Carole

I live in a somewhat dreary town in northern Ontario, Canada, where the winters seem to drag on and on forever. I think that's why I'm desperate for colour in my life. The walls of my home are covered with pictures I love -- sometimes the same picture twice but in different rooms! I have loads of quilting fabric stacked according to colours of the rainbow: just gazing at the collection gives me pleasure. During our nanosecond of a summer I grow as many flowers as possible in the garden -- faithful perennials and short-lived splashy annuals.

In a former life I was a university professor, but increasingly stressful work conditions prompted me to take early retirement. (I think it was Henry Kissinger who said that university politics made him yearn for the relative peace of the Middle East!) Happily, I now have time to do more creative things. In particular, jewelry-designing gives me an excuse to search the internet for wonderful components made by talented artisans around the world.