Welcome back to the blog

Hello dear readers,

I hope you have all had a good few weeks while the blog has been inactive. It seemed strange not to be writing the weekly words to you all, but the rest has been good and there is plenty to tell!

A quick update on the studio. The equipment, as you know, has arrived but the shipment has not been straightforward and so the industrial loom is in storage. One of the looms that was in use in Shetland is set-up though and I am now weaving scarves on it, ably assisted by a young man who is learning how to weave. The plan is that we start to offer apprenticeships in the next couple of years.

The studio is now spread over three spaces. Downstairs is the street-fronted ex-shop. With its huge windows it is the ideal place for displaying pieces and for showcasing the looms in action; passersby often stop to peer through the windows and see what is going on. Upstairs houses the textile collection and, in a nearby room, another studio space. This is where our artist residencies will eventually take place. It is a large, quiet space with plenty of light from the opening windows along one wall.

It is rapidly approaching winter in the Southern Hemisphere. Already we have snow on the mountains and the cold wind that blows down the Grey River Valley has brought the first of the Barbers, the katabatic wind that Greymouth is famous for. An ideal time to be working in a warm, light-filled studio with wool. We have been house-sitting for friends on their farm and the view of the mountains with snow as the dawn breaks has been spectacular.

This time of year brings lots of surprises. One of these was on a random visit to the seaside near Ashburton when we stumbled upon a seabird colony at the mouth of the Ashburton River. Please excuse the shaky camera work; as you might be able to tell from the sound, we were walking on shingle at the time. There is something magical about watching those birds fly off, each following the same path, to feed.

Travelling is wonderful but it is lovely to be home now and I am looking forward to sharing more stories and news, along with the weekly playlist that will begin again next week. Thank you for being part of our journey.