Today is my first day teaching in Hannover and I'm looking forward to it- though quite nervous- but soon I have no need to be.

The class is made up of some lovely and very talented beaders who are all very friendly and, due to their expert English, we muddle along fine.

One thing I notice right away is just how much more the beaders here wear their work- which is great. I must admit I don't wear beadwork nearly as much as I should, and as a teacher travelling around the UK and the US, I don't get to see nearly as much beadwork as I would like- whether worn or brought to class to show. I love beadwork, I love to see it in person, to see the colours, to feel its drape and texture - but seeing my own all the time gets boring- I want to see someone else's!

So being here in Germany and seeing so much beadwork being worn and brought to class is a real treat- I am in beady heaven.

Some of the work brought along is bold and geometric and made by Susanne Sturm. Seeing her work is like someone reached into my brain and beaded all those projects sitting on my to-do list. How wonderful to see such bold, colourful work- and it being worn!

Another treat was the work by Petra Sen who kindly brought lots to class so we could 'ooh and ah' over it all. I especially love these 'skull flowers'.

I am in bead heaven.