I'm sitting in the Qantas club in Melbourne. I'm savouring, yogurt and poached fruit, toast and vegemite…. it's just those small things that are so important..Heaven….

We've been traveling for 36 hours so far and a shower makes such a  difference.  It seems like I will have a welcoming party at the airport and I'm sure we'll visit the market for lunch.

I wrote this on the plane.

"I guess in assessing the past 78 days I have quite a few emotions  and in reflection I realize this has been an extraordinary journey of self discovery.

Trust me, it’s surely been documented in a very exuberant and passionate way.

I’ve added a little more patience, a little pinch of self confidence and a smattering of discontent at some situations to my resume.

Is it a reality that my time on the road is winding down this year….?

Although I wont be traveling a lot next year, I have new ideas and experiences to fulfill and a couple of special events that  you can join me on. There is “The Creative Expression” a journey to Mexico with Jim West and I, or even join me in New York and travel to Ireland for the first Irish Quilt Convention. Can you imagine how exciting that will be?

Not forgetting our proposed School of Textile studies in Arkansas.

I’ve missed 78 days of our babies Lily and Kaiden growing up.  They are now five and a half and six months old now. Tilly will begin school when I’m home. Savannah, Kodi and the other little people in our lives will have had experiences I’ve missed.
I can’t wait to hug them.

I’ve been able to study textiles in a wonderful visual capacity rarely offered to the general public.

I’ve met the most interesting people from the lady who decorated our room with rose petals every day and welcomed us with the most infectious smile and laugh, to the shuttle driver in New York who in a drug induced state took us on a roller coaster ride through the streets at 3.00 am.

It’s almost dawn as we fly toward Melbourne, the light is pink and grey and softly enters the cabin of the plane…. promising an exciting day ahead….Breakfast will the the last meal of my travels (at least for a couple of weeks) when I leave to teach in South Africa, England and assist at the fundraiser in Alamogordo.

In the next few days we will celebrate the life of a long time friend who has passed away and the reality that he is the same age as Keith and I brings a clearer definition to “make every day count”