Appreciating my blog and internet friends

Today, I thought I'd talk about my blog and internet friends instead of about me.  These are people who made my overseas trip last year memorable and possible.  Since the new Blogger actually uploads photos in the right order now, these are in reverse order.  Do visit their blogs and/or websites where there are links shown.

 Marion Barnett aka Artmixter took me under her wing after the disatrous housesitter affair.  She and husband Robin cossetted me and showed me the lovely countryside around Norfolk.  Above is one of the striking stone houses that the region is famous for. Marion is a Scottish artist and works with dyes, paints, Lutradur, Evolon and other interesting fabrics.

 I spent a few days in the south of France, staying with Dijanne Cevaal, the Textile Itinerant.
Dijanne is a well-known dyer, stitcher, author and tutor who travels between Australia and France, when she is not visiting places like Syria.  One day, we travelled to the Mediterranean coast to Sete to visit an art exhibition.  Opposite the gallery was this magnificently-sited cemetery. What a view.

 Before that, I stayed with former Kiwi Margo Bimler, of Teinture Textile.  Margo lives in Haute Savoie, home to these dramatic rocky outcrops, and is a dyer like me, as well as being a qualified seamstress and quilter.  She also cossetted me at a time when I wanted to come home early but couldn't get a flight, and was a lovely companion on our trip to the four day quilt show in Morzine, up in the French Alps.

Blog friend Veronique Marouze, of Au Fil du Jardin,  is a talented quilter and sewer.  She collected me from the wee hilltop village in Provence where I was staying and took me to her home near Aix-en-Provence.  We stopped at a little cafe in  a small town on the way home and had  a delighful lunch under the grape vines.  We did a day trip to Marseille around the old port, where this photo was taken in the square. 

 Lorna Lafferty doesn't have a blog, but we had met when she attended my class at the National Quilting Symposium a couple of years ago.  Lorna is a quilter, and is so well-travelled - she has been all over the world.  She and her family live in Dun Laoghaire, a lovely area south of Dublin.  This photo was taken when we went for an evening drive down the coast.  

 Loulee Heron aka Manxgirl  lives on Ramsay on the Isle of Man with her Kiwi husband. I have a Manx cat so have long wanted to go there.  Loulee spent several days taking me around the island - this photo is in Douglas, the largest town, which has horse-drawn trams in summer for the tourists.  They looked after me so well, and it was a great place to visit.

 Liz Plummer of Dreaming Spirals is a textile artist living in this 3 storey house in south Wales.  It has a magnificent wisteria growing over the front.  Although Liz and her husband are English, their sons have wonderful lilting Welsh accents as they have grown up there.  Liz does a lot of interesting techniques using Gocco and other printing methods. 

 Last but not least, my lovely former sister-in-law Jo Goodwin, who is currently living in London.  I re-connected with Jo on Facebook after about 20 years- along with her daughter and 2 sons who are also in London.  Jo met me at Heathrow, and also saw me off when I left.  It was SO good to arrive after a long flight and see someone I knew.  Jo's flat in Putney is also home to 3 flatmates, and we had some good meals and good conversations.

Love you all.