At the end of December I spent two days participating in a Christmas Fair close to home at a tiny village called Landscove. For me it was particularly poignant because my children went to Landscove Primary School, so every twist and turn of the the journey up there, almost to the edge of the moor, is full of memories and totally ingrained in me and it was an unexpected joy to drive through those lovely familiar lanes again. As I unpacked my car and got ready to set up I thought, not for the first time, that there is something really special about other makers; they are all so lovely, friendly and supportive and this is partly what makes this such a rare world to inhabit. It has been a busy year for me and I found myself looking back over it as I laid out my pieces in a way that has become second nature; it struck me that I've only been showing my ceramics in public for a year and I've only been making for three, so I guess I've come a long way. But it's still very hard to sell my own work confidently and there's a real knack to it. Deciding whether or not to make eye contact, start up a conversation or just be cool and say nothing because I don't want to be irritating but then risk looking like I don't care if they buy or not, makes the whole thing so unbelievably hard to judge! Now when I visit lovely events like this I have so much more understanding for the makers who have laid their hearts and souls out on a table for all to see. I always say hello, chat and ask questions and compliment their work and stand even if I don't buy. So I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been interested and friendly and encouraging and stopped to chat whether they have bought or not, I really appreciate it. I've had a great year and I've been very lucky to meet so many fabulous new people, and reconnect with old friends too, not least meeting up with my potter school-friend Louie who featured in a journal entry earlier this year. To everyone who bought from me, my heartfelt thanks for choosing a lustre-filled bowl that will hopefully bring you light. To my little band of journal followers, thank you for reading my thoughts and musings, feeding back to me and liking them. As a writer, this has been an important way for me to express my feelings about this new world of ceramics, and an important part of my whole creative expression, so it means a lot; writing and potting will always go hand in hand for me. Our world is full of challenges but hidden in there are surprises, magic and hope; I wish you all a wonderful shiny 2018!