I'm back!

Very naughty of me not to continue with my blog so here I am again - will try harder!
After my wonderful trip to New Zealand last year everything else seemed rather an anti-climax so after a year of re-assessing my life and assimulating recent changes - we now have 2 rather lovely grandsons and retirement looms on the horizon- I feel I can move forward. I have made a the decision to scale back my teaching commitments and all that goes with it and to concentrate more on my own creative work and spend more time with my family, particularly the little ones before they grow up and not need Nanny.

I have been busy in the studio producing some new pieces for an exhibition in Wales with Anglia Textile Works from 25th July at the Minerva Arts Centre, these are going to be titled The Guardian pieces - working in series!

I've also had fun making dungarees for Harry, well it was fun once I had mastered how to do the poppas!

I'll be back!

 

 



Ocean Race

Scene in Auckland, the flags advertising the Volvo Round the World Ocean Race, very exciting to see the boats out of the water being prepared for the next leg of the race starting on 15th March - Auckland to Brazil, a huge challenge. In fact the whole set up around the harbour area was most impressive with  all kinds of activities relating to the race. Must try to follow the progress from now on!

Art Deco weekend in Napier

Well I have tried to upload some images but it doesn't seem to want to work! We have been in New Zealand for just over a week. We have spent time in Hawkes Bay sight seeing nd visiting friends,  good visit to the Gannet Sanctuary at Cape kidnappers, a trip to Te Mata peak and a couple of wineries, now up in the Bay of Islands, beautiful scenery, a trip today to the most Northern Cape and along Ninety Mile beach including exciting sand boarding down the giant and dunes - Yes I did it!
Will try to post some photos

a little bit of creativity

well here I am 2 days away from leaving home for my New Zealand adventure and still playing catch up I wish I was a very organised person! I've started packing but keep thinking of things I should be doing and things I should be including. anyway yesterday we had our Anglia Textile Works meeting, lovely to see the other girls and catch up with them all. We have a small exhibition coming up at Braintree so all the pieces have been collected ready to hang, it all happens while I am away. here's my contribution, or rather details of my piece, very celtic, worked on hand dyed silk

 

 

 

any way I am going to try to add to my blog while I am away if my ipad will play ball and let me upload my photos - we'll see!

Jake's naming day

We had a lovely day on Saturday at Nurstead Court in Kent for Jake's naming day. I am sure more images will come to light but here are a couple

Chris Ash and Jake



Jake the escape artist

an unfortunate incident

colin's car was parked outside the office when a lorry reversed into it and took out the rear window! all has been fixed now although there is still a bit of bodywork repair to be done but just another thing to deal with.

on the other hand good things also happen, amazingly my parcels of teaching materials sent to New Zealand have miraculously come to light after being declared 'lost' and all 4 have now been delivered so big sigh of relief and now I can concentrate on packing only 5 days to go.

a winter walk

seen while walking in the woods today lovely winter sunshine but low temperatures have made sure that the ice hasn't melted on the puddles - nice patterns though! It was good to get out in the fresh air
and away from the muddle at home, the boxes of teaching packs and fabrics sent to New Zealand at the beginning of January appear to be 'lost' so I have had to put a contingency plan into action to get enough stuff down under for my classes, not sure yet how its going to pan out, I will have to keep my clothes packing down to a minimum -not an easy task, I have never been very good at travelling light. Thinking about my boxes I just can't imagine where they have got to, they are obviously together somewhere so I just hope they actually appear before I get to my teaching venues.