Post 321 Magpie, Brownies, Yankalilla and Bee.

 As I carried my breakfast towards the balcony this morning, I could see I had a visitor.

The closer I got to the balcony door, the bigger  the visitor appeared.

By the time I got to the door, the magpie looked huge. 

I decided I would have my breakfast inside this morning. I'm not arguing with that beak.

I had invited family to morning tea at the hotel at 11am when the chef starts work. They don't do morning tea, but agreed we could use the dessert menu. Everyone chose the chocolate brownie, which came with warm chocolate sauce and icecream. It was pretty good.

Afterwards, I went into Yankalilla to have a look around, but mostly to call into the vintage/book shop that is owned and run by Emanda, an artist who has been, until fairly recently, a very  creative member of the Embroiderers' Guild of South Australia. As luck had it, she was in the shop this afternoon and we had a bit of a catch up. She has been so busy in the shop this last year, that she has done almost no art or craft work. Apparently many people have moved down here from Adelaide, either renting or buying, presumably because they can work from home as easily here as in Adelaide, or because they are retired and can't travel further. 

It explains the numbers of people around the towns, far more than previous years. It's not just the January holiday period. Amanda said it's been busy for months.

I found a pendant I really liked in her shop - there's always something worth having. If I don't get good use out of it someone in the family will.

I'm now reading Death in a Wheelbarrow, a recently reprinted Golden Age Crime mystery by William Gore, a pseudonym for Jan Gordon, who, with his wife Cora, wrote numerous Art and Travel books in the  1930s 40s and 50s.  They seem to have been a very interesting couple. Death in a Wheelbarrow is amusing as well as, so far, an interesting mystery.

I had an early dinner in the hotel this evening. Duck was off the menu, so I had the calamari, which was excellent.

The service from the kitchen was slow, but the affogato was good when it arrived, and I appreciated the extra scoop of icecream to compensate for the wait!

I struggled a bit with the wings of the bee in my crewel piece. The thread I was using was too dark. I undid it twice until I got the effect I wanted - 

and when I got there it was a lot paler than I had anticipated. I then moved my hoop and began the hillock. I'm pleased with this, even though I haven't finished it.

Tomorrow I go back to Adelaide. I'm a bit sorry to be going. I'm now used to being here, have a door that locks and know how to work the place.  On the other hand, I can pretty much do all the same things at home. 

It's been a nice break, and great to spend extended time with family.