Skip to main content

New Tastes

Ever wonder what to say when someone asks what is your national food? Is it a meat pie? pavlova? BBQ? Vegemite? We settled for a lamington , so as not to assault the taste buds too much too soon ...

This week, the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar from Japan arrived . Mayuko is a really delightful, confident and engaging young woman who will be studying for her Master's degree in Teaching English as a Second Language at the University of Newcastle.

Have you heard of this program ? It is the world's largest privately funded international scholarship program which has sponsored, since 1947, nearly 38,000 men and women from 100+nations to study abroad, generally completing post graduate degrees. The purpose of Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships is to further international understanding and friendships among people of different countries and geographical areas. While abroad,the scholars serve as goodwill ambassadors to the host country, and upon returning home, the scholars share the experiences which led to a greater understanding of their host country.

I am very fortunate to have been asked to be Mayuko's counsellor while she is studying here in Newcastle. Mayuko has tonight experienced Friday night dinner with the Simmons family, including the noise and energy of our three grandsons when they are together. And the highlight - a first taste of a truly Aussie delight - a lamington. We, of course, tasted green tea made of tea leaves from Mayuko's grandparents' tea farm, and received gifts of coasters - indigo dyed using a technique well known in Mayuko's home prefecture. I am sure there will be many more dinners while Mayuko is here to experience other Australian cuisine.
So what a good week it's been ...
- Jim has had his plaster cast removed and is feeling so much better with a splint boot;
- I got back into my workroom and made some felt scarves, which I have already sold. I love working with these colours- clean, fresh and alive!


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for reading my blog and please share your thoughts about my blog post by leaving a comment.Your comment won't appear immediately as comments are verified before publication in an effort to reduce the amount of spam appearing. Anonymous comments will not be published.

Popular posts from this blog

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks ....  The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and  message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or  my husband or from off cuts gifted to us  from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks.   Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt  or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as w...
3 comments
Read more

From my workshop page....

  Current Workshops  Offerings  Thinking of a workshop for your group in  2022?    Art Doll Workshops : -  Garden Thread Dolls  (one day workshop   -  WoW -(Woman of Wisdom)    - embellished stump doll with either cloth head or clay head.  This is an a rt doll workshop .... either offered as a series of workshops or  2 full days  days!   -  Message/Story  Stick doll  - doll made with found objects and upcycled cloth.  ( one day)    -  Elemental totems  - stick doll variation , with sculpture  ( one or two days, depending on surface decoration of fabric)  TEXTILE AND MIXED MEDIA WORKSHOPS    Temari - embroidered wrapped balls in traditional style.    - Dipping Into Tea  - tea and embroidery on canvas with photo transfer on fabric.  ( two days)  work by Judith Bee, workshop participant.  - Tea Bag sculpture : ...
Post a Comment
Read more

"Temari Or Not Temari?" Tutorial

 Background Information:  Temari (literally translated “hand ball”) is a Japanese folk craft that is alleged to have originated in China and was introduced to Japan five or six hundred years ago. Traditionally, the balls were constructed from wrapped kimono fabric remnants and silk threads. They were made by mothers and grandmothers for children to play with. Nowadays, decorative embroidered temari represent a highly valued and cherished gift symbolizing friendship and loyalty. Recently I've wondered if your don't use traditional techniques whether you should call what you create "temari". That is an ongoing debate but today I share what I do to make a "non-traditional temari".... 1.I start  with a polystrene ball ( traditionally the balls were wound  silk scraps or other organic materials) and begin to wrap with approx 4 ply wool, turning the ball as I wrap.  2. I then wrap another layer of wool in a similar fashion , this time a 3 or 2 ...
8 comments
Read more