I am delighted to report that my work is now finished for 'Breaking Out' and that I met the curator Ann Mulrooney yesterday for a chat and to deliver the pieces to Kilkenny.  Ann has been a great help with all sorts of advice; which items are suitable to exhibit, which are 'product', how to present your work to a gallery, how to package your work and label it, all sorts of things that I am new to so thanks Ann for the advice and support.  The images above and below are of 'Sea Breeze', one of the neckpieces which I left with Ann and the one that I almost burnt to a cinder in the Rayburn on Tuesday!

EXCITING NEWS RE. FELTING COURSES I am thrilled to announce that German feltmaker Sigrid Bannier, Turkish maestro Mehmet Girgic and English felter supreme Sheila Smith have all confirmed that they will come to Ireland and hold workshops in the Clasheen area!

Sigrid Bannier will be facilitating a felt jewellery workshop and a nuno felting workshop at Woodbrook House, Killanne, Co. Wexford on 29th and 30th November 2008. 

Mehmet Girgic will be teaching felt rug making in several three day courses between 15th and 27th January 2009 here at Clasheen, full details and dates of the different courses to be confirmed.

Sheila Smith will be here at the end of April, beginning of May, dates to be confirmed this weekend! 

I am putting up a new page on the blog this weekend with resumes of the tutors and links to their websites.  Please email me immediately if you are interested in provisionally booking a spot to learn from any of these exciting masters.

Este fim de semana levei a familia e velejamos todos juntos até "Hven" a ilha entre a Dinamarca e Suécia de onde a familia da Jenny origina. A Tassa tem andado a fazer uns estudos á genealogia da familia e decidimos ir visitar um parente distante que também está interessada na genealogia da familia.

Hven é uma ilha pequena mas muito bonita com muita calma. Tivemos um tempo espectacular com sol, embora o frio seja já uma constante. Uma brisa levou-nos através do estreito que separa estes dois países.Passámos a noite neste pequeno porto

Bem só queria dizer qualquer coisa para saberem que ainda estou bem vivo.

Abraco para todos

Kaptnuno

Apakah Sahabatku menjadi dendam dengan diriku? Karna tiap detik pada hari itu mencoba menghubungiku tapi tidak bisa. Dia Sahabatku hanya ingin sekedar mengucapkan " Slamat ulang tahun ya mbul...aku pengin ngucapke langsung tapi sikilku kecocok paku..kok ditelpon rak iso2..kowe neng ndi?". Saya hanya tersenyum kecil karna aku hanya bisa melihat dan mendengar saja pada hari itu. Tidak ada kontak denngan dunia luar sedikit pun. Begitulah caraku untuk merenungkan apa arti hidupku selama ini. Nikmati saja euy...

Keesokkan harinya aku sudah bisa berinteraksi dengan dunia, sampah, dan fatamorgana alam ini. Termasuk Dikaiu Sahabatku dengan pesan singkat terkirimkan padanya " Sorry mbul...wingi aku sengojo alihkan...karna aku rak gelem diganggu pada hari itu" Dia berbalas cukup lama. Kasihan sekali dia sahabatku, kesakitan karena kakinya tertusuk paku. Aku menghampiri ke kosnya dan berusaha untuk membesuk dan niatku hanya membesuk bukan untuk meminta sesuatu penghargaan di hari kelahiran. Aku cukup tersinggung dengan ulahnya. NIatku hanya untuk besuk..ada caranya dan bukan seperti itu..Selama 4 bulan sekarang ini, Dia tidak mau membalas smsku dan mengangkat telponku. Luar biasa...Padahal aku sudah mencoba menghubunginya tapi not response...Ya sudahlah, Mungkin Dia Sahabatku selama 3 tahun ini sedang menghukumku...Aku lelah dan kesepian tanpamu wahai Sahabatku...I Mizz U euy...

Mycket har kommit med i dreamalive-bloggen om våra tretton månader tillsammans på S/Y Siska alla fem, och fransyskan; Jag Jenny, Nuno min man, Tassa och Tiago våra barn samt Spirit vår hund, ombord på de knappa meter det blir kvar på en överlastad liten segelbåt som är åtta meter på utsidan från akter till för.
Allt har varit sant, men inget har varit hela sanningen, bara blänk från utvalda fasetter i tillvarons nu.

Somliga känner oss bättre, somliga TROR de känner oss bra, somliga vill känna oss bättre och somliga vill känna oss sämre, eller inte alls. Endel ligger i betraktarens ögon, och endel ligger välbevarat från insyn.

Och till er som ställer oss frågan "Var det värt det?" En något odefinierad fråga, men svaraet är - Daaa!
JA!

Vi går iallafall vidare nu, och minnena är minnen.
Ibland tittar vi bakåt, ibland tittar vi framåt.
Vi är här nu. Här och Nu. Sekund för sekund.

Kanske kommer en bok, kanske inte. Eller något liknande, eller något helt annat.
Det känns spännande och utmanande att göra verklighet av fler drömmar, nya som gamla.

• Yovie Nuno - 02 - The Special One - Menjaga Hati.mp3

• Yovie Nuno - 03 - The Special One - Janji Suci.mp3

• Yovie Nuno - 04 - The Special One - Bunga Jiwaku.mp3

• Yovie Nuno - 05 - The Special One - Seperti Bintang Menanti Jawabanmu.mp3

• Yovie Nuno - 06 - The Special One - Ku Tak Suka Lagu Ini.mp3

• Yovie Nuno - 07 - The Special One - Sejuta Cinta.mp3

• Yovie Nuno - 08 - The Special One - Hey Flirting.mp3

• Yovie Nuno - 09 - The Special One - Jalan Diam Diam.mp3

• Yovie Nuno - 10 - The Special One - Tak Pandai Memilih Pacarku Dua.mp3

• Yovie Nuno - 11 - The Special One - Sempat Memiliki.mp3

Song by: Yovie & Nuno

semula ku tak tahu
engkau juga kan ingin memilikinya
bukankah ku lebih dulu
bila engkau temanku
sebaiknya tak mengganggu

reff:
dia untukku, bukan untukmu
dia milikku, bukan milikmu
pergilah kamu, jangan kau ganggu
biarkan aku mendekatinya

kamu tak akan mungkin mendapatkannya
karena dia berikan aku pertanda juga
janganlah kamu banyak bermimpi, oooh

dia untuk aku

bukankah belum pasti
kamu juga kan jadi dengan dirinya
dia yang menentukan
apa yang ’kan terjadi
tak usah mengaturku

reff2:
dia untukku, bukan untukmu
dia milikku, bukan milikmu
lihatlah nanti, lihatlah saja
biarkan aku mendekatinya

kamu tak akan mungkin mendapatkannya
karena dia berikan aku pertanda juga
janganlah kamu banyak bermimpi, oooh

kusarankan engkau mundur saja, ooo

repeat reff
repeat reff2

dia untuk aku
bukan, dia untuk aku

"São mesmo doidos!" afirmou a minha mãe hoje as 07h30 da manhã, e porquê!??

Tudo começou ontem na aula de Tai Chi quando a meio da aula o meu telemóvel estava a tocar, quem era?? O Nuno Carrasquinho que por sua vez estava a faltar à aula em questão.

Como é óbvio e querendo evitar o olhar reprovador do professor Carvalhosa, não fosse ele mandar-me encher e nas vésperas de Avante não é boa ideia, rejeitei a chamada.

Eram 23h30 tentei ligar para o Nuno a perguntar-lhe se estava tudo bem, mas não obtive qualquer resposta deste meu grande amigo, que anseio ver brevemente (pelos vistos no Avante) para lhe apertar.... o pescoço.

Estava eu a dormir na minha bendita cama quando o telemóvel toca. Assustei-me pois com a facilidade que tenho para não ouvir despertadores pensei que estava hiper atrasada e era alguém do trabalho a tentar saber o meu paradeiro.

Mas não... era o Nuno!

Conversa:

-"Estou" atendi

- "Bom dia minha amiga" cumprimentou o Nuno num estado de euforia de quem acabou de ganhar o Euromilhões

-"Bom dia" respondi eu ainda a pensar o que se estava a passar, que dia da semana era.

- "Miga estou-te a ligar para te dizer que falta um dia para o Avante!! Que está a chover e está muito transito..." informou-me sem respirar

-"Ah!!" neste momento pensava "que merda é esta este gajo é doido" ao mesmo tempo que a minha mãe entrava no quarto e perguntava se estava tudo bem respondendo-lhe eu levantando o pulgar em sinal de ok. Foi neste momento que percebi que para a minha mãe estar em casa não eram ainda 7h30 da manhã.

- "Ainda estás a dormir!?" perguntou o Nuno com um ar penso eu de irónico...

-"Pois!! O meu despertador ainda não tocou!", respondi assim incrédula.

- "Epá ontem quando ligas-te eu não atendi porque estava a dormir", respondeu, despediu-se e desligou!

WHAT A F___!!!???

Ah ah!! Já percebi... Isto foi uma vingança!!!! E que vingança!!!

Desato-me a rir, a minha mãe entra no quarto e eu disse-lhe que estava tudo bem era um amigo a dizer-me que faltava um dia para o Avante. Ela abana a cabeça e afirma sorrindo "São mesmo doidos!".

Pois é mamã... nem te digo o quanto!!!

Nuno estás f_____ comigo!!! Nunca mais vais dormir na vida...!!!!

Ana Coelho

Queria agradecer em especial a algumas pessoas que conheci on-line e que muito me ajudaram a chegar a esta ideia final de junção. Ao Josué pelo convite para o JAG e pelo despertar do espirito blogger ; À Silvia pela boa disposição imposta no seu blog pelas influencias que deu ao meu site; Ao João Morgado pelas ideias de web-design e simplicidade que me transmitiu! Agradecer tambem a todos os meus grandes amigos que não são ás centenas... mas são como se fossem aos milhares.  Abraços a todos!

Si estan de vuelta, Nuno, Gary y Pat con un nuevo baterista, este nuevo disco es arrechisimo, no lo quiero comparar con los discos anteriores, solo les digo que es el mismo sonido y estilo de siempre, bien funky y con mucha guitarra de cabo a rabo. Que alegria verlos de nuevo de vuelta, definitivamente nuno no defrauda. Bajen esta verga aqui y mas nada.

NUNO RULES!!!

Confortably Dumb

Redacção O JORNAL: O arqueiro português Nuno Pombo ficou apurado nas provas olímpicas de sábado.

Segundo as tabelas de tiro com arco dos Jogos Olímpicos de Pequim, o nosso arqueiro Nuno Pombo ficou apurado, sendo o primeiro de todos os atiradores da selecção olímpica portuguesa a conseguir apuramento, neste caso na classe de Tiro com Arco, modalidade em que se encontra a competir sózinho.

O apuramento permite-lhe competir na fase seguinte, Ronda de 64.

Nuno Pombo conseguiu ficar apurado, completando a fase de apuramento com 650 pontos, ficando assim na 42ª posição da tabela classificativa.

A próxima ronda é dura de roer, pois Nuno Pombo terá que enfrentar Yusuf Ergin, arqueiro da Turquia.

Não é das listas das zebras nem pouco mais ou menos. Mas não há ninguém que não goste de ler ou ouvir um artigo que seleccione "os melhores 10" ou "os piores 10". Neste sentido, ouvi hoje a caminho do trabalho, na antena 3, a lista que o sítio "Spinner.com" divulgou com as piores 10 músicas. Como não consegui ouvir o número 1, fui ao blog do Nuno Markl "roubar" o artigo que diz assim:

"Eis a lista das 10 piores de sempre, cuidadosamente compilada pelos editores da Spinner e da AOL Radio. A mim parece-me uma fina selecção! E sim, custa-me ver o Paul McCartney e o Stevie Wonder ali no meio, mas quem lhes mandou fazer o Ebony and Ivory? Agora aguentem-se à bronca.

1. Who Let The Dogs Out - Baha Men
2. Ice, Ice Baby - Vanilla Ice
3. She Bangs - Ricky Martin
4. Barbie Girl - Aqua
5. U Can't Touch This - MC Hammer
6. I Am Woman - Helen Redey
7. I'm Too Sexy - Right Said Fred
8. Ebony and Ivory - Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
9. Macarena - Los Del Rio
10. My Heart Will Go On - Celine Dion".

Empolgado com o tema "listas" fiz uma busca e encontrei o sítio "Toxel" que tb parece gostar de apresentar as coisas através de números e publico aqui as melhores listas que estão lá publicadas. Enjoy.

It is very interesting keeping tabs on the different searches people do to get to this blog and something that comes up time and time again is nuno felting.  Obviously there is great interest in this technique so I am just going to post a picture of a piece I made recently for everyone to see.  The silk fabric that I used was from the sari loom ends I had ordered from Essential Textile Art in Australia a little while ago and I must say that it was a pleasure to work with.  I have been debating whether to add a few beads or embellishments as highlights but have not actually made my mind up yet as the  end piece is beautiful just as it is!  Sewing is one of my all time pet hates (even adding a few beads!) and I am really trying to get over myself on this issiue.  Recently I joined several groups on Flickr and have just signed up to make a bag on 'bag ladies swap' , check out the discussions on this group and maybe some of you will want to join, if seems GREAT FUN!!  sorry that this post is really short, I will be back in full swing next week as soon as the Irish Green Gathering is wrapped up.

Thanks Fleur & Sam for letting me do this and I hope you enjoy the results!

more pictures can be found here

I decided to make a vessel and incorporate some of the scrim that I waxed and dyed last week at the batik course in Grennan Craft Mill.  The fabric had taken the dye really well and was a pleasure to work with yesterday.  Later in the week I am going to try nuno felting a larger piece of this scrim and use less wool, I expect to get a highly textured fabric for my end result.

This coming weekend I have been luck enough to be picked by lottery to attend a sculptural weekend course in Dublin with Australian feltmaker Anita Larkin.  This weekend is organised by the Feltmakers Federation and should be a really fun time, as well as a great opportunity to pick up some new skills.

More than fifteen years ago when we arrived here to the harbour in Vila Real de Santo António,
we fell in love.
Have you ever heard us telling our boat-stories?!
Well, when we tell stories about boats we have met, I tend to mention my first and biggest boat-love.
And then Nuno describe all the technical details, while I just have a dreamy look.
I don't even remember or know her name, but I have never forgot her, and she has been mine the-ultimate-boat. A beauty! Steel-hull and a lot of carved wood-details. Like a pirate-ship.
Like a minature of the ships in my childhood favourite film The Crimson Pirate with my childhood love Burt Lancaster (..another end of a love-story in my life...)!

She was caught with her crew for smuggling, and stuck in decay because of bureaucracy when we met her. Love at first sight. And we didn't have the means.. Not in anyway. She was supposed to be sold in auction. But when?

So many times I wondered about her. Thinking about what it would be like if we had bought her. Wondering what happened with her..

We have passed some great great time here around Guadiana now since midsummer, and a week together with our very large Portuguese family. All of us finding new and old dear friends (extra love to Sonia, Nelson, Alana and Lucas). Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of photos later we have arrived here to Vila Real de Santo António again, after more than fifteen years.

When we passed by the old harbour out in the river,
Nuno thought he saw the mast of our old love.
IN RUINS

We went to look for her together yesterday, me and Nuno.
The whole area on the way to there is falling apart.

The big old tin-fabric is in ruins.
The sun was already touching the horizon.
Stray dogs everywhere barking at us.
I like ruins. I find beauty in them.

My hope to see her again was growing together with the fear of finding her in pieces.
We passed by some ship-wrecks, and I was all elated to find HER waiting,
soon behind those wrecks, (we could see a mast, but we couldn't be sure yet).

Soon. Just some more meters and we would know.
She wasn't in the same place anymore. But;
It was her! And it was sad and upsetting! She was dead or dying!
If I was at home in my studio now, I could scan my old photos of her and show you how she looked fifteen years ago. So much beautiful wood-details she had. She was my dream-boat!..........
Now; a poor wreck...!
The low-tide had left her naked with water dripping out of her, waiting to be filled again with the next high-tide, and I stepped out in the water to come close to her again - all full of emotions.
My love and the end of her life:

..And we never got to know her name..

The end of her.
The end of this journey so soon.
Today Tassa, Tiago and Spirit left us to pass a week with their family here;
while Nuno and I'll sail Siska to Faro where we'll take down the mast, lift her up on land, and prepare her for a truck-journey home through Europe to Sweden.
Honeymoon.
Today was the first time in seventeen years together that we went alone - J+N / N+J - to a restaurant and accompanied with the food ordered a bottle of wine for us. We realized how incredible it was that we had never made this before..!

Not the end we had dreamt about,
yet; full of desires for letting the end be
only a continuation,
a passage towards new beginnings.

Best wishes, and huge greatfullness,
from Jenny and Nuno feeling honey and moon in Siska,
- maybe eight years away from a future world around cruising
with a bigger sailboat, and grown up children..?

(Iknow it sounds like goodbye when I´m writing. I'm just processing the end, but we

This week I am on an excellent batik course at the Grennan Craft Mill in Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny.  Facilitated by Alexandra Meldrew, our diverse group are basically having a crash course in different techniques and applications of this facinating craft.  My idea was that after the week, skill peremitting, I would be able to incorporate some of my pieces into some nuno felt work.  Here is a selection of my work in progress.

The fabric that we are working with is quite tightly woven so I have waxed and dipped on a piece of scrim today to see what that will turn out like, just realised that I left it in the bucket of dye when I finished this evening!!  I find that scrim is great to nuno felt with so hopefully this experiment will work out and I can have fun next week incorporating it into some bags or vessels.

Tomorrow I am going to bring along a couple of white silk scarves which I got from Wollknoll, I am intending on waxing them with simple designs and dipping in just one colour of dye.  I probably will keep one as is and then use the others in pieces of felt as well, will just wait and see how I feel next week.

Needless to say I just had to get stuck in immediately to some felting.  I decided to use one of the sari loom ends and a sari ribbon to create a beautiful long wall hanging in nuno felt.  This is really a piece that needs to be lit from behind to fully appreciate the textures and I think that I need to experiment with a simple light box and see how this works for me.  I promise to post a picture on this blog as soon as I have mastered the concept! 

Masih tertinggal bayanganmu
yang telah membekas di relung hatiku
hujan tanpa henti seolah pertanda
cinta tak di sini lagi
kau tlah berpaling

Biarkan aku menjaga perasaan ini, ohh
menjaga segenap cinta yang telah kau beri
engkau pergi, aku takkan pergi
kau menjauh, aku takkan jauh
sebenarnya diriku masih mengharapkanmu

Masih adakah cahaya rindumu
yang dulu selalu cerminkan hatimu
aku takkan bisa menghapus dirimu
meski ku lihat kini
kau di seberang sana

Andai akhirnya
kau tak juga kembali
aku tetap sendiri
menjaga hati

Sejujurnya diriku masih mengharapkanmu