While I’ve been writing over the past weeks, rarely seeing the light of day,  gorgeous little parcels have been arriving here at le petit bateau… an unexpected gift from a dear friend, some etsy purchases, magazines from australia… they’ve all been such beautiful distractions. and I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. It is still a little way away, but very much in sight, and getting brighter everyday.

This is the view I see  everyday while I sit at my desk and type away. As the boat windows are below street level I can glance up and see people coming and going with their bikes, chatting, etc. All the while I sip my tea and get back to the words on my screen. The words are getting plentiful now, I’m on a roll. And rolls are good.

I shall not digress, but I just wanted to stop in and say hi.

xx

PS I did digress a little though, and posted in the library what I’m reading now, it’s a really good book.

PPS For Amsterdammers, there is an upcoming event organised by a friend of mine. It’s called swap and the city where you can exchange your perfectly good items that you never wear for fabulous fashion finds. There are heaps of fun things organised for the afternoon too. Sounds pretty cool, read more about it here. It’s on November 29 from 2-5pm so gets your tickets soon if you plan to go!

It’s beautiful riding around this city on my bike feeling the chilly breeze against my face, leaves falling all around like it’s raining gold.

I thought it about time I tell you what I’ve been up to for the last 5 months. Have you been wondering? Maybe you have, maybe you haven’t, but I’ll tell you anyway…

I’m writing my second book. It’s the next  Made by Hand book and yes, it’s Amsterdam. I’m still working on it and at the moment I’m writing and editing images. Autumn is the perfect time to be writing – being tucked up inside mon petit bateau as the weather turns cold and damp.  Inside here it’s super cosy, and I spend my days making cups of tea and writing about the ateliers and boutiques I’ve chosen for the book. It sounds romantic no doubt, but of course there is alot happening behind-the-scenes. Writing books is intense work. But, the wonderful parts override the hard parts, and one of the best parts of this job is the excitement of discovering these special places and being able to share them with you. One of the difficult parts is keeping them secret for so long! But that will make the book unique and special which is always my goal. So, until I finish I may be a bit sporadic with my posts but oh, I really hope you’re gonna love what I am creating…

Amsterdam: Made by Hand will be released worldwide in April, 2010 by The Little Bookroom.

You all know how I feel about Canada, right?

You can imagine then, that I was a little bit giddy when I discovered that a new Ray Mears series called Northern Wilderness was starting last Sunday on the BBC, and it’s all about the vast Canadian wilderness. The first episode rocked – among other things Ray showed how to make a shelter from fallen branches, how the beavers make their incredible homes and why they are so integral, and the footage was just spectacular.

Coming episodes will be looking at the ways of the Inuit, and further exploring the forests by canoe and snowshoe. I can’t wait!

If you don’t know about Ray Mears, click here to find out more about him, he’s a pretty amazing guy whose life work is all about bushcraft and bush survival. One of his previous series which I now have on DVD is called Wild Food , taking viewers into various wilderness regions and teaching about various indigenous food and cooking techniques. It’s inspiring to say the very least, although it’s a sad reminder of how much knowledge we have lost.

The photos above are gathered from my personal album,  taken during my trips to the West Coast of Canada over the past few years. I hope to go back one day soon. For now, I will be content watching Ray’s journey through the northern wilderness every Sunday night. I hope you get to see it too.