Heating Up

Back from Adelaide on Monday evening...I love the smaller shows, a real intimacy about them that just does not happen at the larger shows.
Of course, Adelaide decided to heat up just in time for the fair and is getting increasingly hot this week just as I return to Sydney and wait for the heat to catch up with me here!
I caught up with some family I had not seen or spent that much time with in years: my 83 year old aunt told me stories about the family that had me in tears of laughter and really lightened up a heavy year.
Am getting back to work slowly with a few magazine articles on the horizon as well as being the cover girl for the current issue of Machine Embroidery and Textile Art (Vol 16, #4) with an ultra-fine wool made into a ruana and 3D leaves as well as painted leaves. Thoroughly enjoyed making this one! Titled Wrapt in Oz

Here today, gone tomorrow

Yes, the willow-the-wisp is back after being missing in action most of October, consumed with finishing up estates and all the other things that must be attended as the family baton is being passed to the next generation. It is quite a consideration being in the 'frontline' now.
I have been also involved at a committee level (shades of last man standing syndrome) with ATASDA, the fantastic textile group I belong to
www.atasda.org.au
and am off to Adelaide tomorrow as part of the ATASDA team promoting textiles at the Exotica exhibition. Hence the title of this blog. Come and say 'hello' if you are going to be at the Adelaide showgrounds over the duration of the show (Thurs-Sun).
After all that, at it with a vengeance when I return to Sydney next week.
I am staying with my lovely old aunt...I don't think she has either a computer or the internet, so I will be missing in action for a little while yet.

Quiet Time

Have been off the blogwaves since last week. My FIL passed away last Thursday so we have been out of the loop and under the radar for a few days

Not hiding, working!

Got back to Sydney and did the usual, took a week to get over my PHD (post holiday depression!). A friend of mine and I both agree, the highs of the holiday are never the same for the folks at home... Coupled with my FIL's condition, the joy of our holiday is hard going at the moment...it takes a while to get back into the swing of everything once more and then a 21st on top of that.
We had a fabulous night at Emad's, a Lebanese restaurant in Sydney with family and friends. Plain good fun!
Now sort of/kind of trying to get everything done a little bit at a time each day with all the extra travel we are doing between sick beds and home. Bear with me once more for the next little while please.

Beijing

Back in Beijing by ourselves was good, but we really missed both our son's company and his communication skills. We did manage to navigate our way on the underground, back to the silk/pearl markets for a final shopping fling.
Have been quiet...my FIL has gone into a hospice and will probably not return home. We are doing quite some running around and looking after my MIL at the moment. Yes, it's THAT sort of year