flood

What a week.

It's hard to believe that Australians are facing such a huge natural disaster so soon after the devastating Victorian fires. Reading the international news I know too that we are not alone with our weather extremes. It seems all too common these days to read about record fires, floods, winds and heat and the lives, homes and businesses lost.

After the Rockhampton disaster and with the flood waters heading for Brisbane we contacted family and friends there. While their neighbourhoods were all affected we are so relieved that their houses weren't. Sadly though so many others were.

Being away camping means we have missed a lot of the flood coverage.  In a way I'm not sorry about that. The stories I have seen have been dreadfully upsetting. What great courage people have shown, many losing their lives saving others.

How fantastic it is then to see the generosity in financial and hands on aid that is being given now to help those affected. For those of you in other countries who might not have seen the front page stories, armies of willing volunteers are turning up in flood affected suburbs dressed to help in boots and gloves (today's Herald says up to 100,000 of them!).

Like so many others who can't help physically I am donating to the cause through the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal. And though I'm quite out of touch with my blog reading I know that lots of crafters are donating handmade goods and other items to the cause. Such a generous bunch, make sure you help support their efforts, I will be.

New Year

I'm home briefly to unpack and repack for our camping week (I know, totally spoilt), and though I don't really have time to be reading blogs or writing posts. I can't seem to help myself! Reading around the place everyone sounds so happy and thoughtful coming into the New Year and I can suddenly feel the first inklings of inspiration daydreaming their way into my holiday brain. A few things keep surfacing and this is what my project list is looking like so far:

* Sew some clothes, I have had a pattern and fabric for a Shearwater kaftan for months now and I need to make that for starters. I also want to try the Amy Butler Barcelona skirt pattern. I used to make clothes when I was younger but lost my confidence somewhere along the way.

* Design and print a new yardage design. One of my designs is begging to be made into yardage (can you guess!) and I had yet another request for fabric in this design while I was away. I really need to sit down and adapt it soon!

* Ceramics. I'd like to try my hand at some very simple ceramics and a good start will be the porcelain pens I got for my birthday, I've already decorated some cups for Christmas presents and I will be doing more with these when I get time.

* Block printing with foam and perspex a la Jesse. I am intrigued by this method and I'm dying to give it a try.

* Wholesale. I'm slowly dipping my toe in here and one resolution is to have more local stockists by the end of the year.

* Screenprinting on paper. With the demise of gocco I'd like to try and adapt some of my prints to larger format screenprints.

Phew, I'm exhausted just thinking about it. I think I need another week to ponder it all! What's on your list? Are you using the New Year to kickstart some plans that have been languishing on the drawing board.

p.s. While I was at home I scanned some old photos from family albums, this picture shows my brother Will and I at Chenonceaux castle in the Loire Valley in France on a family road trip in the seventies. I think we look like the youngest members of the Partridge Family!

2010

Happy New Year everyone!

Here's my annual look back at the year that's past. There are a couple of things missing I think but time is a bit hard to find here in holidayland! There's lunch to be planned, swims to be swum and games to be played. Priorities.

I'm looking forward to what's ahead, getting the feel of 2011, but I like to think this quiet time is just as important, recharging the mind and soul, it feels like it. I can feel myself slowing down, stopping to look around. Hope you are all getting time to do the same :-)