Post 143: Slow, but progress

Low key managing-in-Covid19 routine today.  My cleaner came. I hung out the washed sheets and stayed out of his way, went shopping at North Adelaide Village for greengrocery and a little grocery, did some knitting, updated passwords that had been compromised, read a little and went to Katherine's place for physically-distanced dinner.


I bought a pot of tulips at North Adelaide. One is about to come into bloom. I've put the pot outside for the moment. I may need to bring it inside if it gets too cold, or if the Noisy Myna takes a shine to it.




Turtle was disappointed this morning as I don't put out seed on cleaning days. The tiles, however, are very clean.


There is another succulent getting ready to flower. A tall stalk has developed with tear-shaped buds. Until now the main interest has been the serrated leaves. It will be interesting to see what colour the flowers are. I'm guessing pink.






Jennifer went home this afternoon. She is resting and taking diuretics to manage the fluid on her lungs. She sees her physician and surgeon next week regarding her tracheal stenosis. She's busy organising a dog walker, since she can't walk the dog herself.





I made some progress on the shawl. I've reached the section where the light stripes narrow substantially. The dark stripes stay the same. The dark stripes require more concentration. I am half-way through a dark stripe and there are two more after this one.

You can, however, begin to see what it will look like. A couple more days.

Post 142 Lorikeets, Insurance, Friends.

The lorikeet photos were taken at the end of the day as I was bringing in the washing. Although I was busy today the activities were not photo-suggestive, so the lorikeets, on a branch above the town houses to the East of my apartment, form a general illustration!















After changing the sheets, and doing all the jobs I could think of, I got my act together and made the call to my car insurance company, to report the damage to my car that was sustained on 14 February. Chloe, my customer service person, could not have been more efficient and effective. She assured me that by law I have six years to report and claim! I had, she insisted, done all the right things, and yes, they will cover the damage. She took all the details over the phone, lodged the claim, and gave me the reference number. I must be getting old and insecure. I absolutely dreaded making this call which turned out to be easy and pleasant. Chloe pointed out that I am also covered for a replacement car while the repair is being carried out, if  I need it.

 Whew!

 I was spending the afternoon at a friend's place to Sit 'n Stitch. Jennifer usually comes too. On the way I stopped at the Central Market to pick up the handbag I had left to be repaired at A Class Shoe Repair, buy some coffee beans and ask a question at the bank.

The bag was ready. Rocco had replaced the lock - which involved removing and restitching the leather lining behind the lock. The charge for this work was $12.50. He insisted this was fair. I had expected to pay between $45 and $65. And it's a great job! If you live in Adelaide give Rocco all your leather repair business!



 My friend had generously provided lunch and fabulous coffee. We had a lovely time talking and stitching.During the afternoon we heard from Jennifer. She slept well, but woke with a very bad headache. The hospital is keeping her another 24 hours. The room she was in was for short stays only, so she has been moved to a general ward several floors above where she was. This is the view from her new room. While she's  keen to be home, she accepts that it is better for her to take the doctors' advice and stay another day.

On the way home I stopped at the Post Office to pick up a parcel that I had not been home to receive. It was the book Australian Women War Reporters Boer War to Vietnam, which has a section about the journalist and author Louisa Mack. I now have all the books I mentioned in post 122.

All I have to do is read them!


















The shawl continues to grow. Still a way to go but at the moment time is on my side.

Post 141 Repairs

I thought I should look in on the Western balcony spider. The old web in the pot plant has deteriorated. It seems the spider has moved on to the balcony rail. Perhaps she likes the view over the square.

Meanwhile, on the Eastern balcony Turtle made himself at home with the seed. He was jointed by Myrtle for a few minutes, until they both took flight. Myrtle was back a couple of times- and both times chased away by the Noisy Miner. I, however, asserted my domination of the territory by hanging out the washing. The Noisy Miner had to concede the territory to me.

Eventually, I plucked up courage to ring the crash repairer whose name was given to me yesterday at CMI Toyota. I was pleasantly surprised by the open and friendly response, so drove there straight away. The managed took many photos and insisted that, even 5 months after the accident, and not having reported it to the police at the time, I should contact the insurance company. He is convinced they will accept a claim - and this is why I pay insurance. The bill is likely to be around $3000, although the quote is not completed, and they will need the car for at least 5 days. I am nervous of contacting my insurer, but have worked out the dates and tomorrow will take the plunge and ring.

From the crash repairer I dropped some wool off at my daughter's place and called at Officeworks to buy another box of face masks. I haven't used any of the box I bought a week or so ago, but it has occurred to me that it would be useful to have a box in the car, in case South Australia has a further outbreak and I find myself in situations where distancing is difficult.

I managed to read about half of the Agatha Christie book that arrived yesterday. I'm enjoying it, especially with the introduction by the 80 year-old  illustrator, Tom Adams, who illustrated the covers of her paperbacks from the 1950s onwards.  I mostly read, from preferenee, on a Kindle or Kobo, but this slim volume is really lovely to hold and the cover is beautiful.


I spoke to Jennifer late this afternoon. She is still in the RAH and will return home tomorrow morning for what the doctor describes as  'home hospital'. She still has fluid on her lungs, but it is reducing. It seems all her doctors are agreed her heart is not ready for an operation and she has an appointment to see the  physician and surgeon at Calvary next week. She was in good spirits and happy with the position reached by her medical team. She is on a mission to see better press coverage of the ongoing impact of the virus on those who have had it. I have a couple of stories from friends of doctors assuring non-Covid patients this is 'just a flu' - inexcusable ignorance.

I made soup today, from chicken bones, vegetables and barley.  It made a good dinner tonight.

I've made some progress on the shawl, finishing the next band of  the main colour.  From this point on the balance shifts to the dark colour and lace bands. I have completed just under two thirds of the rows - but of course, the rows are getting longer, so I am probably more like half way through. It is, however, taking shape.

Post 140 Hospital visit

Jennifer called me this morning from her hospital bed in the Royal Adelaide Hospital, asking if I could bring a bag of supplies to her from her home.

The plan was for her to have a balloon inserted in her trachea tomorrow to assist her breathing. The operation was to take place at a private hospital in the city. It was uncertain whether she would travel to the private hospital today or tomorrow. 


By the time I had picked up and delivered the bag, there was a complication. The attendant RAH Physician had advised her that her heart was not up to an anaesthetic, that she should continue with the diuretics prescribed yesterday for several weeks, to allow her heart to recover before having the operation. There appeared to be disagreement between the surgeon and the physician. Jennifer was feeling much better and breathing more easily. When I left, her plan was to delay the operation, try to rebook it in six weeks time and follow instructions at home to allow her heart to recover.

This plan may have changed since I left her around 1pm but I suspect it is more or less what will happen.  Jennifer is good at managing, so hopefully her GP has been brought up to speed, the surgeon is willing to postpone and she will have every support to regain her strength. Here's hoping. 

One of the things Jennifer and I discussed this morning was the gap at the front of the seat cushion on my chair.  My idea, of which Jennifer approves, is to put Rabbits at Dawn underneath the tree. I tested it when I got home, and think it will work. Two sets of Rabbits at dawn will fit nicely.

They will also fit on the front edge of the cushion.

I think I need three more Rabbits at Dawn linens!!!

Ridiculous? Probably.

I'm going for it.




In my letterbox when I got back from the hospital was this copy of the previously unpublished book by Agatha Christie which I wrote about in Post 116. It's a slim volume and I'm looking forward to reading it.

I had a long conversation with my brother this afternoon, catching up on lots of bits and pieces. I also had two visits from Myrtle, who ate and drank but was alert and checking every few minutes for I-know-not-what.

I was invited to dinner at a friends' place tonight - part of my bubble. Again, it was renewing, catching up, processing our experiences and world, not to mention the delicious and warming osso bucco and baked apple.

I missed sending out my Wednesday email to the World Embroidery Group this morning, so I'd better do it now, before the day ends.

Post139: unpicking and picking up

This was the view from my window at 7 o'clock this morning. Fog is not a common thing in Adelaide, although we get one from time to time. It lasted until around 10.00am and closed the airport.
















It didn't stop my window cleaner from coming about 7.40 am.



It is very good to have them clean - much better for taking photos without scaring the birds!

Yesterday, when I returned home, I found a card in the letterbox telling me a courier had tried to deliver a parcel. It was one of the annoying ones - providing a website to contact. The website says to call back later to make a choice about picking it up at the depot on the other side of town, or have them redeliver  in 3-4 day's time. Except my message said to check back later. Just before midnight I sent them a complaining email. This morning there was a message telling me to pick it up from the depot before 12 noon tomorrow ' as we are moving'. I figured I'd better go and pick it up.

While I waited for the fog to lift I took the Acorn embroidery off the blocking board and pinned both pieces to the chair cover. I decided to try stitching the outside edges of the pieces on the machine.




This was a mistake.  I broke a needle and couldn't get the edge close enough to the piping. It's not easy to position the new pieces. As well as fitting the new around the existing embroideries, the linen needs to cover the whole base.

Machine stitching the pieces didn't work and would need to come off. At this point, a trip to the courier depot was in order.

Just as I was leaving I had a call from Jennifer. She was in the emergency department at Royal Adelaide Hospital having been taken in an ambulance around 5 am. She has had more tests and was waiting to see a heart specialist. It seems she has damage to her heart and lungs which is producing fluid that makes her breathing difficult. She was cheerful and very happy with the medical help at the hospital. She was waiting to see a heart specialist and to find out whether or not they were going to admit her. There was also an issue of where in the hospital she would be best treated. She was glad she had gone to the hospital, and confident that things would improve with a diagnosis and treatment plan.

This is a pernicious disease, full of uncertainties. I think that Jennifer will get the answers she needs about her condition and  treatment that enables her to manage it. She's good at that. I'm assuming she's in the hospital tonight but will be home again in a day or two.

Yesterday Jennifer sent me this photo, taken through a flyscreen, of a dove which has built a nest outside their dining room window - a cousin, she thinks, of Myrtle. Before long we'll be construction dove family trees!

The parcel turned out to be a book I had ordered from The Book Depository - delivered from Sydney via courier. I try not to buy things delivered by courier - this one in particular.

While out I called at North Adelaide for fruit and a few supplies.

Back at home I set about fixing the cushion cover.  I took the machine stitching out, re-pined and stitched by hand. That way, I could keep an eye on it. It took quite a while, but I was pretty pleased with the result.









There is now a gap along the front of the cushion. This is very much a work in progress. I think it needs something there. I need time to think about it.

This evening I'm back at my knitting - only about 11 rows.

It's progress.

Post 138: Getting Organised

Turtle turned up this morning, waiting for seed and allowing me to distribute it and take photographs from one metre away.










I needed to be at the Toyota service centre by 10.30. It was well organised, distancing measures in place, and the coffee's still good. I got them to adjust my clock back from daylight saving (yeah, well...), restore the voice on my GPS and give me advice on the dent I put in the back passenger-side door when avoiding a mad woman in February.  My service guy, Mason, was patient, courteous, obliging and unfazed.

I now have the name of a crash repairer.

I got quite a bit of knitting done while waiting - finished the plain band and began the next lace band.




Afterwards, I went to Officeworks to purchase some more document boxes. I have decided to use them to organise my Appleton's threads. I bought 5 of them, 4 coloured, with a view to using the colours to separate and organise the threads.

From there I went to Create in Stitch to pick up a few bits and pieces. Di Kirshner had a class going. It's great to see people distanced, enjoying themselves and concentrating.

Since it was now nearly 2pm and I was hungry, I stopped at Mr Nick's and had an excellent calamari lunch.

Back at home, I tackled my old Appleton's storage system.










I managed to divide them into four main colour groups (cleverly aligned with the box colours!) and then arrange them in rough number order.


I suspect I should have gone for the wider storage boxes.

They do, however, just fit. The advantage of this system is that I can see the numbers through the box and it is easy to pick out a set of blending colours.
















That left the clear box for me to use for the threads I need for my current project and the fill-in bits for my Crewel chair. .


I didn't start the Oak Apple Tree tonight. I wanted to get the next (lace) band done on my shawl. I managed that.


I have a window cleaner coming at 8am in the morning, so I'd better get to bed.

Post 137 : from an acorn...

Another bright, chilly morning.

I worked my way through numerous emails - especially those ones I had set aside to read or deal with at some time in the future.  They included decisions about concerts that won't happen - refund, carry-over or donate.  A new normal.

Others were emails that needed a thoughtful, considered response.

I enjoy doing this. It was a treat to take the time to do it.



The goal I had for the day was to finish the Acorns. This too was an enjoyable task.

I have come to love both the acorns and the leaves - the stitches, colours and shapes.

The blocked Jacobean Sampler was dry, so I could remove it from the blocking board and block the acorns.

Before I did, I tried the two on the chair and have worked out just how to add them to the cushion.I had thought I might have to create at least one filler to cover gaps, but I now think I can cover the spaces with the two linens.

Tomorrow I have to take my car to be serviced and the Acorns are unlikely to be fully dry. Looks like Tuesday is the day.



I decided to embroider Oak Apple Tree next.(while I'm on a acorn binge). I didn't know what an Oak Apple Tree is, so looked it up. What I had assumed was an apple like any other is in fact a gall created by wasps. Oak apples are inedible for humans although they are used in  medicine in a number of cultures.



I haven't as yet chosen the threads for it

I think it's a lovely design so I hope I  can do it justice.

This evening I worked on my shawl. I've neglected it of late.  I have about another 10 rows to finish this stripe. Shawls have so many shapes, it is really interesting to see the different methods of achieving them work out as you knit.


I phoned my friend Pat in Sydney this evening and had a lovely long discussion about how to fix the world. Conversations with friends are , I'm sure, good for the soul.


It was Susan's birthday today. I do hope she had a good day. I know Jennifer was baking a cake.