Post 411 To safety, sanity and solicitousness in 2022.

Last Wednesday I dashed into the city to pick up the brooch that has been with the repairer for several weeks and was finally finished. It belonged to my grandmother and is not a glamorous or expensive piece. The sparkly stones they have used do not resemble the original, which were, from memory, plastic beads in a range of primary colours. It was, however, the only option - and I rather think my grandmother would have liked it. 

The interest lies in the brooch coming apart to form two clips, 

which can be used on the corners of a square-necked dress to hold undergarments out of sight.

I don't know that I will ever use it, but I really like the concept. My grandmother had very little jewellery and am pleased to have it in working order.

This was the view down King William St, in the centre of Adelaide towards the Christmas tree in Victoria Square as I returned home. The Town Hall is on the left and the GPO clocktower on the right.

I posted last week on the anniversary of my mother's birthday. On the day my brother visited our parent's grave to place frangipani blooms from one of the successors of the tree she nurtured for 40 years. The magnolia tree on their grave has grown in the last year and is looking healthy. I'm glad he went. 

There was a flurry of noisy activity in the street in front of the building next door in the last few days before Christmas - what looked to be the extension of the NBN cabling underground and repairs to the road. It was finished and the road block removed on Christmas Eve. This is now the view from my balcony.

At street level the footpath is still blocked but the road is open and parking has, for the moment at least, improved significantly.

From across the Square the view is not too bad. 

Closer up the new buildings loom a bit, but it is, admittedly, a reasonable streetscape.

The sunset on Christmas Eve was truly glorious - I would not have been at all surprised to see angels.

It prefigured a lovely Christmas Day- calls with my brother and with Alison, most of the day at Katherine and Anthony's, relaxed, delicious food outside, amazing presents, great company.

I have a treasure trove of presents, a really lovely bird brooch, charming, vibrant earrings, a needle-keep, fabric to play with, a calendar of wonderful bird photos, a pouch of hand cream and an antique box for needle packets.

There might be more about some of these in later posts.

The public holiday's following Christmas Day have been very quiet. We have Omicron circulating in the community and  tightening restrictions. Friends are isolating and booked for tests tomorrow because they are  contacts of someone who has tested positive. Family work contacts and friends are also awaiting results. 

I've stayed home catching up on reading, embroidery and several friends and family. It's been really lovely to have long emails, phone calls and cards from so many friends and family who have taken the time to catch up.  This is a very important part of the year for me - the maintenance and strengthening of the web of connections spun over a lifetime, across circumstances, the country and the world.  I do my best to keep in touch throughout the year, but this fixed point ritual is so renewing and strengthening. Thank you to all who have participated.

There has been quite a bit of dove activity this week. I haven't manage to capture the four birds on camera, but they seem to be parents and their two offspring. Either the young birds are now muscling in on the parents' territory, or they are being taught the protocols of feeding. 

They arrive together and there is a lot of chasing around the seed and the ground space until they fly away, then one or two return. I'm sure this will end with only two birds visiting - but which generation it will be is not yet clear.

I took time out from the bag I've been working on to make this pouch for some scissors I had bought as a present. I have published details of this and other presents today in my embroidery blog. I could not write about them here without ruining the surprises.

The base of the Hearts and Roses Bag progresses.  It still has a central rose and a border to go, but I'm pleased with the progress. It is fairly slow work, much of it in a single strand of cotton, but very pleasurable. With a lot of incentive to stay at home I expect to make progress to the sides by next week - although there is the Guild Challenge to draw me away......

I've read some interesting books, watched the BBC's Road to Istanbul and Road to Rome series on pilgrimages and also the Sacred Isles of Scotland series. These are all helping to shape my thinking about historic embroidery. 

My weight loss continues slowly but steadily, 17.6 kg down as of this morning. 

Until next year.