Self-isolation Day 4: phone calls and writing

Most of my activities today were not photo-worthy! I had planned a stitching day, but in the end I had lengthy phone discussions with a couple of friends - kind of coffee by phone, make a coffee and settle in to catch up, sort out our concerns and laugh.

I spent a bit of time replying to emails and staying in touch with my daughters.

I was in touch with our Guild employee, who is still working, and with Gay Sanderson, who prepared the Ort pot kits and product that I took to Stratford with me, to let them know the result. The $180 I will deposit with the Guild tomorrow as a result of the sales will offset what the Guild is losing in attendance fees at the moment. I also wrote up an account of the interest in the kits for our Guild newsletter - need to keep the stories coming.


Early this afternoon it was, oddly, sunny and reasonably warm (23C) on my back, East-facing balcony, but cloudy and dull from my front, West-facing balcony.  It felt a bit like a metaphor for our time.

Many of us are trying to work out how to avoid being overwhelmed by the cloudy view. The dot in the top of the sky just to the left of centre in this photo is a plane taking off. A site that will become less and less common.

balcony blooms.

Here in Australia we entered a new stage of lock-down last night with closure of all cafes, restaurants, clubs, gyms and, for some states, schools.

SA is keeping schools open. These are not straightforward decisions. There are unintended consequences either way.

The decision to close gyms will hurt a lot of young people, as essential as it is.

I am resisting the temptation to spend much time following the news. I do keep up, but am choosing not to watch or read endless analysis. I had planned to do several circuits walking around the apartment but focused instead on the coffee phone calls and emails. Tomorrow.

I need to begin thinking how to use this sample of sequinned net that Nicola Jarvis generously sent me. I had been discussing with Nicola an idea I had for our Guild's exhibition in October this year with a theme of Nature by Needle, and mentioned the difficulty I had found in last year's exhibition, creating both dead and live fish. Nicola got excited about the possibility of using the sequins on this piece of clothing she had bought in a vintage shop. She sent me a piece before I left England. So generous with both expertise and supplies!  I now need to work out if I can make the idea work.




This evening I made a salad with the duck fillet I cooked the other night. I finished my Qantas bottle of wine last night, so back to Chain of Ponds Pinot Grigio.

I still have no response from Woolworths regarding my home delivery application. I suspect they are overwhelmed. I can manage without at the moment, and I am heartened by the conversations today with my non-isolated peers who are managing their shopping without too much difficulty.







I'm finishing this day on my Muncaster Orange. I realise, as I photograph progress, that I should have embroidered the half-leaf before the orange!

Like fellow students, I now need to decide on a colour for the bow. In the light of the place in which I'm hoping to place it on my chair, I think I'll go for a slightly greeny-yellow. Or maybe a yellowy-green.

I shall try to produce a more visually interesting blog tomorrow. Talking, reading and writing keeps me going, but doesn't make for much of a narrative!