blips or bumps

the sheds have been on the back burner this week, but today one thousand reclaimed hand made terracotta tiles – Norfolk pan-tiles – were delivered and things are moving again. the roof was prepared last week and watertight on Monday.

luckily the lorry delivering the tiles could drive onto the paddock and hi-ab the crates into position next to the back of the shed. by the end of the day there were two rows on the front part of the roof.

next week the electrician will insert the light and power point wiring so that the walls can be completed. I will have a light in my kiln shed.

two deer sightings today. at the edge of Bale wood there was a fallow deer with a well grown youngster. unfortunately too far away to get a good photo, but here is another of my very poor wildlife pictures. it’s not easy while trying to restrain a lurcher on the lead. of course, once she realised they were there T got rather noisy and there was no more chance for photos.

the other was far too distant to attempt a photo, in the stubble field next to H’s wood. I was talking to the builders, Alan and Peter, behind the shed, and I could see a moving dot. it was a roe deer, probably the same one I had seen last Sunday in the same place. they seem to like the late sunshine in that field, it was the same time of day. on Sunday I was in the stubble field with Sal, and much closer. there was a large dark coloured doe and a very red coloured buck, sunbathing. they didn’t put up with our presence for long and disappeared into the wood. (this is the anenome wood).

some more pots are emerging. this time I have applied blips or bumps to some of them – a direct inspiration from the African pots I have been looking at.

this is the terracotta crank. I also tried the industrial crank. it’s not very plastic, cracks very easily, and won’t stand up enough to make a really big pot. I tried, and ended up with two medium sized pots. that’s the first time I haven’t managed to make a pot. I think there’s a lot of sand in it, it’s meant for making saggars.

so perhaps I should try combining the two cranks.

this one I attacked with the comb.

until the sheds are finished I can’t really attempt to fire the kiln, and Paris fashion week is rather imminent, so not much more making for the time being. its a shame as the weather is very pleasant and it would be good to be in the workshop.