You may know that winter is not my favourite time of year. Summer is far more my cup of tea!
That being said, I spent some time on the Cornish coast recently, being blown about and marvelling at the landscape, despite the winter weather.
And I am thankful to be enjoying a winter break at Center Parcs very soon. Being surrounded by trees, whatever the season, will feed my woodland-loving heart!
But, in spite of the picturesque landscapes, I will still be yearning for summer! I wonder if you are planning a summer getaway this year? If so, I wonder where you might go?
We had the joy of visiting Malta last June. It was in the midst of a) a 5 week bout of laryngitis and b) just a few weeks before submitting my final diploma pieces (good timing eh?!)
Malta holds a special place in my heart. It is my birthplace, although I only lived there for around 6 months, so I have no memory of it. Having visited a couple of times over the years, this time I wanted to find the building where I'd been born. Back then, it was a hospital run by nuns and in my head, something akin to Nonatus House in 'Call the Midwife'!
This would be my holiday highlight, I believed. A connection with my past.
Little did I know it would not be the only highlight!
Dr Google offered me a moment of serendipity - another blessing in an already wonderful holiday!
A traditional Maltese craft is filigree jewellery. Exploring museums showed us it was a technique used over the years for both jewellery and sacred objects in churches. It is intricate, creating delicate designs and effects. I have inherited a filigree butterfly which I assume dates back to the time my parents lived there. Over the years, I had admired it in my mum's jewellery box and I was keen to find my own piece of filigree jewellery as a memento.
In searching for a reputable filigree artist (thanks Dr Google!), I discovered one who also tutored workshops. We were already a day or two into the week so I wasn't expecting miracles from my tentative email enquiry about spaces at such short notice.
But, lo and behold, there was! I was actually going to try my hand at filigree jewellery!
Leaving hubby to a leisurely buffet breakfast, an overjoyed and excited Pam set off early one morning on the bus to the opposite side of the island! Eventually, (and late - oops hadn't factored in quite so much peak hour traffic) I found myself in the studio of Gaetano Saliba, a very experienced and skilled filigree jeweller. Very patiently, he showed me the process and very slowly, I tried to shape and manipulate the tiny silver wire into a flower. I was slow and needed help to keep to the timetable but Gaetano was very generous with his knowledge and time.
And after a long season of online learning, it was fabulous being in an actual studio learning alongside a tutor in the same room! Not that I was much of a conversationalist - remember, I had laryngitis!
So finally, after a few very happy hours, I left with these two flower pendants - mostly made by my own hands! I was so delighted!
It was a wonderful and memorable experience and I am so thankful for the opportunity to explore a new jewellery technique with such a skilful tutor.
You can see more of his work here - it's stunning! And his claim to fame is that he was featured on an early episode of Escape to the Continent (around 44 mins into this episode)!
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