First off, my husband grew up on a Dairy & Pig farm, when I showed him the little wavy dish he said" I really like that" and then followed up later with "do you know what it reminds me of" ? ? ? "a cows placenta" eeeeeuuuuu how gross is that?

My first bisque fire was successful! I just emptied it a little on the warm side (~175F) and everything seems to have fared well. I was a little concerned that I’d have major cracking on some of the thicker pieces, but I guess they were dry enough. I have some mugs, some plates/platters, and a lot of kiln cookies and test tiles. I’m hearing some pinging, so I’m guessing something is going to crack, but we’ll see tomorrow! Overall, I’m happy and looking forward to glazing later this week if it’s not too hot in here.

They’ve just said on the news that we’ve had the warmest spring on record, and now we’re in a heatwave with temperatures expected to reach around 38°C. Apparently we’ve not seen June temperatures like this since 1976, so no wonder it feels a bit extreme! Never seen the map look so fiery hot on the news!!!! Normally my studio is actually the coolest place for me to escape to. It’s an annex on our grounds, with 18-inch thick stone walls and sits under the canopy of the forest, so it has been an absolute saviour in hot weather. Even our Rhodesian Ridgeback Kaiser follows me in there to lie on the cold floor tiles which is very unusual! But today even the studio was baking… although that may have something to do with the fact I fired Blaze last night. 😂 The good news is my greenware is drying quickly, but it’s definitely not ideal when I still need to handle pieces. I’m suddenly having to rethink my usual drying routines and keep a much closer eye on things than normal. For my fellow UK potters, how are you managing your clay, studio time, drying and firings in this heat? And for everyone else around the world… what are your weather extremes where you are? Hottest heat, coldest cold, humidity, snow, storms — I’d love to hear how your climate affects your pottery.

No one has yet suggested a June challenge, so I thought I’d throw an idea into the ring 😊 After my recent visit with Lucy at West2Ceramics, we were chatting about doing a glaze challenge where a randomizer chooses 2–3 glazes for us to put directly onto a finished piece 😳 Now for some people, that probably sounds completely normal… but for me? Absolutely not 🤣 I ALWAYS test first. Always. So the idea of surrendering control and glazing an actual piece with combinations I haven’t carefully planned genuinely makes me feel anxious. But it also made me realise something… So much growth seems to happen when we push slightly beyond the things that feel safe and comfortable. Sometimes we avoid things because they genuinely intimidate us a little: • a process • a technique • a glaze • a form • sharing our work publicly • joining a live call • starting a YouTube channel • speaking up in the community • trying something we might “fail” at And yet when we finally take that step, we often end up experiencing things we never otherwise would have. Sometimes it’s a beautiful result. Sometimes it’s learning. Sometimes it’s confidence. Sometimes it’s simply realising:✨ “Actually… I CAN do this.” ✨ What I love so much about this community is how we all seem to help each other grow in different ways every single day 💜 So rather than making this just a glaze randomizer challenge, I wondered if June could simply become: ✨ Push Past Your Comfort Zone ✨ Your challenge can be completely personal to YOU. Maybe that means: • trying a new process or technique • using glazes you normally avoid • experimenting with a form you’ve never attempted • handbuilding instead of wheel throwing • carving, texture or decoration • finally reglazing that failed piece • posting your work online more • joining a Skool call for the first time • starting a YouTube or Instagram account • or letting randomness choose your glazes 😅 This isn’t about perfection. Its about experimenting, learning, sharing and maybe surprising ourselves a little along the way 💜

I did a thing! Now I’m actually excited to glaze - which has never happened before! Scroll to see my embarrassing before. I hope I can make the call this week, you all can give me a new glaze roulette challenge!