Post634. Plenty to see and do.

 

Last Thursday I woke to this sunrise, taking the first photo from my bed. By the time I got outside for a closer look, the first flight out of Adelaide to Melbourne was visible -  it's the dot in the grey sky slightly to the right of the middle in the photo below.

The red sky didn't, I think, amount to trouble for either local shepherds or sailors. On Sunday morning I  took a series of photos of the plane as it disappeared Eastwards - here right at the top of the photo. The Sunday sky was more pink than red - and was grey within 2-3 minutes.

I spent much of the week indoors. 

On Wednesday Shane and his apprentice arrived at 8.15am and set to work to drape my living room with drop sheets, before the top half of one worker disappeared into the ceiling. I had a doctor’s appointment at 9.30, so left them to it. I had my flu shot, and a long conversation with my GP about my blood test results from the week before. He, like the nephrologist, is happy with the results. My kidney is in good shape. My sugar level is OK and my weight stable. He says if I were 15 years younger he would suggest further weight loss, but at my age lifestyle is more important! I’m not sure that’s a great rule to live by, so I will continue to watch my weight and work slowly on a reduction.

When I returned home,  Shane was convinced, as he has long suspected, that this leak is under the solar panels. 

They have now installed a drip tray in my ceiling.  Several hours was spent re-plastering and repainting, with several trips to paint shops to find the exact colour for both wall and ceiling, so it doesn't refllect or show when the light direction changes.

They finally cleaned up and left at 4.15pm and will be back to add a connecting drain pipe from the ingress point to the tray.

I sat in the living room and knitted or wrote for the entire time. I like to hear their conversation. Shane is a great teacher, constantly engaging, explaining, showing, instructing and tasking the apprentice in a clear and supportive way.

I also now have a neat and tidy manhole ready for future inspections.  

I had been toying with the idea of cooking quail one Monday night. We used to cook it fairly frequently a couple of decades ago and I had almost forgotten. It turns out, however, that it is no longer easily available in Adelaide.  I checked with my local supermarket on Friday, but contrary to what their website says, they don't stock them. I'll investigate further, but in the meantime, eggplant is in season, and my butcher had freshly minced lamb.

Saturday proved to be quite busy. I spent much of it making Moussaka, in between making phone calls for my neighbour who had lost her phone.  Turns out she had left it at the supermarket checkout in the city.  In the afternoon, from 2.30pm- 5.50pm there was a concert in the Square, featuring two bands and a soloist. Their music was more soothing and melodic than last year's concert. I could hear, but not see the performers. This is the back of the crowd, facing the stage out of sight to the right of the photo.

In the evening, dinner was at a restaurant, to celebrate the 13th birthday of a family friend. Really relaxed. I'm not sure if my gift of cricketing books will prove a long-term interest, but it is well worth a try.

I spent most of Sunday finishing a special knitting project I had decided on for an upcoming birthday. It was intense and slightly complicated work, but produced a good result which I will reveal in due course. I am now  back on the Chapter and Skein shawl, which is a lovely, gentle project. I am only just over halfway through the first skein, so rather think one skein will be sufficient.

Books keep arriving safely. Illuminated Knits contains four patterns: a blanket, two shawls and a top, all with Celtic knot patterns.  Food for thought, rather than a rush to execute.

The Embroidery of Mexico is, without a doubt, the best I've seen on the topic. It contains detailed information about the stitches and templates of the embroidery traditions of very specific geographic areas. 

It is a treasure trove.

Today another of the Kathleen Herbert lecture reprints arrived: again, really useful background for my August talk. 

This, I think, is the last Ive ordered, so now to get down to writing.  

Today I managed to swim - 700 metres in half an hour. It’s good to be back in the pool.  Fortuitously, the temperature today, the middle of Autumn, was 30C.

Afterwards I called at Barrow and Bench hardware store. Yesterday I called there to buy a screw for a door handle that has been hanging off the wardrobe on one screw for months. When the remaining screw gave way I finally took it to find a replacement. After an enormous amount of assistance from Karen, I bought a replacement handle that came with screws. 

The problem was, the screws had to be cut to the right length. We took a punt, and Karen cut and filed them, telling me to return if the screws were too long. They were - hence today’s trip. Another worker cheerfully cut them again for me - extraordinary service for a $4.50 purchase! I also bought a couple of plants. 

The handle is now fully restored and functional. 

This afternoon I went through the pattern books accompanying the embroideries I mentioned last week.

Most are vintage knitting books that will go to a good home. A couple are crochet patterns, including this book of crocheted swimwear. 

I wonder if any Guild members will be tempted to give them a try?

                                                                     

Post 633 Quite a busy week.

1

WES Group was well attended last Wednesday with 16 people to hear Janet talk about Japanese Fukusa. There must have been 50+ varied examples. My favourite were those depicting the Takasago legend of the old couple, Jo and Uba,  who appear from Lake Takesako, to spend time under a pine tree setting the world to rights. She sweeps away the old pine needles with her broom while he rakes in good fortune.  

The Fukusa are beautifully decorated cloths placed over ritual presentation gifts. Most are woven and many embroidered.

In the gap between our meeting and the afternoon help session, Margaret helped me examine and make notes on an embroidery collection belonging to a work colleague of a family member. Most of it will, I think, end up on the Guild trading table.

I was too focused on ensuring the Gallery was left in the condition we found it to remember to check the supply of hoops on the trading table, which had been renewed the day before, so I returned after Pilates on Thursday and indulged in ten small presentation hoops. I may never use them, but my supply is depleted by the Celtic symbols I embroidered for the Early Medieval Period talk, and the hoops have proved really useful for displaying such small items. 

I felt, however, the urge to move to a larger embroidery project, so dug out the needlepoint Poppies cushion I bought last year. 

The only reliable way to tackle it is on my slate frame and Lowery, so I spent a couple of hours setting it up. It takes up quite a lot of room but is not difficult to move. Progress is slow. It’s 18” square and 10 thread count. I reckon this is at least an 85 hour project, given the time it takes to identify, choose, thread and stitch each colour. It’s also a little awkward to work, demanding regular posture adjustment. So far I've stitched a section 8"x 2' which took 4-6 hours. 

I shopped on Friday but couldn’t get lamb shanks anywhere at my local shopping centre. It was a big football weekend in Adelaide, with multiple games being played at several venues, and road closures around the city. The sky turned on a celebratory rainbow around 4pm. 

I tracked the lamb shanks down online at Frewville, fortunately in the opposite direction to the football venues. As most of the family had tickets on Saturday night, Katherine and I enjoyed a quiet meal down the road at The Greek.

Our Book Club met at Magill on Sunday. I plotted a ring route to avoid the many road closures on the more direct route, and got mildly lost. I hadn’t read the books, but there was still plenty to talk about and 62 books added to our database. I’ve ordered a second-hand copy of The Hawk is Dead by Peter James for our May meeting. The other two suggested books are thrillers, which I avoid and I am interested to check out how a fiction book is constructed around living people. I have a feeling I may not get to the meeting anyway, as I have a commitment well on the opposite side of the city later the same day.

The lamb shanks turned out well. I experimented with the vegetables (broccolini and bok choi), leaving them in iced water,  draining and tossing them into the lamb ragu at the last minute and removing from the heat after 1 minute. It worked well. The ragu was still a bit too liquid but no one seemed to mind. There was bread to soak it up.

The books I've ordered to help with my August talk are still arriving roughly on the expected timeline. There are snippets of information in each one, helping me to build the picture I want. Much of it is things I've forgotten from Uni studies decades ago. The Old English word man, for example, is gender neutral, meaning 'person' or 'human' and people are frequently referred to in early texts as 'weapon person' or ' weaving person'. 

This morning’s coffee meeting didn’t happen as my friend was ill, so I took the opportunity to drop into the city and buy a replacement for my kitchen scales.  Recommended by Choice, the new ones are slightly larger than the old and have both a high capacity (10kg) and a precision pad. It still, however, fits in my available storage space. The old one did its work for at least 20 years and is now awaiting the next curb side pickup.

Caleb turned up around 3.30pm to examine my TV, quickly finding a broken aerial cable inside the back of the TV, which, he is sure, must have been faulty. He made a temporary repair with tape and the signal was restored. After consulting with the boss, he disconnected the cable, headed to the wholesaler, returned and replaced it. My TV is now working again! I can now watch South Australian News in Adelaide time, rather than streaming from NSW in Eastern Standard Time! I celebrated with a non-alcoholic margarita.

The Chapter and Skein shawl is coming along nicely. I've used 40%-50% of the first of two skeins.I'm still not sure if I will need to use the second skein. It's relaxed knitting - a 6 line pattern in which only one row isa true patterned row. It's nice yarn to handle. 

Shane, my drip entry-point-finding hero, is due at 8am tomorrow. I have a lot of faith in his skill and persistence. The difficulty may come in getting agreement on an intervention beyond plugging the latest hole. I'm a bit buoyed by the television fix today - and grateful that I have such tradies available to help.

Better get some sleep.

Post 632 A lot going on

It's been a week with quite a lot on my mind, perhaps it's the Paschal moon. Wednesday began with a dash to the Guild to have my laptop tagged. It was the annual visit of an electrician to check and tag any machines used at the Guild. We needed to get the portable screen we are now using at WES, and any laptops likely to be used with it, tagged.

There was a bit of shopping to be done to get through the 4 day break. I made a full batch of chocolate crackle nests. 

Last week I was wondering if the shawl I had finished would go with the orange dress. I'm still unsure. I haven't actually tried it on yet. I did, however, find a small orange bag at a the Hahndorf leather shop. I ordered it to be delivered rather than drive up the Hills in current petrol situation. It arrived today. This is the shawl draped over the dress.  The bag will certainly work, with or without the shawl, but I'm hopeful it just might all work. The account of the shawl is in my embroidery blog.

 I moved quickly on to the  North Star Shawl  by Helen Stewart, the pattern I had chosen for the wool for the Chapter and Skein project. I'm very pleased with it, but set it aside over Easter to progress some embroidery.

As is now a tradition, Katherine and Niamh made hot cross buns on Good Friday. Lots of hot cross buns. I went to sample them as they came out of the oven.  Somehow I forgot to photograph the many trays. They were truly delicious. I had to ration myself to keep my weight under contol. 

I would normally have kept my Easter offering for Easter Sunday, but this year, Fionn's 21st birthday fell on Easter Saturday, so the family celebration focused on that, rather than Easter Sunday. I didn't want to confuse the birthday with Easter celbration, so I took my offering on Good Friday - a basket of felt Easter animals and some nests. The full details are in my embroidery blog account.

Late on Thursday I had a phone call to say the cabinet I had ordered in December to go behind my new TV was ready. The caller agreed that if I approved of it once I saw it,  it would fit on the back seat of my car and if I brought a blanket to wrap it in, two of their staff would help me load it, warning that I would need help at my end to unload it.  They were open on Saturday, so before heading out to Fionn's birthday lunch, I picked it up. Two men carried it to my car wrapped it in the doona I had provided, insisting on securing it in the seat belts - and the need for two people to unload at my end.

I had, of course, throught I'd give it a go on my own, but after watching them and their own precautions, I changed my mind and negotiated for Fionn to call in on Saturday morning to help me. 

We got it in place relatively easily. I had designed it so no cords needed to be detached to install it, since there had been a lot of effort to get the TV tuned. In spite of that, when I turned it on, there was no signal. The aerial cord was still connected at both ends but, while I have internet and streaming, no free-to-air TV.  I have contacted B&O and organised for the installing electricians to come next week and hopefully fix it.

The birthday party was a huge success, fuelled by a tonne of food and beverages. I had a lovely time catching up with a few family friends I haven't seen for a long time. It was a a very relaxed afternoon and Fionn, I think enjoyed it. Such gatherings are reviving and uplifting.  

As mentioned above, I switched to embroidery for a bit. I  finished another Kasia Jacquot panel and bag. A joy to work on.  Again, the detail is in my embroidery blog.

Most of Sunday and Monday was spent working on embroideries of Celtic symbols for my talk on the Legacy of Embroidery in the Early Medieval Period.  I am concerned about breaching copyright in using photos in a public presentation, so have drawn and embroidered these myself

I finished four and am well on the way with the fifth. They are quite tricky to draw and embroider symetrically and mine are far from perfect. This last one, in particular, has involved a lot of unpicking.

The weather has been mostly pleasantly in the low to mid 20s. It rained heavily on Sunday afternoon and my drip was back. The blessed Shane is booked to come and do his magic tomorrow week. I'm expecting this time he will install a drip tray.

I haven't swum this week. Too much going on and the pool closed over the Easter break. I'm hoping to make it on Friday. 

I hope readers had a happy and restful Easter.

Post 631 Turn, turn, turn.

Wednesday was swimming, then a quick trip to the Guild to hand over the book won in the raffle last week. A lot of interest in it from the Library Team, but it will need to go through the formal selection process. If it isn’t accepted I want it back - to give to the woman who really wanted to win it! 

After hanging out my wet towel and bathers when I got home, I headed over to the pub for a late lunch. I was hungry and still on a high from the NLA announcement. The trees in the Square are looking good. It was 31C and clear blue sky. 

The parcel I mailed with anxiety the day before reached its destination after a  runaround. I didn't realise that nominating extra insurance cover necessitated a signature on arrival. I won't do that again in a hurry.

On Thursday morning I had my annual appointment with my nephrologist. I left home early to detour via my audiologist, as the connector tube on one of my hearing aids had broken. I wasn't sure it could be fixed. This set of hearing aids is now about 10 years old and beyond mechanical repair. The tube, however, was easily replaced and I left with them fully functional. 

The good news continued.  The nephrologist (whose waiting room always provides a view of birdlife) is happy with my test results -  creatinine good,  no sign of protein, no change in sugar (which is slightly higher than ideal). We had another discussion about Ozempic. He has suggested doubling my metformin dose to help with weight loss. In the light of possible side-effects, I am trying a 50% increase until I discuss with my GP. We also discussed the research he's involved in with Avivo, to enable universal donor blood conversions for transplants and transfusions. It's exciting research with big implications for medical treatment in war zones. They need, however to raise substantially more funds.

I had a weekend to myself, so on Saturday, after shopping for Monday's roast, I had a very late lunch at Mr Nick's at Frewville - Barramundi with a salad of rocket, fennel and walnuts. Excellent.

The flower arrangement on the bench was extraordinary. The staff member on duty explained it had another tall vase inside, adding a waste of good lemons!                                                                      

I also bought oysters for my main meal on Sunday with a large serve of salad and some multigrain bread - the last my weekly quota.

Books continue to arrive. A friend who volunteers in a charity shop in the Hills sent me this one. Anne Hetzel was president of the                             Embroiderers' Guild of SA in 1994 during which time the Guild undertook two commissions, one to make a Cope for Anglican Archbishop Ian George and one for a commemorative hanging to mark the 50th Anniversay of WWII, both of which are illustrated in the book,  which covers the 15 year period from 1983 when Anne and her researcher husband, Basil, travelled the world campaigning for the elimination of iodine deficiency. It's a story I didn't know, and which crosses a number of my interests.

On Friday I picked up the dress (muumuu!) I was having made by the local dressmaker. Pick-up is usually late afternoon, but when I left the fabric she had asked me to come in the morning to try it on. When I arrived she said that wasn’t needed and we chatted about various things as her card reader rejected my cards. In the end I made a direct debit. I checked at the nearby bank, and the cards are fine, problem with card reader.

When I got home and tried the dress, it was too long. I was in danger of tripping. Rather than take it back, I got out my scissors, cut 7” off both dress and lining, and ran both around on the machine. It wasn’t quite as straightforward as I hoped, as the hem was slightly shaped. The photo was taken before I ironed the hem. It's fine. On the other hand, my insistence on pockets to hold my phone hasn’t paid off. The phone is far too heavy. Even, as I had planned, balanced by keys or purse, the distortion will make it difficult to move. Looks like it’s a must-wear-a-shoulder-bag dress.

I had planned to wear it to Fionn’s 21st over Easter, but I don’t think it will be warm enough. It’s light and floaty and will find plenty of use in Summer. Even though it has been 30C today, the weather is turning. I changed my quilt over to the heavier one on Saturday and also put on a singlet - my signal that autumn has arrived. Daylight saving ends next weekend.

The History of Knitting also arrived. Published in 1987 it seems to still be the most comprehensive account. It was written by the Bishop of Leicester, who began knitting aged 7 and continued throughout his life. I'm hoping this one might prompt a discussion at WES Group next year.

Today I got up early and madea  full batch of chocolate crackle nests  so I could take a couple to Panayoula, with whom I was having morning coffee, before my 1pm haircut. We had, as usual, so much to share, so much to talk about. 

I have just finished the shawl (why this post is so late!).  

I might have managed one more row with the yarn but, with about 570 stitches on the needle, I didn't risk it. I did an elastic cast-off, which uses more yarn, so the right decision, I think!

It looks and feels  lovely. Maybe it would go with that orange dress....

Today there were leaves falling from the trees along Carrington street, although in the Square a young jacaranda has a last blast of defiance with new blooms on the upmost tips.

I've been thinking a lot about my August talk on English Embroidery in the Early Middle Ages - and ordering a few booklets published in the 1990s by Anglo-Saxon Books. 

The one that has arrived has filled out some context for me. We didn't learn much about textiles, or the world of women, in my undergraduate course! I have four more on the way from England, but who knows how long they will take to arrive in the current international  transport disruptions.

Tomorrow I need to take my laptop to the Guild for electrical tagging. with a bit of luck I will also fit in a swim. I wish all of us a peaceful, relaxed and healthy Easter break.

Post 630 Feels like an Auspicous number!

Although this was largely written before today, and I rarely provide much information about my family -or indeed any other people - for privacy reasons, today's announcement by the Minister for the Arts and then by the National Library, is too public, important, and indeed personal, to me not to put up front. It pushes everything else into the background. Here's today's announcement. The four of our family who met for dinner last night raised a glass in anticipation.  I'm so grateful to have lived to see this day. It feels so right - and such an achievement. 

Back in the world of last  Wednesday morning, I found my way to St Andrew’s Church at Walkerville, about 10km away, to hear Susan Kay-Williams talk about Igniting the Rainbow: The Dramatic Developments in Colour in Textiles in the 19th Century for Arts National. I hadn’t been to either the church, or an Arts National event before. Parking was a bit tricky and there was a fair bit of confusion checking in. There was an issue about the cost of guest entry, helpers insisting it was $15 more than the price listed on their website. I paid up, but expressed concern that Guild members I’d invited might not accept this. It was also difficult to avoid buying 2 raffle tickets, so I complied. The lecture was excellent- grounded in research and well presented. 

At the end, the raffle was drawn - and I won!  The prize turned out to be a copy of the new edition of The Secret Lives of Colour, which covers a lot of the ground of the lecture. Morning tea followed. I caught up with the 3 other  Guild members who attended (who, I think were only charged the advertised entry!). 

Several people came to examine the book I won. One photographed it and one told me she really wanted it! When I  said I would offer it to the Guild library, she said she’d join and be the first to borrow it! It retails in Australia at $67.50 (cheaper than Guild membership!). It’s arguable that it cost me $20 ( the cost of raffle tickets and the $15 overcharge). After winning the raffle, I could hardly query the overcharge! The book is a bargain if the Guild accepts it. A most interesting morning.

I had worn the Nancy Bird dress I bought last Christmas. It has tiny buttons all down the front which pop open annoyingly. It is also a bit low in the front. It does, however, look good and, apart from the buttons, is very comfortable. A number of people asked me about it. As soon as I got home I threaded the sewing machine with black thread and stitched the front closed, Very easy, stitching in the ditch of the facing. It slips on easily without undoing the buttons, so it's much better. I also found a Robyn Gordon brooch which covers the cleavage.Much more wearable!

In between Pilates, and shopping, on Thursday and Friday I mainly stitched my small Easter gifts. They are coming along very well. I’ve been improvising a bit. With Easter on my mind, I had on my list the ingredients for the chocolate crackle nests I always make for Easter, in honour of my mother. When I took the Rice Bubble packet off the supermarket shelf, it boldly declared itself to be gluten free (new marketing? haven't they always been glutin-free?). When I checked the chocolate crackle recipe on the back, it was new! Melt sugar-free chocolate, add rice bubbles, spoon into patty pans, refrigerate! No copha, no icing sugar. I had some 95% cocoa chocolate languishing in the fridge, so I crossed copha off the list. Worth a try.

Saturday was election day. I’d already voted, and I had the ingredients for Monday’s dinner, so I stitched for a while, read a bit more about the British Army in Salonica in WWI (my grandfather was there) and then made the chocolate crackles, adjusting the recipe to fit the quantity of chocolate I had. It was certainly quick. A decent consistency. The taste was awful: unremittingly bitter.  I almost never throw food away, but these went in the bin (saved the eggs!).

Late in the afternoon I drove to Haigh’s chocolates, discussed it with an assistant, and bought some of their couverture to give it another try. On the way I went past my local polling booth to see how things were going. There were still a few helpers, loads of posters and the queue was out the door, but not down the street. I think the barbecue might have packed up.

Anthony's barbecue, however, was in full swing that evening, as Fionn and a busload of his friends returned from a winery tour and consumed piles of salad and Anthony's version of democracy sausages in the backyard. The elders (including Brigid) retired to the lounge to watch the election count on TV. It progressed more slowly than usual, presumably due to either a shortage of Electoral Commission supervising staff, or computer connections working too slowly. Although the trend was clear from the start, it was only around 9.30 when around 35% of votes were being reported as counted, that I called it a night and went home.  

On Sunday I cooked the lemon chicken, a slightly messy process which I enjoyed immensely. While it was simmering I made another batch of chocolate crackle nests using the Haigh’s couverture and adding a little coconut, again a half batch. With the chicken cooling and the nests in the fridge, I ventured out to the Ukrainian Easter Festival, advertised through the Guild..

I hadn’t been there before and had a little trouble finding it. It turns out that, like the Guild, the Museum is in a house, and the event was in the very ordinary size backyard, which was set up with tressles absolutely packed with people, eating and listening to live music. I reckon between 100 and 150 people. There was one market stall to which I quickly headed.  I snaffled  some lovely jewellery as gifts, and some Ukrainian Easter eggs.

There was nothing more for me to do, so I came home, admired my purchases, and, with trepidation, tried the now set nests mark2. Success! They taste great! It was all I could do to stop myself from having a second. But stop I did! I can now confidently make a full batch. With ingredients in hand, this is best done  nearer the Easter weekend. 

I have finished my Easter felts,  all but one stowed away.  One is winging it's way to Canberra. 

I had a fasting blood test at 8.15 on Monday morning, ready for my annual renal specialist appointment on Thursday. No queue. 

Today I missed swimming because when the cleaners left I packed a quite complicated parcel to send to Canberra and the swimming window disappeared. I  hope the parcel arrives safely tomorrow. 

By mutual agreement, the lunch  in the Adelaide Hills I had pencilled in for tomorrow has been cancelled due to concerns about the diesel fuel my friend needs to get there. We are not panicking, but our meeting, while desirable, is not necessary to our wellbeing. So I will go swimming tomorrow.

Despite that cancellation, it's been an astonishingly good week.