Post661 Progress.

Yes, it's Jacaranda time again in Adelaide. This is the top on one close to my back balcony.

I had an optometrist appointment on Wednesday morning, resulting in an amended glasses prescription. I've ordered  new multifocals and the replacement of the lenses in my reading glasses. There is a slight advance in my cataracts, which will need removing within 5 years but are best left alone for now. On the way home I  detoured to Spotlight to get some gold wire to use for couching in the Certificate Course workshop I am preparing. Happily I found suitable beading and florist wire at reasonable prices, so bought both.  I also called at the chemist to have prescriptions made up. One is about to expire, so I might as well get all I'm likely to need in the next few months. On a roll,  I completed the student notes and sent them off to OfficeWorks for printing, then emailed  the newsletter notice to the Guild.  

Before Pilates on Thursday I made adjustments to the PowerPoint, copied it to two USBs and picked up the printed notes from OfficeWorks.  That, I thought, warranted a wild mushroom pizza at Ballaboosta for lunch.

Panayoula and I spent 2 hours catching up on Friday morning before I went to the B&O shop where Nas , unphased, changed the batteries in my remote using a key - the same as used on an Apple phone. They are supplied with the remote - so I assume mine was removed by the installers along with the packaging. I must have one somewhere.

I had taken the remote wrapped in a hand towel in one of my embroidered bags. A man visiting the shop asked me about the bag - and then asked me to embroider something for his not-yet-born granddaughter! He began with a request for "something pink".  I directed him to the Guild shop. He then got more specific - a cap with Mia - Missing in Action embroidered on it!  I said I was very busy.

Back home, the remote turned the TV on, but no sound and no channel change! I phoned the shop. NAS explained she just had to restart all their machines because of a blackout. She suggested I had been affected by the same. I tried everything she suggested with the remote and app to no avail. In the end I turned the TV off and back on at the powerpoint and it worked! Nas couldn’t have been more helpful. Will I be able to change the batteries next time? I’ll wait (hopefully 1-2 years) to find out! 

When I was over the panic I assembled the kits for the workshop, cutting 1 metre lengths of gold wire plus about 5-6 metres of linen thread and two pieces of hemp cloth, which I edged on the machine. 15 of these are now ready for the workshop -enough for students to work a very basis sample.

I  had planned to go the monthly Saturday morning  market at St Margaret's, but fortunately checked, to discover it had been held the week before! I shopped for the vegetables and several varieties of sausages for Monday night. then  got stuck in to the last sample for my Certificate workshop next year.  

It was great to catch up with all my grandchildren on Saturday night, the two eldest providing much needed help with the crosswords after dinner. 

Book Club was lively on Sunday morning. Most members had read all three of the  Joanna Jenkins books up for discussion. One member and I had read only the first, and were both unimpressed. It made for good discussion. 

I’ve now packed all  the Certificate Course Workshop material into a box, labelled and ready to go. It sits on top of a huge box of books I used to research the period.There will be a few tweaks when the time comes, but I could, if required, take the class tomorrow. If interested you can read about the samples in my embroidery blog.

The sausages I bought for Monday dinner were Italian mild pork and fennel, lamb with balsamic, onion and rosemary, pork with Royal Gala apples, and chicken with fetta and spinach - 6 of each. There were 7 in attendance and we consumed 20 sausages.The lamb and chicken were the ones commented on, but in the end, they are just fuel for engagement.

The Innovations Catalogue, from which, in the past, I have bought many a Christmas present and handy item, is closing. I am steadfastly deleting the sale notices without opening. I did, however, browse the latest Fox Collection catalogue and noticed that, for the first time, they are offering to create a cross stitch cushion kit using your own photo, either as a counted chart or printed on Aida fabric.  It caught my imagination. I discussed with my family the potential for things like graduation cushions. In the end I decided I wanted to see how good they were, so I have ordered three using photos of birds and a butterfly. I ordered them on Sunday, and on Monday received notice they were on their way - from China. I guess I should have anticipated that. From past experience the only downside is the reliance on a courier rather than the PO. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Just after 9 this morning my buzzer sounded the arrival of Emerson from the company that services my Aircon system, here to install pads and a vibration absorber under my condenser in the car park and report on any other measures that can be taken to reduce the transfer of noise to the apartment directly above the condensers. He was very thorough and communicative. As well as installing the pads and absorber, he measured noise and vibrations, the thickness of the concrete and a report will follow. I have, I think, done all I can. 

The sun was out, and the jacarandas planted as street trees along the front of our apartments some five years ago have gained height. This one is almost level with my balcony. They are still quite thin and spindly, but will hopefully fill out in the next few years.

I managed to get myself to the pool and swim laps for half an hour. This evening  I completing the next round of  the fourth cushion. Reports tell me the three installed in the church are being well used. 

The next round is in the darker green, after that the corners get squared off. I'm nearly half way.  It's satisfying to knit - you see progress at every stitch. 

As I look back over this post, it's been a very green week!

Post 660 Preparation, progress, replacement and remediation

Most of the past week has been spent preparing for the Certificate Workshop I agreed to take for the Guild next April. It’s months in advance, but I’ve promised to help my brother write a book on the same timeline and the workshop is my top priority. I want to be sure it’s ready to go before I plunge into the book.

The workshop is on Early Medieval Embroidery in Britain. I already have the talk I gave to the tour group- a bit long for Certificate students, so I edited the PowerPoint. From that I prepared student notes, then set about designing projects. There are significant challenges in this. Our tools, materials and conditions are all very different. Do I try to give a sense of what it was like to be an early medieval embroiderer or focus on design and pattern? I have also been asked not to use wool because of allergies. In the end I have created five options for students, two focused on joining stitches and three on design. Within the options I am focusing on linen and hemp, but students can also use silk.

Once I’d worked out the options and created related diagrams, I needed to work the examples myself. I have one more to work. I called at the Guild last Thursday to gather some resources students will need. I got linen thread, but  gold couching thread or wire is proving more elusive. I think I have a solution at Spotlight . I’ll visit tomorrow. Once I have that I can make student kit packs and finish writing the information to go in the Guild Newsletter. I hope by the end of this week the preparation will be complete - except for the last sample. I keep finding additional details. Today I discovered that linen thread was commonly waxed in the period. I'll try that in the last sample.

On Saturday morning Matthew and Mark ( I confess, I did ask them where the other 10 apostles were🙄) came to assess my shade blind damage. As I suspected, it is not repairable. The small tear in the fabric, which has been there for years, is affecting the weight and catching on the winding mechanism. I see the problem. The blind is probably 25-30 years old. Contemporary versions have more weight at the bottom of the blind and more protection of the winding mechanism. While they got it working it has not lasted . They are preparing quotes for replacement but will not be able to do the work until after Christmas. The blinds, I realise, will not go in the lift, so will either have to be carried up the stairs or somehow hoisted over the balcony. In the meantime, the curtains are getting a workout to avoid glare, 

Today I managed to swim! It's an effort to get there but I feel great afterwards. Today I took a bath towel rather than a beach towel.  It was a good move. It's less weighty and easier to manage in the confined changeroom spaces. 

This afternoon a message from our Strata management company requested I, and owners of the two apartments below mine, get our airconditioning units in the basement inspected to identify any ways of reducing the vibration noise transmitted up the wall on which they are mounted. - a follow-up from the noise problem on the ground floor apartment directly above the units. I had discussed the issue with the technician who serviced my aircon in August. The technician had no solution.  I phoned my service company when I got the request today. They were helpful, are preparing a quote and scheduling the inspection. The manager thinks some of the noise can be reduced by pads.

I also completed the online self-assessment form required for my driver's licence. I'm assuming tomorrow's optometrist appointment will support my assessment! 

I’ve made a little progress on the fourth cushion. It has been my soothing project to counterbalance all the above. Thirteen hexies down, thirty six to go!

Post659 A Couple of Finishes.

WES group meeting was very successful for the 10 who made it. There were a lot of apologies, a combination of people travelling, recovering from operations or down with infections. We had a walk though textiles in some major British museums, including the V&A, Edinburgh, the Ashmolean, Shetland, Orkney and Dunrobin Castle. My recently purchased book on Women Textile Designers was much in demand. I haven’t as yet read it, but the level of interest was so high I lent it to a couple of members to share in the hope they will use it as the basis of a couple of talks next year.

My GP visit went very well.  All blood test results were good, either steady or improved. I had a RSV vaccination with no ill effects for my subsequent Pilates class.

The third beekeeper cushion is finished. The fourth and last, is not required until Christmas Eve, so I moved  on to embroidering the Peranakan batik dress. 

The bird took about two days to embroider. 

I was in two minds about the need to balance it by embroidering a butterfly near the shoulder. 

I consulted family: the butterfly is now embroidered and the dress ready to wear. Again, detail in my embroidery blog,

The hot weather arrived while all this was progressing. I've had the shade blinds down on my west-facing balcony on several evenings.

On Sunday evening the right-hand one came down smoothly but the left one stuck at an angle and wouldn't move either up or down.  I phoned a repair service on Monday morning. They are flat out for the next two weeks but have managed to schedule an inspection and possible repair this coming Saturday. 30C is forecast Thursday and Friday, but I can live with it. I changed the battery in the remote last night and the wonky blind spookily retracted! It still only comes down to the position in the photo. 

The other  negative to report is another mug breakage, I don't use this one much. I love the size, shape and look (it's hand-made from the Jam Factory) but the rim is a bit thick. I thought it about time I gave it another try, and have been doing so. On Saturday I let it slip on my marble bench as I was about to wash it with the result seen here. At least it isn't in a thousand shards, so can join the lineup of cup-sized plant pots on my balconies.

I have spent most of today writing the notes for my Certificate Course Workshop next April and designing the student projects. What is left for me to do is to work the projects myself. 

That is quite a lot, but is possible as I now have two designs ready to trace on to fabric and a set of three joining stitches to try on another piece of fabric. Progress.

I have started the fourth and last Beekeepers Cushion. There is no rush, but I might as well get on with it.     

                     

I am also halfway through  the first authorised  Miss Marple novel in 70 years. I'm not yet sure what I think. At the moment it seems like a decent story - but not very Miss Marple, and certainly not in the Christie style..   It would  make a good Book Club discussion.

Post 658 I decide not to wait

A lovely clear moonrise just after 6.15am on Thursday morning began a very productive day. Wednesday had had a few setbacks, all of which were overcome, setting the scene for the productive Thursday.

I had finished last week by setting the priority for this week as phoning the dressmaker. It turns out  she is currently in Italy so unable to discuss my idea for using the Peranakan batik. I was told to  ring again after 19 October to make an appointment. I was reluctant to wait, so had a rethink. 

My idea had been to ask her to use the same design she used for the silk dress in April (left)- a basic muumuu. It is the simplest possible pattern, but would require manipulating the fabric in two directions. 

I found the pattern, which she had given me for safekeeping, ironed it, along with the fabric, and cut out the dress. The pattern fit the fabric almost exactly, with enough for a pocket if I joined some off-cuts. The pattern repeat fitted twice on the front if I placed the pattern across the fabric. I ran the pattern lengthwise for the back, giving me a border and one pattern repeat. I figured it needed lining so made a trip to Create in Stitch on Thursday morning.  

Wednesday had began, as predicted, with a fasting blood test around 8.20am. I will get the results when I meet with my GP on Thursday. Back at home I had my delayed breakfast and set the coffee machine descale in process while waiting for the delivery of my Acanthus fabric and phoning my dressmaker. 

Once again, the descale progressed as per the steps in the manual but when it finished the descale light lit up again. I repeated the tedious process. The descale light is still on. I am now ignoring it. Again. 

The coffee I had made before setting this in motion was by now cool so I heated it in the microwave -and dropped it as I removed it, spreading coffee and pieces of one of my favourite mugs all over the tiled floor. Fortunately I had shoes on. C’est la vie

My dressmaking however, was much more successful. By the end of Thursday I had a comfortable, wearable dress. My left hand is inside the pocket I managed to add to the outside to fit my phone.

The next step is to embroider at least one of the birds. I've chosen threads and hope to begin tomorrow.

On Friday I had a lovely long lunch with a friend at Mr Nick's at Frewville. We had a lot to share and have set another lunch date in November.  On SaturdayI did a huge shop for food  and, on Sunday, made two dishes of Moussaka .  There were only four of us for dinner on Monday, so one dish for us, and one to go home for absentees.

Tomorrow is WES Group. I have the beginnings of our 2027 program for discussion and adjustment. The books I ordered on St Margaret of Scotland have arrived and will, I think, form the basis of an interesting talk and discussion. I have paired them with a bookmark of laminated heather courtesy of my brother and sister-in-law.

With the second beekeeper cushion installed in the church I've been working steadily on the third.

It is finished except for four half hexies to straighten the edges (top and bottom in photo). It has been fun and I'm looking forward to completing it tomorrow. I'll report on the detail next week.

There will be a fourth cushion, the same size as this one, which is not needed until Christmas Eve. I will therefore move on to the bird embroidery on the batik as outlined above. 

Post658 It's all been happening

Both daughters have been working in Adelaide this week, so up until Sunday I was preoccupied and not taking photos. The plumber arrived around 8.40am on Wednesday and left at 10.45am. He checked every fixture in the apartment, tightened a couple of fittings and changed the water filter. All is well. After he left I replaced everything in the under-sink cupboards, reminding myself of what is there and disposing of a few items before I went to the supermarket for a big shop for supplies for the rest of the week. One granddaughter arrived in time to welcome her aunt from the airport, another 10 minutes later, so they had about 40 minutes before having to dash to netball coaching. Half an hour later another family group assembled down the road for dinner. This choreography of assembly and dispersal continued throughout five day visit- a beautiful thing.

On Friday the bundles of sari silk remnants arrived - 32 pieces, each 1 metre square. They carried the smell of the warehouse, so I cut each one in half, ready to make 50x50cm bags, and placed the pile out on the front balcony in the fresh air for four days. So with the Japanese silk from a fortnight ago,  I now have 89 bags ready to make. That's a job for a relaxing day once I've finished the current cushion.

While my daughters were working, I had quite a bit of time to finish the second beekeeper's cushion so it could be used in Sunday’s service, which we attended. 

This cushion uses up most of the odd balls of blue/green 8ply I had  and represents, in my mind at least, St Margaret's sea journeys, especially the one that shipwrecked her in the Firth of Forth and returned her to Scotland as a child.

I nearly stuffed up getting us to the church on Sunday morning because in all the excitement and choreography I forgot about daylight saving. While my various devices update themselves, the dominant clock by my bed does not. Fortunately I noticed the iPad clock in time to stay on track. In any case my daughter was on the right time.

We had to leave the service after the passing of the peace to get to the airport. My daughter got home safely, and my granddaughters also got safely back from Sydney later in the day. 

Monday was the Labour Day Public Holiday and suburban shopping centres don't open in Adelaide, so I stopped on the way home from the airport to pick up milk and watermelon. I had hoped to pick up a copy of Ann Cleeves' latest release, The Dying Light  but I was too early for the bookshop.

I  spent the afternoon reflecting on family and my good fortune, and trying to make up a bit of time in the RSN History of Embroidery Course that I have neglected for months. As I was going to bed I remembered that I had a medical checkup this week -  and should have had a fasting blood test last week. It was now too late, so today I postponed the appointment until next week. I have been fasting since 7.30pm and will have the blood test in the morning.

I am now using up some pink, red and green 8ply on the next church beekeeper cushion. It is more consciously patterned than the others, designed around a white centre, representing St Margaret's honorific, The Pearl of Scotland. Her Bible, which she habitually carried and read, had a jewelled cover. Although we do not know what the jewels were, this cushion will represent the pearl surrounded by pink diamonds, rubies and emeralds. I have taken up my daughter's suggestion that I add some sparkly stitches. While stitching the red and green I used some Diamante thread along with the wool. The photo doesn't show the sparkle, which is subtle. Today I went to Create in Stitch  and bought a range of  metallic bling.  It is used up quite quickly in knitting.

This evening I have tried embroidering a thistle on the white centre with the white fluorescent thread. You can't make out the thistle shape, but it does vaguely glow in the dark.

The Lorikeets are back, filling in the gaps in this week's photography. This one has very distinctive back markings.

My daughter bought me a length of contemporary Peranakan batik from her recent travels (obviously I haven't ironed it for the photo!)

It has a repeated panel of a cockerel amongst flowers on a fine cotton. I don't want to put it away for a rainy day so have been considering how I could make it into a wearable item.  I now have a concept, and, although I could probably manage it myself, think it wiser to talk it over with a dressmaker and commission it.  

Clearly batik has moved upmarket in terms of colour, fabric, dyes - and fashion - since I bought by supply 20-30 years ago.

Today, from Create in Stitch I went to the hairdresser, then to Dymocks  for my copy of  The Dying Light, and to OfficeWorks to pick up a printing order.   Tomorrow the William Morris Acanthus fabric should arrive, and some more books about St Margaret of Scotland the day after. Looks as if it's almost time to head down a couple of Guild rabbit holes again - or maybe the silk bags. There is, of course, The Dying Light. 

Top priority however, after the blood test, is to ring the dressmaker.

Post 657 Preparations

 

Most of last week’s dramas have been resolved. The plumber arrived mid-morning Wednesday, took the cistern apart, found two broken parts, went to the supplier for replacements and fixed it. I have asked them to organise a replacement of the water filter under the kitchen sink and a check of all my plumbing connections. That's booked for tomorrow morning at 8.15am. I hate the early start, but I want the job done.

My Geek was booked to come around 6.30pm the same day, but when, to avoid embarrassment, I checked mid-afternoon, the TV internet was restored, so after discussion, the visit was called off.

I finished the cross stitch for my neighbour late that night and delivered it on Friday. She seems pleased, and I am very happy to have it done. She has framed it and called me today to show me. The white spot is a light reflection.

On Friday I woke with pain behind my left eye. The pain was different to the stye episode but I followed the same procedure of lubrication and hot packs and it was largely resolved by the end of the day. I had intended to swim, but didn't. Whatever the problem was, a swimming pool felt risky. Instead I tried to vary my activity - a bit of knitting (much, much easier on eyes than cross stitch!), a bit of washing, a bit of tidying, a bit of reading, a bit of watering, some neck exercises, a bit of shopping. The program seemed to do the trick. By Saturday afternoon I could read and note some of The Romance of Lace  which arrived on Friday and will form the basis of a WES talk next year. By dinner time I could participate in our weekly crosswords and string a sentence together.

Book Club on Sunday was a 25 minute drive away in the foothills. For once I used the GPS. It took us a while to settle. One member’s husband has been in and out of hospital with intestinal issues along with dementia - a huge stress. There is empathy and experience in the group. It is nevertheless somewhat depressing. We focused to discuss our way through the 48 crime books we had read between us. The one I was a bit interested in following up was the Sister Veronica series by Sarah Sheridan, however, after reading some of the Goodreads reviews, I think I'll give them a miss.

There were six of us for dinner last night. We spent a lot of time catching up and a bit of time making plans. The approaching weekend is a long one and the two youngest granddaughters are going to Sydney for a concert and staying with my brother. Fionn is heading to the McLaren Vale for a break. Unfortunately, they are missing a visit from my Canberra daughter, here for a few day's work at the end of this week. We have elaborate plans for the first 5 hours of her arrival tomorrow - the chance they have of catching up. 

I had intended to shop today for the visit but decided that woud be better done tomorrow, to ensure maximum freshness of food. As I mentioned at the beginning, the plumber is coming early tomorrow to check all my fittings. This means emptying cupboards under all sinks so he can access the pipes. It took me a good part of the day to find baskets or boxes and then empty the cupboards into them. They are now standing around the place. I haven't examined the contents in detail, but I probably don't need it all. 

I also removed all my craft bags and boxes from the spare room so it can be used for sleeping. I'm hopeful the plumber will be finished not long after 9 so I can put everything back under the sinks and go shopping for my visitor's stay before heading to the airport. I am hoping there is no major plane delay to unravel all the elaborate plans for tomorrow evening. I'm so looking forward to seeing her.

It's been 35C today but should drop to 25 tomorrow and a bit lower for the rest of the week. I shalln't be complaining. Rain is also forecast. The Flapjacks Kalanchoe will welcome rain.  I've watered it, but it looks a bit less than its peak.

  I've worked steadily on the second beekeeper cushion. I have 12 pods to go, plus 4 halves. I'd like to finish by the weekend so it can be used. 

Post656 A few things need fixing.

 

It wasn't until Friday that I managed to get back to the pool. Perhaps it was the beginning to the day, waking to the balcony plants throwing shadows on the windows in the slightly golden light, that inspired me to plan my day around a pool visit. It requires both planning and disciple to be prepared to don bathers in the middle of the day, remove hearing aids, and pack all the necessaries for a pool visit. 

I managed to be in the water at 12.30 and out at 1pm. I even took enough clothes to respectably visit the Frewville supermarket afterwards. I usually make do with a cover-all until I get home. Hopefully I've broken the run of avoidance and can get back into a swimming routine.My body certainly needs it. I was tired by the end of the day and unusually asleep by 10.30pm.

After Pilates on Thursday I had lunch at the Queen St Cafe. I haven't been for a while. The Vietnamese  pork belly salad is still fabulous.

The remainder of my days have been spent either reading or advancing projects. The first Beekeeper's Cushion is finished and delivered. I'm now focused on the Bicycle embroidery for my neighbour. 

On Friday I finally had notification that the Japanese silk remnants I had ordered were waiting to be picked up at the PO. I'm still not sure what went wrong. I'd been emailing the retailer for over a week with no reply. She had, in fact, replied several times. These eventually turned up in my spam file, which I had checked. The Australia Post deliverer had left a card, but on the same day as another delivery for which i had a text message, assuming when I picked it up that it was the same parcel. Because both the retailer and the PO persisted, I finally got it. The silk is lovely, and should make 23 bags when I have a bag day.

On Sunday morning as  I watered plants on the back balcony, I disturbed a dove who had been hidden in foliage of the wall garden. It flew off as I watered the top row of plants. I was immediately suspicious - it was the same spot in which a blackbird had built a nest two years ago. Although I had added plants to the spot to discourage nesting, there appeared to be a space at the back of the tub. 

I do not want a nest on my balcony - especially at the moment when there is an infection affecting wild birds. It is not yet in city birds, but is expected. I placed an empty pot over the space to discourage a return. Over the next few hours the dove kept returning, investigating and trying to burrow under the pot. Eventually, around 4pm, when I checked, the dove flew out from under the pot, where it had managed to burrow! I feel very sad about this. I can't get up high enough to look into the space, but clearly there must be eggs. I'm confident there are not yet young birds. I have replaced the empty pot with one filled with soil that will be much harder to dislodge or burrow under. The visits appear to have stopped.

It reminded me that my mother, who was no lover of cats, and chased them out of her garden, was horrified that my maternal grandmother, a tough woman whose children found her hard to love, had drowned the kittens of stray cats found hidden on their plant nursery property (and home) in the 1930s when my grandfather couldn’t do it. I saw this as strength rather than heartlessness. What was the alternative?  Stray cats were destructive to the young plants their livelihood depended on. 

There are many reasons why hatching birds on the balcony is a very bad idea. I feel conflicted and sorry for the dove. I think, however, it was the best thing to do. Maybe I need to put some gravel in the pots at the top of the wall garden.

Today is the birthday of two of my granddaughters. We had a joyful time at dinner last night. I declined an invitation to their dinner tonight. I have failed to keep my 13 hour overnight fast  several nights this week, and my weight is edging up, so I got permission to stay home.  Nevertheless, my day did not turn out as I had anticipated. 

We had been notified of a fire alarm check of the whole apartment block, beginning at 7.30am, so I was up, dressed and ready. The technician works his way through the 27 apartments from one end to another, checking each alarm with a metre on a rod, before checking the sound alarms from the mains board in the basement carpark. As our pod is at the very end of the building, we are either the first or the last to be tested. This time we were last. The tester arrived at 9.50am, 20 minutes before the cleaners. The alarms sounded in sequence just after they arrived. No problem, all in order.

The drama, however, did not end there. For a while the flush on the toilet in my spare bathroom has occasionally failed to switch off. A gentle reflush has done the trick, but I've been aware I need to get it checked. Today it did not turn off when the cleaner  flushed it and he attempted to lift the lid of the cistern to fix it. Unfortunately, the cistern lid is not made to be lifted and dislodged the buttons completely, so the flush does not stop. I now have water running continuously into the cistern, into the bowl and down the drain. I immediately called my plumber who has rearranged work so he can get here at midday tomorrow. He was very helpful. I had tried to turn the stop-cock off, but can't do it. He says this is normal - they seize up due to underuse. So I am wasting water. Fortunately, I have my ensuite. I had a medical appointment at roughly the same time tomorrow which I hope I've cancelled by leaving numerous messages. 

By then it was too late to go swimming, so I went to the pub for a late lunch then sat on the front balcony in the sun. The nasturtiums are beginning to fulfil my hopes of coverage. 

I  managed to advance the cross stitch bicycle for my neigbbour. I'm hoping to finish it tomorrow. It is hard on my eyes. It will, I hope, make my neighbour happy. The beekeeper cushion is a success, and I am really looking forward to knitting the next one - much easier on my eyes, and relaxing.

Finally, my TV Internet connection has just failed. Restarting the router, as directed on the screen, has not worked, so I've sent a Help! message to my Geek. Not my best week!