Packing up, going home, putting it all away again

For days, we've enjoyed a great working space to ourselves.  A place were we could enjoy sharing our ideas, offer to show each other something new and generally have fun together.  Almost every flat surface was covered with interesting and colourful ingredients, machinery and tools and the room buzzed with life and activity from breakfast time until late into the night or, sometimes, early the next morning. 

Occasionally there was music: Motown, Janis Joplin, Bach...we have eclectic tastes!

But all good things come to an end and this morning, in the space of an hour or two, our lively, inspiring room was returned to a plain old vanilla studio.

Cars were packed and we were all away, most with far longer journeys than me.

Did we leave anything behind?

New friends, old friends

So, we've been here four days and we're all still good friends.  Some of us had met before, a few knew each other pretty well and others had never met face to face.  But several years of emailing and chatting online with the occasional Skype conversation means that we already knew one another, regardless.

Nevertheless, there was the ever-so-small fear that perhaps - just maybe - spending so much time together would provoke a bit of rivalry, a minor irritation might grow into something more and possibly worst of all, one of us would feel less than comfortable in the group.

We needn't have worried.  We are all still rubbing along together pretty well and no-one has been sent packing yet!

This morning a group of conference delegates joined us for breakfast and I spotted a familiar face amongst them.  Not having the confidence to introduce myself without checking first, a quick look at the cast list on reception confirmed the name of a colleague from the first school I taught in, some thirty years ago.  Lovely to see her again, to share a couple of memories from the old days at Kitbridge Middle School on the Isle of Wight.  Of course, she'd not changed a bit! 

What to do next?

No shortage of ideas.

No shortage of enthusiasm.

Gill Thomas | Post a Comment | Share Article

in friends, fun, textiles

We are here

 

Much talk, a bit of action and plenty of ideas but little to show yet.

More fun ahead

Last year, four of us got together. We had a great time, sharing ideas and talking twenty to the dozen.

  

The next time a different four of us were together, creating art and talking twenty to the dozen. 

When three of us had a day to play, we made something to send to our friends all over the world. - in between catching up with the news and talking twenty to the dozen.

So, next week, when fourteen online friends from all over the place (Sal, Helen, Sara, Frances, Paulene, Maggie, Nita, Sue, Liz, Penny, Lynn, Dorothy, Myfanwy and myself) get together for five days of fun, who knows what tales there will be to tell?

One thing's for sure - you'll find it a challenge to get a word in edgeways.