Post 424: Books, a bird, booster bookings and St Brigid.

Who knew there was an Orthodox monastery on Mull? It wasn't there when I visited 50 years ago! My Viking Embroidery research reminded me that the Celtic monastery and church of St Cuthbert and St Ninian, established in the 6th Century on the site of Ninian's Holy Well at Kilninian on Mull, had been abandoned as a result of Viking raids in the 10th Century. The church was rebuilt in 1755 and had since been deconsecrated.  I then discovered that the Orthodox Monastery of All Celtic Saints has been founded there in 2010 and is now operating as a community. One of their fund-raising ventures is the production of Embroidered House Blessings featuring the blessings of Celtic Saints on wool tweed cloth from both Mull and Harris.  

Of course, I ordered one. This is a house blessing from St Brigid, on Mull tweed, now hanging just inside the entrance to my apartment. It arrived this week, bearing this extraordinary sender address . It seems those who join the order take the title 'Seraphim'.

This is my last nostalgia photo for a while - March 2017 in Keswick, catching up with cousins and drifting along Derwent Water. I haven't given up hope of seeing either my cousins or Derwent Water again, but I am, as ever, so glad we got together when we could. 

On Thursday morning I finished the second attempt at the Mosaic Carpet Bag. I'm pleased with the result - and also pleased to have finished it. There's an account of the finish in my embroidery blog.

I'm sure some readers will have noted that I am posting more frequently to my embroidery blog. I've returned to my pre-Covid habit of using it as a record of my embroidery projects (for my own benefit as much as anything) rather than filling this blog with embroidery detail.    

While I was stitching the lining on my machine, I appliqued a couple of motifs over the holes on a bamboo top (those pesky zip holes keep appearing!). The motifs were embroidered on silk by WES members and not claimed after a display. I like the look.

On Wednesday I had coffee with Zoe from the Uni SA fundraising branch. I'm interested in the innovative work in remote learning now underway. 

I was back at Pilates on Thursday and a bit sore on Friday. My instructor and her daughter have had Covid in the two weeks I was isolating. The daughter ended up in hospital and is now recovering. I did a bit of food shopping on the way home, Adairs were having a sale so I called in to buy another plant stand and pot, then filled it with a philodendron from Barrow and Bench on Friday. I really like these bamboo stands which sit so lightly on the carpet. I now have three of them.

I also bought a cactus euphorbia and 

an Ascot Rainbow euphorbia - which look nothing like each other, perhaps not surprising as it turns out there are over 2000 species in the genus.

On Saturday I attended the Guild's Certificate Workshop where Arrienne took us through some Turkish stitches. Like most things, it took a while to get the hang of it, then became fairly straightforward. 

I haven't worked on the Aesop Frame since June of last year and haven't posted a photo since May 2021 when I finished the peahen.  This week I have finished the green woodpecker and am now on the hare, in the bottom left hand corner of the frame. 

On Sunday the Crime Book Club successfully met at my place - after last month's postponement due to water works in the street. We covered a wide range of books and generally enjoyed ourselves. I'm the picker next month (for what we read for May) so I'd better get my brain into gear.

Monday's dinner was a bit of a relay - 6 people coming from and going to various work, school, sport and church commitments. A lot of fun for me - it's what dynamic families do.

I keep getting notifications from Academia, a service I don't subscribe to, notifying me of mentions of the half a dozen papers I wrote between 2000 and 2009 while completing a Masters. I have, it seems, just had my 100th mention. Since I don't subscribe, I can't view the mentions, so have no idea if it's positive or negative. 

That was then. I'm glad others have found it useful as they build knowledge.

Sunsets here are my regular Vesper doxology, it's less frequently that I open the blinds to that first blush of a new day with all its promise. Yesterday I reread 'East Coker', the second of Eliot's Four Quartets which begins In my beginning is my end, and finishes In my end is my beginning.  I still find it profound. 

Today that promise was amply fulfilled as Panayoula and I spent two hours reflecting on Life and the Universe as we do each month. We've agreed to learn about 'sovereignty' before we meet next month.

My original mandevilla is loving its larger pot, rewarding me with both height and flowers. I might end up moving the others to the eastern balcony. Morning sun seems to be more to their liking than afternoon.

On Saturday the Australian Government authorised a second 'winter' booster from 4 April for those with underlying conditions and over 65s, so I immediately booked at my local pharmacy for 9 April.  Today I booked my flu shot for 20 April. My weight loss has slowed but not stopped. I've now lost 22 kg, and am losing about 1kg per month.