Another Day, The Same Old Watching Brief...

But hopefully that's it at an end now.

Here's the view from the office from last week:-

And just to remind you who's in charge round here (or who used to be in charge!), here's a carved stone, presumably reused from the fabric of Kilwinning Abbey, which features the Montgomerie Coat-of-Arms:

On this occasion, it's combined with the Campbell Coat-of-arms, which suggests inter-marriage between the two families.  Now my favourite Montgomerie, Hugh, 1st Earl, was married to a Campbell.  It would be nice to think that this particular stone commemorates them, but I've a sneaky feeling that the Montgomeries married into the Campells a few times through the generations.  I should have paid more attention to the initials, but I don't think it's an 'H' at the left hand side...

Before I finished in Kilwinning town centre, I managed to fit in a few trips to the charity shops.  And in doing so, I found a big book of Greek myths (an edition for grown-ups!), a copy of which I've been sadly lacking so far!  Woo hoo!!

And my hayfever's not too bad today, which is a miracle in itself!

Another Day, The Same Old Watching Brief...

But hopefully that's it at an end now.

Here's the view from the office from last week:-

And just to remind you who's in charge round here (or who used to be in charge!), here's a carved stone, presumably reused from the fabric of Kilwinning Abbey, which features the Montgomerie Coat-of-Arms:

On this occasion, it's combined with the Campbell Coat-of-arms, which suggests inter-marriage between the two families.  Now my favourite Montgomerie, Hugh, 1st Earl, was married to a Campbell.  It would be nice to think that this particular stone commemorates them, but I've a sneaky feeling that the Montgomeries married into the Campells a few times through the generations.  I should have paid more attention to the initials, but I don't think it's an 'H' at the left hand side...

Before I finished in Kilwinning town centre, I managed to fit in a few trips to the charity shops.  And in doing so, I found a big book of Greek myths (an edition for grown-ups!), a copy of which I've been sadly lacking so far!  Woo hoo!!

And my hayfever's not too bad today, which is a miracle in itself!

Sinkholes...

For all fans of the weird, wonderful and downright scary stories and images involving Mother Nature, click on this!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2010/06/02/GA2010060203819.html

I was chatting about sinkholes to the park rangers at Muirshiel yesterday, so to find this on the web was quite a strange co-incidence!

Sinkholes...

For all fans of the weird, wonderful and downright scary stories and images involving Mother Nature, click on this!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2010/06/02/GA2010060203819.html

I was chatting about sinkholes to the park rangers at Muirshiel yesterday, so to find this on the web was quite a strange co-incidence!

Pottery, Please!!

One last quick post for the day...

I promised you some pictures of pottery designed by Charlotte Rhead, so here we go...

According to Wikipedia, Charlotte Rhead started out as a tube-liner before going on to design pottery for several pottery companies, including the Burleigh Pottery and Crown Duchal.  She was active in the 1920s and 30s, at the same time that her arguably more famous counterparts, Clarice Cliff and Susie Cooper, were producing their distinctive wares.

When I first set eyes on a Charlotte Rhead piece, I was smitten.  It was a bowl, it was unsigned (and therefore less attractive to the collector) but I loved it so much that I saved up and bought it.  She makes extensive use of tube-lining techniques, and the glaze is lustrous.  I prefer her designs to those of Claris Cliff and Susie Cooper - the authority who wrote the Wikipedia entry claims she's more traditional...

Here's a vase (though I personally think it's more of a jug) in the Byzantine colourway:-

And here's a rather Beaker-esque vase in the 'Danube' colourway:-

 

Both items were produced for Crown Duchal.  The designs are both very similar (I believe 'Danube' is a variant on the basic 'Byzantine' design scheme) but they do have very subtle differences.  I can stare at these things for ages and stil marvel at the workmanship!
 

An added bonus:  it's not nearly so expensive to buy as Claris Cliff.  The chargers tend to be quite expensive, though.  They're huge things, and quite magnificent.  But alas, our house isn't big enough to do them justice!

Pottery, Please!!

One last quick post for the day...

I promised you some pictures of pottery designed by Charlotte Rhead, so here we go...

According to Wikipedia, Charlotte Rhead started out as a tube-liner before going on to design pottery for several pottery companies, including the Burleigh Pottery and Crown Duchal.  She was active in the 1920s and 30s, at the same time that her arguably more famous counterparts, Clarice Cliff and Susie Cooper, were producing their distinctive wares.

When I first set eyes on a Charlotte Rhead piece, I was smitten.  It was a bowl, it was unsigned (and therefore less attractive to the collector) but I loved it so much that I saved up and bought it.  She makes extensive use of tube-lining techniques, and the glaze is lustrous.  I prefer her designs to those of Claris Cliff and Susie Cooper - the authority who wrote the Wikipedia entry claims she's more traditional...

Here's a vase (though I personally think it's more of a jug) in the Byzantine colourway:-

And here's a rather Beaker-esque vase in the 'Danube' colourway:-

 

Both items were produced for Crown Duchal.  The designs are both very similar (I believe 'Danube' is a variant on the basic 'Byzantine' design scheme) but they do have very subtle differences.  I can stare at these things for ages and stil marvel at the workmanship!
 

An added bonus:  it's not nearly so expensive to buy as Claris Cliff.  The chargers tend to be quite expensive, though.  They're huge things, and quite magnificent.  But alas, our house isn't big enough to do them justice!