Post 362 Walls go up, squirrels emerge and Sophie's Universe expands.

This morning, when the building work began around 7am, there was a bit of tapping and drilling noise and a slight chemical smell. It was not enough to draw me to investigate and I drifted back to sleep. When I raised the blind, around 9.30, I discovered the wall has risen by another level. As I expected, the wall is going to protrude just over a metre beyond our building and my balcony.

 

This is what it looks like from the chair inside my bedroom .The wall will, of course, keep going higher - to 9 storeys. I'd prefer it wasn't there, but it is not terrible. Yes, it will block some of my view from the balcony, but it is nowhere near as drastic as I had feared.

This (left) is the view from my sewing machine (the sewing/office room has a non-opening window on to the balcony)

and this (below right) is what you see at the moment from the window of the spare bedroom. The scaffold will, of course, eventually be removed.

From my bed the wall is not visible at all. If I find the wall annoying me, I shall probably move the chair to the other wall rather than spend longer in bed!

This afternoon was our Sit'nStitch. Susan is doing great things with one of the Margaret Light designs using Gum Nut woollen threads. I didn't take a photo. 

Jennifer meanwhile has progressed  her Sophie's Universe. The circle has turned into a square and will continue that way. It gets longer and longer around each row. Jennifer is well up to the challenge. 

Susan and I are in awe. 

Many thanks to those of you who have expressed approval of my decision to continue weekly posts to this blog. I am most appreciative. I'm also glad  so many have enjoyed reading my daily routines and occasional adventures. My friend Christine in Watford has even written a poem! My only quarrel is that it is au revoir, rather than adieu - it will, after tomorrow, only be a week to the next post!

It was a year since it started,
As her home shores she departed,
She blogged of her travels and much much much more,
Of Shakespeare,Anne Hathaway and all that folklore,
Of linens and thread,
Of meals and new beds,
Till she picked up her skirts and ran for that plane,
Leaving the UK  and all of that rain,
As holding her breath she just made it back,
As the world all fell silent and had to change tack.

So she’s blogged for a year,
But the last postings now here,
As she knitted and sewed and crocheted and cooked,
And we all waited to see what new activity she’d booked,
With birds being feed,
And sunsets all red,
We enjoyed the wide views,
From the balconies two,
And those golfing kangaroos were really just great,
And we mustn’t forget Murtle ( and of course her best mate)

So farewell and adieu to Jillian’s fair table,
As we all await soon to hear old Aesop’s Fables.

(Eat your heart out Keats - well it is his 200th anniversary this week)

Thank you so much Christine. It's so generous when you are coping with lockdown - and trying to trim your own hair. It will be such a joy if we can meet up again in a year or so.

For dinner I had reheated left-overs from last night - delicious. I think Ken is right. He thought the secret of this dish was the oil, lemon juice and garlic mixture in which is it roasted. That flavour was even stronger when reheated.

It's been, from my point of view, a much more pleasant day weather-wise at 23C compared to last week's temperatures.

Here's my progress on the squirrel. I'm not quite happy with it but will probably move o the leaves and remaining trunk before attempting any tweaks. 

It's very satisfying.