Post579 Beginning to enjoy cooler weather

I ticked off health boxes this week, grateful that I am able to do so, As I suspected, the endodontist visit on Wednesday resulted in more scans and X-rays. The verdict is an ache related to jaw clenching (already under treatment), a molar with 3 root canal fillings but a fourth canal now in the early stages of infection and a canine in need of monitoring. I have an appointment in May to undertake the root canal work on the molar. On the whole I’m happy. We’ve caught this before it becomes painful. The endodontist was  in the cbd, but moving this week. I caught the city loop bus there and back, stopping at the Museum to check out their supply of National Geographic merchandise. Later I  delivered a book and enrolled in a class at the Guild . 

After Pilates on Thursday I had an appointment with a hearing clinic to have a wax extraction treatment. It took a while but went very well. I haven’t been to this clinic before. They were professional, helpful and efficient. They will remind me in a year’s time. In the meantime I have an oil spray to use weekly.

Today it was the podiatrist. I also made appointments for my flu vaccine (early May) and Covid booster (September).

There have been some impressive sunsets this week. This one was taken from inside, without leaving my lounge.

 

In between these activities I’ve been reading, and working on Veronka, which I finished stitching on Friday and constructed on Saturday. I was delighted when Veronica claimed it yesterday.

It took patience to prepare a Mountmellick sachet ( 'Meadowsong'  by Deborah Love, Inspirations 122 ) for stitching.

It finishes up 19cmx21cm, embroidered on one end and all around the edges.  I had planned to use an iron-on tracing pen, but it didn't work. Maybe they deteriorate with time. I ended up transferring the pattern by pencil because the white jeans fabric was hard to see through even with a light table. The pencil worked but it makes the white thread grubby. It will wash out, but I’m trying to be patient and wait until I finish. 

Before starting it, I spent an evening finishing the 8th sashiko panel for my tablecloth.  Only two more panels to go!

It was the last Saturday of the month, so I headed off to St Margaret’s market to stock up on plants. The heat hasn’t gone, but is easing, so worth a try. I did well enough to have to bring my car to the church hall door to load them and I shuffled them in and out of the lift at the apartment. They are now distributed across my balconies.  I bought another large-leafed ficus on Sunday because the others are thriving. I still have quite a few pots empty on the front balcony. 

I made myself busy on Sunday - supermarket shopping for moussaka ingredients, calling at Dymocks for a book, then home to cook and await Will, who is preparing a quote to replace my bathroom cupboard fronts, which have swollen, apparently with splashing over time, since the damage is now evident in cupboard doors in both bathrooms. I discovered another apartment owner has a similar problem. I will, however, organise for an electrician to check that the exhaust fans are working properly.

When Will left I paused the cooking to visit the Art Images Gallery and buy a Violet Cooper vase I’ve been admiring. I worked out it can sit on my coffee table, replacing the bonsai plant I’ve finally killed. This is the gallery image. I can pick it up after Easter when the current exhibition finishes.

Today began with the podiatrist, a stop at the PO to pick up a package of  alpaca/cotton yarn from the Crafty Frog, then coffee with Panayoula at Dulwich, followed by a trip to Unley with Jennifer, who is down from Queensland for a visit. More coffee, lime milkshakes and a bargain or two at Taking Shape. 

An easy dinner of the remaining moussaka tonight, before working on the border of the Meadowsong sachet, which has to be done in hand. I've made a good start, and it will occupy any spare moments I have as desk hostess at the Guild tomorrow.

Post 578 Getting sorted

On Wednesday, I had  coffee and lunch with Panayoula, while her husband was being operated on. She left for the hospital when he emerged from surgery. She is, as ever, quite a woman, and a really good friend. I bought grapes on the way home, then settled in to finish the Guild's Diamond Anniversary challenge. My effort, a lipstick container, is at least creative. Details in my embroidery blog. 

While looking for double-sided tape to help in its construction. I found the missing Evil Eye! It was in one of my drawers of embroidery tools. I had had a bit of a tidy-up in my sitting room, putting away various items from completed projects, amongst them, the circular  template and colour wheel I used to draw circles on the recent Sashiko bag. The mandala was the same size and I had  unwittingly picked it up hidden underneath them and put it away in a tools drawer. It could have been weeks, even months, before I went there again! In the end I didn’t use the double-sided tape but I’m glad I thought I might!

The set of mandalas is now hanging beside my apartment door, with the approval of my neighbours who like it. It is easy to take down for my talk.

Less fortuitously, my luck in finding the colour match for the Nordic cushion didn’t last. There was no win from my lottery tickets🤷🏻‍♀️.

In the tidy-up I emptied the large basket I bought in 2023 to hold the 16 different colour balls for the Rowan coatigan . It had remained in my sitting room as a receptacle for all things related to projects I was working on, including the shawl from the leftover Rowan wool. 

I have found a smaller basket for the wool and proper homes for all the other paraphernalia. After Pilates on Thursday I returned the large basket to Vinnies, from whence it came in February last year. . $10 was a bargain rental for 12 months use.  The women at Vinnies are planning to use it for display.

It actually rained on Thursday! The fans were on at Pilates as well as aircon, an attempt to deal with the humidity - a rarity in Adelaide.  The back balcony rejoiced in water from the sky and the Geisha Girl Durante celebrated with a bloom.

I began work on the Kasia Jacquot kit I bought from the Art Gallery shop after seeing the Radical Textiles exhibition. I was drawn to the kit by the name (Veronka), as well as the colours, design and desire to support the gallery. I was thinking, as I stitched it, what I would do with it. As I went to bed, still thinking about it, I had the germ of an idea about some cotton craft bags I had bought a couple of years ago, intending to embroider or colour them. 

First thing in the morning I dug them out, took the partially embroidered linen out of the hoop and Voila!

I had bought a dozen of these bags in a variety of colours. When I looked at them it occurred to me that they were well suited to this style of embroidery. I checked Kasia Jacquot's website and discovered she sells the printed linens at a very reasonable cost. Matching her linen colours to the craft bags I have, I ordered 5 of them. Really mad woman behaviour. It was still only breakfast time!  Fortunately they are not yet despatched, so I have time to finish other things. 

I had an 11.15 appointment with my audiologist for my annual checkup. At 9.30 I had a phone call to say she was ill and my appointment needed to be postponed. I was a bit relieved. The appointment had crept up on me, and I had intended to have an ear wax extraction before seeing her. It also meant I could be home for a couple of postal deliveries, the Garden of Curiosities book for the Guild library and a Nancy Bird top for myself.

I’m pleased with the top. I bought it larger than I needed, so I could get maximum length. It’s made in Melbourne and hand-smocked. Once the parcels were delivered I went shopping  for Monday dinner ingredients. It promised to be a busy weekend so I wanted to be organised. I got everything I needed and had a late lunch of grilled fish at Mr Nick’s.

Saturday was a Certificate Course workshop. I didn’t want to miss it as Christine Bishop was teaching the stitches for a mat she had offered as a class last year.

I had enrolled in the class, but it didn’t reach the necessary numbers to proceed. I had prepared pale blue linen for the class, but found a smaller maroon piece for the stitch workshop. There was a good turnout and a focused, enjoyable camaraderie. It took concentration, but by 2pm I had a sample of the stitches and felt confident that, with patience and the notes, I can work the mat. I’m not sure I will return to the pale blue. I’m a bit taken now with the maroon!

Saturday night was a break from routine with all of us invited to dinner at the home of family friends with a six-month old baby. It was a lovely meal, and such a joy to be in the company of an alert, engaged, curious baby. It’s been a while for me and I’d forgotten how uplifting it is.

Sunday was Book Club at my place. I was up early to tidy up and get organised for coffee, biscuits and my notes. There were no parking hassles and we had a really animated session. I had chosen the books we discussed and gone a bit overboard, nominating the whole Lilly Pilly Creek series along with Elly Griffiths’ latest and The Wolf Tree by Laura McCluskey. To my relief the consensus was pretty enthusiastic about all of them in one way or another. We were agreed it was great to read a series set locally, and to anticipate more to come but also agreed that The Wolf Tree was the standout.

Apart from a long conversation with my brother, I spent Sunday afternoon cooking lemon chicken for Monday night. It’s a long time since I cooked this - 2 chickens salted and browned with garlic and ginger, then covered with lemon juice, soy sauce and stock and cooked until the meat falls off the bone.  

It smelt delicious as it cooked. I remove and deboned the chickens, using my hands. It ends up shredded, because I need to ensure there are no tiny bones left - a lengthy process, but essential for peace of mind. The stock is refrigerated overnight and the fat skimmed off in the morning before the chicken is returned to it. It goes well with rice, but the easiest is to add Hokkien noodles about 15 minutes before serving. This week I made a both a carrot and a Greek salad to go with it.  I will be eating lemon chicken and carrot salad for a few days without complaint.

Today turned out to be very quiet, waiting at home while plumbers chased leaks in our apartment hot water service. Our water was to be off from 10am until 2pm. I cancelled the cleaners, got up a bit early to clean and tidy  up, filled buckets and jugs with water,  and had thought I might go out, perhaps to join the Tuesday Stitchers at the Guild. However, just after 10am I had a request to turn taps on, to help the plumbers drain the water tanks. Nothing came out, but taps needed to be left open until clean water began to flow again. At this point I decided to stay home to monitor. I finished reading a book and advanced my embroidery until 2.17 when with a hiss and splutter, water began to flow.  The buckets of water are now on the balcony pot plants. The dishwasher can wait until tomorrow.

I have almost finished all the motifs in my hoop. I can do a little more on the lower flowers before removing the hoop. It's a joyful design. Tomorrow is my endodontist appointment. That may be a root canal treatment, or more scans and preparation.  Hopefully I will be able to finish the embroidery. 🙏

Post 577 Keyfobs, crumhorns and elves

I didn’t go outside last Wednesday, bunkered down reading, stitching the fifth evil eye mandala and keeping the water up to my plants. 

I was, however, up early on Thursday, showered, dressed and out for a quick walk before handing over my carpark entry fobs at 8am so they could be reprogrammed in the light of recent theft. The last of mine arrived from family as I was handing them over. I stayed inside stitching until the fobs were scheduled for pick-up. 

There was no one in the foyer for the agreed 1pm handover. Turned out our Strata President (an ex-postman) had delivered them to our doors. I hadn’t seen the small, dark package to the side of my door. The sensor light doesn’t come on until I am facing the lift door, by which time the package was behind me. Eventually sorted.

With carpark entry and exit now restored, I took myself off to Adairs for a cushion to finish the Nordic Square project. Details in my embroidery blog.

While out I bought half a dozen prawns so I could have them with salad for a late lunch/early dinner. Worked a treat.

I also spent some time perusing this book which arrived from Alison Cole who advertised having a few spare copies. It’s fabulous. It presents 154 beautifully clear original designs for embroidery, or other crafts, but more importantly, explains the design process in each of its 6 organising categories,  Elizabethan Flowers; Jacobean Jungles; Birds, Beasts and Bugs; Beakers, Borders and Finery; Ancient Vestments; and Letters and Numbers, all with a New Zealand twist. I’m hanging on to this one!  It appears to be a very limited printing, probably only available directly from the author. I have now ordered a copy for the Guild library.

It was great to wake up on Sunday to a cool change and to breakfast with a breeze flowing through the apartment. I only intended to water my pots but found myself repotting one and then emptying half a dozen dead plants into a recycling bag, trimming off dead leaves and carting it all down to the green bin. I had thought to wait a bit longer to do this since the forecast rises back to 30/1C by midweek, but I was energised by the breeze. I won’t, however, attempt to replace the plants, nor fertilise the rest, for a few weeks yet.

I finished in plenty of time to grab a drink and scone before heading off to a Fringe concert at a church about 15 minutes drive away. It was a very entertaining hour.  

I hadn't been there before. The original church is being used as a hall, with a very spacious, modern church in use for worship. It has a large sculpted copper mural running around two walls, illustrating Bible verses.

I was interested to see a large number of tapestry kneelers (used now, I'm pretty sure, as cushions). I liked the cockatoos, but sat on the donkey for convenience.

9 core members of the group, all in costume, introduced their instruments and played 11 pieces as a story, narrated by a tenth member. They were joined by another singer and several more string players for the last pieces.

 One player also juggled. It was a slightly anomylous that the players wear spectacles and use modern music stands or electronics.

As the concert concluded the light blessed the players and transformed what had appeared to be plain wood in the cross to a textured pattern. Magic. I’m glad I made the effort to go.

I had been right in my faith in the Bureau of Meteorology forecast on Monday. It was only 27C. The  four hours of oven time required to roast the 4.3kg shoulder roast did, however,  heat up the room. so I needed the balcony doors open. I went out late morning to get bread and call at the Guild to talk to the Library Team, but by 2pm the apartment was ready for visitors, meat and potatoes were in the oven and I could finish constructing the last of the Evil Eye Mandalas. 

That completes the set of five I bought online I assumed when I bought them, that the designer was located in the UK because I found them on the UK Etsy site. An obvious mistake. They were delivered via a warehouse in Botany. Wherever they originated, they were a pleasure to stitch.

Today I picked up my exhibition entries from the Guild, intending to see if I could hang the five pieces. I have spent the afternoon unsuccessfully searching for the fourth one, which I completed in late February! I thought I had put it with my books and notes for the talk, but it is not there, nor in any other place I have thought of, including my car. I'm telling myself the elves  may have needed it ...

I'm hoping they return it before the meeting, otherwise I will have to make do with a photo. I'm not ordering another one! 

Post576 Festival, food, fabric, friends and fixing.

As I’ve been writing this all week, I have been following the progress of Cyclone Albert as it approached and made landfall on the north east coast of Queensland and NSW. We are relieved, and grateful that our numerous family and friends in the area are all safe, though some will be dealing with flooding and cleaning up for some time to come. 🙏🏼   In comparison, Adelaide news is insignificant.

I wasn’t really needed as Desk Hostess at the Guild on Wednesday but was glad I’d gone. The library team were there and we caught up on a few books. There was a steady dribble of exhibition visitors, good sales of fiction books and trading table activity. It was good to be around the action and I got the central motif of the Japanese Nordic cross stitch done. 

As I was largely redundant, I left around 2pm and went to West Lakes to buy the perfume from the department store that had given me the sample. I left with a 100ml bottle and 2 samples of other perfumes. The women who had originally served me were not there, but I left messages of thanks.

The sunset was a distraction, but by the time I went to bed the basic Nordic design  was clear. I was oddly buoyed by the sense of community at the Guild.   

The replacement magnetic clips for the sashiko bag also arrived, carefully wrapped in a complete pattern for a child's dress! Clearly Spotlight are clearing out their patterns and using them as packing. I applaud their recycling effort, especially the use of the complete pattern. It could certainly be used to make a simple child's dress.  Will I ever need that? Possibly. I will enquire about use at the Guild.

It’s good to be back to Pilates. My finger was sore and a bit inflamed at the end of the session but had subsided by the time I’d eaten as much as I could manage of a potato omelette with rocket and pear salad at Queen St Cafe.  

I was therefore able to construct the sashiko bag when I got home. Very pleased with it.

It’s still hot in Adelaide, well over 30C all week. Watering my balcony plants is a daily must. The Festival is now in full swing, along with the Fringe, Womadelaide and, last weekend, the Motorsport Festival, at Victoria Park, a couple of blocks behind me. It provided a background soundtrack from 8.30am to around 4pm.   On Friday I missed most of it by taking the City Loop bus to the Art Gallery to meet a couple more friends over from Sydney for Writers Week, which finished on Thursday. 

Oddly, the car noise wasn’t evident travelling along Hutt St, between the apartment and the race. Maybe there was a pause.   Street trees and surrounding parkland provide shade and a sense of tranquillity, one of the advantages of Adelaide as a Festival City.

My friends were visiting the Radical Textiles Exhibition which I've already visited twice. I spent a while in the main gallery, where preparations are already underway for the Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890-1940 Exhibition in May. It’s going to be interesting.            

I was also taken by this bark canoe filled with painted snail shells.  

The main business, however was a long lunch with friends I see at most years at this time when they come for Writers Week, although from 2017-2020 I was visiting the UK at this time of the year for Embroidery Retreats (the origin of this blog!) and 2021-3 were interrupted by Covid. This year the city seems in full recovery. After lunch we drove to catch the Guild Exhibition. Another grand day.

The heat persists. Yesterday reached 40C. Thankfully it's down to 30C today. Most of Saturday and Monday was spent inside ,allowing me to finish stitching the Nordic Cross Stitch project. I'm in the process of working out how to construct it.   

A couple of small dramas interrupted my stitching calm. Firstly, I had to cancel tomorrow's WES Group meeting. I had not adequately recorded it on the exhibition roster. I had checked the arrangement with the President, but not with the exhibition organiser, and a group is travelling from the country to staff the exhibition on that day. It's my stuff-up. I didn't communicate clearly.

The other drama reached me around 3pm yesterday via a phone call  from our Strata Pod Rep. She had just interrupted our carpark burglar of a month ago breaking into my carpark locker again. She came through the door from our foyer into the carpark to see the man, recognisable from the original break-in CCTV footage, at my locker, cutting the padlock with bolt cutters. She screamed, trying to attract attention. He waved his hands, as if to say 'I mean no harm' and ran through the carpark and away. There was no one around to hear her. He had cut through the new padlock on my storage cage, but got no further. Although he had stolen a carpark entry fob in January, he gained entry yesterday by following a car through the door. Nevertheless, our fobs are being reprogrammed on Thursday. It is a bit creepy that he came back to 2 lockers, one of which was mine,  I presume for the boxes I carelessly marked 'Personal Treasures' and 'Treasures from Asia'. 

Yesterday was, perhaps not coincidentally, a public holiday in SA. Hardware shops were open and I was tempted to rush to Bunnings for more secure locks, but decided to wait and contact Adelaide Locksmiths this morning.

I’m glad I did. They were, as usual, fabulous. We spoke by phone, I sent them photos and then visited them after the cleaners had gone. After much discussion, we settled on a heavy chain and lock that can only be cut by a grinder. The links fit so snuggly in the lock shaft that it can't be cut.

 

The chain comes in metre lengths, so he cut it in half for me and I bought 2 locks. The storage cage is now secured towards the bottom and above the bolt lock. I will probably also  put a simple lock back on the bolt.

Overkill? Probably. It certainly makes me feel good. I have my don’t mess with me dander up. A couple of pod reps came by as I finished installing it amd were impressed. We laughed a lot - a great sign.

This afternoon I've had to change a couple of medical appointments due to doctors moving practice. I have had such help and cooperation from receptionists along the way. It makes such a difference to my day. 🙏

I'm now starting on the last of the Evil Eye mandalas in the set of 5. The next week's forecast is still consistently above 30C. Tomorrow I  now have time I hadn't counted on to stay cool and get on with stitching this one. 

While I'd prefer it to be cooler, this weather certainly produces some great sunsets. This is tonight's.

Post 575 Vaccination, Viking Hoard and Visitors

I spent a quiet day inside stitching and reading on Wednesday. Around 5pm I had a message to say our lift was out of order. It had not been fixed on Thursday morning, so I allowed myself good time to get down the stairs for Pilates, for once arriving on time! On the way home I stopped at the Jura coffee shop to replenish my supply of beans and filters. As the lift was still not operational I took myself down to A Prayer for the Wild at Heart for a very late lunch. Once again, the trick worked and the lift was fixed as I finished eating, around 3pm. I did not appreciate the comment, as I paid, that they should make sure the lift was out every day!

The lift fix lasted through Friday but Saturday morning saw it out again. I had planned to shop for Monday dinner, before heading to exhibition duty at the Guild, but postponed shopping in the hope the lift would be fixed and I could avoid carrying the results up the stairs. It’s becoming too frequent for comfort. 

I had debated shopping on Friday morning, but couldn’t bring myself to settle for the pork roast I had planned for Monday, given it was forecast to be 30C, and the roast requires the oven to be on for close to 4 hours. I thought I’d wait another 24 hours, and instead decided to stop off in the city on my way to Sit’nStitch,  to investigate a new perfume. I have used Samsara, by Guerlain, since it was launched in 1989. It has finally been discontinued, all online supplies now gone, and I am on my last 1/2” in my last bottle. Unfortunately, my plan was again thwarted by roadworks in the city which made stopping to park unwise. Plan C was to stop at the West Lakes shopping centre, which I did. The obliging women in the David Jones cosmetics section narrowed my choices to 3 and provided me with a sample of narcisco rodriguez for her, due to be launched this weekend. It was certainly the best of the three, so I've been trying it. It seems appropriate to find another perfume at the beginning of its life!

 

I had agreed to be on duty at the Guild exhibition on Saturday afternoon. The lift being out in the morning thwarted my shopping plans again but it was fixed just as I was leaving. There were plenty of helpers at the Guild and JEMS were meeting. I sold 2 books, handed in my raffle tickets, talked to quite a few people and got some stitching done. I got away promptly and dashed to Unley to get what I needed for an easy Monday dinner, getting it upstairs and put away while the lift was working. Phew!

The exhibition is looking good. A surprising amount of framed work. Photos are not allowed, so I can’t provide a taste. 

It's pomegranate time again, and Katherine's tree has a decent crop. Looking good. 

On Sunday I had my 9th Covid vax at my busy local pharmacy; pretty straightforward. I waited about 10 minutes without ill-effect, before moving my car a couple of blocks, near to St John’s Halifax St., when I had booked for a concert an hour later. I walked back up to Hutt St where the two cafes I had planned to check out had just closed their kitchens. 

I settled for a pizza margarita at Ballaboosta- noisy and crowded, but great pizzas. A total break with my carbohydrate limit which I will need to walk off.

I walked the two blocks back to St John’s in time for the concert. 

Entry was slow and the queue long. The one man checking tickets was seated at a table in the entry, without the capacity (or willingness) to scan the QR codes issued as tickets. Instead he had a list, which he couldn't read. We each had to find our name on his list and point it out to him. He was very happy to take cash from anyone without a ticket and to explain and sell programs - slowly.

 

            I really enjoyed the music, especially the Mongolian, Ukrainian and Irish, but left at interval, feeling tired, perhaps the vaccine kicking in.

I finished the fourth Evil Eye kit  and am now working on my birthday sashiko kit. 

The suggestions for this a fairly generic - circles and straight lines, so I marked a few circle outlines and then filled them by eye. I seem to have mislaid the magnetic clip somewhere along the line so in the end ordered a couple to be delivered from Spotlight. I could have made a 15-20k round trip to pick them up but in the end rated my time above the $10 delivery charge.i also realised that I have a full set of sashiko needles in the harp I made with Jenny Aiden Christie back in 2018 . They would probably benefit from use!

Anticipating both the heat and the likelihood I may not feel too brilliant on Monday, I had bought a ready-made  Lasagne for 8 and Chicken with Bacon Pasta Bake for 4 for Monday dinner. In fact I have had very little reaction to the Covid shot: my arm is barely sore but I am tired. I’m also still following instructions for my finger which is still a little sore and red. It’s now 5 weeks since the operation and the therapist said it would take 6-7 weeks to heal with treatment, so I think it’s on schedule. 

Consequently, I  had a relaxing afternoon yesterday. All my effort went into a Greek salad and turning on the oven.  There were only 5 of us for dinner, so  plenty of time to catch up and a bit of food left over, but much less than half. Next Monday is a public holiday. Perhaps in a fortnight it will be cool enough for roast pork. After loading the dishwasher I finished stitching the sashiko tote panel while watching a couple of episodes of Death in Paradise series 13. I’m now in the process of constructing the bag. The replacement clasp is due on Thursday.

Today was a bit of an adventure. I set off on the city loop bus just before 10.00 for the SA Museum, where I was meeting a NSW friend, drawn here by Writers’ Week, for lunch. I went early so I could visit the Viking Treasures exhibition. I’m so pleased I did. 

This is the Galloway Hoard, discovered in 2014, acquired by the National Museums of Scotland in 2017, exhibited in Scotland in 2021-2 and subject of major research 2021-24. The excellent 2021 book on the Hoard by Martin Goldberg and Mary Davis for the National Museums of Scotland has been reproduced by the SA Museum. The story is told clearly and simply with excellent illustrations and acknowledgment of the unknowns and complexities.

Most of the hoard is silver. While most individual pieces correspond to exact weight measures, their beauty and workmanship tell a story beyond greed and commerce.  I was, of course, especially interested in the textiles in which some items, especially this jar and it’s content, had been carefully wrapped,  These are too fragile to travel with the retrieved and cleaned silver, but photos, videos and 3D models tell much of their story. 

This pectoral cross had its chain intact - very rare indeed. It is pretty extraordinary to have this in Adelaide. According to the National Museums of Scotland this is the beginning of a world tour, although there are no other locations mentioned. If it pops up near you, don’t miss it,

I left the exhibition with plenty of time to meet my friend for lunch, so checked out the shop and settled myself in the cafe with a lime milkshake and lemon polenta cake and read the book on the hoard. Bobbi brought her travel companion along with her for lunch and we had a long, leisurely catch up afterwards. The heat outside was a bit of a shock, but I was home around 3.15 and out of it. 

Since then I have read the book on the Hoard and prepared my other birthday kit, a Japanese cross-stitch Nordic Square. I put it in a wooden stretcher frame with drawing pins but only worked the corners. Once that was done the rest of the embroidery can be done in a 12" seated hoop - much preferable. I'm now ready to progress it tomorrow while being Desk Hostess at the Guild. It's been quite a week - again!