Post 114. Colourful and Auspicious Day

I opened the blind in time to see this morning's colourful sky at sunrise.


It very soon gave way to grey gloom, but there were moments of sunshine throughout the day.

Mine was, for me, busy. I had Pilates, lunch with Jennifer (yes, really) and shopping to do.










Before we get to that, however, I want to share the bloom on the aloe. This photo was taken about 5pm yesterday, when I got home. It is truly lovely. There are more buds to come out, but I don't believe it will ever look quite as good as this again. I hope I'm proved wrong.







The very first flowers on this one are also open - just these two, but it won't be long before it is covered in little star flowers.

I go away for 28 hours and look what happens!






I was trying to get ready for Pilates when I noticed the Crimson Rosella land on the tree closest to my balcony. No time to set up my SLR: had to do the best I could with my phone.

The doves had come and gone. There was a little bit of seed left from yesterday's late distribution but I added a bit more when they arrived. Myrtle flies  away as soon as I open the door, however slowly, but Turtle stays.

Incidentally, my brother rang me the other day to tell me that doves need grit to digest their food, as do chickens. and eat small pieces of gravel for this purpose. It is held in their gizzard and is regurgitated. This is why I sometimes end up with the gravel on my balcony. 

Pilates was good - I am back to fairly easy exercises because I missed over three months and need to build up again. Martine, my instructor, is very good at this.

Then to Grange Jetty Cafe for lunch with Jennifer. She is looking remarkably good and walking very confidently.

We only had an hour because of Covid restrictions. It was so good. Jennifer now has a physio program to help her. The physio says her recovery will take 12  months.

One of the things we talked about was the need to capture the experiences of those who have had the virus. While medical staff working in the Covid wards will have medical records and aggregated data, there are many other stories in the experience of patients and those who have recovered.

The cafe is on the beach with a lovely outlook. I was so focused on the occasion, I didn't even take a photo of it. I did, however, think to get one of us to mark the occasion.


On my way home I stopped at North Adelaide to get fruit for my breakfast - including Australian grapes, which shelf stackers at Frewville told me were now finished. Metropolitan Fresh at North Adelaide seem better at calculating need, purchasing and storing fruit.

By the time I got home and packed away my purchases, I was very tired, so I read for a while and contemplated my next project. Vivienne sent me some photos this morning of simple Fair Isle patterns that could be used for the left over wool from the scarf. That reminded me of a couple of books I had, so the next thing I am searching the shelves.

I spent a bit of time reading these and considering whether I could adapt something from them.
I also dug out the Adagio kit I bought last year. I'd love to get on with this one. It would be amusing, after a day of such colour, to choose a project in shades of grey!

And I am still working on the owl in between other things.

I made no decisions and did very little stitching. I am playing with another  embroidery project but don't want to photograph it yet.

It is still my intention to work next on the Reverse Muncaster Orange. I didn't even iron the scarf. I think an early night is called for. I have potential projects all over the lounge room. I will need to put them away before my cleaner comes tomorrow morning at 8.30.

Lunching with Jennifer has made it a very auspicious day.