Week 2 and Going Strong!

I am loving being back in the workshop environment, and the open studio aspect is honestly really nice. Obviously, it is not that busy right now as it’s off-peak season, but as we get closer to summer, I am sure it’ll become busy. I am getting a lot of practice talking about my practice, showing what I am currently working on and demonstrating techniques. I definitely consider my words and actions more, especially knowing that not everyone speaks English, so it is actually very helpful that I can show rather than tell.

I am working on a couple of new things that still resonate with my theme of transitions, growing from the ‘Define Transitions’ collection that I started at Bishopsland, and I am really enjoying the pieces that I have made so far. There is a bangle, a ring, and a pair of earrings right now, and if all goes well, I’d like to make multiples of the bangle and ring and play with their proportions in their next iterations. You can see daily updates on my Instagram :)

I also went to yoga this week, which, given that I haven’t properly exercised in, I’d say, a good eight years (the ceilidhs that I went to in Edinburgh do not count), it was not a bad first session. However, my back was terrible the next day. In addition, I went hiking to Davelis Cave. The trek up was definitely trying at times. I passed a lot of trees and areas that were affected by the wildfires, but among the felled trees, lots of bright and colourful flowers were blooming.

The cave was huge. I haven’t been to many caves, but I would certainly say that this one was big. And apparently haunted. I am only discovering this now as I search for more information, but you can look that up yourself, as I am now scared (after the fact).

And this has nothing to do with any of what I have written, but 新年快乐! Today is the Chinese New Year and the Year of the Fire Horse, which is my year! I hope that this is the beginning of a great year of progress, learning and stability.

恭喜发财

17 Feb 2026