Sunday, March 24, 2024

Establishing a new Work-Life-Balance

 

Looking across a section of the lake towards the Roman Cathedral at dusk

The change of job with the arrangement of two weeks there, two weeks with my family has led to a new way of counting time. Not sure how long that will last, but so far I have been going by “1st phase in Ratzeburg”, “1st phase home after Ratzeburg”, “2nd phase…” etc. Right now I am in the middle of “3rd phase home after”, and that means that already half of my probationary period is over. I have arrived at a point where I have the feeling that I have pretty much acquired the necessary knowledge to work the kind of machine I did not know already, I remember mostly where things are and I am no longer itching to follow processes of dealing with patients as they were done at the former place, but am getting used to doing it the way as it is done there. I have begun to understand some of the more intricate dynamics within the team relationships and think I know whom to be aware of. I tell myself that I go there to work, not to make close friends, getting along with them in the working environment is the important thing. The head nurse is straightforward, no fiddling, and so far we have communicated very well, which is rather different from what I was used to before.

One of the reasons why I chose Ratzeburg is the fact that it is situated in lake country. And I wanted to go far a daily swim. Depending on the work schedule I go before work, or on a long and extended walk after work. In January I started by wading in the water up to my knees and thought I would continue to do so until sometime in the spring. But in February, after my return and a first wade I decided to not wait any longer and have been immersing completely since. It is cold, indeed, and the first three times were very very difficult. After that, it has become easier and easier and as the water has warmed up a little – from 2 degrees centigrade to just above 7 last time I was up there – my swimming time has increased a bit, too. 

Bike trip to Schaalsee

 I love the lake, I listen to the birds and use my app to identify bird songs and enjoy the walks. 

 


I have received my rental agreement for the apartment I will be moving into and hope that the windows will really get exchanged soon enough that the moving-in date stated in the contract is actually going to materialize.

Thus I can say that the work side of life is on a very good road. I feel much happier in that arrangement than I have felt in the previous work situation, and I am much happier in that town than I have been in many years where we have been living for the past 19 years.

So far, however, I have not been able to seriously commit to a daily art practice when I am up there, although I meant to. I am making something every day, but often (only) knitting or spinning, because the room in the nurse’s dormitory that I am staying at right now does not really have enough space for creative activities, nor did I bring a whole lot of materials.

But I try to get serious about it when I am home.

I did finish, enter and ship one quilt for the competition of former Prague Patchwork Meeting, now Brno Patchwork Meeting, as I mentioned in the last post. I am going there next month (during “phase 4 after”) with an exhibition of 20 Perspectives and wanted to be a part of the competition “Zero Waste” as well. I also finished my quilt for the Ocean Contest of European Patchwork Meeting in Ste. Marie-aux-Mines, which I also wanted to enter in Wide Horizons and will finish the digital entry tonight.

And I need to get going about my contribution to EQA’s challenge “Imagine a Bird” (in Germany we called it “alle Vögel sind schon da” in quotation of a well-known German song). My first idea of a derivation from a photo I took on one of my walks along the lake 

 


has been substituted for already by another and I will see how it works out.

And then there is a SAQA Benefit Auction piece that needs to be made...

Saturday, March 9, 2024

Meeting Deadlines, making the most of it

 Just a couple of days ago I entered a quilt I recently finished for the Brno Patchwork Meeting (formerly Prague Patchwork Meeting). Because the 20 Perspectives Group will be exhibiting there I figured it would make a lot of sense to enter a quilt in one of their challenges. The topic 'Zero Waste' spoke to me as it seemed a good way to finally work out an idea I had been having for a while. This idea included using red plastic tops from syringes I had been collecting at work, caused by a misunderstaning on my part.


Because these little parts had a little hole at the top I thought this would extend all the way through, and I had collected quite a few of these before I realized my mistake. I mean, it doesn't really make a lot of sense that syringe stoppers would have a hole all the way through, and I don't quite understand why I harbored the idea, except maybe that my 'green' or 'ecological' heart was suffering badly when seeing all the plastic, wrapping, gadgets and instruments that go to waste in a dialysis practice every single day. And especially these red tops... 

First stitches for this quilt began during the last summer already, and it was a long and laborious process. Somewhere along the line I also had the idea of including some more of the still relatively numerous embroideries by Afghan women in my stash (Guldusi Embroidery), and originally I had wanted to make it a rather turquoise/red quilt, for which I begged for turquoise scraps from my good quilting friend Bea @capricornquilts because I realized my abundance of turquiose scraps was low.

 



In the end the quilt turned out a lot less turquoise and red than I had envisioned. And the red tops needed a special kind of treatment to actually end up on the quilt top because, as I mentioned, the hole did not extend all the way and I could not stitch them onto the top.  But I finished on the time before the deadline (which is still a week away! so early!), and I stayed within the size restrictions relatively easily because I was so smart to outline the size cirumference on my design wall with string and pins and thus managed to keep within the boundaries. And I had it professionally photographed - and then happened to delete the file accidentally and had to ask for it being resent. By that time I had gone north again, did not have a printer available, could not print out the entry form for the challenge nor download a workable version of the pdf-reader that would let me fill in the form digitally. I had to ask at work whether I could print out the file from my private mail account... fill it in by hand, take a photo of it, turn it into a pdf and send it ... it was a thorny way indeed before I managed to get in that entry.

As I have also decided to try and enter it for SAQA's Europe/Middle East call for entry "Wide Horizons" (deadline end of this month) I am not showing any other pictures right now. The jury for Wide Horizons should have decided before the meeting in Brno, so I figure a double entry is not outside the  rules, which don't say 'must not have been shown anywhere before' anyway.

I also hope to have a second entry finished for Wide Horizons, perhaps, which, should it not get accepted, could be entered somewhere else. Give them many chances...




Monday, March 4, 2024

Participating in PatCH Swiss Anniversary/EQA Round Bobbin - to be seen in Vicenza in October

 Just before I left for Abilmente recently I had finished the last stitches on a very special piece.


 

In the fall I had decided to participate in PatCH Swiss’s Round Bobbin challenge that had been opened for members of other EQA countries as well.

However, I had taken a very long time to get started because, I admit, I had a hard time figuring out how to go about. Definitely not my usual stuff, to be working along such a list, and it took a lot of pondering to come up with an idea. But when I had decided to stick to one color, (I had been lucky to receive a bobbin in my favorite color, yellow, and therefore stayed in that color family!)

 


to look for composite nouns in German that somehow included whatever cue word was given, I finally got off to a good, if late, start. I stitched line drawings of some of the terms given, 


 but sometimes the part of the compound that would be ‘the other’ part. 


 

Or a chemical symbol. 


 

Or a phrase that includes the term in some way.

 



And the good thing was that I could hand-deliver the finished bobbin to Susan Vogel in Vicenza, saving me the postage, her the potential hassle with customs. Now I am looking forward to seeing that exhibition, which will be huge. Susan says she sent out almost 600 bobbins, even if not every single one will be returned… The entire collection will be shown at Abilmente in October. A selection of the Swiss contributions will be presented for the Swiss Guild at their AGM in the end of April, and as far as I know another selection will be shown at the European Patchwork Meeting in Ste. Marie-aux-Mines in Septemer, as well. So much fun to be included in this, even though I barely made the deadline!

 


 

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Returning to and from Abilmente

Many years ago I had my first international solo show at the Abilmente Crafts fair in Vicenza. This year I returned there in my role as International Representative with a group of other EQA colleagues. This is the place where I had that show, up on the pedestal between the columns.



This time around EQA presented and stewarded a collection of two quilts from each European Guild as the organizers of the show want to enhance their patchwork segment of the show.  I arrived too late to help in the hanging, as a special security pass was needed and I did not have one. So I immediately on a short trip to the old inner city, taking the bus just opposite from the hotel.

 

As an honorary member of the SAQA Special Interest Group 'Gelato'
I had to do a testing of this opportunity that arose...


And well that I did take that trip because the next days were long, opening hours from 9.30 am until 6.30 pm., and it rained heavily, which would have made it rather uncomfortable to go into town.

View down onto one of the vending halls from the upper floor
(where there was a very good café with exceptionally good coffee!)


We were given a strategically well placed exhibition space between the two vendors’ halls, a lot of people were passing through! The selection of quilts was supposed to be a couple of the quilts that had been part of the EQA’s 30th anniversary exhibition “Threads without Borders”. But some countries chose to select other artists to spread the option of exhibiting, or because they had not even been represented in that original exhibition at all.

Here you can see a couple of photos of the exhibition.



 

 

The group of EQA representatives that were assembled were a lot of fun to work with, and I really enjoyed spending time with them. 

 

One suitcase had been lost in transit and arrived only toward the end
of the 2nd day, at which point discussions ensued as to where to put up the quilts
that had been missing at first.

We had many conversations about the future development of EQA and its needs, but mostly ‘on the side’, as the main concern this time was the presentation of this particular show. It was not a working meeting as we used to have in Birmingham.

Of course, memories from my first encounter with the public came back – it was the first place where I had seen visitors pulling trolleys to hold their purchases as on a market at home. Before that I had never seen that at a quilt show in Germany. 


 

But it also brought back vivid memories of the struggle to keep the many many many people from touching, caressing, turning, inspecting and picking on the quilts. The nature of the show is mostly oriented towards vending materials for multiple types of crafting, where, of course, anybody who wants to buy something touches what they are considering buying. The lack of other exhibitions on the premises makes it hard to understand for the mostly-buyers that this particular exhibition space in the hall is a non-touch area. And when they touch, turn over, scratch the pieces it is a sign of interest, I do understand that. But it’s hard to be standing guard there and telling people to keep off in a languge you don’t really know – although those few words necessary I did remember right away. And when quilts with these characteristics are displayed, it is simply asking for trouble!

Wouldn't you want to flip these up, too?

This type of fringes, of course, is asking to be stroked.

Pointed insertions like this need to be inspected, preferrably
by scratching with your fingernails...


 
This one was the most endangered piece - the lower left hand corner,
but also a close inspection of the crochet branches attached...

We learned – bring white gloves next time!

But the food was delicious, 

 


the group vibes fantastic and it should be interesting to see what kind of relationship the EQA will establish with this organization in the long run. Perhaps we will be going to Vicenza on a more regular basis.

And then next time one might consider looking into acquisition of some local special products!

Murano glass display at Venice airport


Friday, January 26, 2024

First stint completed

And just like that the first two weeks of my new job in the north of Germany have passed and I have been back with my family for six days already. Things up north have developed nicely and I am beginning to think that it was indeed the right decision, despite the fact that many people (including my own mother) are more sceptical than as exuberant about the arrangement than I am.

I even found an apartment already - I agreed to take the first one I looked at because it was so absolutely convenient in terms of distance to the clinic and the lake and the town center and the bus stop for the bus to Hamburg that I would have been very stupid had I not taken it right away. It will be a few weeks until they have exchanged the windows, before I can move in. Until then I will stay in the nurses' dormitory, which is nothing to write home about, but a place to stay, and also very conveniently located in terms of distance to the clinic, the lake, the town center. The main question that is still open concerns the ease of commuting as reliability of the German rail system, once known for its punctuality that was even incorporated in a saying 'as punctual as the train', has severely deteriorated during the years since privatization of the organization, and that may be a special training in resilience. But we will see.

So far I have been enjoying the lake, and the long walks I take there after early shift.

Stitching has been limited to a good amount of knitting and I have finally finished (the body of) a shoulder wrap that has been years in the making, I am certain it was started before the big plague, and now there is only a long i-cord left to finish it completely.


When that is done I am allowed to start a new knitting project!

I took many pictures when walking along the lake and have decided to use one of them to make my personal entry to the current EQA-challenge on birds.

Although I haven't quite figured out where I am going to include the fabric heart that somehow came along home with me from FoQ last year, and Susan Vogel of PatCh Swiss and I had rashly said we would include those in our contributions...

Since I came home I have finished my entry for Brno, made a decision about how I want to enter SAQA's Wide Horizons (time pressure! deadline!) and made plans for my bobbin for the Swiss-EQA Round Bobbin that I had said I would participate in (but haven't done a stitch for yet - more time pressure!). Sleeves to be sewn on. Things to be sorted... But I am content with my decision and optimistic that things will develop nicely.




Friday, January 5, 2024

A full week

 This past week, inbetween jobs, years, with lots of changes coming up, has been a bit emotionally draining. Original plans to do the first commute by train were all worked out, but the German train engine drivers are threatening a major strike, plus we had one day when the local line we live on was completely without service as all their engine drivers were all sick. And I had already been receiving messages from the train people that my original connection wasn't possible, I should check the new suggestion. Two days ago I finally decided that I would go up by car, canceled the tickets, and have been feeling a bit better since then.

I worked on clearing my cutting table and made a lot of progress, even though the result is not completely and entirely satisfying yet.


 

I could stitch a bit, working towards a completion of the piece I want to enter at Brno Festival.

It has progressed so far that I can proceed to deeper layers of my design wall that were hidden.


And I started swatching for a new sweater I have been wanting to knit for about a year now, the Spot Sweater by Anne Ventzel.


But I am not yet allowing myself to take the yarn with me when going north, as there are two other knitting projects that must be finished first. 

Tomorrow I will leave, and it will be an entirely new phase in life.



Sunday, December 31, 2023

Changes coming up...

 Yesterday I took an outing with a friend of mine, enjoying the sunshine, training our resilience in terms of reliability and punctuality of German Rails, and visiting other friends.

I posted this picture on Instagram yesterday, as 'Picture of the artist taking a picture',
because that is what happens when I am waiting for the late train at Landshut main station
- usually it is one of the graffitis on the waggons, but this time it was ...


this gorgeous piece of found art.

It was a nice day, and the train issues were the preparation for my upcoming more frequent travels when I start commuting on a bi-weekly basis by the end of this week. My last three days at work this past week were two thirds ok, one third straight from hell in terms of stress and enjoyability, fortunately that was not the very last one. So I went out of there with a sigh of relief and a bit of regret at leaving a number of nice colleagues who were indeed pleasant to work with, but couldn't even out the brat's misbehaviours. Now I am ready to start the new. And hopefully get back to some more concentrated making in the textile and fiber realm. I can't quite oversee how the daily routine will work out when I am up north, but I am planning to do daily art again, and will decide later today just what it will be that I am doing.

Right now I am getting ready to pick up my son at the airport after a few days with his friends on Malta, and then a quiet New Year's Eve with my husband after a visit to a small local theatre.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year, all the best for 2024, and looking forward to what this year will bring!

Not a crystal ball, so not suitable as a means to tell the future... but certainly
good enough as a container for all the good wishes to all of you,
and the hopes and wishes for myself!