This last month has been super busy and one of those months where I wished I had an extra day for every day that passed. I have been up at Gembrook working but also waiting for a car to be fixed which my children bought for my birthday last year. As it is an older car it needed quite some things fixing and as my daughters all work and study and are busy with their jobs and lives this has taken longer than hoped- but anyway finally a RWC has been issued- now to get to the Vic Roads appointment, and hopefully I will be mobile so that I don't have to hire or borrow cars to get to Gellibrand and I can finally get stuck into some much needed pruning and I can also end this frustrating dance of carrying equipment and supplies for a four hour road trip from west to east and four hours back again. Now that I have adjusted to the idea of living in my shed when I am in Australia, I really miss not being there- but most of all I miss my books and having all of the things I work with readily accessible. No minimalism for me especially not in the book department.
I have been travelling to two Craft and Quilt Fairs with the Aussie Bush Project, and will be attending another next week in Canberra, which I am looking forward to. I have made a small installation piece of strings of gum leaves to help create a bush feeling. I can't tell you the number of times people have asked if I have a pattern for it. Unfortunately the photo is over exposed because of the lighting, but at the Melbourne event where it was quite windy where I was sitting, the leaves moved and shivered as they would do in the bush.
I have also been working on another travellers blanket to have for my exhibition at Villa Burrus at EPM at Ste Marie aux Mines in readiness for the launch of my book with Editions de Saxe. I will be exhibiting with Smaranda Bourgery and Marie-Christine Hourdebaight. I have also been working on quilts for the Through Our Hands which is being shown at Festival of Quilts next week
My Through Our Hands quilt- or part thereof that I was working on last week. They are meant to be portraits- so mine is a portrait of techniques I have used over the years combined with favourite imagery- it is a while since I have done anything with fire- so of course that had to be included, and trees.
My daughter asked if we could catch up for a weekend in Gellibrand in September- but this is the way September is looking.... fly to New Zealand end August until 10 September with Aussie bush project- fly back sunday morning, swap suitcases, catch plane to Europe Sunday night- install exhibition at EPM, France , board flight back to Oz Monday arrive Tuesday ( we always lose a day coming back) swap suitcase, take flight to Adelaide early Wednesday morning to install Aussie Bush exhibition on Wednesday afternoon- and finally after the exhibition I can have a bit of a rest and start preparing for East Timor and my residency.
