Post 115

This morning, around 10.30, I heard the distinctive sharp call of the Adelaide Crimson Rosella. Sure enough, there was a pair in the tree opposite my balcony. I had my SLR to hand, but with the wrong lens. This time I decided to risk them leaving, located the lens and took several shots.














These are the results.  I'm fairly pleased.







While I had the chance, I took a couple of macro shots of the aloe flower.







It's not the best photo I've taken, but it is an improvement.  I like the depth of layers and dimension.


I pressed the scarf and sewed up the open edge.

I was going to Katherine's tonight for dinner. Two of the girls were at friends' places so there was room at the table for me to socially distance.








Niamh kindly agreed to model the scarf for me - she has the colouring for it!




Before starting a new project I did a bit more on the owl after getting a bit of colour advice from Niamh and Katherine.













It may look pink in the photos, but the background seed stitches are pale mauve, Niamh's suggestion, and Katherine's thread, since I had run out of that colour.

It is raining steadily. Tomorrow morning I have a Book Club meeting at 10.00am in a Norwood coffee shop - the Crime Book Club I joined last month. Should be interesting.

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.

Post 113 Victor and home

The view was clearer this morning. We had a relaxed morning. I got quite a bit of knitting done before we went into Victor Harbor around midday.

I was down here in early February to visit a friend but didn't go into the town centre. It's quite a few years since I have done so.

The town once had the oldest average age of any postcode in Australia. In the 2017 census 39,3%of its population was over 65.

Like the Shoalhaven in NSW, it is a pleasant and popular place to retire to. There's plenty of boating and fishing, a few vintage shops, a couple of decent pubs, an annual art competition and a few galleries in the area.

The town centre also boasts some specialist - and quirky- shops. Victor Beats is a music shop.














The table outside displays CDs.

The window on the right contains guitars and a lot of didgeridoos.

A bit further along is a tattoo shop.

There is a place with tables and tables of discounted sneakers and running shoes.

There is a very good coffee bar.



We had lunch at the Crown - very well spaced tables and adhering to the 20 people inside 20 outside rule.


As you would expect, there were plenty of seagulls waiting hopefully.


My drive home was smooth and pleasant - 1 hour 20 minutes door to door. A lot faster than yesterday.

When I got home there was a message to say there was a parcel waiting for me at the Post Office. The postie had tried to delivery it while I was away. I guessed it was the package of linens from Phillipa. Commonsense said to wait until tomorrow to pick it up. Commonsense lost. I headed out straight away.
I was right. These are the linens I ordered to fill in gaps in my Crewel chair.  They include the Muncaster Oranges in a mirror image, so I can match it to the one already on the chair.

I was so excited to get these. I have great plans.


I'm so grateful to Phillipa, who has gone out of her way to help me with this.










The sunset tonight was interesting in both the West



















and the East. They could almost be taken of symbols of anger and calm.






After my pub lunch of Salt and Pepper Squid and a milkshake (driving home afterwards) I didn't want or need another meal. I did finish the duck soup I made on Tuesday.








I was determined to finish the Fair Isle knitting. I have been making more mistakes as the scarf lengthens. I have undone and reworked several rows. I am not much one for unpicking, but I have done it several times in this scarf.






By the end of this evening I had finished the scarf. I haven't ironed it yet. That's a job for tomorrow. I tied off all the loose colours hidden inside the tube.
Tomorrow I need to iron it then sew up the ends

I have quite a bit of wool left over.Hats?


I am (unsurprisingly) falling asleep.. Better finish this.

It's been a great break. Catching up with friends is the best bit, but there are lots of benefits and joys. I'm grateful.


And yes, Myrtle and Turtle were waiting patiently for their missing seed!

Post 112: Hayborough

I had hoped to get away this morning by 10.00am. Inevitably, I was more than an hour later than that. There was the rubbish to put out, my packing (which included printing a couple of patterns, which involved changing the ink in the printer....), my weekly WES email to send out, the doves to feed....







I put out extra seed to cover tomorrow morning. I will be home by the evening. I think they can manage till then.

I wanted to call at Create in Stitch for some thread for my back-up project (in case I finish the Fair Isle in the next 24 hours and need another one). That didn't take long. Samela found them for me in no time and I was off to the Southern Expressway and Hayborough. Or so I thought.  My intention was to get to Mt Compass, stop for coffee and lunch and buy some buns for my friends. I didn't, I thought, need navigation help until I got to Mt. Compass.

First setback was the mess of roadwork getting on to the Expressway. The signage is not predictive and unclear for those who don't drive it regularly. I managed it without having to reroute, but it was difficult and required complete concentration. Once on it, the expressway is a dream.

My second setback was failing to take the MacLaren Vale turnoff and heading down the Fleurieu Peninsula instead of the Victor Harbor Road. I have made this mistake before, which makes it worse. I have lost the voice on the satnav in my car . I need to get it fixed next time I am at CMI Toyota. My phone satnav works well but it was a while before I could stop to consult it or switch the voice on.

I found the road through the Hindmarsh Valley back to Victor Harbor. It is a pleasant road with little traffic. There's a bit of cattle and sheep and lots of bush.

I can't drive and take photos, so I eventually stopped to take a couple.

Even out here there are stobie poles - the South Australian invention to carry electricity wires in a State with little tall timber for poles.

I eventually arrived at my friends' place about 1.30 - a very roundabout route.








As I arrived they were putting the finishing touches on their holiday jigsaw. Pretty impressive. There is, you may see, one piece missing. No amount of searching has yet found it.








There is a view back to Victor Harbor from their balcony. It wasn't a clear day, but Granite Island is visible in this photo and the causeway was clear to the naked eye.













The beach stretches in the other direction and the sound of the surf carries to the balcony.

There were about 20 surfers out late this afternoon.  From the balcony they look like sharks.

It's been lovely to get here and simply sit and relax all afternoon.









I am on the last band of the scarf - the Quince one I am adding on to the end. 14 rows to go!

Post 111 : Pottering around out of the rain

A quiet day, grey and wet. So grey and gloomy I didn’t even try to take photos. I spent time clearing emails, reading and knitting, changing the bed, washing the bed linen and drying it in the dryer - an unusual step for me, .

I also gathered some threads for the next two Nicola Jarvis birds. I will probably tackle the parrot finch first.

Some of the same threads will serve for the Gouldian Finch

I’ve gone for mostly silk and a little metallic. I can add as I go along but it gives me a base to work from.

I am not starting these until I finish the scarf. Just getting ready.

The doves came in the rain and cleaned up the seed.

The girls came after school, managing to dodge the rain and filling me in on the developments in yesterday’s school mystery. The weather gods that cooperated in keeping them dry in their walks to my apartment changed their disposition as I drove them to the netball courts. It was wet and miserable but only mildly dampened the girls' enthusiasm. They are so pleased to be back on a netball court, even if only for practice at the moment. 

Yesterday, after removing the flesh from the duck for the stir fry, I used the bones to make a stock. Tonight I turned it into soup with what I had on hand - spring onions, coriander, ginger and a handful of noodles. 

I knitted another band and a half on the scarf today (whole green and half a blue band). When I finish this band it will have seven patterns and measure 49 inches. It is meant to reach eight bands and 51 inches. This means it begins with a faun band (Quince, in pattern terminology) and ends with a blue (Eau de nil). As usual, my length tension is loose. I'm thinking of making it seven and one third patterns so it also ends with the Quince. I think it might look pleasing to have both ends the same colour. 

Tomorrow I am heading to Victor Harbor for a couple of days with friends. I have packing to do before I get away in the morning. Fortunately the forecast is for a sunny day, much better driving weather than today.

Hopefully the trip will provide something visually interesting beyond my knitting and thread choices! 

Post 110 : shopping, cooking

It's a short post tonight. Plenty happened but it was an old routine, and I didn't take many photos.  

It was Myrtle in the vanguard of today's visit. I got some seed out before I saw a dove. Myrtle arrived and hovered on the rail for a bit before hopping down to eat. Turtle soon followed.

They are always alert, ready to leave if necessary.

When they leave there are some small pieces of gravel left behind. It certainly isn't in the seed, or transmitted by me. I can only, at the moment, speculate that the doves carry it in their claws and it drops out.







The doves keep presenting me with problems to solve!

The girls were coming after school this afternoon and Fionn after his football practice. I wanted to buy a cooked duck for a stir-fry,  get some noodles, a pizza slice as well as more fruit for my breakfast. I usually buy the duck in Chinatown, near the Central Market and wanted to get the pizza slice at Frewville. I had a feeling Frewville sometimes has cooked ducks too. I went there first. I do like that supermarket. They had fresh pizza slices and, yes, the duck. Unfortunately, the local grape season has finished. I've been really enjoying grapes, strawberries and watermelon on my meusli. It will need to be watermelon, passionfruit and strawberries for a while. The supermarket would usually have Californian grapes now, but are currently only buying locally.

Back at home I removed the flesh from the duck and cut up the vegetables for my stir-fry - spring onions, celery, carrot, broccolini, capsicum and red cabbage. Also some twiggy sticks and bacon pieces. It's interesting to hear about the girls' days as they snack on squares of pizza slice.

The stir-fry was a success.

I also offered to take the girls to netball training tomorrow after school. Brigid has football training immediately after school, then has to get across town to netball as its getting dark- partly by bus, then a walk. Easier to walk here. I had been going down to Victor Harbor to stay with friends for a few days. I'll now go down on Wednesday morning.

As I predicted, I didn't get a lot of stitching done today. I managed one band. I might be able to use some of my unexpected time tomorrow to catch up.



I could then take another Nicola Jarvis bird, or my owl, to Victor Harbor to work on.

Post 109: Colour, words, image,story - and food..

A web designer has put together a series of thread palettes to help stitchers create harmonious designs. I'm not especially good at colour, and it occurred to me this morning that plants, especially those with a colour variation, like this Tradescantia zebrina, would also offer a palette.

I'm not sure what, if anything, I will do with this, but I might keep my eye out for palette's in nature and see if it leads anywhere.

It was once again a miserable day in Adelaide- grey sky and intermittent rain. The doves turned up in between showers to polish off what was left of yesterday's seed.
They were quick about it, pecking urgently. bobbing up and down in a comfortable rhythm.

I did make a short video, but couldn't figure out how to insert it in the blog,without posting to YouTube. It also seems a bit obsessive.




This morning I finished the book I'm reading to review for NetGalley. I pulled out this hardcover I bought some time ago but haven't read. I found the introduction thought-provoking. Pamuk talks of the photographs of his childhood as representing an ideal (my term) - a way of presenting an individual, or group, not just (or even primarily) to others, but to themselves, both present and future. They are not capturing daily life, but special occasion, times of putting our best foot forward.

He also searches old photos for detail captured unintentionally including the emotional content.  It is a most interesting consideration.



My consideration in taking or choosing photos is about story - the relationship between words and images. It was William Yang who first got me thinking about this relationship. I'm not sure how or where this fits with Pamuk's thinking, but I am looking forward to finding out.

I went to Katherine's for coffee again this afternoon. Lots of cooking happening - marmalade, lemon juice, chickens and a pie.
The girls have been able to go to netball training this week. Veronica and Niamh are excited about the announcement of school leadership recognition they have earned.

I kept knitting throughout the day.  I have finished the sixth pattern. The scarf now measures 31.5". One more pattern repeat might do it. We'll see.


There's some more rain forecast tomorrow. I do need to go shopping and will probably not get a great deal done.

The end, however, is well in sight.