Hibiscus

A while ago in Farnham I was introduced to Alyson Reynolds by Beverley Dutton of Squires Kitchen. At the same time I got a great opportunity to attend her Hibiscus class. It was such an exciting and inspiring class that I had got the Hibiscus image sticked to my mind ever since.



Inside the class, Alyson was a great teacher who managed to create a playful yet comprehensive learning session for all the students. Outside, she was a warm and cheerful friend who always had a big smile. We had great conversations about her flower craft of both sugar and cold porcelain. Alyson had shared many useful tips and tricks of the craft. We also talked about her first published book "Autumn Glory - Cold Porcelain and Sugar Flowers". A great book to keep!





Before we parted, we had hoped to meet again next time and wishfully if time permits in the future, there would be a scenic drive to Scotland, her country of residence.



Back home, I like to remember the special moment of meeting Alyson and making beautiful Hibiscus. "Thanks Alyson! You have been such an inspiration!"

Gold

It has been a long silence here in this blog. If you happened to read my previous posts, you might have guessed what I was up to. Suffice to say, it was a complete break that was filled with exciting competition, learning experiences, tool quest, fun, and new friendships.



Where to begin? After an intensive 3 week preparation of the 2012 Squires Kitchen cake competition pieces, I was finally on my flight to London on 8th of March. My heart was beating hard and my mind went restless. A journey into an exciting unknown event was felt like going to a marvelous yet dangerous fairground. Especially when the flight to London was scheduled to arrive in late afternoon followed by supposingly one-hour drive to Farnham. So I bet by the time I was in Farnham it was already dark. Haunting dark. My worries had set in all at once.



Amidst my worries, I insisted on making the best use of my time during a 5-hour transit in Shanghai Airport. The airport had to entertain the sight of me touching up my miniature wedding cake in the passenger sitting area. Several Mandarin-speaking women couldn't help themselves from approaching and questioning me of what I was doing. My quick smile response managed to send them away but yet each of them was so thoughtful of leaving polite complement for my cake. "Thank you and sorry for declining a chat!" was a grateful message sent back silently as I quickly went back to work on the beads. Hours passed by without notice, the next thing I knew was the loud boarding announcement was fueling my anxiety - I had to stop and embark to the next flight!



11-hour flight to London was daunting. The food was horrible, seat was uncomfortable and I couldn't sleep. The over two hundreds in-flight movies were suddenly so stale and boring, I shut the screen off and tried to close my eyes as long as I could.