North Vietnam here I come..........

Greetings dear readers, it's been a while since the last post. After all the planning & travelling my 2014 gap year wanderings are a glorious memory! 

But it's now time for the next extraordinary adventure.......this time to North Vietnam. I depart tomorrow bound for Hanoi via Bangkok. 

Once again I'm travelling with Fiona Wright & Creative Arts Safaris. Check out their website: http://www.creative-arts-safaris.com

Stay posted - following is a taste of things to come..........

Au revoir Paris and Homeward bound...........

Greetings from Paris on the final day of my wonderful gap year wanderings..... I arrived in Paris on Tuesday from London via the Eurostar train which departs from the beautiful St Pancras International Train Station & travels under the English Channel to Paris in just over 2 hrs............

Paris has treated me to rain and stormy weather.........but not complaining given the gorgeous weather I have had. At least my trusty raincoat got to do some sightseeing!! Weather is not good for photography but here are few images from my wanderings around Paris.......

On the walk up to Montmartre, one Paris' most recognised sights! A challenging walk - lots of steps!

A couple of window displays from some of the many very expensive brands available in Paris......

The quaint hotel I'm staying at, in the setting sun..........at least the flower baskets appreciated the rain!

The Welcoming Hands. A series of these bronze casts are in the Tuileries Garden. From what I've seen of world news lately, I think we need more of these scattered around the world!

Must away to finish packing & take a short stroll before I head to the airport for my flight!

I'm looking forward to home, feeling enriched & refreshed by my wanderings! Thank you for reading my blog & to my faithful Facebook readers, I've appreciated your comments & encouragement along the way! Looking forward to catching up in person........... au Revoir, K

More wanderings in London where the sun continues to shine...

Since the last post I've been out & about around London enjoying familiar, famous landmarks as well as some relatively unknown every day landmarks!

Of course the most famous of all.........Big Ben, still drawing the tourists & their cameras!

A gaint blue rooster standing proudly in Trafalgar Square........an oddity among the military monuments!

The mysterious Churchill War Rooms, the secret heavily fortified underground HQ of the British Government from 1939 to 1945.  Among these intriguing dark & damp rooms is Churchill's office........

St George's Gardens, a small local garden/park in Bloomsbury close to where I'm staying. Dating from the early 1700's this garden was originally one of the first burial grounds in the area with grave sites from 1713. This one has been standing here since 1727!

These days the leafy gardens form an important part in the daily life of local residents as place to meet & play.....

Also in the garden is one of a series of benches in parks around north London styled & themed on children's books. This one depicts the Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe!

On Friday evening I went to the theatre with my lovely niece Merran to enjoy the deilightful & funny play "Handbagged"........

Saturday bought the delights Victoria & Albert Museum with it's extraordinary exhibitions & collections from across the centuries. However on a sweltering hot, humid day in London the most popular place seemed to be the outside courtyard & pool! Of course, like most major buildings in London the V&A doesn't have air conditioning..........

Not surprisingly I was drawn to the textile & fashion exhibitions! 

A dress from the early 1700s made in India from printed cotton......

From more recent times - Christian Dior.........

And familiar to my generation - the wonderous platform shoes from the 1970s........

An interesting exhibition was "Disobedient Objects" showing items used in significant protests & civil unrest over the last century. This is one piece, not sure what it is from but thought it fascinating.......the utility is completely covered in small ceramic tiles among other items!

That's it for now, my wonderful journey is in it's last few weeks so more roaming to be done & sights to be seen! Until the next post, K ............

Celebrating creative talent & colour.........

Yesterday I added yet another adventure to my Gap Year Wanderings when I took the train to historic Bath to see the Kaffe Fasset exhibition at the American Museum......... Kaffe is a world renowned knitwear & textile designer. His maxim is to find colour in a grey world & I think by any measure he has achieved this!! 

He is renowned for his design of highly colourful patchwork fabrics. Over the years my quilting friends & I have purchased "several" pieces of his fabrics!! There is always room in the fabric stash for another piece of Kaffe's fabric........

It's a wonderful exhibition, as colourful as the dazzling pieces on display. I'll let the photos speak for themselves.........

Even the tree & the lamp posts dressed up for the occasion......

Enough colour for one day........until the next post, K.......

Weaving in the wilds of Wales.........

Greetings again dear Reader, I'm back in London after a delightful week weaving deep in rural Pembrokeshire in Wales! Along with two other weavers we enjoyed the exceptional hospitality & care of Martin and his lovely wife Nina who runs the B&B. Martin, a master weaver, has a wealth of knowledge gained over 40 years of weaving and a has a creative and enthusiastic approach to both technique & use of colour!

My initial dreaming & concept plan........ The dream started as a rug & ended up a wall hanging!

Threading the warp threads onto my loom........a slow & tedious process!

The creation progressing.........

After 5 days of weaving in lovely company & gorgeous surroundings...........the finished wall hanging!

Moirin, Sandra & myself showing off our finished pieces........for relatively inexperienced weavers we are proud of our weaving creations achieve under Martin's patient & expert guidance!

The cosy studio........

The adjacent B & B where our very comfortable accommodation was located......

The farm's grounds and surrounding countryside.........

After a delightful week of weaving in good company we said our goodbyes and headed off with our heads full of ideas for further projects......... Following a 5 hour train journey from Clunderwen I arrived back on London for 3 weeks of exploring this wonderful city! 

Stay posted for the next instalment, K.......

Wandering through France..............

Greetings dear Reader, the Gap Year Wanderings continue..........since my last post I've spent time enjoying the company of good friends in Spijkenisse, the Netherlands. Then we set off on a road trip to the Dordogne region of France for a visit with other friends.

On our trip through France we visited the historical sights of the WWI Battle of the Somme. First stop was the Historical Museum of the Great War located in Perrone which provides an excellent introduction to the WWI battlefields of the Somme. It allows the visitor to see how the soldiers lived on & behind the front lines. In addition it provides insight into how the civilian population lived in Peronne which was heavily bombarded and almost destroyed between1914 & 1918.

French, Turkish & Australian army uniforms......

Hanging in a local cafe, this is typical of many acknowledgments of Australia's significant contribution to liberating Perrone in 1918..........

Next stop was the National Australian Memorial located at Villers-Bretonneux. This imposing memorial was built in 1938, it's walls bear the names of the 11,000 missing Australian soldiers who died in France. In front of the memorial is a Commonwealth War Cemetery. From the top of the memorial's tower, panoramic views of the Somme countryside that the Australian troops helped to defend can be seen. This memorial is the site of an annual Anzac Day Dawn service organised jointly by the village of Villers-Bretonneux & the Australian Embassy.

From the Somme we continued on to the rural village of Villamblard in the Dordogne region where we are enjoying the hospitality of Sheila & Bryan who retired to this gorgeous part of the world 15 years ago.

The weather's been perfect - sunny & dry, just right for roaming about the village and relaxing by the pool with the occasional dip to cool off!

Out and about in Villamblard.........

The village is busy preparing for the arrival of the Tour de France scheduled to pass through the village on 26 July. Shop windows are being decorated and the town square has been adorned with brightly painted bikes.........

The hairdresser's cheerfully decorated window.......

My time in France is fast coming to an end. I'm at Bergerec airport waiting for a flight to London. Tomorrow I'm off to Wales for a week of glorious weaving..........  Until the next post  ............ Au Revoir, K