I've been busy...

Reflections from glass on a hot pavement.
I've had one of those weeks when potting has got a bit squeezed out, partly because I'm trying to work out why things happened.
The bisque went well, turned off at mid-day, then had the workshop doors and windows wide open until 10pm to let out the heat .
new bowl shapes
with blown off footrings/feet. I thought they were dry enough. Could be the kiln went up to fast. I have lowered the bottom shelf to just above the flue exit. Maybe this will make it more controllable. It adds 2.25" vertically to the packing space of the kiln, anyway!!
Cracked slip. Could be that it only likes being relatively thin on this clay body. I'll be glad when I get my second wheel so that I can do red clay again!!
Cracked bottom kiln shelf...not sure why. I moved the two parts so that you could see the crack better.
Indeg looking after daughter. The bump between them is The Bump...36 weeks and counting...I don't think she will have to wait too long for them to arrive.....
Sunday afternoon we spent four hours walking, checking ponies and foals. Two mobs found (of 9 and 11)
A good bilberry patch!...We've noted this and a couple of others. Lets hope we're not to busy when they are ripe!!

kiln firing!!

Another Bisque fired!

I placed ceramic fibre paper- only 2mm thick- over both sides and rear of the kiln and around the flue that is inside.
It looks as if the kiln has used less gas and fired better. The test will be the next glaze firing.

rain

byre roof
tollhouse doorstep, both at St.Ffagan National History Museum last week, after rain.
I have rigged up my waterbutt system, just needs connecting pipes and downpipes from the greenhouse gutters.....and some rain.....

Mountain Man commented last night that the weather patterns so far this year were as he remembered from 1976........

busy!!

Busy doing bits and bobs.

I have enough pots to fill the bisque firing now, as soon as they have dried in the sun!
I'm trying to make some less expensive pots that are simpler but still have my style. My front window now has a display of my work and my business card. No prices, so I can't be accused of running a shop and get stung for shop rates!!

The garden is coming along, things are growing well. The corn, squash and beans are up and growing fast!! The hottest couple of days have been and hotter to come.

Throwing

I've gone back to throwing off the hump for a bit- it seemed a waste of time weighing small bits of clay for kilnfillers!

It is good to practice this throwing technique again and no batts to clean!

Reflective

Herb Robert (wild geranium)
cultivated geranium
Reflections

I had reasonable day at Brecon Craft Makers' Market. There must be somewhere that will work for pot selling. I know that things are tight now, but how come people will pay more, and buy two small sheep, rather than a small mug or jug or plate????

I must take time to look at markets in other places. I enjoy Brecon though....

I collected Mountain Man from the northern end of Mynydd Maen where he had been photographing ponies. We went to Merthyr Common where they had been bred, to show the photos to their previous owner. It was good to talk with him and his wife, talking ponies and people, weather and cooking and markets.

Talking and tea drinking until nearly 10pm!!

a walk in the woods

Mountain Man taught me another path yesterday. It is in Cwm Gofapi, coming down from where he lives. But as he said, there aren't many alive now who remember this half of the path

looking back up to the fire road
and looking down to the next fire road down


coming down towards the light
almost at the lower road
a huge patch of oxalis (?)
the lower fire road
oak before ash?
splash?

looking back up Cwm Gofapi to Cefn Rhyswg