I love going up to Main Creek, find any excuse I can to spend time in such a wonderful places with wonderful company.
On my arrival this time I was introduced to the newest arrival on the property, isn't she cute! not quite 24 hours old and everything is a big surprise, so funny to watch her amazed reactions to just about everything.
The reason for my trip this time was to guide a group of lovely ladies through the process of dyeing, stamping and sewing a covered book. I really don't like the term teach or teacher. The people that come to these workshops come with their own bank of knowledge and experiences which they use in their creative endevours. I provide the materials and products I know will work and give good results and share the knowledge and experience I have gained over the past umpteen years. Each person adds to the whole experience and I come away from each workshop a little wiser for having met and worked with them.
So what did we get up to in that jammed packed day of colour? By morning tea time all the fabric was sat in its little pot of colour, along with a few threads that the ladies had bought along with them. After ummming and arrrring over Marion's home made Devonshire splits full of cream and jam, other little delights and some good coffee, we had a chat about block printing and I explained how I went about it and showed off my lovely wood blocks I had purchased from The Indian Woodblock Company. It wasn't long before the fabric had had it's allotted time sitting in it's puddles of colour and was rinsed and hung out to dry.
In this glorious sunshine it wasn't long before the fabric was ready to be ironed and taped down ready to print.
Have to confess these fabric were printed in my own workroom, but I have very little time for photo taking once the action begins. After lunch, which was delicious as always, and I won't have you all dribble over your keyboards by describing it, the fabric was cut up, arranged and sewn to cover an assortment of little and not so little books. It was a busy day and not everyone got to the sewing stage, but all went home with some beautiful fabrics they had created themselves to play with at their leisure.
These are my two sample books.
While a few were finishing up, I had a chance to slip out and catch up on the backyard politics and goings on. A month or so ago I re-homed one of my chickens up at Marions. She was a bossy thing, giving my other two a hard time and laying shell less eggs. Marion offered to take her to the next chicken sale and "move her on" but she has fallen in love! She was put in a run with some very lovely black and white chickens and a splendid rooster. This scruffy little red chook looked so out of place but the rooster took a fancy too her and now she has become part of his harem and they go everywhere together
Dora and her fancy man.
Here a red chook from the other group, who have their own magnificent rooster, had slipped out and Dora took exception to another red head near her man! Did she give her what for! It reminded me why I had taken her away from the two at home.
While we stood and watch the complicated social order of this eclectic group, a couple of wallabies went hopping through the top paddock. You can just see them to the right of the tree. Well if you have good eyesight that is. I only took my little point and shoot camera, typical as it was such beautiful weather and plenty of good photo opportunities but I don't usually get much chance to take any pictures.
The chickens which provided beautiful eggs for all Marion's guests are on the bottom rung in the pecking order. The guinea fowl give the chickens the run around and this magnificent peacock presided over all.
When the girls started their dispute over the cockerel, the peacock had to make sure he wasn't missing any action so came over and gave us a wonderful display of feather rattling, the noise is quiet extraordinary and I did try and take a bit of video, but obviously didn't hit the right button as have nothing!
OK one more look at that little girl who is now twice the age she was yesterday and oh so much more confident. She even came close enough to get a picture of those stunningly long eyelashes!
