A pleasant surprise

The kiln turned out better than expected-good reduction throughout,nothing on the [hot]bottom overfired,nothing on the top underfired.What a relief!The Mashiko glazes look good [see below],most of the bowls for the restaurant are done.Check out that glass dribble on the tall cup in the picture:it's always nice when it reaches the bottom and doesn't stick to the shelf,as here.Now that all the glazes have had a try-out,the remaining 3/4 kilns will be "more of the same"-still a challenge,without the adrenalin edge of the first couple.As often happens,sold some of the still-warm pots-people seem to sense a cooling kiln.
Oh joy! vols 4&5 of Proust have just arrived.Nearly 9 cms of unalloyed pleasure in store.
A hundred-and-change pots in the kiln,average price 40-50 shekels,averaging a glaze kiln every two weeks over the year-that's the profession,turning "base material" into gold.For "base material" read "clay",for gold,read "credit-card slips" and there you have us:modern-day alchemists.