nine days later

it was a glorious week on the shores of Corio Bay

at the Geelong Textile Forum

[conceived, organised and brilliantly run by Janet de Boer and her fabulous team of dedicated volunteers]

where i taught as part of the "Design Focus" group

the weather threw everything at us 

from thunder and lightning and soaking downpours

to balmy blossom-filled spring sunshine

it was a wonderment to see how many people are including 

ecoprint items in their wardrobes these days

often as foil to bold pinks and purples

and it was a joy to be told by former students

[taking part in other classes]

that they had brought their plant-dyed samples

to incorporate in new work.

 

being at a Forum for a week

is a little like being encloistered

away from incoming news and most other media

so

in the quiet evenings i managed to work my way through some of the reading pile

including

'a Field Guide to Getting Lost' by Rebecca Solnit

which contains delicious and devourable text  [example below]

we all worked solidly, even on our one afternoon off

and there was much burning of midnight oil

as people dyed and stitched into the wee hours

on the last day

we sewed some rather lovely garments

and the students all wore theirs to the last supper

and now i'm dashing home for a day

to wash my socks and scanties

empty and refill my suitcase

ready to fly out to the United States

on Monday morning