Latest Pebble Sets

   Here are some of the latest pebble bead sets that I have made, they are listed in my Etsy shop,  https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/pebbledreams  these beads are special to me because as most of you know I find the world of glitter and bling of no interest. My aim in bead making is to produce the more natural looking bead, the bead that has beauty without having to sparkle. I find it amazing how some people lust after the glitz and manufactured glamour that seems to command attention these days, when every day they walk past designs made by the greatest creator of all, mother nature and it is her amazing designs that really interest me.

   From an early age the natural world as been an infatuation of mine, from those snail shells I would collect in the garden, to the beautiful smooth pebbles picked from the beach on day trips, it all had an appeal that I still today find hard to explain. So I guess it was only natural that when I took up bead making the fancy pretty glam beads, busy with sparkle, flowers and gold stone would not appeal to me. Instead my first thoughts were around stone and wood effects, I soon found that by letting the glass and my flame mix and move the way they choose was producing the most stunning results, yes of course I had to make additions to the glass with metals and silver but they made the magic and very soon each morning became one of excitement when it came to opening my kiln door, a feeling I still experience today.

  

Magic Of The Fens

   This morning I found myself in a magical world that only the fens in winter can produce, around each bend in the road was another stunning picture of the fens at their very best, frozen, mysterious and totally raw.

   People have labelled me mad for going out in such cold conditions, but I answer with a smile and continue churning out the miles, for only I know how fitter I now feel, only I remember how much of an effort it was to do just simple chores and if cycling every day in all weathers helps my life improve then cycle I will.

   I was going to my torch today but instead I have spent a few hours having a good tidy in the barn, I guess I get carried away in my work at times and neglect the discarded rod ends, tools and bead design sketches that are scattered over the work benches, so it was time to start being a little more organized.
   I have been asked by a few people if I could post about the set up I have, the equipment and tools I use and the types of glass I use, so I'll get that sorted in the next few days.

Peace and Quiet

   It's just two days after Christmas and still the fens lay quiet, this morning my cycle ride took me through sun lit arable acres and along the great man-made drains of the marsh lands, with the clear cold air making cycling a real pleasure. After the strong winds of the last two days it was nice to enjoy a less strenuous couple of hours, giving more time to observe the water fowl and the hint of early morning frost that lingered in every patch of shade.

   With the new year fast approaching I have only a handful of days left before I have to up the miles I cycle, I have promised myself that this coming summer I will cycle back to my home village in Hertfordshire, which is from my door to the center of Ashwell, 50 miles. I know to most who road cycle this would be an easy ride that they would undertake every weekend, but to someone who is carrying the weight of two men it will be a big achievement, plus the training will I hope help me lose yet more weight than I have already.
   Tomorrow I'll be back at my torch though to be honest I did sneak in the barn yesterday to produce a few sets, guess this old bead maker is a glass addict, that's for sure.

Never Been Easy But It's My Life

   I know some people who have just found my blog were probably expecting a very different one, one of beads and more beads and I'm guessing some may be a little disappointed that this is not the case, but I'd like to thanks those who have messaged me telling me how much they have enjoyed reading the past posts. While I love my job and adore working with my flame, I also love the countryside in which I live, I love the village life, it was what I was born to and after having some really tough times I now enjoy every day as best I can, trying to include this in the posts I publish.
   When I first started making beads, like many others I became involved in bead groups, I sold at bead fairs and I entertained buyers here at my studio. But after a while I began to find the politics and all round way of life more and more uninteresting, yes I wanted to earn a living selling my beads, but having to befriend people just so that they may buy was not something I enjoyed and sadly many bead makers did and still do such things. So I began to keep myself to myself, I enjoyed working away in my own little world playing with the magic that only glass and fire can produce and what others were making never really excited me. I was never a follower, I wanted to walk the small lanes of learning rather than jumping upon the big highway grabbing hold of the latest fad like the majority of bead makers, I knew it was a risk keeping to myself but it was what I loved, every morning opening my kiln was a treat, some days I was disappointed,others I was thrilled by the results I saw, but most of all every time that kiln door opened I was looking at beads that started as my ideas and that was and still is important to me.

   So if your looking for just a bead blog, well I'm sure there are lots out there, if your looking for a blog which tells of the everyday life and feelings of a bead maker who as experienced the good and bad of the bead world and who choose to be different, then your at the right place. I can't promise every post will be super interesting of indeed exciting but I can promise they will be truthful, so to all those who have just found the blog, welcome, please feel free to comment on any post and I hope you enjoy the coming posts.
 

Great News

  At last I'm allowed to talk about the great news I've had concerning my beads, they are to be used in the coming new Dr Who series this spring, they are to be worn along with pendant in episode 9, so as you can imagine I'll be watching, hoping I see them.
   After so many years working in my little fenland studio I feel really lucky that somebody has chosen to used my beads in such a public way, every bead maker dreams of his or her beads being used in this way and I guess lady luck for once picked me.

   Today I make my yearly Christmas trip back home to Ashwell, the village of my childhood and the home of my family, the car is loaded with fen produce and Christmas fare, Christmas cards are ready to deliver and this little village boy has that special feeling that only Ashwell can bring to him.

Misty Start.

   Awaiting this bead maker is a cool misty start to the day, once more I head off into the fens to cycle the morning miles, once a chore, now a welcome routine. I must admit the winter months are less enjoyable than those of mid summer and the dark evenings mean I miss out on late afternoon rides, but still the fen charm never fails to brighten the morning, wildlife around every bend and the water birds fill every drain, those tiny narrow oceans that cross the dark soiled land of East Anglia.
   It's been a long journey so far but the weight lose as certainly made  difference to my way of life, I feel myself again and chores seem so must easier, before everything was such an effort, I felt wrong, the healthy feelings had left me many years go and I was just really unaware of how unhealthy I was becoming. Now, well the thoughts of enjoying the coming spring and summer without locking myself away in the shade and exploring many parts of the fenland that I would have only reached by car, are good ones.

   I hope to update this blog more often as some people have mentioned how they miss reading it, so I'm sure there will be more pictures of my cycling trips and my unique little world of beads to come.