Two very different little girls.

On my three month over winter trip to Western Australia I carried with me one small back pack that passed as hand luggage. Within I had enough tweed and wool to keep me occupied and an absolute minimum of clothing. Fortunately in the shocking heat of Australia little in the way of clothing is required. WA was fortunate in not suffering the massive fires that raged for months in the east but the support and aid sent was impressive. Now the world has changed and the human race has other things to occupy its mind. Corona virus meant little to me when I first heard of it in mid-January, then I assumed it would be just another one of those Asian flu things that would probably be over before my due date of return on the 4^th March. However by then it had already become pandemic and during my flight back via Singapore we were all masked up. I was a couple of days in London and little seemed to have changed although I made sure I touched nothing while on public transport. Each day brought more foreboding news of Italy being closed down and the epicenter now having moved to Europe. Two days after arriving back in Brittany I had a small local exhibition of my work opening on the Saturday afternoon and a workshop to follow on the Monday morning. It never happened since lock-down was imposed and we passed into a period isolation, which just happens to be my norm so little inconvenience. After only a couple of days I realised my only form of outside entertainment had been seriously polluted by the virus and so contented myself with creative exploits and the resurrection of my sadly neglected garden. It was also obvious that there would be no way of returning to the Isle of Lewis and that I must resume a life in Lezele for this summer. 

On the creative front I have launched into another long project, this time to stitch a book. I’m on the eighth page, each measuring 30x40cm and in no particular order, they will cover a miscellaneous variety of images and subject matter. Things that I find interesting amusing or simply transfers well into a stitched form. An example of this was the two images inspired by a friend’s six year old daughter. I find it fascinating that when children visit my studio and see me at work they are never intimidated but rather inspired to create something. Then they do what no adult would do and give me as a present the picture they have produced, assuming that because I create so many I will be delighted to accept theirs. I this case Georgian had depicted two images of herself in a fantasy world and with a little manipulation they transformed well to applique embroidery. The first shows Georgina with cherry red lips and two fluffy white dogs. Those dogs have blue glass bead eyes which proved all important when it came to the second image of Bill-Linda. The angry man seems more upset by the fact she didn't shut the gate than that all his fluffy white dogs have been savaged. On close inspection you wil note that Bill-Linda is carrying an I-bag.