Working through Bloggers Block.

Too much has happened this past month - it all came together in a rush, and there didn't seem time enough between events to blog it properly. So in the Cox way I just kept putting it off, and now of course I've forgotten most of it. So here goes the very edited highlights.
The Potfest trip to Hohr-Grenzhausen was wonderful - the car was packed up to the gunnels and we sailed out on the Hull ferry to Rotterdam at sunset, and met up on board with Hannah McAndrew and the Geordie boys, Andrew and Michael from Northumbrian Craft Pottery - in the bar of course - and the tone was set for the trip.

The drive next day from Rotterdam to Hohr-Grenzhausen went smoothly, and we arranged a rendezvous and coffee en route with Pollie and Garry Uttley from Derbyshire, all arriving in H. G. by early afternoon. We met up with Tim Huckstepp and Clare Wakefield, who had done the Dover/ Calais route from Kent, at the magnificent Westerwald Ceramics Museum in Hohr-Grenzhausen. This town has it all - set in beautiful  rolling countryside it has 2 ceramics colleges, a world class ceramics museum and gallery space, it's the home of New Ceramics magazine and has small workshops, large disused ceramics factory spaces, alongside all the normal facilities of a small town - bars, restaurants, supermarkets, shops - and lots of really friendly potters who live and work here - it's quite simply pottery heaven.

Inside the Westerwald Ceramics Museum

Hannah obligingly giving some scale to this wonderful textural piece.

As the Potfest potters were representing the UK as guest country at the potters market, the town put us all up for the duration of our stay and looked after us really well. I'm just including a few images of our time here and being really cheeky by putting a link in to Hannah's blog as she has written much better than I could hope to do about the whole trip.

The plan was to throw an English tea party as well as exhibiting our work in the market, so Thursday morning saw us all hard at work in one of the old factory units just off the main square

Geoff and Andrew making good use of the loading bay

Hannah poised for slip-trailing action



Tim plating up and making like a waiter ..... and by the morning of the market the table was ready, set...go!

Part of our finished table - much admired and appreciated over the weekend.

After all the hard work came the rewards

Andrew perfecting his "best behaviour "drinking skills - note the posh little finger.

David, Hannah and Clare in pensive mood with a selection of aperitifs before the potters meal on Saturday night ...... so much choice, so little time .....

...and by Sunday night when we'd survived two swelteringly hot days, a thunderstorm, re-packed the cars and vans, we were entertained royally yet again by our hosts. Many thanks to all in H.G. - you gave us a simply wonderful time.