An Extra Hour In Bed, Who You Kidding !!

Still Up Before Light


   I did think I'd get some extra sleep last night but who was I kidding, yet again I woke to the sound of rain and a very dark Sunday morning so up I got and sat with my early morning cuppa, the barn was then unlocked and the normal early morning jobs were completed, all in the freezing cold and darkness. I guess after waking to a layer of snow here yesterday we should think ourselves lucky it's only rain this morning, the temperature really did drop a today it doesn't seem as long so fingers crossed we will be a little warmer in the barn today.
   Yesterday was a clay day for me with pots to trim, bowls and coffee mugs to produce and glazing to be done, at the end of the afternoon I had a full kiln ready to fire and rows of new items sitting on batts with a few days of drying facing them. I'm playing around with mug shapes at the moment and I must say it's giving me a lot of enjoyment, some a complete failure and others working out really well, amazing really how much thought goes into the correct and most comfortable shape of a drinking vessel.
   Today while the rain falls over the fens I have a long list of jobs including a good few hours painting the walls in the barn, clearing out all the old boxes and tins that home long lost beads and not to mention the opening of the ceramic kiln to see what results yesterdays firing has produced.
   This is all to be followed by a evening photographing ceramics and placing them onto the new website ready I hope to publish later in the evening, there will still be parts of the site I wish to improve and shops for ceramic beads etc that need to be added next weekend, but all in all it will show the kind of thing I hope to sell on there and it will explain my aims. I'm not expecting any sales for a few weeks until I get more of a range of pieces listed and find a way of spreading the word.
   Next it will be the new bead site, which I'm hoping I can start building by the back end of November which reminds me, this year will be the first year for a while that I won't be holding a bead sale on ebay. To be honest with you the prices that I used to charge for sale beads are more than the average prices my bead sets fetch on a normal every day auction, so there is no way I'm giving beads away for next to nothing, I've been doing that for the last year or so and to be honest with you I'd rather they now sit and gather dust, if people don't think my beads are worth anything more than a few pounds then they won't be sold.
   To the many customers who have stuck by me through the years, even though my beads are now out of fashion to some, I thank you all and as soon as the barn is finished and ready for visitors you are all very very welcome and to you there will be of course lots of bargains and lots of "Rob Prices" to be had.
   Now to those who believe my beads are only worth a few quid, well, your invites I'm sure will be lost in the post !
   Right, now I better get back to the barn, things to move, dust sheets to lay and paint to stir, I hope you all have a great relaxing Sunday and whatever the weather in your part of the world just think, only another 7 months and it will be summer yipeeeeeeee !