One should always be appropriately dressed when teaching! It's New Years Eve, how did that happen?  It is a great time to look back over the past year and think of friends you have met, places you have been and the wonderful things you have seen. 2015 was a busy year with 2 trip to the Antipodes, 3 trips to Ireland - 2016 will be even more bonkers . . . A sign on the wall of the World of Wearable Art exhibition in Auckland. I have met a lot of you at the various shows that I do throughout the year, both for myself and for Vilene. We have wonderful chats and discussions about all manner of things as well as textiles, and of course, chocolate!  One of the main topics seems to be how lucky I am. Until the middle of this year, I had never really though about it - I always say Yes! I am. A good friend of mine who also works on the stand with me, pointed out with great emphasis, that I am not 'lucky'. I have made the decisions and choices that have brough

  A print of one of the many excellent printing blocks. After the Quilt Symposium I travelled over to the South Island by ferry from Wellington to Picton where I was met by my mateys Denise and Christine. It was soooo good to see them again.  I had the day off the next day to mooch about with the girls then I launched into a 3 day workshop based on The Journey. It is my favourite workshop and so good to be able to spend 3 whole days on it.   The Pelorus river from the Pelorus bridge. While we were mooching we crossed the Pelorus river and the girls said I had to see the view . . . I think you can see why?   The group starting The Journey. The workshop hadn't been advertised, it was an informal meeting of some of the Blenheim Creative Fibre ladies that I met when I first taught in New Zealand 3 years ago. It was great to see them again. The group of 15 was made up with friends and other textiles enthusiasts. On the first day we got down the black and whit

 One of the rocks in the bush around Lake Rotoiti.So much texture and colour.  So . . .   I left Ballarat and flew to New Zealand to catch up with friends I had made two years ago when I was over here last. Denise Cleghorn was one such friend. We had been planning a nine day trip around part of the South Island for the past year. We drove up from Christchurch to St Arnauds on Lake Rotoiti, surely one of the most beautiful places on earth. Even in the lashing rain (the tail end of the cyclone that had hit Australia two weeks before). It was so wet I had to buy wellington boots and water proof trousers. But I didn't care - I was in New Zealand!    The view from one of the jettys on Lake Rotoiti. Just stunning. Denise and I went to stay with Bob and Christine Marks who I had also met two years ago. They have a 'bach' or holiday home very near the lake. We had a tramp through the bush in the pouring rain and ended up at the lake shore. I took hundreds of photos