Hello!  It’s me back from out of space   Well actually, school holidays more like it.  It’s been very busy around here lately – probably more so in my head than anywhere else though.  First things first though – great news, MY SHOP IS STOCKED!!!  well, not fully, but I’ve made a start and I’m darned happy about that!  I’ve more prints to come, so keep a look out. 

During the days I’ve been spending lots of time with the peeps.  We’ve played somewhere in the vacinity of 150 games of UNO, and I’m not exagerating on that count…  She’s a shark for sureWe’ve made fairy houses, scootered down along the foreshore, visited friends, planted veggies, crafted, play-doughed… And that’s during the daylight hours!  When the peeps get their heads down, it’s time for me to start working.  There’s a change in the wind and you probably wouldn’t be able to guess.  I’m starting back teaching next term for one and a half days a week at my children’s school!  I know I know… Those of you know me well also know how I have avoided this outcome at all costs.  Teaching was/is not something I want to pursue full time.  What I want to do is make a living out of my art, but it is a balancing act isn’t it? Watch this space over the next 18 months to see if I can actually do that!

I did have an epiphone though and it went something like this…  There’s a teacher leaving.  Perhaps I could help out?  I do love this school…  Why do I love this school?  Why does the thought of teaching here not make me nauseous?  Ohhhh I get it – it’s not a mainstream school *insert said epiphone* And I realised that for all of my teaching career, I’ve been like a round peg trying to fit into a square hole.  It’s not a system I believe in.  It’s brought me much anguish and anxiety and “why?”questions.  But,  that’s something for another post, so I’ll just leave it there.  Suffice to say, I went on a two day in-service to a wonderful Steiner school in Perth and was so re-invigorated to teach again but in the Steiner system!  It really does resonate with me in a way that mainstream doesn’t, and that’s enough for an entire new blog on it’s own!  But for now I just have to work out how to split myself in half and do both!

Anyhoo… I’ve been hatted as the chief felter for Tuesday afternoons.  Which is lucky that I’ve actually felted something.  Once.  About three years ago…  So I’ve been trying to get up to speed on my felting skills in the past week and have managed a Babushka Doll and two purses – here’s a peek…

 I’m thinking that a length of finger knitting to make a shoulder strap should do the trick for a special trinket-carrying-type-baggie-thing…

 Speaking of finger knitting, on the last day of term we had our school Learning Journey night where all the families came to see the wonderful efforts of the children throughout the year so far.  They put on a small concert for us all, showed us their work and then we all had a wonderful meal together – such a great community, I just love it! 

Here’s my girl showing me her finger knitting and the bag she made to keep it in…

We had a great weekend too (this weekend) with the airing of the quilts festival in Northhampton and the fireworks down at the foreshore last night (always a thrill no matter how many times I experience it).  My niece was piping in the Geraldton band in Northampton and it was so good to see her play.  How magical is the sound of the pipes.  Mum, this one’s for you, she was playing Amazing Grace

Other news to report (possibly only of interest to family is that we lost our favourite and very precious ‘Black Chook’ last week.  She was a very placid Bantam hen (possibly because she was blind) and was Millie’s extra special friend.  We buried her and said our goodbyes.  Later on in the day Miss M came to me with a sign she wanted to put at BC’s grave.  Nothing like the (beautiful) bluntness of a five eyar old to tell it like it is…

Rather than leave you on that note, I’ll share with you a photo I snapped whilst out on our walk to the marina the other day.  i was so happy to see some guerilla art around town(albeit small) – it’s something I’d love to do myself one day   Stay tuned for my next post on paintings underway in the studio!

X Me