The Habulous Blog result running potter

It’s amazing the influence the weather has on my life,  Its early morning and I’m beginning to feel very frustrated with the grey skies, fog and drizzle that have descended upon us for the last few days; as I’m typing this I can hear the weather becoming more and more aggressive outside my window.  I need sunlight and lots of it (preferably whilst I’m on a beach, sipping a cocktail and reading a great book).

Even though I’ve had my fill of fog and damp, (I often question my decision to live on Dartmoor), I had the most breathtaking drive to Exeter last week.   The whole area looked as if it had been dusted  with white icing like a  freshly baked cake, everything was coated with an even sprinkling of frost with pockets of white mist suspended above, the mist looked as though it had been produced by  an over worked smoke machine from a night club in the early 90’s.  What made the morning so stunning was the contrast between these pockets of white and the bright blue skies with lush green landscapes. In several places it looked like a line had been drawn in the ground between the two scenes, as the sun burnt away the frost in one area and not yet reaching the next. It is at times like this I feel the opposite to today and ever so lucky to live in an area of such outstanding natural beauty.

The week has been one full of shop displays and deliveries as the new stock ordered from Top Drawer (the first tradeshow of the year) slowly trickles into the stores.  I can often be seen in store scratching my chin whilst pondering the next theme for our window display, what I’m really doing is desperately hoping inspiration will come and stalling for time.  On this occasion I was lucky, whilst I was forcing the cogs in my head to move, a delivery of rather beautiful ceramics by a new Nordic supplier arrived.  Needless to say they are now proudly displayed in the window of our Exeter store; I do love it when things unexpectedly come together.

The week was over taken by the stores and making more of our Eco Soya Wax Melts, I had a sudden panic when I realised that I hadn’t any of the best sellers made up, so I had to get on top of my supplies. With the best sellers now back in store I can breathe a sigh of relief and focus on my pottery, which is without a doubt something I love to do. The kiln is on right now performing the final firing of jugs and bowls I made a few weeks ago.  So later this morning I’m going to slowly open the lid of my kiln and peer in, hoping to see wonderful results from a new glaze I’m trying out, I have my fingers crossed.

I actually started this blog at the suggestion of a few friends (bet they regret it now), in order to share my efforts of training for the London Marathon. The last week has been a poor one on that front, I have managed to get out there and do my long runs but I really have had to force myself, I’ve felt lack lustre and totally lacking in energy. A few weeks ago I easily ran 14 miles and this week I struggled with 10 (I have to confess to walking some of that 10 too), its amazing how different you can feel each time you run.  I’m starting to worry about the amount I have to raise for my golden bond place with Back Care, so if you fancy helping me hit my target and providing motivation please, please sponsor me, every penny is truly appreciated.  Sponsorship link here.  If you are enjoying or even just persevering with my blogs please like the social media link, or leave me a comment somewhere.  It’s good to know and keeps me motivated to carry on. 

Blogging is beginning to feel like a Dear Diary entry.  I haven’t actually kept a diary for about 30 years (Yes I am old!), what’s really surprising is it’s actually a good feeling taking time out to think about how to express my week.  I must admit though my teenage diary entries where most definitely intended for my viewing only.  Looking back the amount of times I had a broken heart seems extraordinary, I was one of those kids that got pretty obsessed with certain things and certain people, to be honest when something interests me I can still be pretty obsessive.

Last week already seems so far away, in many ways it was a pretty standard week once I caught up with everything after my trade show. As soon as I’m back, I update the stores about the new product lines they can expect, the team love these updates and it helps keep everyone focussed on the coming months. 

My stores are best described as Lifestyle stores, although many still call them gift shops, personally I dislike the term gift shops, as for me it still conjures up the stores of my youth, you know the type a bit stayed and not particularly dynamic, the image in my head tends to be one of collectable figurines and dust, summed up by that wonderful saying “same old, same old”. I have a tendency to get bored easily, lucky for me this trait works with the stores, it means our stock is constantly evolving, so we are able to keep people interested and coming back for more.

Tuesday was the first day I have really managed to sit down at my pottery wheel since my course at the beginning of the year (I’ve been desperate to sit down and make but had to focus on other areas of the business first).  I was concerned that once back home, the progress I made on the course wouldn’t be evident, clay can be really intimidating at times. I can report back that I ended the day with a big smile on my lips, progress has been made, Yay! Now I’m hoping to develop some new products for the stores over the coming months.  The picture is one of my course makes, which I am really pleased with and hope to make one of the potential ranges around.   

When I’m running I often feel dehydrated so I am now the proud owner of a camel bak rucksack which allows me to take several litres of water out on my longer runs.  So if you are local and you hear what sounds like a baby elephant and swashing water when you are out and about, it may well be me trying to get my miles up.  This morning I managed 13.2 miles and boy they were tough, it amazes me how every time you get out there you can feel totally different. I think over indulging this weekend really came to kick me in the teeth today, it’s made me realise that I’m going to have to focus on changing a few weekend habits as well as increasing my miles, I think the challenge is beginning to grow. 

I’m still a long way off the total I need to raise, so if you are able to sponsor me it would be greatly appreciated. Here’s a link to my fundraising page.