sown

Yesterday saw my boy and I stealing my lovely sister from her office and tripping off to our Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens.
I had in hand, ready to deliver personally, two postcards I had put together for Sophie Munns' open studio week in *Homage to the Seed" and in celebration of the UN International Year of Biodiversity. I wrote about Sophie's call for Seedy Postcards from the blogosphere here.

It was such a treat to meet Sophie and surround myself in her work in person. The beauty of her art and her passion for *spreading the message* together with the abundance of work was breathtaking to me...truly inspiring.
As was the web and feeling of community, the branching and connection of people through both the open studio and Sophie's clever idea for the mail art show. The postcards were so diverse in their origins and creativity and thought. Beautiful. You really must visit Sophie's blog to have a look at them all and to see other happenings of the week there.

So after the warmest chat with Sophie (what an astute and gracious lady), poring over Sophie's wonderful journals, admiring the beauty of her art on the walls, touching and holding the most amazing array of seeds and pods and capsules, learning about soap nuts and tasting delicious fresh lemon myrtle tea I left for home. But not empty handed or hearted...I left with my own twig of lemon myrtle leaves, the plan to start washing with soap nuts (oh yes...how amazing!), the desire to pick up my own paintbrush and oil paints again very soon but most touchingly a feeling of connection to something budding, authentic and joyful. Indeed Sophie is planting the seed.

And on this slightly blustery afternoon here I have stolen a quiet moment to sip my own freshly made lemon myrtle tea and think about the significance of these ideas and Sophie's work in *Homage to the Seed*.

Thank you Sophie for the time you spent with us yesterday...I could have stayed in that glorious space all day.