I am buzzing after a wonderful day at Devon Guild of WSD - Suzanne the programme secretary, had suggested I give a talk to members about 'my journey through crafts' and my impending journey - the Magical, Mystical, Sydney Memorial Tour. I only agreed because I thought there wouldn't be many attending (recalling a January few years back when it snowed and there was only about 20 of us and we had a lovely social day doing nothing but spin/knit and chat). Well - there was a HUGE crowd - just a tad alarming - 'specially as I know so many of them.

I'd also been procrastinating - instead of preparing (what's new), and had a vague idea of putting a Powerpoint thingy together (techy term) so I could use it as a prompt with some old photos. I spent a day in bed on Thursday nursing a snivelling cold (I'm such a bad patient), reading undemanding novels (the Liveship series by Robin Hobb to be precise) and then yesterday I managed to raid the cupboard and throw a pile of completed knitting into a pile and look through old photographs (in between finishing just one more chapter). Every time I thought about giving a talk - I got a vague feeling of anxiety in my stomach. (Just read another chapter - oh, finished the book - no excuses left then).  

This morning - got up early - scanned old photos and tried to get some semblance of order in head of what I might say. Keep it short, I thought - what, could I get away with? 5mins? 10 max?  
Throw in large map of world, art work and cards - oh, now there's a thought - maybe I could sell some to raise funds towards the insurance?  

Well - I needn't have worried. Once I started talking about the plans I've made to travel I couldn't stop. I had verbal diarrhoea. I stopped after an hour (was it?) and could have gone on for longer. I guess I've been thinking about my trip a LOT and had more to say than I thought. (Though it might make more sense to talk about the trip when I come BACK - I'll have even MORE to say then - god forbid). Everyone at Devon Guild was very patient despite me going on a bit, and a large number of people came up afterwards and said how inspiring my talk was. THANK YOU Jenny Arnold (our chairperson) for the lovely, head swelling introduction (I think you might have mixed me up with someone else though). THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart you lovely, lovely people of Devon Guild Weavers, Spinners and Dyers - and thanks also for being incredibly generous and spending just over £100 on my art work and cards. I am now feeling very warm and fuzzy.

​I guess another alarming thing to note is that the more I talk about this trip, the more likely it is to happen.  It is becoming REAL! 

I'll sign off with some of the 'old pics' I put up - the first is of the only two I could find of me knitting - that's Jane-Ants Evans-Harris (aka little sis) sitting next to me in first pic) - and the second is of one of the first knits I finished and wore to death - a Lopi duffle coat from a pattern I still have (which, strangely enough, Lin Drage said her mum knit for her). This picture was taken on Isle of Arran where we were camping across the Lag Burn. On the way back from the pub the night before, I'd fallen in the water. Steve asked me to go back out to where I'd fallen in so he could take a pic to commemorate - so I did, and I fell in again. Sadly, he was laughing so much he missed the action snap - but my jeans are soaking wet in the photograph and I'm feeling a bit sheepish.