Writing-Reading-Gardening

I haven't posted for a while because i have been spending a lot of time each day editing my dissertation, this semester's module towards my BA.
Last week i received, in the mail, 2 books from Anne Gott in Calgary. She has been following on my blog the reorganisation of the Victoria College of Art library. She noticed the mention of starting a Textile Arts section and sent 2 books as her contribution!
Aren't there some wonderfully generous and caring people out there. And Anne is one of them.
This Colette Wolff book happens to be on the Book List for the 1st 2 courses i am teaching at the college. It came out in 1996 and there hasn't been another book published before or after, on this particular technique, that comes anywhere close to the quality of this one. There is a lifetime of exploration between its covers.
Every time i use this book i get the urge to write to Colette to thank her. Yes, i need to follow through on that urge.

The 2nd book Anne donated is another valuable resource holding its own. It was published in response to schools in the UK expecting textile art students to present their work on worksheets. Later, when I did City and Guilds courses, work was glued directly onto boards. The expectation for this BA degree program is to fill sketchbook after sketchbook with ideas in a more informal presentation People are now interested in the actual process the artist works through.
You may have noticed an increase in the number of art exhibitions where the artist's sketchbooks are included in the display.
It is interesting how things evolve.
What will be next? I have a hunch about what it will be and i will be using it in my classes.

The other activity that has kept me away from my blog is happenings in the garden. I have been waiting for the fall season to experiment with a method to convert a weedy area back to Douglas-fir natives. I pulled out the blackberry and my husband cut short the rampant grass with his trusty weed-eater blade.

We covered the area with newspaper then a layer of soil/mulch.
I don't know how long i have to wait until i will be able to dig through the newspaper to plant natives transplanted from other areas.
I'll keep you posted on how this experiment progresses.