Post 430 Promise, Progress and Patching

I managed to capture a little bit of this flight of galahs on Wednesday evening on the way to have dinner with friends. They were over the West parklands - a flock, I would guess, of a couple of hundred. 

It was a day of friends. In the morning, I met Panayoula at Jim's grave at Centennial Park. She wanted to visit and pay her respects so we met there before going for coffee on King William Rd.

Centennial Park is as pleasant as ever - lots of bird noise, relaxing and peaceful. Lovely to visit with a friend.

The flowering gum has produced another marvellous crop of  gum nuts. I collected a few. They might embellish some future project. 

Panayoula and I had, as always, a relaxed and empathetic catch up over coffee. My dinner with friends was similarly renewing and strengthening. 

I finished the third bag-from-jeans on Thursday morning (details in embroidery blog. I used up most of my green perle threads in working it, so called at Create in Stitch to replenish them before Pilates.  

I took the bags to show Samela, because she had allowed me to have the last copy she had of Beautiful Botanical Embroidery,  and most of the threads came from her shop.  She asked my permission to photograph the bags and use in her newsletter, which she did on Saturday. I'm very flattered. While it looks as if there are six bags, there are only three embroidered on both sides. 

I registered for a postal vote for our upcoming Federal election as I did not feel comfortable queuing on election day in our current Covid situation. The ballot paper arrived earlier in the week and I filled it out at friends' place on Wednesday night - fulfilling the requirements for a witness to view my blank ballots, then watch me fill them out and insert into the provided envelope. I registered and mailed it on Thursday and got a receipt from the Commonwealth Electoral Office yesterday. Yay!

Friday was Jennifer's birthday, and three of us went to Fino at Seppeltsfield in the Barossa for lunch. It was a bit cold and wet, but the sun came out in the Barossa.     

 Seppeltsfield gives the impression of no change - but has been continuously adapted to the demands of customers over decades. Lovely setting, delicious  food and good company. Can't ask for more.

Of course, we visited the Jam Factory at Seppeltsfield where there was an exhibition of funky Australiana pottery in the Gallery. 

I bought myself a pair of earrings - made from Indigo fabric from a Thai village that has produced it for centuries, and aluminium sourced from discarded baking pans! 

As I drove home from a most satisfying day, there was promise of things to come.

On Saturday I made two moussaka, one for Monday night and one for a Sunday evening meal with friends. I had run out of whole nutmeg to grate over the top so had to resort to the ground variety when none were available on Sunday morning. I also made the cheese sauce using pecorino instead of kefalograviera but got some of the latter on Sunday and added to the top. It was a pretty good result - and I have a couple of nights of left-overs!   

Over several years now, I have been patching some favourite pants for a friend. Bought in Bali and made of cotton, they have split several times and I've patched them with Indonesian batik. This is the latest.  My granddaughters reckon the patches are an improvement! My friend is happy - and I have enough batik to continue until they are covered.

Yesterday my broken blind was cheerfully removed by Mark, who assures me it can be successfully re-corded and explained the complicated process. The bad news is that it is likely to take weeks in the current labour conditions. Since it's Winter and the sun is to the North, I'm hoping I can sleep without a blind for a few weeks. First night was OK. I have a backup plan involving a curtain, but I'd need to install a couple of hooks and a spring cord at the top of my balcony door - too high for me to try. So I'll need to find a handy person if I can't manage for a few weeks.

My Vergola controller still doesn't work and my air conditioner hasn't been serviced. Both companies are impacted by staff shortages because of Covid and will get to me some time. 

Today I saw my ENT to have wax removed from my ears. He hasn't seen his family in Malaysia for 2 years and worries that some of them will die before he sees them. My coffee catch up with a couple of friends this coming Friday is  off as one has Covid.  However, my ears are terrific, my ENT remains cheerful, the two companies are working on providing the service I need  and this afternoon my neighbour and I moved our surplus furniture and equipment out to the curb side for pickup by the Council tomorrow.  There was a gentle sunset.

I spent several hours sorting the folders of embroidery and knitting patterns, notes and articles I've collected over a couple of decades. I haven't quite finished, but there is an emerging order. I've also labelled the files in my filing drawers.

I've also started a kit of Jenny McWhinney's Arabian Dilly Bag - a gift from a few years ago.

One foot up and one foot down, that's the way to London Town...