Lake district

I am currently in the Lake district in the north of England, what a superb place and how lovely are the locals.
The pic is of Highan Hall , my home away from home and a place where they run residential courses.
This is my first residential course and boy do I like it. I have a great group and being able to spend so much time in the studio[ a studio that is fantastic by the way] and then chat over meals etc and wander back and work in spare minutes is heaven.
the rural scene is what you feast your eyes on when you look out from the Hall, the grass in the fields is so green and lush it is better than most Australian lawns and it grows so fast the animals can't keep it down.

I am really enjoying the English countryside and people a whle different world from the whirlwind of London and yet so very close.


This was in the latest Craft Australia newsletter, comments from a very innovative and exciting Newcastle based clothing designers. good advice for all of us though.

Tips from the shopfloor
"High Tea with Mrs Woo" notes that the best advice they ever received was from Brian Parkes at Object who told them, "Say yes to everything."
They attribute their growing success to attending workshops and seminars, entering competitions, applying for grants and collaborating with other like-minded people. They say, "getting out there to meet as many people as possible is important".
This is the link to their blog site, if you are interested

http://www.craftaustralia.com.au/forum/2006/marketing/blog/index.php?categoryid=1

English countryside

Hi,
i am in the laundrey cupboard off my room at the moment as the wireless reception is beter here.
i am staying in a Georgan Manor house out in the country away from everryone- which make s me laugh as it is only 10 mins in thee car to a big town and there is a pub 2 mins walk around the corner for meals.
so beautiful out in the country, so small everything looks hand tended.
i went walking along country lanes last night looking in the hedge rows. really that is the wild are here, 1 metre wide and full of such diversity. things we have to tend so carefully growing rampent[ buddliah being a point in mind- it grows as a weed here rather than the way we have to nurse it along for lack of water.
i am sure you could make the basics of a meal out of the hedge rows most nights- last night i found heaps of blackberries, plump and jiucy, there werre lots of greens for a salad.. and then plenty of birds living and nesting in them and the occasional mysterious hole where some small animal passes through, unfortuneatley i don't know the natives well enough to gues at who.
i was finding London and having to haul my bags around a bit hard going, but realising in London ae a taxi with the bags to the right rail station [no tube] and the friendliness of the country and i am feeling recovered again.
teaching is going well, people have such a rich textile education here- things like the City and Guiolds and so many other courses on offer- it is quite exciting.
i am building up many snaps and images and starting to burst with ideas so when i get home to the studio it will be great [ i know it is quite a while yet]

this is a litle bag i saw in Paris- good idea and so cute, it is gauze tied onto the strings.

i am having problems getting images to load so this is a trila run, fingers crossed