A while ago, longer than I care to admit, I was cleaning the venetian blind in the bathroom a little too vigorously and snapped one of the suspension cross threads that keep the blade in place. That drooping blade bugged me every time I looked at it. Finally, I got a needle and thread and […]
Daily Life
Spring in the City
It’s shaping up to be the warmest September on record in Sydney but the seasonal plantings are holding up surprisingly well. The streets and plazas are festooned in flowers. My favourites are always the tulips. Although the orange snail made me smile too: What are your favourite spring sights and rites?
Voting Rites
In case you’ve been snoozing, tomorrow 7 September 2013 is federal election day in Australia and it is compulsory for all Australian citizens to vote. I admit that I jumped into Australian citizenship without too much contemplation. I was already living and working here and needed to be an Australian citizen to be eligible for […]
Not Watching Whales
Whale season 2013 started with such promise. On 1 June, right on cue, a cetacean duo traversed the bay breaching, back flipping and splashing spectacularly. Since then I have seen less than a dozen whales. Rain and rough seas are not ideal whale watching conditions. The scaffolding outside my studio window doesn’t help either. I […]
Work in Progress
It seems like everything around me is a work in progress – the quilt on the design wall; updating my websites; workshop planning; travel bookings and tonight’s dinner. Even my home is a veritable construction zone with scaffolding; gaping holes in the wall; the noise of hammers, power tools and commercial radio; paint fumes; dust […]
Coming Up for Air
I am in the middle of quilting a piece with intense, linear machine quilting. Up, turn, down; Turn, up, turn; Down, turn, up; repeat ad infinitum. It’s slow and meditative. Did I mention slow? I’m keeping a time record. So far it’s been more than 40 hours just quilting and I’m only about half way. […]