Day 3: Special Weavers' Hour (Followed by Afternoon Tea)

I recant (again!). Lloyd was a perfect gentleman (the way I knew him to be) and we worked out a way for him to sand the spackle and paint the wall without getting anything on the shawls, and the job was finished by 11am.

I was washing cups and getting ready for the afternoon tea in the back when I heard a person. It was my dear friend Gaylene and she was the very first person, of the people I invited, to come see the Exhibit(ion). We spent a quiet time looking over each piece, and it was lovely. That's exactly how I imagined my Exhibit(ion) should be. Lovely.

Jay from the Red came with afternoon tea goodies, and had a look around; she approved the way I set up the Exhibit(ion), and pointed out some of the details that I got right; this is better than Michelin's four stars.

By this time it was sweltering and I was busy making hot coffee and getting ready for afternoon tea. Weavers (and old faithful friends like my... ahem.... singing teacher Joe - yes, I've tried that, too) started to come in, and still I wasn't thinking of cold drinks to serve. By around 2.30, there must have been close to 30 people in the room, and I was worried about the number of chairs and ... hot drinks. I gave a short talk about how I came to have an Exhibit(ion), why I chose the title, and how I went about designing the pieces. I must say, this Newbie had a captive audience, who collectively had more than 500 (??) years of weaving experience.

It was great to see my friends, and meet other weavers. But it was like a wedding reception, where, as much as I wanted to, I couldn't sit down and spend time with everybody. Still, nobody fainted in the heat, and some old friends had a chance to catch up with one another. I think this is where Kiwis say; "And a good time was had by all". I hope.

At around 4PM, I noticed Lloyd had washed all the cups. I felt another Prima Donna Panic, because I had thought I had everything under control, but not so. Eendeavors like these are supported by so many people, even though this particular Exhibit(ion) has only my name on it.

It's been a roller coaster, but seeing friends finally made me comfortable and happy about what I've done; no more fear and loathing; just a nice, smooth ride from now on.

Thank you, everybody, for coming to see the Exhibit(ion), for the baking, and the washing up. Tomorrow, Kath Bee sings at Gallery 203.