chapter two - gather 'round

there was a woman, simple and shy (no one believes that last part) who woke up one morning and found herself transported to the opposite side of the world.  her watch was upside down, the shoes a little snug.   morning was night was noon was thought was dream. the landscape was fantastical, large as life but too vast and magnified to touch.  she pinched herself, she blinked her eyes, she shut them and then opened them again:  no change.  it was all still there, and she was smack dab in the middle of it, taking in deep long breaths and trying to absorb as much as she could.   the wind called her name, birds seemed to know her by sight, her shadow stayed attached but waved to her from time to time and nodded its softly opaque head, all on its quiet own.  shadows blend with light and sound, and this time the shadow folded into itself and hummed a gentle tune as it walked round and round, down, down, down until it melted into the dream that was called australia.  i tell you, this story is true.  the woman exists, but has grown a bit within and without, is anxious to share her part of the tale with those who gather round and want to listen.  are you there?  put the kettle on the stove, pull up your chair, and i'll give you a hand and pull you in so you can settle back for another page to be revealed.  it's all magic, this story, and you are all a part of it. 

do you remember the scene in the wizard of oz where dorothy wakes up and everything is in color?  her black and white life has gone full tilt, and her world as she knew it is gone.  that's how it felt as i woke up and realized i wasn't in north carolina anymore.  flowers are different in australia, mysterious and blowsy and full of riotous whimsy that caused me to walk around like a stunned little girl and reach out for everything within my grasp.  this was fairyland;  there were even birds called splendid fairy wrens that were a bright sky shade of blue.  and birds that swooped here and there, calling to one another, and sometimes swooping quickly into rooms and needing to be carefully escorted back out in a towel to the free outdoors. y ou would have loved it there, where shadows roamed in bushland proper, where kookaburras wildly, loudly called out and laughed, laughed, laughed at those walking under tallest twilight trees from an orchard back to the lodge.  and no wonder they laughed - just look at the glimmer in each of these little birds' eyes!  (thank you, mandy, for the head plumage).  what a grand, precious group this was.  these girls, all of them, had the trusting faith to sign up for a solid week of my workshop, and came from near and far (three flew from the east coast of australia) to learn whatever techniques we could cover in that time.  and what a glorious time that was!  left to right is mandy, mandy (that's right - two of the three that i spent time with on this journey), miss jacky (who co-organized this incredible retreat with her daughter jo), karen, denise, cheryl, some fool with a scarf, and robyn.  i do love a workshop that is stretched out over a period of several days, and this is the longest i've conducted thus far.  it was grand.  watching these women begin, continue, embellish, and then complete their Book of Trees artwork, based on an assemblage piece i constructed that was published in - i think - collage for the soul back in 2002 (again, i think) - well, to watch them on this journey was a pure and simple joy that left me bursting at weeks' end with both joy and love.  we all - all! - bonded as sisters and kindred spirits do, and even the one gal (no name mentioned, dear one) who thought she had no ability to create, no spark, walked proudly out of there with an incredible ensemble.  pictures were taken the last night, and as i was at that point beginning to come down with my horrific cold, i waited until the last morning - and missed the photos altogether.  i'll be listing an australia and new zealand photo album within the next couple of days; bear with me, as i've some 800 photosgraphs to edit and resize.

banksia lodge, where the retreat was held, is a retreat all by itself, without the added bonus of a workshop to keep us busy.  constructed with much heart and love and sweat by owner geoff eleven years ago, it is full of nooks and crannies, gardens and gazebos and beautiful vistas right outside my window.   i love this photograph of beloved karen hardie and myself; karen and i have been writing one another for months through ornamental, and to meet her in person finally was wonderful.   this tree graced all of our eyes each and every day; and it wasn't until the final full day we were there, with rain and winds, that the leaves began to blow in every direction.  scattered light, it seemed to be, all golden and red blowing here, blowing there, shining in the air, radiant on the ground, reminding me that it truly was autumn (and causing me on more than one occasion to write "march" instead of "may" in journal entries). like drowsy sunning lizards, we basked quietly in the warmth of sunlight after lunch or with tea; like birds we chirped and preened and sang the livelong week.and the songs were beautiful; how could they not be?  if you dwell in the middle of the forest, your heart is allowed to swell and overflow with harmony.  i know it sounds corny, but i write this because - remember - the story is true.  those of you who know me best (yes, you) will laugh at these words, and even later mock me, because you've heard me cuss and fuss and fume, you've seen me make an idiot of myself, you've listened to me wail and fret and want to throw the towel in, but i mean it when i say that for a week, life reached perfection.  it did.  you will wish for a week such as this in your life; how blessed am i to have been invited to travel around the world, to spend a week with women like this, to teach them the things that i know (and to have them teach me as well).  life is one grand dream, i tell you; what stories will be just around the bend?

i leave you today with these images true, with hopes that they will find their way into your heart and convince you there - yes, you - to step outside your boundaries, if you can, and open your own reaching arms to the rest of this beautiful world.  all of this (and more, as you shall see) is waiting in earnest for you.

 it is the hands that make the books, and the books that teach us to see.  next time, we'll head on to perth, and then on to melbourne, where land also kisses the sea....

Comments

[Tina in McLeansville]

Dear Nina B....How wonderful it is to have our hearts, our minds, our very beings so totally full with good things. Thank you for feeding us bites of it...what total enjoyment it is to share! And what to do after reading this? Of course....pull out the book we made at NCCAT...and the fabrics and the beads and the charms and the buttons..and my tools...oh and the ribbons! Gotta go...that spark you lit is burnin' me! :) xx

[beadbabe49]

I was going to wait until you were all finished to comment, but the hands are so awesome, I just had to say thanks...for the hands and all the other wonderful photos of your fabulous trip!

[Judy Wise]

"the wind called her name, birds seemed to know her by sight, her shadow stayed attached but waved to her from time to time"

Brilliant. How can you be so good as so many different things? I'm loving the story, the photos (that tree with the torso of a woman!), the whole put-together.

[Lisa]

Oh how lovely those pictures are...thanks for sharing your trip.

[Paintdiva]

thank you, thank you. You have no idea how wonderful it is to escape my office in the quietest of ways and run off to australia with you !!!! I smile and smile as I read, then dream my own pretty dreams, but it was your owrds that launched the ship. What wonderful faces, hands and words. again. I thank you.

[Chris Meissner]

Enchanting dearest Nina! Beautiful words, faces and hands. A treasure-trove of images and memories. What a magical journey!

[m]

who are you and where did you come from...sigh...such a beautiful story teller and what a perfect song to go with your journey! you have us all wrapped up in a comforting and cozy blanket as we wait for the next chapter... where will you take us next.

...i just looked at the clock...guess.

[Adrienne]

What a story teller you are, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

[kim]

just when i think you cannot top the last post, you go and do it..i know i shouldnt be surprised but i am as you are quite magical!!!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

[Leslie M]

Oh, to have been there with you and all those lucky, talented ladies! I almost feel like I was. What a wonderful tale. You tell such beautiful stories, Nina.

[Jen Crossley]

What an amazing class these ladies got to do, a really adventure from start to finish.truely beautiful photos and words
Jen

[natalya]

i feel as though i was almost there with you.. maybe one day i can hope to really be there...

[herhimnbryn]

Thankyou Nina.
Now I shall feel like Dorothy every morning when I step and walk the hound.
You know you have got to come back!

[Karen Hardie]

Darling Nina - perfection in a post. It was such an extraordinary time and seems like a dream now but you have captured it in words and images so beautifully. You made me sigh and brought a tear to my eye. Weren't we lucky?
Wtih much love, Karen xo

[Denise S]

A week,a whole week to get to know each other and make beautiful art.

Magic, much magic going on there.

[Lesley]

Lovely, just lovely. Gorgeous photos. The one of the tree looks like a woman to me. Love the texture. Ah...sweet memories of down under.

[Mary G.]

Love it. Love it. Love it. All of it. Words. Pictures. Thoughts. Dreams. It is fabulous. Thank you 1000x.

[Jo]

Eagerly have I anticipated your postings on your adventure here, and I have not been disappointed in the least! You open my eyes even further to this beautiful country I call home.
Love you,
Jo xoxo

[Cindy Dean]

Amazing art was created. You are a wonderful teacher Miss Nina

[Jacky]

My dear friend we where blessed that you shared this special week with us. I thought it would be hard to compete with Cortona, but I think we did........
I loved both retreats, but Dwellingup allowed us so much time to be truly creative, this is another memory I will treasure. Thank you so much my words cannot express how much I loved it.

[Kim Gibson]

Ah, I wish I had been there. A workshop from you set in the beauty of Austraia... what could be better!

[Lisa]

Sheeze Nina!!! You are so gorgeous!!! I am so envious of your experiences!!! And the wonderful women you met!!! And the week long class to make this way cool book!!!!! Did Denise have Tim Tams?!!! The world is good for you Nina!!! Want to go to Laos with me?!!!

[Carole]

Wonderful post. Thanks for sharing!

[Jo Wholohan]

Nina, you are such a devine storyteller, you make the reader feel like they are swept up in the journey also... what an amazing place dwellinup looks to be!!!

Look forward to reading more of the Oz Adventures!!!

I loved you comparing the Dorothy moment to your journey, thats exactly how I feel since I returned from melbourne .... its like looking at your life more in colour now, more in perspective (thanks for opening my art eyes :))

Jo xx

[Erin Gergen Halls]

It feels good to be ushered in to your story/reality. To be welcomed, given a place to sit and sip my tea. To hear the hushed harmony of voices and see the photos of the women, the wild remarkable women, those voices belong to. To be transported, enlightened, cajoled into the experience. To see those hands, all of them outstretched, beckoning, encouraging. It would be wrong of me to not start pushing my boundaries today, this moment. This I know to be true.

[Tina]

Wonderful! I love that book and long to see it up close in person one day. The photos of that book played an important part in the start of my journey. Thanks for sharing this.

[Stephanie T.]

I could only dream of trip like yours...It took my breath away!

[Stephanie T.]

I could only dream of trip like yours...It took my breath away!

[minnie]

the tree is you reaching up to life speading your branches of love and knowledge, the tree is you, the tree of life....i am astounded at the heights of your branches, you nest many birds that sing with joy....i was a lucky one to land on your branch one day xxoo

[jamie j]

Beautiful Written and Beautiful Photos. The colors and textures are Amazing. Like I have told you before you are one Lucky woman.. Thank you for sharing.. Jamie

[Greta Young]

Hi Nina,

So love your posts and photos. How I wish I had seen the book of trees!

Greta

[patti]

Beautiful tales and pictures of my own country. I hope you can come back here soon. Those many creative hands were wonderful to see!

[Olga]

Today I have discovered what attracts me most of your beautiful writing is that you are so real and genuine. Each time I read into your ventures I feel joy, I feel emotions, I feel gratitude. Thank you so much for sharing and letting us into your world. Your photos are exquisite. ( Are we backing up that harddrive? Hope so. :-) xoxo
Olga

[Jacky]

I LOVE reading your blog and your stories of your trip down under... thank you for being so open and honest. It is a joy that you have allowed us to be part of your wonderful trip.

[Cindy In Carolina]

For a minute I thought I could smell autumn in the air....Thanks.

[Gillian]

Nina thank you so much for sharing this wonderful and magical experience. Truly your words and images just leave me with longing to one day experience something, even a fraction of the wonders that you show here - the creations, the connections and the delights. Someday I hope it can happen and I want to be open and ready for it. Your posts help me believe it can.

[Diana Frey]

Oh Sweet Nina how good it is to have you back. You breathe magic into your stories. You are truly a poet and supreme story teller. Looking forward to hearing more!
Diana

[gina armfield]

The trip and the work are magical both indeed - just lovely - how blessed you all are to have such a time together.

[katie]

that tree, that amazing tree, and that little bird...and, and...
such an enchanting story from a gifted storyteller, and true to great stories and story tellers, the story always ends much too soon, leaving us wanting for more. i'll just have to (im)patiently wait, like everyone else, for the next installment. thank you, nina, for sharing the magic here with us.
xox

[Vickie]

Wow, Nina, I am absolutely enchanted and inspired reading your wonderful words and seeing your magnificent photos. Thank you for sharing. I am so glad you had the time of your life!

[tess1960]

I am so in awe right now that all I can think to write is WOW!!!
Teresa Mahieu
aka Tess

[Kate Robertson]

How beautiful this was. I so loved that you showed everyone's hands. Those pictures say it all.

Kate