Monday 27 April 2009

maybe it's because...


it's dawned on me [yet again] that you can take the girl out of the country but you can't take the country out of the girl...in more ways than one.
even though i was born in Australia and have lived there on and off for the greater part of my life and love my home dearly
there's something about the European flora that brings a rush of memory
hardly surprising given my DNA is almost entirely European
i say almost because it's clear my brownish outer layer has been influenced by the same dash of Khazak that gave my maternal grandfather his distinctive colouring
after years of the Big Dry back home i'd completely forgotten just how wonderful the northern spring can be
and when a student gave me a bunch of lily-of-the-valley [picked from her garden] yesterday i was almost overcome and had to have a little quiet moment in a corner
burying my nose in them like a deprived addict




the colours that emerged from this spring workshop reflect the green and pleasant land...can you spot the elephant in the room
the wild colonial boy dyed in Eucalyptus cinerea
 


the delicious colour above came from a black tulip much like the one below


and there's someone else in that photo above who is also far from home...
Kia Ora, my friend Harakeke!



one doesn't think of London as having woods...usually Bond Street, the V & A and Paddington Station are the things that spring to mind.
staying at Golders Green has revealed the delights of Hampstead Heath - which i had always imagined as a barren treeless plain
it's more the Wild Wood of Wind in the Willows [but without the river]



somewhere on this pond there are ducks...


and this is one for Petrus.

11 comments:

  1. Oh my you're having fun! I love the black tulip shade

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  2. he tulip cup runneth over. Thank you for the special flower attention and the rest of the amazing colours a journey which I am enjoying without the physical travel. The image of the woods bring back European memories for me as well. Strong memories. I am grateful for all I receive. Especially the colours

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  3. Ahhhh such amazing colours. And that black tulip, it makes me want to go and steel some flowers from some rainy land. The drought has indeed starved us of these beautiful soft colours. Bring on the rain.

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  4. Teresa, your welcome, I see you running in the grass kneedeep!
    India your eyes in th dyepots gave a better look than all those sweaty shirts from the London runners. Although is sweat maybe a good mordant?

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  5. I never realised you could draw dye from a tulip!.. the fabrics look amazing and I want them sooo badly, lol!...

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  6. ode to the harakeke....ode to all things foreign alien and out of place.....ode to the wild colonial boy...

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  7. Wow, those colours are amazing. Thankyou for visiting my humble little blog, and for the tips.

    Yvette, I'm pretty sure the answer to that is yes, because I have dyed a top before which showed up the sweaty bits under the arms very well, though not the look I was going for. (or maybe it was the deodorant that acted as a mordant?)

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  8. Glad, you had good time at spring workshop.

    I liked the snaps of wood and flowers. Beautiful

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  9. That purple is amazing, how divine!

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  10. Hi,

    I so enjoyed strolling through your beautiful photos and quiet thoughts. The wonderful dyed fabrics are works of art in themselves!

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  11. yes, those maori fullahs sure do get around. enjoying the trip with you dear india

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