Wow! that went fast, January I mean, I feel like I missed it completely.

There’s been lots going on, lots and lots but its ‘ll sorts of stuff rather than one big thing and that is making me feel a bit scattered, even more than usual.

Here’s a quick roundup of what’s been happening… The highlight of the month was a flying visit (she only stayed a week!) by Edwina Mackinnon. The middle of January isn’t the usual time for visitors to choose to come to Vancouver, but thankfully the weather co-operated.  We had a few walks in the forest, a trip to the Squamish to visit Elizabeth Harris at her studio and another to the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Here’s Edwina and the amazing Ai Wei Wei installation “Bang” it is a stunning 886 antique stools and replicas.

There is a long history around these 3 legged stools in China, they were a part of everyday life and handed down through the generations until the 1960’s when the wood stools were sadly replaced with plastic versions.

One of the best things about January are the Seville oranges! this year I managed to find some and get the marmalade made, not bad eh?

A few hours of chopping and squeezing and boiling, gets you this, hopefully enough to last till next year.

I’ve been holed up in the studio a lot this month which is good because the rain just isn’t stopping . My river retreat is full to overflowing and moving too quickly to let Ned anywhere near it, which he really doesn’t like. If you stand quietly you can actually hear the muffled thuds of the boulders shifting underneath the water, it’s an amazing thing.

I’ve been working on several projects this past month, all of them still under wraps for a while yet!  I’ve been finishing up quilting and all the details on my new heron design, getting my cherry blossom entires ready for jurying and preparing for the opening of mended!

Bye for now, Catherine