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a to z...book making

Perfect weather,a converted walnut mill in the south of France and five whole days devoted to making and filling books...that was how I spent a week of my holidays. It was as idyllic as it sounds- a well balanced and mixed group of characters, picture perfect countryside and an inspiring tutor.

 the studio- L'Espace

Les Soeurs Anglaises in the Dordogne region played host to the book art workshop run by Rachel Hazell. It was a beautiful place to stay;generous,charming hosts who created an idyllic space in which to relax and work, exceptional food ( a cook book is in the making ) and an inspiring studio workspace.To top it all off,I had a room with its very own bath that looked out over the terraced gardens across fields to the nearby village- bliss!

 
the view from my bath

 

A few mornings, I managed to get myself out of bed for an early run along quiet roads and back again, in time for a long soak in the bath before breakfast.

 A' warm up book' -day one

Between, running, swimming and eating, I managed to squeeze in a little book making...

The theme of the workshop was Dictionaries and Definitions: A Personal A-Z.. The workshop outline promised that we would learn 'unusual and beautiful bookbinding techniques, with humour and the luxury of time to experiment".

That last bit about the 'luxury of time' sealed it for me - for me the week was about spending as much time as I wanted on each stage of the book. Nothing done quickly or just for the sake of filling the pages: the focus was on the process rather the the finished product.

  Final book in the making

 

 

In the maze....

that is the Medina of Fes- so much colour and sound that I only narrowly avoided being run over by a donkey loaded with bale of fabric. I have just returned from four days spent exploring ( and getting lost) in the narrow cobblestone streets that wind their way through this ancient city.

 

 

A beautiful old example of the hat that the city shares its name with...

Vibrant silk waiting to be woven or braided...

I'm not sure what these are- they were nailed to a doorway in the area where fabric was being dyed.

I couldn't read the sign but soon worked out what was for sale at this stall....

lucky me...

....look closely. The one in the black dress. That's me, in Venice crossing the Grand Canal just like a local, using the traghetto. I even stood up, although I had to admit I was secretly quite relieved to reach the other side without any embarassing tumbles into the water!.

Such a wonderfully colourful place to visit - it's definitely on my list of places I want to return to some day.

colours and flavours...

Istanbul was an intriguing place to visit - the colours, smells and sounds seemed very different and  exotic compared to other places I have visited. I did a crash course in the history of Istanbul (and completely confused  myself!)  before the visit, which helped me to appreciate a little better what I was seeing and experiencing. Certainly a place I could return to again and again.

My new tea obsession...fresh ginger and apple tea served with cinnamon, cloves and honey to sweeten....

The food ...couldn't get enough of the minted yoghurt or (what I think was called ) Sigara boregi - a cigar shaped pastry made with feta cheese and filo pastry.

I braved the unknown of a hamam (Turkish bath house) by myself - a most memorable and relaxing experience (especially as I had the whole bath house to myself except for the three attendants!) This one has been operating since 1481. That's 530 years.....

And of course there were the tiles..

( For anyone visiting Istanbul, who wants to know a great book to read before hand or two or three lovely places to eat, just let me know...happy to share my good fortune in stumbling upon these places)

 

Hola!....

Either I've been watching too much Dora or I've just come back from Barcelona...

( please note: final image may upset some readers as it shows animal offal....)

 

Brilliant and colourful

the architecture...what can I say! Amazing, something awe inspiring around every corner...

Hot- so lots of ice, mint and lime to cool down after hours of walking

 

 

And in the food market, off La Ramblas, every type of meat and fruit you could wish ( or not wish!) for...

Next week- Sydney bound!

just a hop skip and jump

and I'm in Paris spending a few days with one of my dearest friends. There's sure to be lots of talking, walking and shopping-so naturally hot chocolate and macaroons are essential for keeping the energy levels up.
Tomorrow, an early(ish) run through the streets of Paris followed by another day of doing whatever takes our fancy.
Luxury!

Sent from my iPhone

shades of pink...

A good use for a handful of paint colour chips.
I always enjoy wandering about the paint section of the hardware store...full of colour, brushes and possibility ,not to mention paint chips!
I try to be good and only take what I actually need but some of the colours and names are impossible to resist. I think I would be hard pressed not to feel a little bit happy in a room painted a lovely shade of 'mint melody'.Or perhaps 'spearmint rush' would be just the thing.
Whoever gets to think up these names- I want his job.
Fun,fun.

101 flavours

or rather a  few rather exotic ones...

Raspberry, wattleseed and yellow sapote icecream ( hidden underneath, jackfruit)

On our visit to Cape Tribulation we stopped in at the Daintree Icecream factory.Although there didn't seem to be anything vaguely resembling a factory ( unless you count the tiny tin shed hidden behind a grove of trees) there was a small kiosk selling icecream made the from many different varieties of exotic fruit growing in the surrounding orchard.

The good and bad thing was that you  couldn't choose the flavours - the only way they sold it was as four mixed scoops in a cup. If that hadn't been the case I would never have discovered my passion for yellow sapote icecream or my dislike of the soursop variety. Jackfruit was quite tasty and the wattle seed (along with the yellow sapote) was one of my favourites.

Afterward  we had a quick wander around the orchard to see the fruits doing what they do best...

yellow sapote ,behaving nicely for the camera
(we weren't able to find these for sale to try fresh...has anyone tasted one?)

Soursop...prefer to look at this one on the tree instead of on the end of my spoon! I was told that if you were game to bite the bottom of the ants on this fruit, you would be rewarded with a sweet honey taste
I'd probably prefer to do that than have to eat the soursop icecream again...perhaps the ants might beg to differ?!!!

to-ings and fro-ings....

Just before I headed off to north to Port Douglas and the Daintree, I somehow managed to squeeze in a quick visit to Melbourne ( I know, I'm doing it tough this month...)
Highlights ( and there were many!)

Violet and Rose Peg Apron- picture courtesy of the official Violet and Rose clothesline...

Meeting Jo from Violet and Rose and enjoying it every bit as much ( and possibly even more) than I had imagined. Now I just need to move Melbourne and Sydney a little closer so that I can drop around for a cup of tea and a catch up a little more often... the beautiful apron was part of a bag of goodies that Jo put together for me ( if you too want one to help you achieve that drop dead gorgeous look whilst hanging out the smalls, visit her blog. If you happen to be in Melbourne, pop into Meet me At Mikes to see this and more of her lovely work.This shop is full of craft blog goodness, and if you are lucky you will get to meet the most personable Pip!)

Finding this wonderful stack of old Japanese books hidden in a box under a rack of kimonos at Ziguzagu at Kazari Warehouse.

The covers were so perfectly old and weathered and then inside....

I haven't a clue what I will do with them but I just couldn't leave them behind.

The old obis below came from the same place. ( You might remember one of the obi's from last years trip took on a new life as this crochet roll. I so love using this roll.)

Going to the cinema not once but twice to see a foreign film... Paris, je T'aime  and Orchestra seats at the Cinema Nova, Carlton. I think that the cinnamon choctop that I had on the first evening was a large part of the reason for the second visit the following night!

Just a few of the memorable moments...there were way too many for just one post, so expect another some time soon...

 

 

off on a little wander....

We are heading off tomorrow, bright and early on our annual trip north to find the sun! A little further up than last year - this time Port Douglas and the Daintree. I have always wanted to do a little exploring around this amazing area so I can't wait.I will bore you all silly with the holiday happy snaps when I get back!

In the meantime I have finally managed to finish Keeta's scarf- I bought the wool last year and then got a little sidetracked. Oh well, lucky for me Keeta is a very patient girl and the cold weather has only just set in....

A very simple eyelet knit pattern in Eki Riva 14ply 100% baby alpaca - super soft with the barest sheen to it.Lovely to touch , lovely to knit up.

I have been strict with my packing this time- just two small projects to keep me busy while I'm away...usually I pack several and then never even look at most of them. Drawing stuff is a must though...hopefully have some doodles to show for it when I return.

I've actually  only just arrived back from a quick jaunt down to Melbourne - so it's off the plane, unpack, repack and back on another tomorrow. I was lucky enough to meet up with some crafty Melbourne blog girls so there will be few tales to tell after I've finished exploring.

Until then, take care....