just the kindA cutenesS, we all need.

this band. (click!)

Today was really nice, and it is so wild, because we are almost done our first stay in Ireland, and though it feels like a month, we have been here, it has only been 2 weeks, and at the same time it only feels like an Instant, and boy, how time is a whirl wind of noth'N but wind and dust.  Lovely, really, truly, tis-iS!
We did lots of paint of the Lizard today, and he is looking quiteee jazzy! He has some really sweet tribal patterns on his legs and head, and i hope soon, we will have photos to share.
Christine came home yesterday, and we missed her quite a bit, and it was so nice, to see her joyous face again!  She was on a retreat learning about biodynamic dance, and it sounds sooo interesting and wild, she learned all types of things, including the magical world of Felt!!

For lunch, Christine brought us a basket of fresh picked goodness from the poly-tunnel, which included, fennel, lettuce (the most amazing lettuce I've ever had), a zucchini, a cucumber, parsley, and 4 different types of edible flowers!  SO, needless to say, I made a delicious colorful salad for lunch!

Then we went at had Felt time with Christine!  She taught us two different ways of creating felt wonders, one is done with warm wet soapy water, and the other is done dry with needles. With the wet method, you basically just layer strands of wool, which come in these thick dread shapes, that you pull off into tiny strands, and you make a design, layering and grid-ing the "wool-pulls", if you will. Next you ad super hot soapy water over the design, little by little, and massage the bumps out, and make it flat, while working your fingers in tiny circles to spread the layers of fiber to make it stick together.  You do that for a bit, than you roll it up (it is done on bubble wrap, bubble side up) like a sushi roll.  Than you roll it like dough, and allow the bubbles in the bubble wrap to do the massaging.  You do that in both directions of your design, and it begins shrinking up!  Than you take it outside, and squeeze out the liquid and start beating it  and stretching it and playing with it.  Lastly you throw it in the dryer for a few minutes. We both made really radical patches, and though we really had no clue what we were doing, mine turned out looking like an infinity sign, and Chelsey's looks like 3 tall skinny folk, standing on the rolling hills! Go figure, ey! Then we each made tiny, pocket felt buddies, with the needles, where we basically just grab a bunch a felt strands and stuff them in a cookie cutter, and poke around with a needle, and it gathers it into a shape.  I made an Owl, with a real cute face and 3 buttons on it's belly, and he is going to be my very special pocket friend forever. =)  Chelsey made a flower with a cute meditative face and a third-eye point on it!

I am so happy we got to create with a new medium.  I have never worked with fibers before, and it was really fun, and i want to make more!!  The range of things you can make is pretty endless.

I would really like to make a pair of booties for my feet!!

Now we are headed out to dinner with Christine, and this should be super lovely.
Tomorrow is our last full day!! Then we go to work with Anthea and Dave in their garden on Valentia Island!
They have a cafe on their property where they sell their food they grow on it.  I am super excited to see how this exchange works.

The Island is only 6 miles long and has a really sweet looking cemetery on it, that is probably ancient.

Onward, Onward, we shall go!

-mimi