Oct 17
Oct 12
Nik, Dawn, Kim and I have just had a super splendid weekend. On Friday night they joined Bodra and I, where I treated them to my first ever home-made mousse- nyom! Bodra had assisted me that morning with the whipping of egg-whites and we were both marvelled by just how stiff they can become. We have quite strong arms now from all our Kum Nye practice so it wasn’t too challenging.
On Saturday morning we left Bodra to journey South West to Trowbridge in Wiltshire. Back in June, Ezra had gifted Kim a voucher to take part in a two day introductory workshop, learning the art of Glass-Blowing. Nik, Dawn and I decided to join her- thanks Ezra!!
So it was quite an early start and nearly a two hour drive from Reading but we got there in one piece with no dramas, and the sun was shining! We were soon stuck in to the activity of the Liquid Glass Centre, gathering the molten glass from the furnace with a rod and trying to control its movement by spinning the rod and holding it level. It wasn’t long before I made my first ever glass creation, a tear drop stem!
After morning tea we made paper weights, adding colour onto the molten glass, and then twisting the glass so that the colour took on a pattern. We lastly rounded the glass using wet newspaper.
In the afternoon we had a go at making a vase. This involved glass blowing so initially we gathered the glass on a blow pipe. Once we had shaped it into a rod, we then blew into the pipe to create a bubble and continued to blow until the bubble created a suitable size. I wasn’t too excited by my final product as the colour wasn’t particularly defined, but it’s pretty stable and quite a pleasing shape. Bodra will have to bring home some sunflowers one day.
In the evening we found a pub which one of the Glass Makers, Kim Atherton, had recommended, The New Inn. Two horses were being fed in the car park so we instantly felt cosy. Inside we secured the last free table and enjoyed the best cider I have ever tasted- I believe it was Stowford Press. We settled down to a game of Grass and soon had curious locals asking us what we were playing. After a fair dinner and two bottles of wine we returned to Stowford Manor Farm, where Kim and I camped and Nik & Dawn B&B’ed.
Kim and I were woken early by a flock of crows rehearsing their cawing, but we were pretty well-rested and keen to start on the next project. This time we made a glass plate and I was very thrilled by the creation process. My tutor, Dan, gave me loads of encouragement and support so it was a wonderful experience. Kim captured the birth of my soon-to-be dining-table masterpiece, so you’ll have to check out the photos!
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