Peter Arscott Ceramics
Khaneh Takani – is it a compulsion or a tradition?
Spring cleaning: why do we do it? Iranians call it khaneh takani (“shaking the house”) – and it may be good for you, after all a cluttered space does not just look a mess, it may also affect your peace of mind. “Where’s the thingymebob I need for the whatsit, I could swear I left […]
You were only waiting for this moment to arrive…
We told you in our last blog that we’d show you evidence of belatrova’s first birdbath being used, preferably by birds. So here it is: a local male blackbird is its first customer, having a break from pulling worms and pecking at insects and berries at the bottom of hedgerows. Apparently, they use vibration to […]
belatrova birdland
With Spring approaching and the dawn chorus getting earlier and louder, belatrova, lying in bed and thinking belatrovian thoughts, has started to wonder about birds and what they get up to throughout the day. On the way down to the workshop along the disused railway line that is now a cycle path the birds one usually sees […]
dripping
Water, water everywhere – in cellars, in fields with crops, on roads, flooding whole areas like never before, forcing people out of their homes along the Thames and in Somerset and the South West of Britain. Above is a picture of a local field in Herefordshire; you can usually see the winter barley growing but […]
Whistle while you work
Being a naturally harmonious workplace, belatrova’s workshop is a temple of productivity and foot-tapping enjoyment. Yes, music wafts through our workspace every day, and is shared by all – no headphones or earplugs to be seen. We know that those who listen to music complete their tasks more quickly and came up with better ideas […]
predictions
We wish you all a happy 2014. During a coffee break we were talking about how we will be seen in a hundred years’ time. Will the people of 2114 look at us and think “… hmmm Britain’s got talent, Great British Bake-off, twerking, tweeting, trolling, drones…? What was all that about?” Or will they be […]
here’s to christmas, to winter, and to tapetum lucidum,
Winter is drawing in and the days are getting shorter, Christmas is around the corner, and belatrova is already thinking about 2014 and what it will bring. New colours, newer shapes and sizes of tables and bowls, and who knows what else, though one element will always be a constant at No9, and that is […]
the great Paul Klee’s never ending reach
So many of you came to our Open Days on Saturday 30th November and Sunday 1st December, that we ran out of coffee, white wine and mince pies. Although Unit 9 Bankside is a workshop, please feel free to drop by at any time, though a ‘phone call beforehand is a good idea, just in […]
belatrova’s “Christmas Weekend”
The Contemporary Craft Fair drew in large crowds throughout the weekend of 16th and 17th November and we were very pleased to meet so many of you at The Courtyard. Just about everyone we spoke to agreed that the standard of the exhibitors was of the highest order, attracting both the general public as well […]