Why hello there! There have been far too little action in this part of the woods these last few months. I have come out of hibernation just in time for winter, which means more progress on the Star Anise Blanket!! But before we start on that kind of loveliness and despite my silence these last few months, there is some creative news to update one on.
If 2012 was the year of change, I don’t know what you’d call 2013. I left my job in March and have been traveling, then found out all that time I was getting sick! Hooray for diagnosis! So now I am getting better and finding a new job, after enjoying some travel and time off, of course.
After leaving my job, we set off for Tokyo. Third time lucky – This time I actually saw the cherry blossoms!! They are really as beautiful as everyone says they are.
Sight-seeing around Tokyo was fun – and exhausting…
So the days were usually finished off like this:
Travelling north to visit my old host family in Hokkaido revealed that some parts of Japan are not even considering spring yet:
But the geese still go for a swim!
We had sushi-making and karaoke with my host family…
Then it was back to down south-east to Kyoto and Okayama for Shandii’s Wedding… when I find my camera there might be some pics from that!
Saying goodbye to Japan, we met up with a fellow travelling friend and went to Malaysia…
…obligatory sight-seeing from the hotel window… and discovered Nilai-3… so… much… fabric…
Then on to my old favourite Kamdar. Look at the lace!
I think I came home with about 11 kilograms of fabric!!
The cats were happy to have us home and get back into a little routine of collecting the mail together.
And the loveliness of Japan rekindled some old values of mine and I’ve started to meditate again!
Funnily enough, I wasn’t feeling crochet or sewing when I got back. It was still a little warm to work on my blankets and my sewing machine was broken! But on one afternoon over a cup of tea with some special people, she brought out her cross-stitch project and did that while we talked… and it got me thinking! It’s literally been about 15 years since I did any cross-stitch, and I’ve carried those unfinished projects with me all these years. Time to bust back into it!
We had some International Visitors and it’s only fitting that you take International Visitors to see koalas when you’re in Australia!
And I just love echidnas! So cute!!
Lastly there was a trip back to Canberra for visits and bread-making lessons!
So all in all, a pretty action-packed few weeks there. I’m ready to live the quiet life at home for a while and settle back into ‘normality’… whatever that is 
Stay happy!
xx
