And so the journey begins . .  I am traveling in Ireland for a few days. I am here to start getting an idea of which area of County Clare I would like to move to. I have had a wonderful time exploring, wandering off wherever I fancy. I knew I wanted to be somewhere near the coast - no more than half an hour away, and no more than an hour away from Shannon airport. I THINK I have an idea of where I would like to live now. It will of course, depend on where the house I would like to buy is situated. I may have to compromise. Ideally I would like to live in the triangle between Lahinch, Ennistymon and Milltown Malby.  Lahinch beach, very popular with surfers. You can walk for miles, it is very beautiful. There is one very narrow road in and and out. The beach at Lahinch is stunning but will be busy in the summer so not too near there. Ennistymon is a lovely, very colourful town. I will need to be close to some kind of amenities.   Ennistymon high street.    

  A detail of Susan's magnificent quilt depicting the classic image of the Irish workmen sitting along a beam on top of the Rockerfeller Center in New York. There was me, all excited about sh owing you my stu dents work at the NEC - and I forgot to show you mine!! Susan Chapman and I had a gallery space at the show entitled People and Places. S usan loves observing people and you will no doub t be aware that I love all kinds of N a t ure and Her textures . It is a good thing that Susan makes large quilts, bec ause surprise, surprise, I didn't get all the work I thought I would do, done.     The beginnings of the hanging . . Susan up a step ladder. It was great to get the chance to spend some time with Susan and enjoy her fabulous work. I love how well observed her figures are, deceptively simple, but showing the stance of a person with a glance - a great skill.   Everyone loved this quilt, nearly everyone recognised where the image was f rom.

Visitors to the show looking through the girls workbooks. I was hoping to post this before Easter - but my get up and go seemed to get up and wander off. I always forget how the big shows take it out of you. However, I am here now. Fashion, Embroidery and Stitch is my favourite show. It is just bonkers and has something for everyone. It is always good to meet up with visitors and friends from all over the country in some cases - all over the world.  I had two sets of students exhibiting this year. My ExTex 4 girls (Experimental Textiles 4) had their end of year show and the previous years group were exhibiting on the IDC stand. They have formed a group - Out of Line. More of that further down this post. The ExTex 4 end of year show. Having work in a show and stewarding the exhibition is a wonderful opportunity for the students. Being able to speak to the visitors about techniques and skills they have learned on the course makes a huge difference to their conf