Post 515 Quite a week

It's hard to know where to start in a week with so much happening. The highlight, of course was Christmas Day, which I spent with Katherine's family - a fabulously happy time with lots of laughing, connection and love. 

 

I am loathe to post photos of people's faces so will make do with our deserts - Carol's Yule Log in the foreground and Katherine's pavlova at the back. Both were delicious, and it will take me a day or two to lose the extra 0.4kg they added!

The hats went down a treat and the bonbons added to the laughter.

I got a lot of interest and joy from the numerous messages received from friends during the week. I am more than ever convinced of the importance of this annual effort to stay in touch.                                                 

I also had a couple of lunches with friends. Jennifer and I had several months of news to catch up on Wednesday. The Christmas biscuits she made with nieces were demolished pretty quickly on Saturday night at Katherine's place.

On Friday Lorraine and I wore our Frida Kahlo outfits to lunch at The Flying Pan. This was Lorraine's idea, and she had excitedly prepared flower bouquets for our hair, a purple one for me, a white one for her.  

I managed to convince her that it would be impossible to anchor these (right)  with either the bobby pins or the scarves she had brought along, and that we should use a couple of the florets rather than the bouquets. 

Hers was bolder and better than mine. Her dress was also a better choice (helps to try it on, rather than buying online on a good-idea impulse!). I might wear mine once more, for my Mexican Embroidery presentation, but that's it. It is a most unflattering shape for my figure. Be that as it may, we had a great lunch, after which I dashed off to the dentist for a filling. At their request I got there early, only to find my dentist had an emergency, and was running an hour late. I got away 2 hours later with the filling done and a referral to an odontist, which, of course, can't be followed up until mid-January. This is no one's fault. It is great that the emergency was dealt with. The woman concerned was unnecessarily apologetic. One day it could be me. 

On Thursday, prior to Pilates, I finally had my one hour appointment with the orofacial pain dentist. She was terrific. It turns out I have a displaced disc in my left jaw. More than 30% of people apparently have this without knowing. The jaw locking I experienced back in June occurs when the disc slips completely out of position as opposed to being misaligned. There is no cure but a range of management techniques, several of which she taught me.The first message is 'don't panic', which is, of course, what I did back in June! Understanding what is happening is half the battle.  I've been practising, and can feel the difference. 

Encouraged by the dental works, I made myself another batch of corn and zucchini muffins for lunch on Saturday, this time trying a recipe that uses buttermilk. It is a pretty good result, although I still prefer the last batch I made using feta.

One of the best thing about these, when you live on your own, is that they are good for a couple of days, either cold, or reheated.

I spent much of Saturday embroidering the wings of felt doves I had bought from the Leprosy Shop, another slightly mad project covered off in my embroidery blog. 

After picking up my grab-and-go bag of crocheted squares as I left on Saturday for dinner, when I got home I thought it time I sorted out the squares to see where I was up to with the intended baby blanket. I then spent Sunday joining and filling in. 

I now have 19 squares to go, plus the edge. I will probably continue to use it as a grab-and-go project, but now more purposefully. This was designed to use up my surplus of 4 ply cotton. It has made inroads, but there's a way to go. 

In the meantime, I have two friends about to have major operations and I'm hoping to knit prayer shawls for them. I also have fabric to make more tote bags.

The angels and mages have watched over various sunsets this week, and also, it seems, over me. There were plenty of storm clouds and gloom, but also colour, light and beauty. 

I have been blessed many times over and I am grateful. 

 

Post 514 Just about organised...

Our final WES meeting for the year was full of friendship, shared experiences, engagement and interest. Several people brought along things they, or their mothers, had knitted. The non-knitters were just as engaged, with memories and stories. Margaret and I shared some background in Shetland knitting and a good number stayed for shared food. We also agreed on our 2024 program.

The angel was a gift from Lee. It is about 7cm tall and looks lovely in the light.

The NZ fantail continues to shine.

On Thursday, after Pilates, I made a batch of gingerbread biscuits, using Anthony’s honey, which worked brilliantly. I gave most of the biscuits away before taking a photo, so these are the seconds I kept for myself. I had almost run out of ginger, so they are a bit light on, but nicely crisp with a bit of a kick.

Following the plan I devised with my doctor, I have been a bit abstemious in what I eat, but I have at least tried a tree of two.

By Friday the rain had stopped, so I did two loads of washing, the first in 15 days. I hung one load out and the second on Saturday. I only have line space for one load. 

Before going out to buy more ginger,  I prepared and posted the last packages I’m hoping will be delivered by Christmas and, on a bit of a roll, put together the Christmas crackers, using the reusable cloths and cardboard rolls from last year. Each has a snap, a couple of jokes and a small gift. The hats don’t fit in the crackers, so are separate.

Still on a roll on Saturday morning, I booked a return flight to Canberra for a few days in January, went to Norwood to pick up an art work, to the Jam Factory to pick up something a daughter had ordered, then back home to organise all my Christmas presents, make a couple of extra bags and check my list. 

On Sunday  I made a set of small bags for the hats. So both the crackers and the hats are a lucky dip. The fabrics have memories. A couple are from a shirt of Jim's - he would want to be part of it- and a number were liberty fabrics given to me by my cousin David and his partner Susan for my birthday in 2017. A connection.

That is pretty much me organised. 

Nevertheless, I indulged in an experiment to convert Santas into trees.  I discussed some  improvements to the design with Niamh and Veronica, and have now started work on version 2.  Then I'll stop  knitting hats for a while.

Fionn was working but Riley took his place at our last Monday dinner for the year, before he and Brigid took the girls to Lobethal to see the lights. Peking flavoured duck was easy with help from LuvADuck. The fried rice took a bit more time and effort to make, but makes it an easy meal rounded off with ice creams and gingerbread.

The wool for my blanket indulgence arrived, along with the second book I ordered on the Evil Eye. The wool is lovely (photographed here through a plastic bag). I've vowed to return to a couple of embroidery projects before I indulge. I now have a discouraging pile of books to read. My plan is to prioritise Mexican embroidery for the February WES meeting. We'll see.

Today was swimming, I picked up my new orthotics, the last print run of my Christmas cards (these with no printed news inside) arrived along with a fairly strange knitting book I had ordered from the Quaker shop in Kendal in the Lake District - out of curiosity more than anything.  

I was pretty unimpressed when I first opened it. The jokey and, to my mind, somewhat smart-alecky style, put me off. However, a closer look raised my interest. The first pattern, called The Body Snatcher, by Casey Rich and Alice O Beltran, explains how to measure for, and make, a cowl-neck tunic, adjusting for your personal tension, and size. It is very clever. The book has a lot of stuff that doesn't interest me, but I do want to try the tunic. It also has a useful explanation of how to design and knit a beanie which might have helped a few weeks ago. I would like to know what my granddaughters think of the writing style.

The orthotics feel really good, with a little more support on the inner arch. The orthotic moulds are in the bottom of my wardrobe, where they will stay for when next needed. There, I've put it in writing!

It's lovely to be getting a steady stream of cards and email messages from friends, watched over by the angels and Magi on my fly screen.

I still have a couple of lunches, Pilates and two medical appointments this week, so Christmas still seems a bit distant.  My next post, however, will be on Boxing Day, so  I wish all readers a safe,  peaceful and happy Christmas. 

I hope the angels sing for you.

Post 513 December in the Rain

There was a spectacular sunset on Wednesday night, before the clouds descended on the city (in fact, on the State) on Friday, blotting out the sun, hosting electrical storms and then floods.

Much earlier in the day, after breakfast with Panayoula,  I had a hairdressing appointment in the CBD, to which I caught the city loop bus.

As it crossed the Square, the bus was stopped at the lights, giving me an interesting view of the back of the Cook Island pine in the sunset photo.  I'm not sure what has given it a hair cut, but it looks as if the tree has a mullet!

I do hope it recovers.

My hair looked good when I left the hairdresser. No mullet in sight.  

It's much less sculpted now, but manageable! 

While monitoring the rain  I finished the third Buggieflooer Beanie from the Jamieson and Smith wool. I'm pretty pleased with the results.  As usual, detail is in my embroidery  blog.

The Yarn Trader advertised some classes in Shetland knitting in 2024, with MJ Mucklestone, and I was tempted by a one-day class in beanie design. At the same time, Morris & Sons advertised a preorder on Rowan Magazine 74 and a blanket kit by Martin Storey.  I went for the magazine and kit, and ordered MJ's books on Fair Isle and Scandinavian designs, instead of the classes.  I've got plenty to do while waiting for the Magazine to come out, and the rest will likely not arrive until after Christmas. 

The rain and thunderstorms have continued. I have spent a lot of time staunching the leak in my back window, eventually coming up with a temporary fix using flexible putty.  I realised that my leak had localised  at one end of the window, so dug out some putty strips and applied them to the spot. A second application largely stopped the leak, but some water came in at the other end in one of the torrential storms. It is, however, very much better than it was. I've washed and dried (in the drier, not on the line!) 8 towels and there are still two in place.

Sunday night's storm brought down a lot of branches and these were piled outside our carpark entrance Monday morning when I returned to the podiatrist to have new moulds taken of my feet, and ordered a new pair of orthotics. I'm pleased to have done this. A test of my current orthotics indicated a need for more tilt on the inside, so the old moulds would not have sufficed anyway.  I will take care where I store the new ones!

At Unley shopping centre there was competition for car parking so exiting a space was a challenge, with a car positioned for a full 5 minutes to take my place.  Good job I had placed a Christmas decoration on my rear vision mirror to keep me calm in such circumstances!

My reliable Barrow and Bench garden centre had sold out of red poinsettias so I settled for a pale one with red tinges, which won't go astray. They are getting more red ones later in the week, so I shall return. I could get red ones in the supermarket or greengrocer, but Barrow and Bench usually have more advanced specimens. 

On Sunday afternoon Katherine and I had a very calming couple of hours at the Adelaide Chamber Singers performance at the Cathedral. The program was too detailed to photograph as a whole. For musical friends, this is the first half of the program. The second half was a performance by the ACS, Rising Voices and Baroque Ensemble of Messe de minuit pour Noel H.9  by Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704). Just the thing for a wet Sunday in December.

Monday's moussaka went down well. I had forgotten to buy additional milk for the cheese sauce and used almond milk I had in the fridge, which was fine. Brigid was working, Football was cancelled, so the rest of us stayed dry and full.

The bats were also very active last night.

This morning my phone rang at 7.10am. I was still in bed. It was the roof repairer, due at 10am,  who had arrived to do other jobs in our building, but the access key was not in the box. He wondered if I could let him in, so he could inspect my leak and access the roof from my balcony. I hastily threw on some clothes and complied. He had a plumber and a ladder with him. He said it looked as if the leak was coming through the seal. Yes, I say, but the water is coming from the roof, not the sky. It shouldn't be running down the wall. Plumber agrees with me. Flat roofs are difficult, says the roofer. Hmm.  When he discovers I have a Vergola over my balcony he changes his mind about accessing the roof from there.  They turn down an offer of coffee and leave. Before long I hear them on the roof. Is it fixed? Who knows? I doubt it, but if the plumber is helping out, maybe. 

I  made the first of my Christmas hats in record time. I'm very pleased and am now on the second one. Details, of course, are in my embroidery blog. I had to work out the pattern for myself, helped only by a chart of the head repeat. Doing so gave me confidence, and reinforced my decision to buy books rather than enrol in the design class next year.  I'm sure I would learn from it, but I'd rather mull over a book and experiment.    

The rain continues, along with bursts of clouded sunshine and periodic electrical storms. I thought I would miss Aquafit today as the Council's huge mulching machine was blocking our carpark exit door when I tried to leave. The workers, however, were on the alert, stopped mulching and moved the cumbersome equipment to let me out. Not easy working in this environment. Unlike the Arkansas fiddler, repair workers go on, rain or shine. 

The last of my Christmas shopping arrived today, along with a free NZ fantail decoration, bamboo on acrylic. It joins a few other treasures hanging on my plants this week. I bought the pewter reindeer and dragonfly at a market at Mt Vernon the day before 9/11. 

Later in the week I will begin the bagging of gifts and a final check. Can't rely on my memory, but I haven't lost the list I made!

In the meantime, it’s time to open the panettoni and stick to my Santa knitting as the sunset shines through the NZ fantail!

Post 512 It's Advent!

My breakfast meeting on Wednesday morning was postponed for a week, so I was able to focus on preparing for cleaners, begin the preparation for writing Christmas cards and take a couple of phone calls. One was from the tradie who has been assigned the contract to fix the roof above the window of my spare room, and one from a Sydney friend insisting I rush out and buy a copy of Hilary Mantel's A Memoir of my Former Self. The roof fixed is booked for two weeks' time, and on Thursday I did as I was told and bought the book.

Also on Thursday, before Pilates, my carpet shampooer arrived. It is still in the box, unopened. I've had a lot to do this week, without shampooing carpets. I will get to open the box soon. 

A book on buttons also arrived. This is written by Lucy Godoroja, a Sydney woman who owns a button shop in Newtown, Sydney. I will see if the Guild Library team want it for the Guild library. If not, it will be another resource for WES Group. 

After Pilates I visited the Queen St Cafe for a very late lunch (and lime milkshake) before running some errands.

Friday saw an early morning dash to the Credit Union to sort out some financial transfers of a kind I haven't done for several years. I was nervous and put in a lot of checks, more than most people do, according to the most obliging young woman who got it sorted. Today I had confirmation it has all gone through - a relief, well worth our joint effort, and a boost to confidence.

I then had a long, leisurely lunch with my friend Lorraine. She has been isolating for a skin treatment that involved avoiding sunlight for several weeks. We had a most relaxed and companionable 3 hours. In between I began the business of writing Christmas cards.

That took up most of the weekend. I needed to check addresses, remind myself where each one was up to when we last communicated (frequently, I'm afraid, a year ago!), reply to neglected emails, write on the cards, and, in a few cases, check death notices. I was shocked and very sad to find a June death notice for one friend. I don't, as my neighbours do, regularly check obituaries. At Christmas, however, it is a necessary ritual. Just after, the intermezzo from Cavalleria rusticana  came on the radio. I found its overwhelming sweep uplifting and comforting.

My 50 cards were posted yesterday. I would once have sent three to four times that number, but now restrict myself to friends at a distance, with whom I am not regularly in touch and who like to get them. It's a bit of a quaint custom in an age of social media and I continue because I like using my photos, and keeping the communication thread alive is important to me. I've already had a response from two friends.  I hope the photos don't act as spoilers. It has been a rich and sustaining exercise.

Last Sunday, Advent Sunday, was my signal to sort out the various Christmas presents I have been buying throughout the year, made checklists and order a couple of extra bits. I am pretty much on target. I need to do a bit more work on Christmas crackers (the reusable kind). 

This afternoon I added a few Christmas decorations to my plants and the reindeer is sitting back on the bookcase. 

My very washed-out bunting is back along my balcony rail. I made it 12-15 years ago, and only the horror of landfill keeps me using it.

I will add a few more decorations during the week.

There were 4 of us, and a lot of pork, for dinner last night. School is over for the year, uni exams are dragging on, football practice doesn't stop, and it's the time of the year for making a bit of extra money with casual work.

The books keep coming. Some are Christmas presents, but yesterday the first of my books on the Evil Eye arrived. I'm interested to see if this turns into another WES Group session. My problem seems to be that I can buy books faster than I can read them - especially when I have a queue of knitting and embroidery projects.

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A third season of Sister Boniface is now on BritBox, a big boost in the end of year TV famine. I watched the first episode last night while finishing off the second Buggieflooer beanie.  I need to switch to some Christmas projects rather than using the remaining Smith and Jamieson wool to create a third Buggieflooer beanie, but I have ploughed right on.  

I fear that if I stop now I won't come back to it, or will lose the rhythm. 

                                     

Today I had a podiatrist appointment and went dressed ready for Aquafit, in bathers and the coverall I had ordered. It was a strange outfit for podiatry (or being out in public!) but worked  well for getting to and from the pool.  It kept the car seat dry!

My podiatrist offers gap-free (meaning no charge above your health cover)  orthotics in December. I have searched everywhere for my moulds. They are clearly in that safe place, along with my 3 Guild name tags, so I've made appointments to be fitted again next week. It's about time I had another pair.

December is fast filling up with  a rush of appointments, concerts and commitments. That's OK. January is looking pretty quiet. I might need it to finish my Christmas projects!

Post 511 It's all happening here in Adelaide

This week's highlight was a fortuitous visit from Canberra family for  24-30 hours. 5 of us managed to go out to dinner, and all 9 of us met for breakfast the next morning.  It's been a busy, joyous, concentrated time. As usual, I am not posting photos of people for privacy reasons. 

We dodged the Adelaide 500 car race disruption most of the time. The race is over 4 days, partially on city streets, which, along with a number of feeder roads are of course blocked off. The continuous hum of the engines becomes an ignorable background noise. On the other hand, the RAAF  demonstrations of F-35A Lightning II and a Pilatus PC-21 aircraft come as a shock when unprepared. I wasn't sorry when the waxing gibbous moon rose on Sunday night in relative silence. Sound from the concluding concert did not carry in my direction. It takes several days to restore the city, and those who live in Eastern suburbs will be relieved to have their routes into the city restored in a few days time.

I was in luck with the arrival of my latest purchase from the Innovations Catalogue - a bamboo plant stand. It came just after Karl arrived from Canberra, so he helped me assemble it. We were proud of our handiwork. It now adorns my Eastern balcony.

On Sunday I went to the St Margaret's Plant and Bake sale, buying about 8 plants, mostly succulents and daisies. St Margaret's is always a healthy and reliable source. After a bit of food shopping on the way home, I planted them and did a bit of tidying and attending to my balcony gardens. 

I was very tired, but happy, by Sunday evening.

As I signalled last week, my blogging week began at Margaret's place, working on our presentation on Shetland Knitting for the December WES meeting (and eating Margaret's delicious quiche with home-grown spinach!). We are still working on our PowerPoint. This has been a bit of a rush, but I think we've done enough. I have now written about the buggieflooer beanie in my embroidery blog, and worked the same motif on a cross stitch pouch.

The excitement and joy of having family together carried over as they were flying home on Saturday evening, as Anthony drew off his first frame of honey. I am the lucky recipient of a jar, which I’m planning to use for this year’s Christmas gingerbread biscuits.  There is a lot more to come when more jars arrive.

This is the other thing I bought from the Innovations Catalogue - battery operated set of LED lights for the season. An indulgence, but a lot safer than candles, and a reminder. 

I steadfastly deleted the deluge of Black Friday offers in my inbox (hate the import of this custom) except for the carpet shampooer I had been planning on buying and likewise some more blocking squares from The Yarn Trader.  Now, between the Hap Stretcher and blocking squares,  I can block any shape without getting down on the floor to use the carpet (although the carpet will be clean!).  

 My new glasses were ready and I picked them up Monday, after the window cleaner finished at 9.15 am and before I visited my Superannuation company to clarify a few things . The glasses are bit of a change in colour and shape.

Family dinner was delayed to accommodate a school meeting from 6.30-7.30pm , an easy adaptation that accommodated all but Brigid who had a meeting. Exams are in progress - along with the vital planning for dresses for the Year 12 formal early next year - which Year 11's attend, dressed to impress, but not to upstage Year 12s. Tricky.            

My new pool dress/cover-up arrived and I was getting ready to try it out for Aquafit today when  a phone call cancelled the class due to electrical failure. We had a fierce electrical storm this morning, the second for the week. Roads were flooded and apparently 30,000 premises lost power. In both storms the window in my spare room leaked, caused, I'm pretty sure, by a flashing problem on the roof above. This time I got the towels in place in time. I have reported it to the Strata committee and will need to follow up when the rain is over if I don't want to end up like the Arkansas Traveller , a song and moral I remember well from primary school.

It has been a very happening kind of week! No rest for the wicked, as my mother would have said. I suspect the pace will be maintained until Christmas. While very sorry to miss AquaFit, I appreciated having a bit of a breather from activity - a chance to hang the sheets out under cover, wring out the towels and be still for a bit! 

Today was also the 60th anniversary reunion of my school leaving year. There was a lunch and school visit in Sydney today to which I briefly considered going. Pleased I didn't add that into  this week's mix.

I've instead been working the Buggiflooer Beanie pattern in the same set of wools, but using the orange tones as the dominant ones. Not sure yet how successful it will be. At the moment the lighter blue seems out of place.

As I brought the washing in this evening, a couple of honeyeaters were feeding on the jacaranda. The Noisy Miner attempting to intimidate from a higher tree eventually gave up, and left them to it. A small moment of peaceful persistence paying off for the honeyeater.