Just in time for Christmas, the Summer solstice and the anniversary of my mother's birthday on 21 December, the descendant of the tree begonia we inherited when we bought a house in Gawler in 1973 flowered on my balcony. I regard it as a blessing and reminder of both continuity and change. Maybe because of my mother's birthday, I have thought a lot this week about family no longer with us and how much they gave me and future generations.
They have been uplifting and sustaining memories this week.
In the lead up to Christmas I was kept busy connecting with friends and family as well as preparations. I love the news that flows in at this time from friends and family, some of whom are in contact through social media, some not. It is a priority to stay in touch and catch up, by phone, email, card, ecard or visit - to maintain the community to which my whole life belongs. I'm still adjusting my response to the variety of Christmas media - but reckon I can keep evolving my practices.
I finished off the 30 Christmas gift bags I started last week - a bit more than I originally intended, but a very enjoyable job jobbed The whole process is in my embroidery blog. The bags were a big success and will be reused for years to come. They are not much use outside Christmas, but that just makes them special. 
My other project was to finish 11 of the Shetland Wool Week Bonnie Isle Hats to go with the Christmas crackers. They too were well received and several people continued to wear them through the afternoon. Again, details and photos of all the hats in my embroidery blog. Consensus is they be put away for next year. I've moved on to knitting a baby's cardigan requested by Christine Bishop for the Guild gift shop.
In Adelaide it was 32C on Christmas Day, 39C on Boxing Day and 40C today - an extraordinary contrast to the weather being experienced by friends and family in the UK and USA. It's also dry, in contrast to the South Australian Murraylands and Riverland where 4000 homes are being inundated by floodwaters and evacuees swelter in temporary accommodation.
I have not ventured out (or online) for the sales, or for anything else, except watering my plants. I bought half a leg of ham and plenty of salad. Tomorrow's forecast is 24C, so I will replenish eggs and tomatoes once Simon the technician for our entry system has called to answer my questions.
This is the Boxing Day moon setting over Adelaide. It may be the last I can capture this year.
Hope 2023 dawns peacefully - and brings relief to those in peril.
