The Summer that isn't, the piece that hasn't and the trouble with trousers

The extraordinary wet drab weather continues on and on. A couple of weeks ago a group of friends climbed Merrick in the Galloway hills.  This was the view from the top.

Then by some miracle the dense cloud lifted momentarily, enough to catch a glimpse of the views. 

Here north towards Loch Doon.

Meanwhile in the workshop I seem to have been extraordinarily busy not getting on very fast with anything! I can't blame interruptions as there have been an almost eerie lack of visitors to the showroom, (is that the weather, the recession)? 

I should be making more useful things like mugs and bowls for the summer visitors, that is if they DO come, not to mention some rather overdue orders, but as usual I have become a little too absorbed in making my Potfest competition piece. 

This has taken a few strange turns and twists since the initial idea. What is it? Will it fly? Has it even decided what it is at all?

 And what are those strange conical pawn like objects? Answers on a postcard please and the winner gets a, erm, well what about a Spring Fling penguin!

 Timbalada has decided that the dusty, waiting-to-be-cleaned-up Spray booth is a good place to sleep. Ha, found you, now what colour would you like to be sprayed? She looks a little worried.

 But she turned out perfectly as usual.

On Monday morning, after the cones had bent in my kiln, I decided that I really did need desperately to get off the premises and have a change of scene. Apart from the expedition up Merrick I have hardly been out of the workshop for days on end. As is becoming boringly usual it wasn’t great weather so I decided to take the day return to Carlisle and buy myself some long needed new trousers. 

Now my perfect trousers would be baggy, comfortable with lots of pockets and hopefully made of some nice interesting coloured soft yet sturdy material - not that I am not fussy, not at all !

But what is it about modern trousers. Huge wide waists which aren't actually where ones waist is anyway, tight bums, narrow ankles, no pockets.  Then I became aware that everyone I saw walking down the street looked like their trousers didn't fit properly anyway - because they don't MAKE trousers for human beings at all. Oh well, it's the fabric shop and the old sewing machine for me. AFTER Potfest that is.