Chilly

1. Forever. 2. Too long

On my workbench are the fired items from wood-kiln firing last weekend: The cylinders are tests, the flat cookies are for herb labels, the two-handed cups are for my mum. The two square boxes with pointed tops are copied from sweetie bags at a recent wedding.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So is Art. If you like it, can live with it, or make money from it, it is good (valuable) art. If you don't like it, and no-one else does, it has no value. I do not call myself an artist. I can create, I can be inspired, I can adapt ideas. TBH, I don't get most art. But I do know that sometimes I see something and think "I like that". Sometimes it is recognition of a skill, sometimes it just pulls your eyes, sometimes there is no reason

Home-made slab roller. Saves so much physical effort rolling slabs. Mitre cutter Stamp - made from an off-cut of a wooden curtain pole, and thick copper wire bent into my initial, hot-melt glued together. Dipped in WD40 works perfectly.

I started to say two things are in daily use, then I worked my way round the house, and the number has gone up in each room. In the kitchen we use spoon rests, butter dishes, a tea-bag bowl and fish-pie dishes, the lounge has a kindling-holder pot and ornaments, the en-suite bathroom has a pot that holds combs, the bathroom has plant pots and decorative trays to hold them. I also have coasters in most rooms and the greenhouses, plus plant saucers everywhere. At the scout campsite, all the crew have a mug with their name on it. I have a pair of two-handle cups (one to use and one to ..........) to be wood-fired tomorrow for my mum who is struggling with holding a cup with one hand. And as she drinks her tea while it is still scalding she can't hold normal cups with both hands. So, a veritable haul of me-made pottery in-use, quite impressed.

What's on my workbench? Another trip down the rabbit hole. First tested these glazes in 2014 in an electric kiln. Gave up as they didn't mature at ^6, and no-one else fires that high and I can't produce enough "test tiles" to fill the kiln. Off to a wood-firing next weekend, so decided to make some more tests and re-hydrate those glazes. I'll say hello to the mad-hatter and the rabbit from you all while I'm down there. Middle photo are some tubes for testing, bottom is "posh" catcher trays to stand the tubes in. Then we'll only have to wad the bottom of the trays, not all the tubes.

Suggestion: Is it worth it? Several threads recently have asked is it worth........... Be good to see a discussion in it's own thread on the general pros and cons of fixing, restoring, recovering, making your own. So many things to consider: time, cost, environment......

Nothing, it's in the kiln ready to be fired on Wednesday. Bought 5 pieces of greenware home from Potter's Camp. a couple of plates using a jigger/jolly machine, slip decorated and screen printed on, just daubed slip on the other, a couple of pressed trinket trays - rolled out clay, rolled again with icing rolling pins, cut into a curvy rectangle and pressed by wood blocks into thick foam, and a paper-resist slipped, waxed, incised, cobalt-washed slab that I don't think I'll like when it's finished, but I brought it home to show others the techniques. No point learning something new if you don't pass it on.

Ha ha. That was the first try out. It's now warped with 200+ ready for a big trial. You're welcome to come and help. The scones and clotted cream are on the shopping list for the weekend.

No so much "what's on my workbench", more like "what's in my studio, in the way of my workbench". http://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/gallery/image/10062-img_2199jpg/

It died a quiet, natural death.