Post 297 Shopping, doves and frangipani.

 This morning I sorted out my Christmas presents and then went to Norwood to drop of my soft plastic recycling, and get a couple of small items including a few bits at the supermarket. I also went to the bead shop and dropped off a coral and turquoise necklace that has been waiting to be mended for several years. I intended to learn how to mend it myself - but recently decided to just get the bead shop to mend it. Somewhere I think I have a bag of necklaces to be mended. If I find them I will take a class on necklace repair.

Coles had this little fir tree for sale. It was the only one they had. I had looked at larger versions of these at Barrow and Bench a couple of weeks ago. On impulse today I bought this one. I need to keep it out of full sun, which might mean keeping it inside in Summer. If I manage to keep it (and myself!) alive for 10 years, it should reach 1.3 metres.

I came home via Jenny McWinney's shop to buy a copy of Margaret Light's new book, A Fine Tradition. It is a beautiful book with some lovely projects. Every one is appealing. This needle case is my absolute favourite. I certainly don't need any more projects, but you never know....

When I got home, and sat to look at Margaret's book, Black Tips took up position, alert to some sounds of building on the site next door. It makes such a great image, I can't resist photographing it.

I managed another square while catching up on the latest news of border closures and virus spread.

Today would have been my mother's 95th birthday. 

In Sydney this afternoon my brother visited the resting place of our parents' ashes. The magnolia tree has grown quite a bit. The frangipani blooms are from a a tree my brother has grown from a cutting we took from one of the huge frangipani trees our mother nurtured in our Botany home. It in turn came from a cutting given to her by her sister in about 1955. 

I took it into my head this afternoon to make some more large gift bags. I have had some pieces of batik on my sewing machine for some time, intending to make myself more Summer pull-on pants. I've now decided that fabric without stretch is bad news for pants for me, so on impulse I cut a couple of the batik pieces into quarters and turned them into large bags. I have quite a few large bags waiting to be used, but these bags are bigger still. I have a feeling they are going to be in demand. 

From my sewing machine I can see on to my back balcony. While I was stitching the bags, Blus arrived and had some seed. Within a few seconds Black Tips was there . They then went through the dove courting ritual - looks like kissing. it went on for a while, followed by mating and a kind of silent companionship before they resumed eating seed and exploring. Pretty extraordinary. At least I now know that Blush is female and Black Tips is male!

I spent the evening adding the drawstrings to the batik bags. Now I'm prepared for all contingencies - and ready for bed!

Tonight was the Summer Soltice. This is about as far south as the sun gets at sunset. 

Unfortunately I didn't get any Crewel work done today. A shame, but there was quite a bit going on.