Shadow Shot Sunday ~ More from Glenbarr Station

A moment of captured sun warmth before the intense day.
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Off to join the group while catching up with myself.
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Into the starkly defined converted barn/workroom.
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Just as well she can't see what is following her . . .
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Groping fingers across our cottage door
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and an admonishment to seek salvation and mount the steps
to the chapel . . . unfortunately it was locked!
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All photos enlarge with a click.
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Sorry I was a lazy visitor last week, life muscled in on my blogging time.
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Thanks to tracy at HEY HARRIET we all have a ticket to shadowland

just click on the Logo and enjoy.

SkyWatch ~ Tones of Blue at Glenbarr Station

Skies at last week's "Enfoldment" workshop.
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Dusk falls over the dormitories.
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Next morning a lone hawk circles in the blue above our heads.
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To fly the skies click the Logo and soar into the blue.

MY WORLD ~ Enchanted by 'Enfoldments' - Part 3

This place alone took us back to a time when life had a
different pace and did not run away with the speed of a
racing car. Measuring distance by how far a horse could
take one in a day and time by available daylight.
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Working with the concentration of coiled springs on the making

of our books . . . writing with steeped Eucalyptus ink and a handy

stick or brush a single word over and over on a large sheet of

paper. A word that held the meaning of this week of discovery,

that summed up our personal feelings about this particular journey.

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Dyeing in the steaming cauldron . . .

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watching and waiting as our bundles soaked up colour . . .
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letting them cool before opening the surprise in store
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and wonder of wonders, among oohs and aahs, unwrapping
leaf prints of our windfaall gatherings, always under the ever

so gentle guidance of our mentor India Flint, author of

Eco-Colour, botanical alchemist, felt maker, costumiere, her

speech as soft as her imprint on nature. Only use found materials,

windfalls, garden clippings, never robbing living plants unless

they be especially grown for the purpose of gazetted weeds.
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Below, the stitched, over dyed and then cut up paper for our

book covers. Somehow the hours spent in quietly stitching
pieces of cloth, felt, lace, silk or anythng else we shared, the

windfall walks to gather our dye stuff, the wrapping and

bundling using the string we made on the first evening and
then cutting up the created 'art' work grounded us firmly into

our place in the universe, diminishing our ego and letting us

enjoy the process without pre-conceived ideas. It gave us the
freedom to be ourselves.
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Out of this new found freedom grew our books, pages within

pages, pockets of mementos of our rambles, writing of sounds

and impressions of our surroundings and a sense of cohesive

togetherness of these 18 women from disperate walks of life
intent on the same purpose.
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Truly a week of learning, wonder and enchantment as the

individual beads strung themselves into a shining necklace

each one of us carried away in our hearts.

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Thank you India for being our guide and mentor, a keeper

of the world and most of all for being my precious daughter.
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All photos enlarge with a simple click.
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To see the world through other eyes or to join in, click the Logo.

TODAY'S FLOWERS ~ Flowers and More from the Workshop Part 2

Rain soaked Wattles, Acacia, along the rushing creek where we
gathered windfalls to dye our paper with.


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Occasionally a stray sun beam broke through the clouds to
bring the golden wattles to life.
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More of the same with lovely River Redgums.
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The workroom, still tidy as the gang assembles. Some who
frequented art/craft workshops, had brought heaps of materials.
I, on the other hand, only had scissors, needles and thread and
a sketchbook.
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Never before had I stitched random bits and pieces to anything,
the time had come for change as I shed all preconceived ideas
and just had fun.
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We learned map folding and bundling our paper with our gleanings
went off to a luscious lunch while the dye pot did its thing.
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The wonders that unfolded out of the cauldron were astonishing.
My bundle is still intact
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and showed slightly less startling colours.
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To be continued . . .
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Click on the Logo and wander over to TODAY'S FLOWERS

to see the world in bloom.

Shadow Shot Sunday ~ A Life Changing Experience, Part 1

Last week I happily spent as a student, not only that, but
the old hen learning from her own chick.
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Let me preface this by saying that I am rather a hermitic loner
than a group animal and spending a week as one of a flock of
18 women made me quake in my boots.
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The retreat/workshop sat snugly amongst the old and new
buildings of Glenbarr station on the ourskirts of Strathalbyn.
A homestead of the early 1840's. Sleeping quarters were
spartan and unheated, ablution block communal and
unfortunately a constant weangle with management for
adequate supplies of loo paper!
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Below, a lovely lady arriving and heading to the old converted
stables that now were pressed into service as kitchn and dining
hall with one tiny little heater to keep out the chill.
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The diverse and sometimes rather peculiar dietary requirements
for some of the ladies made us all vegetarians for the week, ably
catered for by my 18 year old granddaughter who throughout
the week alternated as country chef and city actress with long
and tiring travel distancens in between.
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The Workshop was entitled "Enfoldments" and guided ever
so gently by India Flint, Botanical alchemist, author and fibre
artist extrordinaire.
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After a delicious dinner, a glass or two of wine and a little of
'getting to now you', India brought out a heap of natural fibre
shreds, silk, wool cotton etc. and showed us in her quiet way
how to take a piece and with nothing but our fingers, make
strong durable string.
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Since we had no idea what it was for, we could not encumber
it with our expectations and just concentrated on strength.
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Above, the uncertainty of beginning . . . .
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below, a little technical advice from the delightful and ever
helpful Jenni.
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After a freezing night, a lovely dawn and a new beginning.
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In the old stable walls the rifle slits are still preserved for warding

off attacks by spear wielding Aborigines whose land the Scottish

settlers had bought from the government.

Rather an unequal battle, guns against a few spears protecting

the land of their ancestors.
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Next exciting episode and many more pictures to follow.
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Posted as part of Shadow Shot Sunday, hosted by Tracy at Hey Harriet.

Do go and visit by clicking the logo.

Shadow Shot Sunday ~ Where Dreams are Made

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From this Sunday I will go to a retreat where I hope the curtain
will at least move a little if not lift a corner. Will return next Friday
with, I hope, a little book of the journey to show for my efforts.
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Some friends and I in the fowl yard, were they shadowing me
or I shadowing them?
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To enter the shadow world, click on the Logo.
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Thanks to Tracy at Hey Harriet we all have a chance to
show our shadows.
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SkyWatch ~ Another Sunrise, what else?

I do not apologise for the quality of this photo. I was janked
out of a deep sleep to the sight of this reflection on my western
window having entered my room through the matching eastern
window.
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Needless to say, I levitated already with camera in hand and
was outside like a shot!
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I dashed along the whole front of the house and half way into
the garden to get a clearer view . . . ta dah!
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Not bad at all as far as colour goes, so I snapped another as the
light changed, then, frozen through in my nighty and chilled to
the bone with dew-wet feet half way up my legs, I cold footed
it back into my nice warm bed. All for what I hear you ask?
Well, just to show you the sunrise two mornings ago. Devotion
to duty that's what!
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An Aladdin's cave of skies opens by a click on the Logo.

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Our brave SkyWatch hosts co-ordinate this meme week afer week,

month after month and year after year, hats off to them!