Pre Potfest Pandemonium

It is amazing just how far half 10,000 gms of glaze can go when you miss the bucket. Well ok, half of it did actually go in the right place, but the other half, oh joy! Half past eleven at night paddling about in the stuff, Crocs full and squishy, and still to get the kiln packed and on. (I glaze the long dishes in a trough and it is is hard to pour the glaze back into the bucket without it building up a back-and-forward-out-of-control swishing movement, and yes I should empty enough slowly with a paddle first)! Eventually with the floor mopped as best as my tired brain could manage and the kiln on, I ran a bath, well I could hardly get into bed half glazed, to discover that the immersion heater hadn’t been on since the last person had a shower, so stone cold it was. By this time it became quite funny in a ‘so tired you have to laugh sort of way’. The trouble then was that though totally exhausted I couldn’t get to sleep. Well a cold bath at 12.30 am is hardly designed to promote relaxation and calm is it?!

But that was yesterday. Today I am smug in the knowledge that there are two more glaze kilns to unpack before Potfest, and I already have one or two new pieces which I am looking forward to showing.

Above is the little top loader with some bits and pieces in it to do with the Potfest in the Park competition piece....

But what a week. Glaze colours mixed at break neck speed. Oh how I was concentrating on getting all the ingredients weighed out, when some customers came in - honey mooning couple to be precise. So nice they wanted to spend some of their wedding money on my pots. Full of this cheery happening I went back to my weighing out, totally having lost the place and suddenly realising that I was following the wrong set of numbers. These new colours were only for a small object like a PELICAN! So rapid firing in the test kiln that afternoon which knocked my whole timetable out!

I am pondering the changing format of my small mix glaze tubs. Several years ago now we got old pill tubs from the local chemist, until they started the plastic bubble dispensing method. Then it was Orchard Fruits low sugar jams, until they stopped making it, followed by Aldi soups. I must admit that just lately I treated myself to BUYING some really nice little new tubs which do stack so beautifully. Such is progress.


....and the Pelican, fast fired, glazed with dodgy distractedly mixed colours survived, and I'm pretty pleased!