For several years, I have been carting around with me, a rather large suitcase full of photos that were taken of me, my family and the endless trips overseas that I have taken. One trip that I went on to Europe, I did not have a digital camera, but a conventional camera, and I shot over sixteen rolls of film. These photos were then developed and for some reason or another, I never did get to catalogue them or even mark them. So, I have decided that I must do it, and soon. I was astute enough, I think to write a notebook and keep it with the photos all numbered in the packets, so that I could distinguish them again one day.

My daughter helped me sort them out, and we did have a jolly time throwing out the blurred photos, the photos that just did not come out right, and also have a section of photos for reprinting, as she cannot do without some of them herself.

The question that I ask myself is this.....do I want to cart around this suitcase full of albums, or should I just scan them, catalogue them and put them all on disk and get rid of all the hard copies. That way, I would save a lot of room. Or should I keep them all, get some nicer albums for them and continue to shove them into whatever space I can find for them.

Different parts of my life are well documented, whilst others are not. I am at a loss as to why there are gaps. Perhaps it is just because we get too busy to document our lives with visual records at different times. But we have the memories, be they good or not so good.

Over the past few years, all my photos were taken by digital camera, and then stored on disks, so I am thinking that I should really change to having them all with the space saving devices. It certainly would cut down on the clutter.

I have even found in my hard copies of photos, a lot of documenting of earlier felting days and other events when I was first learning about the art. People in these photos I remember and I have not seen for years, and looking at them brings back happy thoughts of the times and fellowship that we all shared at the Retreats attended, and even of smaller demonstrations and shows.

Previously I was a full time worker, but now I have secured a much easier and less demanding part time job, which will keep me happy because it will allow me the time that I need to persue all the many other interests in my daily life. I can now attack my Feltmaking once more, with a fervour that I have not been able to when working and travelling to that workplace for the total of a twelve hour stint per day. When coupled with time out to relax and time for sleeping, plus all the other necessary demands on time, one did not have much time at all for the passion. But all that has changed now, and it can now be attained once more.

Moving on!

As the title suggests, moving on has been a priority in my life of late.

First of all, with the economic downturn in the country, it has meant that my late employer had to make some cut backs, and unfortunately, myself and several others bore the brunt of it. Retrenchment is such an ugly word. But it has bought about changes in my life that are not all bad.

For years I have hated living in the metropolitan area, and even though it was in the southern suburbs of Perth, it was still too busy, too noisy, and very limiting for me. Certain concessions had to be considered and although I would have liked to have had a lot more time to think about it, a decision was made, and I am now relocated back to my old home town of Busselton, where there are a lot of advantages to be enjoyed.

The first and foremost advantage is my partner, and we are now co-habitating (when he is home from work overseas, that is). The second advantage is that I get to enjoy the clean air and a lot of physical pleasures that an outside life without all the smog and pollution that a city provides, can offer me.....such as riding my pushbike everywhere (especially when it is not raining and cold), walking downtown every day without fear of being mugged, and in general, enjoying the beautiful coastline that Busselton has to offer.

The third advantage is that I get to see my family more, because they also live down here, apart from my parents, that is, and that in itself is the only disadvantage. But due to the wonders of modern technology, I can keep in touch very regularly.

Because I am now more of a "lady of Leisure" than a working girl, I have the advantage of being able to get to and indulge my passion for feltmaking. Just as soon as I sort out the studio, and find the necessary items that I will require to do just that. I left that project for the last on the agenda, because of the fact that I wanted to take my time over it and get the studio in an order that I would be happy with.

So to that end, I say to the world, and myself....."Bring it on".

Into Autumn already

Now that we are in March, the weather is starting to cool on some of the days. Still hot though, but not as hot as last month. I think that Summer will still go out with a bang and let us know again before March finishes, that it was hot.

I vowed and declared that I was going to get some feltmaking done over the five days that I had off last week, but the garden was also singing its sweet "come hither" song to me, and I was seduced by it. Ended up spending all the spare time out in it and not getting any felt made. I moved pots around, as the maintenance man of the units had previously been in to repaint all the gutterings, fascias and doors and downpipes, so had to get them all out of the way. And also put them back and give the yard a big clean up, fertilise and whatever cutting back that it needed. Not a lot of weeds, as I keep it mulched and that takes care of that little problem.

Last month, I went to a class to learn a bit about Machine embroidery on my felt, as I would like to embellish it with that as well. I had previously purchased a new Toyota sewing machine. Well......the machine played up quite a lot, making a lot of horrible noises and ended up not being able to use it. I took it into the repair shop for a service and a bit of a look at it, and I got it back during the 5 days off work. Still haven't been able to find the time to have a play with it, but I must confess, I did go and buy another machine cause I could not wait to try out what I had learned. I got a Bernette this time, and so far, so good. Still got a lot of practice to put in before I go and try to do something on my good pieces of felt. I hope that my work roster will allow for that to happen.

With a lot of the economic downturn affecting all businesses, ours is not left out, and we find that we have a lot of redundencies in our company. I have been assured that my job is secure, but I think that is only because some people are leaving also due to finding other employment here and there, and we are expected to take up the slack. Won't give us a pay rise though.

Looking forward to April, when I just may have to take a few days off work, as a very lovely friend will be home from working overseas, be it only just for a short while. I want to be able to take advantage of that time to spend a lot of it together, as it will be another long stretch for him to be away again after that.

This year, my sympathies lie with three of my dear felting friends, who have all lost their husbands in late January. Dawn lost Laurie to the dreaded big C after he had a long ongoing battle. Carol lost Allan to a heart attack suddenly, and Meg also lost Jules to a Coronary. My thoughts are still with them all, and hope they adjust to life quickly without their mates.

Am heading into a couple of days off work, so may even get some felt making done this time. Hope so anyway.

Bye for now

Happy feltmaking everyone

Julie

During the last week of January, the school summer holidays, I took my grandson Joseph to Rottnest Island, which is just off the Coast of Western Australia from Fremantle. We had 3 days over there, and enjoyed it thoroughly. We went bike riding around the island, on hired pushbikes. Snorkelling in the lovely waters, and a lot of walking, eating, sightseeing and swimming, with a little bit of sleeping in between. Very hot over there, but first couple of days were overcast and a little windy. But we managed to not let that spoil the time. I think he loved it over there. I would like very much to go back.

Long time between posts

It has been a long time since the last time I posted anything on this blog.....been busy at work and other things.

Summer is here and it has come with a vengeance. We are experiencing a little bit of a heat wave here and I find that with no air conditioning in the house, it gets a little stuffy and I am unable to do any feltmaking without a constant drip of perspiration from the brow. Breezes outside make it impossible to take the work out to the shade house on the back lawn, so I just have to grit my teeth and do no felting in the mean time.

I did however finish off the wall hanging that I made for my neice Sarah, who was getting married in November. She has not said however, if she liked it, so I guess I will just have to wait until she mentions it.

Even though I went to New Zealand in October, I am getting those dreaded itchy feet again. I will have to curb my spending and save once more for another trip. I would have liked to put my name down to go to the Denmark Felting Conference in June/or is it July of this year, but so far, upon me looking that one up, all the places had been taken. As I am located here in Austalia, and because I have to work, and therefore apply for leave, I cannot just take pot luck and put my name of a waiting list in the hope that it may come up with a vacancy for me. It would be lovely to spend some of the summer in Europe this year.

So, to console myself, I will be taking a few days off work this month, and taking a week over at Rottnest Island with my Grandson Joseph. We plan to do a lot of snorkelling, bike riding and exploring of the island. I will take a lot of photos and post them the next time I write.

Christmas this year was delightful.....a big change from previous times. When I was a child living in the countrside, we as a family used to take a packed up picnic lunch of all the goodies that we were deprived of during the year, and head out bush.....and enjoyed the scenery when we ate our cold christmas dinner. This year, it was kind of similar. We packed up a picnic lunch into the eskys, along with the cold drinks and ice, took swimming bathers with us, cameras and fold up chairs, and headed down to Canebrake, which is a nice spot not far from Chapman Hill, south east of Busselton, Western Australia. There were a fair swag of us that went, including my two teen aged grandchildren and three children of a friend of my daughters, along with parents, inlaws, etc. We ate plenty of dust on the way out there, as the sealed road ended before out trip out there did. Food was delicious, company was great and the scenery was exceptional. Kids all got to swim in the lagoon there, as it was quite a warm pleasant day, and they all had fun also. We marvelled at the plants that were out in flower, the marron in the lagoon, and the current of the water that was in the lagoon. The photos are taken of the day.

I was lucky to have had the 3 days off over Chrissy, so was able to make the drive down to Busselton with my parents in tow. Since then I worked over the new year's break, so that made up for the time I had off.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy, Prosperous and Adventurous New Year. May all your resolutions be fullfilled and that the ensueing year is one of contentment to you all.

Cheers

Julie

Hello to all, including Carol at Quarading and lots of other feltmakers out there.

Haven't added anything for a while....been quite busy with life, work, and holidays. The holidays were for a short while in New Zealand. Such a lovely place, lots of green everywhere. Not enough time was spent there, and it was a real shame that I could not get to see everything that I wanted to see. But when one is travelling with another person, one has to consider them also, and not just plan the whole trip for one's own satisfaction. This is a shot of a Maori dance that we saw when we went to a Hungi one night. They even got some of us up to participate in the dancing at one stage. I enjoyed it, and I guess by the reaction of the rest of the crowd, so did they.

Got rid of my old bomb of a car the other week.....well, I still have it, but it is just as good as sold......and I bought a brand new set of wheels. Luxury for me, I got a Toyota Carolla Utima. Got the smaller car as it fits better in the carport at my unit that I live in. Love driving it, so I'm out in it more than I am home doing some feltmaking at present. Tomorrow I plan to make a trip to Busselton to visit my daughter and grandkids, plus a few other friends, as I get a day off during my hectic work schedule. No working from 9-5 for this girl, and sometimes I wish I did have such a job. Could plan things more easily that way.

Back in May of this year, I had the opportunity to undergo a Lap Band operation to ensure my lifelong efforts of losing weight and dieting. So far, since having the operation, I have lost a whopping 21 kg and am pleased as punch. I still have a long way to go, but am already feeling the benefits from it, and there have been several changes in clothing sizes also. In another couple of months, I will find it hard to recognise myself.

Since I have recovered, I have been able to get back into my feltmaking, and I have posted the picture left, of the latest wall hanging that I have made. I have done it for my niece, Sarah, who will be getting married in November. Because like all the rest of the young people who live together for a while before they marry, they already have a house full of gear and do not need the regular things that one buys for the wedding gifts. So, it comes as no surprise to find that I would make something unique from felt.

I am also now working on another wall hanging which I have envisaged as being presented as a triptych. Pictures are not available just now, as it has only just been started and is still undergoing construction.

I am getting excited about my up and coming trip in October, to New Zealand. I floated the idea to my sister in Queensland, and asked to to accompany me, and she jumped at the chance. We had to wait however, until she could save the money for her fare and other costs, and it worked out that Spring would be a great time to go. We are going for 10 days, to Auckland first, then hiring a car, driving up to the Bay of Islands etc, then back to Auckland where we will be catching a Tour Coach which takes us through Rotarua and down to Wellington, back again to Auckland and then fly back home. We plan to hit the galleries and Museums and maybe take a multitude of photos, having a lot of fun on the way. Today, I think I made the final arrangements for the trip, and all I have to do now is save more spending money.

In the meantime, there is work to go to, wool to play with as well as friends to associate with, and to make more friends. One of the more unpleasant tasks that I have to do is my annual tax return, which will have to be done before I go to New Zealand. It is just a matter of getting all the paperwork together and getting it done.

With my felt, I participated in an exchange with the AussieFeltmakers. We have all done a handbag, sent it off, and now all there is to do, is to expect one back that another Aussie Feltmaker has made. My handywork is pictured.

The weather here in Perth is getting warmer, but one would not think so tonight. After a rather beautiful day for part of it, the evening turned really cold, and now I have my heater going. I have been keeping warm by walking on the treadmill and doing a circuit training workout. I guess I am still trying to learn how to enjoy doing that, as I am not and never have been a gym junkie, but feel that it is a necessary evil at this stage. Roll on the summer, so I say. I have always been more of a summer person than enjoying what winter has to offer. I am like a bear, and would love to hibernate in the winter. As I get older though, I do appreciate the Autumn and Spring more than the Summer or Winter.

At the beginning of the month, I took my mother, who is an avid patchworker, to the WA Quilt and Craft Fair, which was staged at the Claremont Showgrounds, as it always is, on an annual basis. We thoroughly enjoyed all that we saw, but a lot of people asked me, as they know that I am a member of FeltWEST, "why is FeltWEST not represented at this or another Craft Fair that they mentioned". As it used to be originally. All I can tell them is that I do not know what drives the decision of the current committee, and why they think that it is not worth the exposure that Felting would get. I have been told that it is not profitable for FeltWEST, but as I recall, the incorporated body of felters in Western Australia is a non profit organisation, so I for one, think that it is time that they were represented again. Maybe if the organisation will not, then it will be up to a few other members to participate off their own instigation.

Lets see if this posting will draw any feed back from any of the members.

Until next time

Julie

Vacation to the Southern tip of Western Australia

Hello
Well, what a week I have had. Last Sunday, I said
good by to my home in Leda and drove down to Busselton where I picked up my
Grand daughter and we then drove further south, through a little town called Nannup, then on to Pemberton, Northcliffe, Walpole and into Albany.
The weather looked ominus, and did not change from that, except to get worse, by being so very windy, rainy and even hailed at a point throughout the week.
Purpose of the visit was primarily to go out on a sailing Catamaran out on the Southern ocean, to watch the Humpback and Southern Right Whales as they did their annual migration to the warmer regions. I think they had the right idea, because it was ever so cold down there. But it was an awesome time, being on the sailboat, getting bounced about by the rough waves, salt water spraying up and soaking us to the bones. We spent all morning and came into shore almost two hours after we were scheduled to do so.
Rushdinah and I walked back to our hotel, cold, wet and in a race to see who could hit the nice hot shower first. I lost. So I did the washing and drying of all the soaked clothes and coats, and tried to dry off the squishy wet shoes.
That afternoon after we had both been warmed and dried off, we headed to the shops where we purchased more shoes and jeans (that is what Grandmas are for, isn't it?)
As if that was not enough punishment, we headed off the next morning by 9am, to the old Whaling Station, now a tourist venue called Whale World. We investigated the old Whaling Boat, the plant where they used to do the 'flensing' and rendering of the whale blubber, watched several movies provided, one of which was a 3D movie, got the history of the whale industry that closed down back in 1978, then had a lovely meal in the restaurant, bought some mementos and headed off to visit three places of interest along the coast back to town.
The first place we stopped into was the Blowholes, where the water shoots up between the rocks on the edge of the shoreline. The rocks down there at the edge of the water are just beaut, and they are so smooth, etched by millions of years of wind and water.
Following that, we headed off to the place called the Gap, which is like a square channel eroded by the force of the waves, allowing the water from the ocean to spray up some 20metres to the top of the rocks where there is a viewing platform. After we oohhed and aahhed at that, we went to see the Natural Bridge, which is another outstanding part of the rocks at the coast being eroded away by the wind and water, to form a bridge from one side to the other.
By this time, it was raining again, and did so intermittently throughout the day, even hailing at one stage, so we went back through town and out to the other side, to a place called Two People's Bay, where we went to a Bird Park, which included a Marron Farm and had other Farm animals there, that were very tame, and ate fruit from our hands. Dinah loved that, as she has a real affinity with animals. We stopped in and had a look at two beaches, which are popular in the summertime in Albany, then headed back to the Hotel as it was getting too dark and cold for any more sightseeing for the day. We frequented one of the Chinese Restaurants that evening for dinner, then watched a bit of TV before falling asleep exhausted.
Next day, we had to start heading back to Busselton, as Dinah had to go to work that evening. At 15, she has a little job in Red Dot Variety store, filling shelves etc and serving customers, and she had to start at 5pm that night, as it was Late Night Shopping on Thursdays.
So after having a catch up hot drink in a coffee shop with an old friend of mine.....Hi Jenny........,whom I had not seen in person for 18 years, we headed off for home, Dinah in charge of the road map. Navigation skills were not top notch, so we did a little loop, on a strange road, ended up on a gravel road, then back to where we started. So when we finally got going again, we drove through the Jarrah and Karri Forests, through Manjimup and then Nannup, back to Busselton, where I got her to work just in time.
Before coming home to Perth, I called in to see another couple of my friends from Busselton, driving home so that I could get here before mid afternoon.
Now it is back to work tomorrow.......no rest for the wicked.