Once again I'm preparing for the annual Loch Ness Film Festival, which is run by good friends of mine.  I'll be supplying the souvenir mugs, the same as I did last year.  I've also organised some souvenir t-shirts.  Both these items are now available on my shop page for those who want them but are unable to get to the festival to buy them in person.  This year's film selection promises to be good; you can check out the screening timetable at www.lochnessfilmfestival.co.uk.

I've already started making lots of heart shaped items ready for those romantics who are looking for a Valentine gift for their loved one.  I have a couple of items already on the Shop page, one of them is this string of 3 simple hearts on a ribbon.  I have more in the pipeline in different colours that will be ready soon.

Also, I have quite a few heart shaped bowls that are almost ready, in a variety of sizes and colours.

So keep an eye on the Shop page over the next couple of weeks if you're one of those romantics...

My doggy soap dish is once again on TV!  In 2010, Andrex bought a doggy soap dish from me to use as a prop in their advert.  That advert aired from November 2010 to Spring 2011.

Now, the 2012 advert is out and they are once again using the bathroom shot with my dish in it.  You can view it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbzCGZ05vys, or you can just catch it on TV.

Keep your eyes peeled though, because it's only on for a split second and is partially hidden behind the bath tap.  The benefits of watching on You Tube are that you can re-watch it or freeze frame it to get a good look.

I'm hoping that next time they use it in an advert, they'll film a different shot so that you can see it better!

A couple recently stopped by my stall at the Britten Centre and asked if I could make two commemorative plates.  They'd had one done for their granddaughter's birth years ago, but had not found anyone to do one for their grandson's birth in 2005.

They told me what kind of design they wanted and this is the result.  Both plates were identical.  The couple were very pleased.

It's too late now for me to make any more items for Christmas, but I have a fair amount of stock already made, so hopefully anyone still wanting gifts will find what they need on my stall this week.  I'll be in the Britten Centre from Thursday right up till Christmas Eve.

Hannah Hayward, aged 9, is the winner of my 2011 Christmas raffle for the Fairy Castle.  Hannah lives in Pakefield with her parents and her brother, and was thrilled to receive the castle.  Her mum told me it will be treasured.

I'll be at the Britten Centre this week from Thursday right up to Christmas Eve with more lovely items, so if you're stuck for a last minute Christmas present, you know where to come!

OK, I know it's still only Halloween - but Yuletide will be here before we know it, so I've launched my Festive Raffle.  The prize is this fantastic Fairy Castle.  It took me two weeks to make and was priced at £185.  But for just 50p it could be yours!

I'll be selling tickets at my stall from now until the week before Christmas, at 50p per ticket or £2 for five tickets.  So stop by and have a look at the castle in real life, and picture in your mind just how good it would look on your windowsill.

Also on my stall at the moment are lots of other lovely items just waiting for a new owner (you can also see them on my shop page).  Some seasonal items are also now available.

After nearly 6 weeks in hospital after several mini-strokes, my Dad came home the day before yesterday.  It's hard work nursing someone getting over a stroke - I never knew there was so much to it!  All his food has to be pureed, there's a whole list of things he can't eat, all his drinks have to be thickened with starch until they're like wallpaper paste (until his swallow function returns properly).  He's very weak compared to how he was before so he needs a lot of help.  But he's walking with the help of a stick and can wash and dress himself, so I guess he's a lot better off than many others.  In time, I'm sure he'll get almost back to normal.

Work has of course suffered over the last few weeks, but that's a sacrifice worth making for such a brilliant dad.

Here's one of my latest pots - I decided to try something a bit different after being inspired at the Royal College of Art exhibition in June.  This vase is 10.5 inches tall; I also made a large cylindrical one about 12 inches tall and a small cylindrical one about 3.5 inches tall - they're all on the Shop page of this website - until someone buys them of course!

Last week I travelled down to London to see my old friend Ashraf Hanna.  When I first met Ashraf, he was just beginning to work with clay, and frequently came to my studio with his girlfriend Sue (now his wife) to use the facilities.  They later set up their own studio in Hackney, where I acquired one of his early pieces (which I still have).

They now live in Wales, but Ashraf has been studying at the Royal College of Art for the last 2 years and this exhibition was the end of course show.

Ashraf's pots can be seen behind us in this picture.  As you can see, he's a brilliant potter.  He handbuilds and does a lot of raku.

When I got home my dad Bernard collapsed with a stroke and life's been very hectic since then.  I'm gradually managing to get back to potting after having to drop everything the first couple of days.  My routine is now to work in the mornings and to visit Dad in hospital in the afternoons.

It's a very worrying time at the moment.  I very much want Dad to get better and come home but I guess these things take time.

So if you're waiting for an order, hopefully it will still arrive on time but if there is a slight delay, please bear with me - I'll get to it!

My dad and I just got home from our holiday to the Highlands.  This is the cottage we rented in Tomich - I used to live directly opposite this cottage and I looked after it for the owners at that time.

We had a fabulous time at the Loch Ness Film Festival, and the souvenir mugs I made for the event were snapped up.  The films we saw were of outstanding quality.  Next year we hope to be able to arrive a couple of days earlier to catch the whole festival instead of just part of it.

It was also lovely to catch up on the craic with old friends - thanks to everyone who stuffed us full of lovely food and drink!

This is my naughty Maine Coon cat, Mac.  We are packing some things to post up to Scotland for our trip and I think he's trying to stow away!

Rather than pay the extortionate baggage fees demanded by airlines, we pack all we need into a parcel and mail it to a friend who lives near to the cottage we're renting.  Sometimes, if we're going to a hotel, we phone them to ask if they'll let us send our luggage in advance.

It saves such a lot of time - we don't have to wait at the luggage carousel; we can just stroll straight out of the airport.