the middle day

today it rained

which was perfect

because there was a lot of sewing to be done

even the workshop assistant was completely trashed by the end of it all

the morning bundles were carefully laid out

on one of the presents from kowtow

so that the drips could be absorbed as pre-mordants

[for whatever is to happen to it next]

the day was cool

we even needed to light a fire in the house

but

in the late afternoon the sun came out

just in time for us to take a swim

in cool refreshing invigorating

Cable Bay

we swam and floated

and drifted in the waves

until our thumbs began to look like prunes

and then hauled ourselves out

at first reluctantly

and then with enthusiasm

as our tummies reminded us that it was getting on for dinner time.

i was permitted to help cook

beginning with the digging of fresh potatoes [bliss]

cutting broccoli sprigs, picking dill, calendula flowers

chard leaves, thyme

in fact the only things in dinner that were not grown here

were haloumi and coconut oil.

it was good, oh so good.

no photo, too focussed on eating it...

small wonder

this small patch of paradise in the Lud Valley

looks a good deal like Monet's Garden

without the hordes of tourists and the Japanese bridge

[but there are plans for a pond or two]

there are no snakes

[or foxes]

so i can wander about with bear/bare feet

as long as i am careful not to step on the friendly bees

[otherwise i might get a beefoot]

or

step in the cauldron

which would not be[e] a Good Plan

we work outside on the deck

scattered about the soft lawn

around the fire [for which we have a permit]

or under the trees

where birds sing constantly, continuously and melodiously 

we have been making string

sewing zero waste nightgowns [using every scrap of a 1m x 1.3m piece of cloth]

thinking of how we will want our shapeshifter dresses to make us feel

and stitching those words on morsels of cloth

taking time to be, in this good place

+

at intervals Chloe appears with wonderful food

[most of which has been grown here in the gardens]

and the day concludes with a sumptuous afternoon tea

small wonder

New Zealanders call their country godzone...

an unexpected event

this is not the sort of thing you want to see

when you are flying over your home patch

the Eden Valley fire ignited about 11am on January 17

[about the same time as i arrived at Adelaide airport]

by the time my flight was in the air

it had grown to a substantial blaze

thing is, when 13 people are relying on you to show up wearing you best set of bunny ears

there's really no option of pulling the plug and heading back home into the smoke

i have my fingers crossed that my family will be sensible

and for now at least the wind has changed

[which just means that it's a completely crap situation for somebody else]

after a sleepless night in Wellington

and a quick totter down Taranaki street to Te Papa

for some calming Colin McCahon therapy

 i hopped the straits to Nelson

to be wrapped in a huge warm welcome 

which made me feel a whole lot better

[on the way at the airport i taught a woman how to make string

because she was fascinated by what i was up to -

she hopped on her flight with a handful of wet silk shreds

and much enthusiasm, bless her]

anyway the fire is not the unexpected event. 

in Australia it's not a question of "if" the country will burn

but "when".

that's how it is.

the unexpected event

[title deliberately purloined from Tolkien]

was this

a parcel

addressed to me

from kowtow

a clothing company based in Wellington

there was a sweet note

and beautifully packed

between deliciously rustling tissue paper

two gorgeously soft timeless fabulous pieces

made from Fairtrade Organic cotton

and in a very comfy size.

thank you kowtow

i know where i will be shopping for simple

soft but sturdy things to wear

under winter layers

or for soft spring afternoons

[in summer i do a complete cover up]

i think our work goes very well together!

loose ends

even though i keep a calendar things do get lost
so today

[after a quick pootle to the seaside to meet and exchange dye stories with Latvian master weaver Maris Manins who is visiting the annual summer school at Dzintari , a place i've long thought would make a fine retreat location]

i came home and made a list for this year
and added it to my website

that way, if i fall out of the sky at some point
at least someone in my family has access to the people that will need to be contacted
so it's an insurance policy
as much as a running sheet

it's a surprisingly long list.
but idle hands are the devil's playground.

it's hot and there is smoke on the horizon

and a bit closer, a funny shape

no, not a Pushmi-pulyu
just two friends having a scratch

 while Kelpie gives an excellent impression of a Stubbs painting

there is packing to do for a hop across the ditch and this year i do hope to travel a bit lighter than in recent months

 it mightn't be quite as light as this, but i'm working on it.
my back isn't what it used to be since the stair-tumble in Portland.

i'm also working on this dress
loving the way the shapes are forming
pondering which trees i'll be asking for donations
and wandering over the surface with needle and thread
drawing lines and making marks

and am thrilled to bits that people have begun to send me images of their stuffed, steeped and stored jars
to add to the virtual pantry

this jar holds the remnants of the bunch of roses Ma gave me for my birthday in December
together with a handful of copper nails i found on Granville Island
when i was visiting Maiwa last September

an epiphany of sorts

today is officially the feast of the epiphany, 

a word which denotes a 

"sudden and striking realization"

it struck me 

that it was time to replace Tolkien's line

not all those who wander are lost

[which continues to mean a lot to me]

with 

prophet of bloom

which has been the web address of this journal all along

+

though yesterday was Sunday it was a big workday

the studio had to be swept for an interview 

the studio angel needed a fresh candle

i picked up bits so people would not fall over them

pots had to be stacked more or less neatly as well

while banksia pods demanded i read them a poem

the cheese graters wanted lining up [i use them as tea-light holders, a trick i picked up from the lovely John Parkes]

and then later

there was a cauldron that needed tending

January 6 is also the day you must undress the Christmas tree

otherwise

you house will burn down.

you think i'm joking?

in 1983 we left our Christmas decorations up

because my grandparents were visiting from Canada

and

on Ash Wednesday [February 16] the house burned down.

[admittedly there was a bushfire involved]

so if your decorations are still up

make sure you have a hose handy.

to be : and a bit of roll-up-and-dye

somehow one year has rolled into another

it seems timely to look at what lies ahead

and to try and think about living a better life.

not that my life is bad, far from it...i just happen to think that it should get better with each passing year

and by better

i don't necessarily mean financially [although it's pleasant to have "enough"]

my hope [ambition is too strong a word for me] is to do and be the best i can each day

so that when it comes time to lay my head on my pillow [that my grandmother made for me fifty years ago*] at night

i can feel comfortable about how the day rolled out

making New Year's resolutions hasn't worked well in the past and i think it's likely because they seemed to be quite negative

"i will not...."

"i will give up...."

this year i'm proposing a more joyful approach

some of which began when i returned home from my recent visit to the US.

i arrived on my birthday and decided to mark the occasion by taking up running again.

well, more of a fast shuffle

but i'm pleased to say i've only missed three days [on which i substituted a walk]

so this year i hope to

be kinder

be healthier

play more

listen more deeply

and find more space

that seems a nice list to be working on.

here's another person who makes nice lists

[i wanted to embed the video but it wasn't cooperating, just click on the coloured words to be inspired]

and in the interests of kindliness i thought i'd share a recent playtime with y'all

my friend Lindy had sent me this lovely linen shirt

i've worn it quite a lot [because i love dust colours] but decided to celebrate my return home

by wandering about the farm and seeing it with fresh eyes

and taking the shirt out to one of the dams, where there is much to play with

i tossed on whatever was within reach

laid a dogspike at the cuff of each sleeve

and rolled inwards

then i rolled from tail to top

and needed a foot as well as a hand [because the other hand had the camera]

a lovely tight bundle

the beautiful trunk of Corymbia citriodora

leaves and bark from the tree above, crumbled into my yabby pot

after boiling [there was a bit more old iron involved to get that black]

i wanted to leave the bundle for longer

to take advantage of the alchemy of archaeology

but it was way too big for a jar

i guess i could have tossed it into the dam

 tied to a long piece of string

but somehow it didn't feel right

so

it's sitting at the bottom of the studio "sink" instead

[water is delivered to my workspace from a tank outside]

which is a beautiful blue bowl

 

as long as i keep that topped up

- which mostly happens as i'm filling other vessels -

that shirt should be ok for a while

dreaming that it is at the bottom of some deep, far off lake

it won't be coming out for a while yet

but

be sure i'll post pics when it does

it will be very slow[dyed]cloth[ing]

Happy New Year.

* yes it is getting a bit lumpy but i love it very much.