the sunset.

Wood!

Today's weather started as it meant to go on...rain and hail!

We headed south over the hills

To meet a two woodmen...one who cuts and seasons it...the other who makes things...we passed over some money...

For some six years old elm. Breathtakingly beautiful. I brought a bowl in exchange for the offcut of elm I was given last visit...

But the wood supplier wants a large plate, so he gave me a plank of oak! Now I must get to the back of the storeshed where the box of plates is...and decide what I would like the wood maker to make!

We headed back north for delicious coffee and cake, good art and a warm welcome at the Gallery at Lauriston

 Then Pirate caught the weather window and rode the nearly ten miles to the next big village..and as the bike went back in the car, the rain came down again!!

Home again and the rain had had enough...as dusk fell...typical!

comparison in seeing

Glastonbury

 The Thorn and the Spring at Chalice Well in Glastonbury. 
I refreshed my Navigator Stone that came from the potter in Paeroa...and was given some spring water for the Pirate...he is busy sorting things he should have sorted nearly 25 years ago.
We must return here together.

 I thought of a potter friend who is in Harefield Hospital getting his heart electrics sorted.  Get well soon Golly....wonder if they have beds long enough for a seven foot potter?

 and Yandles in Martock....wood heaven,plus cafe and gallery and arts and crafts supplies.......

 and this one for Soub....

workshop visits

Three workshop visits stood out for us on our walk last Sunday.
The first was to Ross Mitchell-Anyon's pottery. He was the potter who worked with local people to create the handprints monument/artwork, by the Serjeant Gallery in Whanganui.
Although I'd be concerned, living and working right on the riverbank, apparently the water has only ever been up as far as the windowsills of the workshop, once!

                                                           jetty with tinny.

It was good to see yet another different woodfired kiln, getting inspiration for when I have a place to build my own.   This one has two fireboxes at one end, followed by two chambers then a chimney with a small firebox at the base for pre-warming to create a through draught.

Back to the Left Bank in town off Taupo Quay, we visited Louise Herdman, Mosaic Artist and tutor....notice by the entrance "keep your shoes on!" (unlike usual Kiwi practice). 
Beautiful work, and sharing an area in this lovely old building with a restorer of old sewing machines, mainly Singer. He took them in exchange for selling new machines, then got them working again and the collection includes some of the oldest made.
She is one of those working in the old Whanganui Chronicle building.

Our next visit was to the Chronicle Glass Studio situated in the old press room in the white building in the centre, just before the modern college (UCOL) building.
Two glassworkers work from here (at least) and others are in the mezzanine gallery.
They also run courses-I was very tempted to make my own paperweight-but I'm reducing weight to pack so I couldn't!!

Then we walked back over the city bridge and up Georgetti Road to Bricksticks.

We'd been intrigued by the name since we came here...now we understood! 
It is a fantastic space, and for the weekends the kiln spaces were filled with other craftworkers and artists from out of the city.
We checked it out on google earth when we reached home. We knew it was big!! It is just surprising how close to the surrounding houses it is situated.