Well, that's what I keep telling myself. For the last two weeks, the wind has been everywhere but in the SW (which should be the prevailing wind). I can only fire without offending any neighbours when the wind is in the SW, and its usually pretty reliable. But not for the last two weeks. A mild moan by a lady a few doors down has got me even more jumpy about it. I live in terror of being closed down! Anyway, the wind is Easterly next week, which is the worst wind of all, so I am out of action for the time being. Then the husand is dragging me on holiday (kicking and screaming), so there will be no smoking until late in the month. Frustrated? A bit, as you ask. I crowbarred in two firings over the last two evenings on the basis that the NW wind blows away from the most high maintenance of the neighbours and everyone in the NW had their windows closed (it being chilly right now). The firings were of the pots I made from when I had a day throwing like a complete numpty a few weeks back. So the results are indifferent. Next time I will abandon the throwing rather than forcing the issue. I don't like the shape of those pots much. I still have no idea what happened on that day. Anyway, the outcome on those pots is more interesting than beautiful. I'll post some images at some point, but I can't get too excited about them. To mitigate the frustration, I have been heads down on the sculpting. Having had a load of sculpter's block on these earlier in the Summer, I have become much happier hacking and then coaxing and smoothing a big old lump of clay. The trick is not to be afraid by the possibilities. I am even excited to see if I can producing something I really like before Christmas! The Second attempt is pictured. I like this angle best. But I am not so sure about the other side! This is the issue with 3D objects - it has to work on all the angles. Anyway, I am on my third... The plan is to smoke fire these pieces, but I am unsure if it will work. Groggy clay resists the smoke, and you can end up with ugly black marks andnothing else. I will give it a go with this piece and report back. If the smoke doesn't work, I can either try sculpting with smoother clay or experiment with other clay bodies. The new college term starts in a couple of weeks, and that is the plan. We are off to a family wedding later... in a field.... in the cold. I made 60 jammy dodgers earlier with love heart centres. Romance is not dead. I used jam made by my sister in law who died last year. That way, she gets to contribute to her niece's wedding and I reckon she would like that. Enjoy the weekend everyone.