Euphoria

Today was my first ever pottery wheel session. I was so looking forward to it - I have always wanted to try but never thought of looking for a course or opportunity. Then lo! the studio opend up in the road below me! I've enjoyed the hand pottry making but this is what I had been looking forward to! 
I didn't expect it to be easy - and when I saw what the people had done before me I realised just how difficult it was going to be - none of them resembled a bowl - one looked like an ashtray and the others were more cylinders or half formed pots. She was having a quick omlette and her husband came in to see me - he wasn't impressed with the other students work and even criticised his wifes!
The Potter showed me step by step how to make a bowl and started by saying it was not easy so not to have high expectations. I reassured her i had no expectations! She showed me how to throw the clay then centre it, build it up and then squash it down, and repeat till it was entered and not wibly wobbling! Then it was pulling it up inot a cylinder. She then said this was as far as she expected I'd go. It was then a case of pushing two fingers in to make the centre, thenusing two fingers inside and two against the side, gently pulling the sides up and out.
So my turn! Oh the feel of the clay and the off centre feeling! She told me to close my eyes and feel the centre, control the clay. What bliss! So I got to the point of the pulling it up into a cylinder - and I did it! She was impressed! Next stage the two fingers - WooHoo! Did it again! The the two fingers inside and out - oh the thrill - I did it once more! My lump of clay had transformed into a bowl! At this point we decided quit whilst I was ahead!  So then the scary bit - sliding the wire underneath it to release it, then pushing it onto the board. Terrifying! But I did it! The whole experience was magical and exceeded my wildest expectations and hers!
I tried another one to make sure it wasn't a fluke - it didn't come out as well as we only had a short time to do it before her next student. It was going off centre and felt like it was going to collapse so I stopped - it reminds me of a toilet! Here is my pot on the right and the one she made. Next stage is to wait for it to dry a little and go "leathery" and then make the base! I have booked another session! I did say if she woke in the night to the sound of the wheel running it would be me in my PJ's having a calming midnight sneaky session! 
Her husband returned to see how I had got on and was suitably impressed!  Yay!