Big Birthday Coming Up! Argggghhhh

I can't believe it - I am going to be 60 on the 18th Feb.  I don't feel any different to how I felt when I was 30.  Apart of course from the aches and pains.  One good thing I have discovered is going to the cinema is now a lot cheaper!  In a couple of years I will get my bus pass and then there will be no stopping me.

I am doing palates at the village hall every Monday morning - just to try and help my aching joints.  Richard is fine and S&M are doing well.  Sophie will be 7 next month and Megan will be 6 in April.  Guess that makes them middle aged.

I have been making lots things and re-making things that don't seem to be working.  On a note from my last post.  I had a commission from a lovely lady in Switzerland, who contacted me through my advert in Vogue! So, you just never know.  I have been doing lots of commissions this year which is good.  I can't wait for my next big selling opportunity in March - I just hope it goes well.

I have been using my rolling mill a lot to texture my silver and when it snowed I did some snow casting which I heard about through my pal Gill who does a lot of it.  You basically drop molten silver into hard packed snow and see what comes out.  I also do this with water.  I think I like the water casting best as it makes more cornflake shaped pieces whereas my snow cast pieces were quite heavy and large - maybe it was the way I was doing it.  Anyway, I had a bit of a disaster!  I was melting my silver in the utility room and lost concentration and instead of dropping it in the snow tin, I dropped it on my brand new oak worktop.  The oak promptly caught fire and bits of silver went everywhere - all over the tiled floor and even outside of the back door which was open!  I was just lucky that it didn't spill on me.  I managed to put the fire out with a wet cloth but the worktop doesn't look to happy.  I found that I had a lot of tiny silver balls all over the floor - great  for doing some granulation work - look out for them in future makes!

I think me and Richard are both pyromaniacs as he was trying to reignite our log fire the other night by using a newspaper and set fire to the paper!

Anyway, enough of all that.  I am attaching some of my recent pieces - hope you like them.