Post 612 Projects Galore.

It's jacaranda time again in Adelaide. The best views are driving along streets lined with purple trees, but I can't photograph while driving, and stopping is not usually possible. This is the tree visible from my back balcony. It's slightly to the left of me, behind Di and Theo's apartment.

The native frangipani directly behind me is still attracting a pair of rosellas.  I certainly have a lot  of photos!

Wednesday was another World Embroidery winner. Pat Grummet brought along a wealth of records and photos of an installation, Monday Blues that she and  Richard Brecknock performed as part of the Fibreworks Collective  in Gawler Place Adelaide, and again in Wellington, NZ, in the early 1980s, as an example of textiles as storytelling. They began by installing a clothes line on a vacant city lot, to which they pegged 7 white and 4 blue items - knickers and nappies. Over 10 days they constructed tents, dyed underwear, nappies and cloth (largely sourced from charity shops), adding both tents and clothes each week to show the growth of the family and the work involved.  They printed a leaflet explaining the project to hand out to the public. Pat did all the dyeing, on site. I remember the vacant block. I worked next to it in 1985 and 1986, but missed the installation. I borrowed the photo of the last days of the NZ installation from Pat's presentation. WES Group also provided me with advice on my female bishops bag -  and we have a draft program for next year.  

I

As a result of the bag advice, I went to Spotlight after Pilates on Thursday and bought some plain purple quilting cotton and iron-on wadding, both for lining the bag. On a whim I continued to Grange Jetty for a late lunch. I haven't been for a few years, as it stopped taking bookings and is often crowded.  At 2.45pm on Thursday it was fine and the fritto misto was just what I wanted.

I worked solidly on the bishops bag on Friday and Saturday, finishing it. It has been a bit of a passionate experimental project, and I'm not quite finished with it yet, having ordered a photo-based spin-off print bag, that I may take further. Detail in my embroidery blog.

On Sunday I worked for a bit on Christmas cards before visiting my local Chemist to sort out a couple of prescriptions and buy a new set of simple bathroom scales. The old scales with which I have been persevering no longer give a consistent reading from second to second. It's a bit scary to start again. I had to wait until Monday morning at my usual weigh-in time to see the damage. It looks as if I am about half a kilo over what I've been guesstimating from the old scales - not too bad!

On Sunday afternoon the cold returned and rain set in. I had the heating on again. I returned to my knitting. I'm making progress on the left side of the cardigan. Looks like I was right to order the extra yarn.

Project Christmas Cards got a bit of a boost on Monday. Each year this becomes an exercise of mixed emotions. As well as the list getting shorter, there are checks on those I haven’t heard from, and dread at what I might learn. There are also warm memories. 

I calculated the stamps required and headed to the PO to buy them, as well as posting a parcel.

Back at home I extended the Christmas connection exercise by working through my gmail address book, which I have never culled. I found no new names to add to the card list, but I reduced the number of entries from around 1200 to 530. The vast majority were the contacts of the last 12 years of my paid work with a few old personal business and trades contacts. Most were also entered twice, automatically indexed by both first and second names. Again, it was a sobering exercise. So many people  I was once in regular contact with, and have lost track of, even forgotten. Jobs and organisations that no longer exist. A world that has gone.

Meanwhile, the Kangaroo Paw is blooming on the front balcony.

As Monday dinners at my place are currently off I've had projects spread everywhere. As a number have reached completion I had a bit of a tidy-up. That pile of hoops and frames on the spare bed is now packed. into bags or units and stowed away, left over threads distributed with others of their kind and cards in piles. 

I had also neglected my Book Club picks in my project frenzy, and we meet next Sunday, so I’ve got 2 books to read this week. I was already reading Daffodils and Deadly Deeds, so finished it yesterday and read Garry Disher's Mischance Creek  today, for Book Club. I'll try to get on to the other, Melaleuca, tomorrow. I am ignoring the piles waiting for my exploration of Anglo-Saxon Embroidery, and Women in the British Secret Service! 

The cushion backs arrived today and were all I hoped for: quality linen and easy to apply. The time taken to add the border paid off. The size is good. I had a spare plump filler, and the cushion now provides company for the Elsa Williams crewel bluebird I completed in 2014

Once the cushion was in place I took myself down to my Podiatrist to deliver her the last of my Voices of Women bags, following our recent conversation about life choices. When I got there, the place was closed. Curious, until I realised it was lunchtime. 

The Greek restaurant is a few doors away, so I treated myself to their lunch special - crisp barramundi on a fabulous salad of heritage tomatoes, capsicum and olives., after which the podiatry clinic was open and I delivered the bag.

Now that the Annual Christmas Pageant has brought Santa to Adelaide our Christmas box is back in the Square.

At the eastern end of the apartment, the silhouette of a rosella echoes the shape of the bluebirds.  

Post611 Creativity and Helpfulness.

 

I

I was just getting out of the shower on Thursday morning when I caught a glimpse of colour and movement in the native frangipani tree outside. I grabbed a towel and my DSLR and managed to get quite a few shots of a single Adelaide Rosella feasting in the flower-laden native frangipani. 

They don’t come often, so I was in luck.

Early the same morning I woke to a brief pre-dawn glow which I also captured. 

Just before I left for Pilates I had another request for phone help from my neighbour. We caught up when I returned in the late afternoon. By then the problem, whatever it was, wasn’t evident. She thought she was missing phone calls. We spent a pleasant hour catching up without finding a problem. We did solve the problem of her fearing my personal files had somehow leaked into her email. She had clicked on the website link in my signature!

She had bought me a bunch of flowers for all my help. The look fabulous in the shell vase - such a vibrant colour! She has also bought herself a little counted Aida embroidery kit, so I don’t think this will be the last call for help, although she does seem to understand charts.

On Friday Simela called to say the slate frame I had enquired about had just arrived.

 I had planned to go grocery shopping but went straight to Create in Stitch and picked up a 60” slate frame, coming home to set it up and move the needlepoint on to it. I mounted it with the whole canvas visible as I was working a border. I spent most of the weekend working on it, blocking it around 6pm on Sunday. Detail in my embroidery blog.

It was wet on Monday. I began sorting out my Christmas cards, went looking for a glue stick, and ended up sorting out all my embroidery hoops and frames. I identified all the pieces  of the first stand I ever bought, a large oval one from Victoria House in Berrima. I haven’t used it in decades but it was a very good tool. On the pillow is another large wooden stand superseded by my Lowery. In addition to the slate frame, there are a couple of lap stands and a variety of frames and hoops. Some are now organised in bags and I'm looking for bags - which i intend to label - for the other piles. I had three roller frames, which will go to the Guild trading table tomorrow. a small reduction. It seems I need to do this exercise a bit more frequently to stay on top of my possessions. 

The apartment is looking like a messy studio. In addition to frames, hoops, stands and a blocking cushion, there are Christmas cards, a half-knitted cardigan front measuring against the finished back and a tote bag. One of the things about living alone is that the your lliving room is shared only when you have visitors. I have another week before I pack it all away. 

Today I dashed out to Create In Stitch to pick up a copy of Crewel Work Then and Now, but the copies weren't in. I've put in my order and can wait. From there I had a podiatrist appointment which resulted in a serious discussion about the pros and cons of political involvement and ambition. My feet have improved.

I have delayed posting this again tonight as I wanted to finish the names of the female bishops on the second side of the tote bag.  It's done. I have some unexpected questions about it. Do I add a row of mitres and crossiers? Are the faces too unhappy? Do I have copyright issues if I photograph and print from it? It's WES Group tomorrow. They'll help.

I received news this week that my last remaining uncle (aged 91) had died. It's good to be surrounded by creativity and helpfulness.

Post610 Feels like Progress

Still feeling chuffed with the result, I spent time on Wednesday writing up the account of my needlecase finish. On a roll, I tackled the remaining 40% of the needlepoint cushion cover, making good progress until interrupted by a phone call from Will, asking if he could call in to assess my rangehood cover request. He arrived half an hour later with his young daughter in tow. While he measured and muttered, his daughter and I explored boxes, display cabinets, puppets, earrings - anything that caught her eye. It was a joy to see such a lively mind.

Even more astounding was the phone call 24 hours later asking again if Will could call in. This time he was accompanied only by the box he had made. After a couple of trips to his van to make adjustment he left me with a finished cabinet and more useable storage! Before on the left, after on the right. Amazing.

My luck ran out with the Jura coffee machine on Sunday. On Saturday I called at my coffee supplier and bought three kilos of coffee beans. The machine has been telling me for several weeks to descale the watertank, but not allowing me to do it. Last week it told me to change the filter, which I did, three times, but it would not continue. Yesterday I once again returned it to the Jura service agent. The receptionist is hopeful, but who knows if I will ever see it again. 

After leaving it I took myself off to buy a coffee grinder and a metal drip filter. I need backup coffee making methods, and I might as well grind the 3 kilos of coffee. Yesterday I made my breakfast coffee with a Vietnamese Phin filter (above). I used to travel with this and have not used it in 15 years. The new larger filter (right, front) makes up to four  cups. The coffee pot has not seen use in years, but will keep several cups warm - a better proposition than using a plunger. Today I ground enough fresh coffee to fill the filter and poured enough water over it to half-fill the pot and give myself a couple of refills throughout the day. Getting the hang of it!

I’ve been working  on the bluebirds cushion through all this excitement, reaching, on the weekend, the point of filling in the remaining white background. On Thursday I got fed up with the roller frame continuously loosening and went searching for locally made slate frames. Create in Stitch are now contacting their local carpenter to order me one. It won’t help with Bluebirds, but I have two more in the queue. 

This evening I finished the white background. I have ordered 3 zipped cushion backs that are a 44cm square. The embroidery is 37x37cm. I therefore have to work a white border all around to cover the difference. It won't be interesting stitching.

The steady rhythm of half cross stitch in a single colour is conducive to thought and last Saturday as I stitched I began to plan my Christmas cards. Before heading to bed around 11pm on Saturday night I thought I’d just check out my photos in readiness. When I did go to bed at 1pm I had the design in my VistaPrint cart, along with some stickers and bookmarks. I did have the good sense not to press order so spent Sunday morning refining and adding to the order. Life has taken its toll  on Christmas cards in general. Mine are not exempt. The list is now down to those who don’t get my blog, live across the planet, or have  got them since childhood, This year’s front photo is of the flowering gum over Jim’s grave.

Sunday was All Souls Day, and friends and I went along to St Peter's Cathedral, where St Peter's Music Foundation sang Faure's Requiem as a Mass at Evensong. I love Faure's Requiem. Although I have sung it and heard it many times as a performance, I have never heard it in context as a Requiem Mass. It was a very remarkable, calming and thought-provoking experience. It surprised me. We had dinner after at A Prayer for the Wild at Heart. A very special evening.

Today it is cold again. I even have the heating on! We had a couple of  fairly warm days and it has  been raining for a couple of days. The new geranium  has benefitted, opening up and developing buds.

The technology surprises kept coming. On Friday I had a call from Internode Support, in response to an email I had sent enquiring about my modem. After answering many questions, and many holds, I was transferred to Customer Support (more questions and holds) who eventually informed me they were sending me a free WiFi6 modem in recognition of my long loyal service!  It was delivered today and installed this evening by Sean the Geek.  It took two hours and I was very pleased I hadn't tried to do it myself. It involved information and processes I did not know. A lot was different since I installed the last one some 8 years ago. I can't hope to keep up with the tech changes. The new TV, now predicted to arrive in two weeks time, will hopefully connect to and work smoothly on the updated network. 

I'm grateful to have access to friends and helpful experts. I'm feeling less anxious about it all - and grateful. 🙏

Post609: A bit all over the place

After dropping Alison in the city on Wednesday morning I returned home in time for a panicked phone call from my neighbour whose new phone had gone dark. I am not familiar with Android phones, but I managed to work out it had simply slipped into dark mode and how to switch it back. It was, in the end, a very happy encounter and a good chance to catch up.

The moon and the bats appeared together for the first time in a while.

I finished the trouser embroidery on one leg and decided to stop there. I wore them on Friday, managing to spill some salad dressing on them, To my joy the stain washed completely clean - so definitely a winner!

On Wednesday I did a little tidying up, but mostly advanced the bluebirds tapestry and my knitting while researching some fabric for a gift idea. On Thursday I detoured on the way to Pilates to Tricia’s Discount Fabrics, where I found a couple of promising fabrics. I figured there were only two places I was likely to find what I was looking for and Tricias was the best bet. The photo is from her Facebook page - a very accurate view. Her counter is buried behind the bolts of fabric in the top left hand corner. 

On my way home from Pilates I stopped at DK Fabrics, my only other likely source. They had nothing to show me, but I got the zips I needed.

By the time I got home the sun was out and most of the washing dry.  I sat for half an hour on the front balcony, where the kangaroo paw is getting closer to blooming. 

I spent time searching fabric online and ordered two pieces from Spoonflower, absolutely the only place it was available. 

I also opened the new printer box and decided to pay Geeks2U to set it up

Friday was the girls’ last day of school - ever, apart from exam attendance. The day was packed with assemblies, ceremonies and a Mass, as well as an after-party. I, fortunately, avoided all of it in favour of making cushion covers and paying bills. And Saturday night was an 18th birthday party, so I didn’t hear a lot about the last day. The three oldies left on Saturday night had a fine time eating and doing the crosswords. When I got home I realised I didn’t have my knitting, but assumed I’d left it in the car. Katherine found it in their driveway early Sunday morning! It was, fortunately, barely damp on the outside, and quite dry inside.when I picked it up.

Sunday was the second day of the Carol Mullan Canvas work class. I lasted until about 2.30 before my eyes gave out - which was pretty good. Quite a few were having similar problems. I had nearly finished the first side, but simply couldn’t see to finish the last square. It was a great class, no pressure, and lots of encouragement to innovate . I had an idea of how I want to proceed, but thought it would have to wait until I’ve finished a couple of other things.  

That plan changed this morning - more below.

I was the happy recipient of a geranium struck from a cutting by Margaret who brought it along to the class for me. I've planted it in a planter box on the balcony rail. I'm pretty confident it will eventually fill the box.

When I got home from the class I switched back to the needlepoint cushion cover and managed to finish the first section so I could wind on the canvas.

While that feels like a major milestone, there was a bit more than I had anticipated underneath. It will still take me a couple of weeks at least to finish it.

I was up early on Monday, ready for Geeks2U at 8.00am to install my printer. I had a phonecall at 8.05 to say the scheduled Geek was ill and arranging for a later appointment. Shehzada was fabulous when he arrived at 11.30. My printer is working from phone, iPads and computer and I have a lot more information than I had before. I'm now enquiring about updating my modem - which is where I started several weeks ago.

This morning Shane, from the company that does Strata maintenance work, arrived at 8.00am to follow up on the drip I heard last week. Again, he did a magnificent job. It took him three and a half hours, but he found a hole in the silicon sealing the joint around the top of the lift well, and repaired it.We have agreed to wait for the next heavy downpour before repairing my cieling - and also agreed to insert a manhole rather than plastering over the temporary access hole. 

While Shane was here I worked on the other cover of the needlebook from Sunday's class. I am late posting this because I kept going on it until about I finished it about half an hour ago. I haven't had time to write it up my embroidery blog. I'll try to do that tomorrow. For now this is the back cover. I couldn't bring myself to work the 20 squares over again on the back, so I improvised. It's been an interesting exercise - and I'm delighted to have finished it.

I did take a break long enough for a trip to Frewville for a few supplies, a quick Salt and Pepper Squid - and half a dozen Coffin Bay oysters.  I haven't had oysters for quite a while. They were excellent. It feels appropriate to be buying them now to support the SA seafood industry.

I doubt this post is very coherent. It's late, and I don't have time for a careful proofread and edit.

I began embroidering the leg of my pants, and ended flying by the seat of them!

 

Post 608 A lot happening

This is not the best lorikeet photo I've taken but the best I managed as several squawked their way through the native frangipani, remaining well hidden in the foliage. 

I had waited in for Scott Constructions to come to inspect the damage to my ceiling from the water leak, and prepare a quote. Patrick,who came to Adelaide to visit 20 years ago and stayed, was held up because they found asbestos in the last section of their current demolition job, and the site was quickly shut down. Unsurprisingly he still has an Irish brogue and talks the leg off a chair. He is, however, nothing if not thorough. He says at least 1 sq metre of the ceiling is water damaged and will need replacing, which, in his view, means the whole ceiling will need to be repainted. This seemed a fine idea until today, when it rained heavily - and the drip is back!

The missing book turned up on Thursday morning in 16b. Maureen, our Strata Rep, had canvassed owners. Danielle, who has moved out and has 16b on the market, must have called in to check on her way to work. I got a message at 7.30 am, jumped into some day clothes and retrieved it. Before and after Pilates I read it. It’s an amazing story. WES members will love it. They will have to wait until next September, when the topic appears on our calendar. A brilliant choice by Margaret. The book is (only) available from the Gawthorpe Textile Collection. 

I had spent a bit of time investigating printers and trying to answer the questions I asked last week. I had more-or-less settled on a black and white laser printer - one of the 3 recommended by Choice. It was not readily available, but appeared as in stock at the OfficeWorks near my Pilates studio. I therefore ordered some printing - 15 copies of the notes for the January Certificate Workshop- and called in after Pilates to pick it up and have a conversation about printers. Unfortunately their website was inaccurate and they only had a show model. The assistant, however, was really knowledgeable. It did look promising. They accepted the old printer for recycling. On Monday there was only one shop left with stock of the chosen replacement. I drove there and purchased one of their last 2 - discounted by 30%. It's still in the box. Hopefully I'll unpacked it soon.

I had booked Ovenbusters for Friday morning.  Braddon, the serviceman, was due around 10.30am, so at 7.30am I parked my car outside the apartment entrance to save him a space. He cleans in the van, so needs it close by, and the van doesn’t fit under our building. I have extension vouchers from the City Council, which means I can park outside for 4 hours. When Braddon arrived he found an easy park one door down, so I moved my car back in.  Brandon did a fabulous job on the oven, including between the glass on the door panel. He had useful tips and information - including that contemporary ovens have a life expectancy of not much more than 5-6 years! Adds to my insecurity.

All Adelaide family members were busy on Saturday night, so I  got stuck into the Kasia Jacquot linens that arrived on Friday. These items had been bought on sale: one, a panel pack that went into my pile of her panels to be embroidered for bags; the other a panel of small designs for ornaments. 

The latter I had bought mainly for the Christmas ornaments the Guild had reqested for the Christmas sale. 

Still on Saturday, a group called Acoustic Beats and Brews had set up in the Square for the afternoon and I couldn't block out the persistent underlying thump of the Bass, but it wasn't constant. By the time I went to bed I had completed four items - all I'm planning for now. Details in my embroidery blog.

I had also been impressed with Kasia Jacquot's embroidered jeans. When Nancy Bird advertised her Sol Pants  in cinnamon last week, I succumbed. These too, arrived on Friday. They fit perfectly and I have now copied the pattern on to one leg and started the embroidery. I know, I know. Yes, the knitting is still going, and I have made substantial progress with the Blue Birds tapestry. I'm not multitasking here, just jumping from one to another.

Sunday was BookClub at my place. There were six of us and we had lots to talk about. The 30C heat had not reached its peak so we were comfortable and engaged.

After the girls and I had lemon chicken and a good time on Monday evening, we were back together again this afternoon when Alison paid a flying visit. I hastily gathered a couple of family pies, bacon & potatoes (in a glass dish, rather than a big brown pot), cheese, salami, bread, salad, nuts - whatever was to hand, and laid it all out so people could help themselves and keep talking, which they certainly did. In the end, seven of us sat down and polished of most of the food with very few silences. Around 8pm school night awareness kicked in and the 5 of them fled. The visitor has a busy day ahead. It is so lovely to see her for a few precious hours. 

I am late posting this so won't attempt more.

Post 607 It never rains but it pours!

 

I snapped this photo of what I think is the Peace rose at the Guild as I left on Wednesday. It was looking really good. Our meeting had, once again, gone swimmingly. We learned a lot about the English embroiderer Louisa Pesel, who organised, in the 1920s, the stitching of 365 kneelers and other works at Winchester Cathedral, where they can be seen today, many still in use. We are also well on the way to having our 2026 program in place.                          

 

Back at home, encouraged by the response of the group, I cut out a bag from my remaining piece of face-to-face fabric, and pencilled in the names of the current Australian female Anglican bishops and the Canterbury Archbishop elect, ready to stitch. I know I said I would wait until I'd finished the carrdigan and tapestry - but I really wanted to see if the female bishop idea would fly.

I did finish the back of the cardigan. As can be seen by the colour change (left, not as obvious in the garment as in the photo), it took the best part of 3 balls. I have left the remainder of the third ball attached (top, just left of centre) to add the band). I've started a front.

 

On Friday I prepared the project, notes and publicity for the Evil Eye Certificate Course Workshop I have agreed to give at the Guild in January. In the middle of it, my printer spat the dummy, giving me a series of instructions that I followed to no avail. I had fortunately managed to print the first draft of the notes for participants, so sent a final draft off to Officeworks to print. I also ordered some items from the Guild Museum to be delivered on the day of the workshop. This was a bit of a challenge as the expectation is that you will print the form, fill it our by hand, then hand it in at the Guild. I edited it online in Word by creating text boxes for every line -then emailed it.

I've also sent off the publicity for the Guild newsletter and created both paper and plastic templates for participants to use, along with stitch suggestions. They are ready in a tote bag, along with the relevant books and examples - a good job jobbed.

I seem to be dealing with technology breakdown on multiple fronts. My bathroom scales, an essential part of my weight management regime, have been giving me multiple and inconsistent readings across a 3kg range. The result differs from minute to minute and from bathroom floor tile to bathroom floortile. When I searched for an answer, battery failure was suggested. I thought this unlikely, and indeed, a change of battery made no difference.

The most likely cause was a need for recalibration. This requires a specialist service, whose charges are way more than the cost of a new set of scales. More research suggested the most reliable brand (not mine!) so I sourced one at OfficeWorks and bought it. To my horror, using it requires an app, a registration process, a set-up and a whole series of recording and reporting functions I do not want. I did the minimum required to stand on it and obtain a reading. When I did this, it, too, jumped around for a couple of minutes, trying to make up its mind. When it settled on a number, it was at the upper end of the old machine's fluctuations. On Sunday I returned the new machine to OfficeWorks - who were totally obliging. The old machine is now back in the bathroom, along with an even older machine I had stored in my wardrobe, so I can compare. So far there seems to be a consistent 0.5kg difference.

In the evening I finished embroidering the names of four of the Australian bishops. I find the Quaker stitch effective but a bit tedious. Getting the letters legible is difficult. Progress, however, is encouraging. One side of the bag is now embroidered.

Sunday was the first of a two day Carol Mullan workshop at the Guild, to make a canvas work needlecase. It was a lot of fun and both my eyes and my back held up. I was pleased with my progress, even though I left early to be home for the arrival of Sean the Geek to install my network backup, returning the scales on the way.

Sean installed and calibrated back up storage, gave me advice on the TV installation and also examined my printer. He located the problem. Replacing the problem part is likely to cost more than a new printer so I spent an hour or so exploring options. Do I need a printer? Does it need to copy? Does it need to be coloured? The answer to all three questions is probably no. It is, however, convenient to be able to print a page from a pattern book. Forms often have to be printed before filling in. Maybe a black and white laser printer would do the job if I photograph the book page? 

The back up disk is still loading data.

While all has been going on, I’ve been negotiating what seem to me exorbitant delivery and installation charges for the new television. In the end I have limited choice and need to accept the inevitable. I should have required these charges before I purchased. I can only hope the final product, when installed in November, lasts a decade.

Today I spent a pleasant 3 hours catching up with Panayoula and hearing about her very recent month-long trip to Greece to attend a family wedding, with side trips to Estonian and Helsinki. There were lots of photos to view.  While I was out, I had a message that a book I have been waiting for from the UK had been delivered - but when I got home I couldn’t find it. I spent an hour or so contacting Australia post who are now investigating, but it looks as if the address was incomplete - just "16 Hurtle Square”  Checking with PayPal it seems the error was on the order. 

I am now enquiring of my neighbours, however two of the 4 apartments at 16 are on the market and empty. The owner of a third travels a lot. It seems it never rains but it pours - or the universe is testing me in some way. So far I’m sticking with nil desperandum, but it’s an effort! 

I began this post with the Guild's Peace rose . I'm choosing to conclude with a pelargonium I admired at the Guild on Sunday. 

There is such joy, and peace, in family, friends and flowers.