Kiwis Flax. Plucked and Woven. My year without a loom.

A year off from the grinding reality of working your arse off for low pay just to be able to cover your London rent and a tiny desk in an over overcrowded studio only to find you're working your arse off and don't have time to use your desk to create what you do best... A year off from FOMO. The ever increasing social pressure of a better online presence, a better offline presence, marriage, babies, growing debt, mindfulness, health, fitness... BREATHE.

I met a boy. One year later we quit our jobs and found ourselves in New Zealand. The grass is always greener on the other side of the planet. Our intention was to explore, live life without stuff, bills, pressure and conform , meet family and make friends and maybe even to find our dream spot to put our roots down and to find my creativity again.

I found family, friends, open space to think and reflect, Kiwis, blisters, burns, backbreaking work, hot springs and new springs, Orcas and Albatros, the cold, the damp, the dark nights and the bird song, the earthquakes, resilience, determination and generosity.

We Wwoofed, worked, picked, cleared, waited, weeded, dug, killed, kayaked, bathed, dived, swam, trudged, tramped, stomped, slipped, fell, feared, moaned, shivered, smelled, went hungry, went thirsty, ate, feasted, licked, sucked, plucked, fished, drank, danced, clapped, sang, laughed, cried, comforted, argued, swore, kissed, touched, tickled, played, wove flax, sketched strangers, read mostly crap, dreamed of weaving, learned to live.

We didn't stay. I wanted to weave again.