Apologies for such a lack of posts, I have been a bit of a stranger but now, having lived in the fast lane for a week I have lots to tell. So without further ado…

The first stop on on my mini tour of the South was Henley Upon Thames. It was a hot, Summery day when I dropped off my work at Studio 17 for their open studios. The house was being transformed into a showcase complete with gallery picture rails, beautifully clear shelving ready and waiting for my ceramics and colourful signs that had been put up all over the town directing people up the hill. There was no time to spare as I let Pam Hayes unpack my stupidly large box of wares and set off back to the west country. I was on a mission having to to drop off some large pieces in Barnstaple before weaving my way through the foot hills of Exmoor and down to the Penwith coastline.

Maggie (my 1yr old mutt) was so excited to be back in Cornwall and greatly enjoyed the pit stops we made to top up the galleries (including new stockist ‘Avalon Art’ at Marazion.) There was always time for a quick walk across a moor or skirting sandy beaches and sniffing funny rock pools. Sadly she managed to lose her ball amongst the huge potato plants in Madron near Penzance… despite a lot of sniffing we declared it a lost cause and headed back up the hill. Luckily there was a rather lovely mossy stick which made for a good sub.

A very tired pair we decided to make a move back to Bath on Sunday before the Fretherne Plant Fair on Monday. The weather had dramatically changed to torrential rain and I was a little apprehensive as I made my way along slippery roads near Gloucester. Luckily there was a warm(ish) and dry(!!!) poly tunnel for us to use as craft stall holders (phew) and I spent the day sketching whilst watching trollies piled high with plants rolling past.

It seemed surreal when I dropped off work at the Bath & West show on tuesday with pink arms from working all day in the sunshine. I had a little look around at some of the stalls but could not believe the vast area the show covers. It made me feel very small, and quite uneducated about farming. I decided to leave the Somerset Guild of Craftsmen to sell solo and the next few days were a blur of painting work and glazing so that I can deliver to the Down To Earth Gallery next week. After waiting so patiently I have been making a wide range of patterns and shapes for the gallery and can not wait to send off their big box.

Finally, today was the day of Frome Artisan Market. It was back to the torrential rain of Monday and a very brave Mrs Davey and her daughter (me) apprehensively drove through flash flooding to reach a very quiet Frome. However, after a quick setup of a wonderful gazebo… and a bit of wind… the stalls stayed dry for a few precious hours as lots of lovely people came to support us. It was great to get some lovely comments on the new dinky toys and flamingo ranges from existing customers and chat to some new people. I really enjoyed the morning and it was made even better by a lovely pair of designers who huddled with us under the gazebo to sell their lovely textiles. If you have a moment do check out their fabulous blog which links you through to their etsy site

http://robinandmould.blogspot.com/

I have to admit I gave in rather early and treated myself to a lovely fox cushion… It had been a busy week - a girl needs a treat once in a while, and a little head rest!

P.S If anyone would like an invite to my next event ‘Handmade in Britain’ at Bath Assembly Rooms (17th-19th June) then do email me with your address - mail@juliadavey.com … hopefully see a few of you there!