One small part

"In the patchwork of my life, this story is not even a whole square. This is a tiny piece stitched in.

So many memories - each piece made of warp and weft of incident, intent, commitment, and yes, at times, accident.

Me, the sweaty, spanner-weilding aircraft engineer, the poet with the pen... or the artist with palette and brushes appreciating the colours of sunsets seen across the world, star-strewn velvet skies, filtered through a lush green forest canopy. Sharing the tantalising taste of different cuisines in the company of friends.

Delighting the senses of flying a glider or a jet through expansive, enticingly open skies. Breathing the saline seaweed scent on days spent exploring beaches. Hearing the harmony of crashing waves and seagulls. Feeling love swell in hugs and hands held in reunions after safe returns from war-torn countries.

These scenes are cameos, not made of cotton, stored in my cerebral gallery - patches of experience held together by that invisible thread. Each unique. Celebrating the kaleidescope of the people I've met and shared a part of life's path with.

The hands that made these quilts are mine, the whole intricacy of the patchwork that is me, combined."

Please tell us a little about yourself.
I live in Blaenau Gwent, where a group of us have been succcessfully encouraging local, vocal artists and musicians to revive 'Poems and Pints' events. I am a maturing student - learning late in life! - studying Art History and Creative Writing.

What's your story about?
It's a celebration of the places I've been on my travels and a dedication to the friends I've been lucky enough to meet on life's journey. It uses close up photographs of a handmade patchwork quilt cover to illustrate the poetic narrative.

Why did you choose to tell this particular story?
The brilliant stained glass effect of bright sunlight behind the patchwork, looked colourful and unusual. It represents my varied life in a way that photographs would have been inadequate to cover.

What did you find most rewarding about the workshop?
The workshop was a chance to learn a technology that is a new way to present the written/spoken word and also a wonderful record of personal stories from all over Wales.