I had the best time in Tassie. The highlight of course was all the craft I got to do with my friend's 14 year old son. He's into all the crafts I love - leathercraft and woodwork - with the added bonus of being into blacksmithing, something I'd love to... Read more →

Did you know that some species of cicadas can live for thirteen years underground before emerging to spend a few glorious weeks in the sunshine? Scientists aren't quite sure why they have a thirteen year cycle. There's some speculation it may be to avoid predators as no other creature has... Read more →

On Saturday I spent a few hours in the backyard doing some watercolour painting. It was a lovely day and it was so wonderful to spend it outside with my girls. We set up a table with all our watercolour paints, jars of water, paper, brushes and book. You can... Read more →

I think I'm a butterfly. Scratch that, I know I'm a butterfly. I struggle to break out of my cocoon and once out I flit from flower to flower, heady with the heavy scent of nectar beckoning and beguiling my senes. Okay that was a little fanciful and florid (and... Read more →

Creativity is a cantankerous beast that still surprises me after all this time. I've been blocked for the last few months with no idea of how to get unblocked. In the first lockdown back in April / May, I did lots of hand crafts and felt really nourished and grounded.... Read more →

I'm wondering if the lack of external stimuli is having a detrimental impact on my creativity. Apat from going to the market, I'm pretty much at home day in day out at the moment. The girls have singing and piano lessons online and we see their teachers but that's it... Read more →

I've been wondering about the nature of creativity. When I've read articles or books on the subject they all emphasise the writer's routine. And when I say routine, I mean what they do every day, no matter what, to write. It's easy to get overwhelmed by the way Hemmingway or... Read more →

I often have half finished projects lying around the house. I start them with great enthusiasm and then for some reason or another (life gets busy or I get distracted by another exciting project) I don't get around to fishing them. Last year I was making hand-bound books using eco-dyed... Read more →

The end of the 2019 Poetry Challenge and a break from compiling the Poet's Express newsletter gave me some space and time to breathe life into an idea that had been lurking around in the back of my mind for a while now. For the last year or so I've... Read more →

I've been feeling disjointed and aimless. My cup was empty, in spite of doing things I loved - reading good books, writing poetry, going to open mics, playing board games with family and seeing friends. I didn't know what was missing. I didn't even know something was missing. I was... Read more →