Post 465 Welcome 2023

My original pink Mandevilla produced its first flower of the season for New Year's Day. It's on my East-facing balcony, doing better than the white and red ones facing West.

Mandevilla lose their leaves in Winter, and I've been watching them slowly reappearing. A flower emerged as a new year gift, worthy of the macro lens.

It has been an exceptionally quiet week for me. The cards and messages have continued to bring joy and news (from Minneapolis today). I've caught up with a bit of reading and a little research for my brother. Mostly I have been occupied making another batch of bags - more of that later.

On Friday I visited Jim's grave and went for a walk at Centennial Park. The birds were audible but not visible and the flowering grevillea, eucalypts and agapanthus were everywhere. The gardens are superb. The small hedges have grown quickly and provide guidelines rather than barriers. So peaceful. 

I have never made a big deal of New Year's Eve. I think my grandparents celebrated with friends around the pianola. After 1963, when we first got television, I would stay up watching with my parents until midnight but that's about it. It was not something my friends, at school or university, were into. This year, after a relaxed, delicious and refreshing dinner with Katherine, Anthony and Niamh, I made my way home in time to catch the end of the 9.30pm fireworks from my back balcony, then watched reruns of murder mysteries while stitching until the midnight fireworks. Adelaide fireworks do not compare with Sydney's, which I watched the next day, but I love the sight and sound of this local welcome of the new year, about 1km from my back balcony.

I have always loved Auld Lang Syne - which I'm pretty sure my grandparents played and sang around that pianola in my early childhood. I have a vivid memory of singing it in Edinburgh Castle in 1972 at the conclusion of an Edinburgh Tattoo. I enjoyed it on an ecard from a UK friend and took a cup of kindness to dear absent friends before heading to dinner with family. 

After the success of last week's bag making using the Christmas fabric, I remembered that I had also purchased 2 other fabric collections from the Guild Trading Table- one of greens, and one of checks and tartans.

What was I thinking?  Whatever it was, I decided I would try to use them up on bags before the end of the year. Amongst the checks was some gingham, which  I set aside to embroider. The rest, and the greens, I cut into 124 bags. Making them has taken up most of my week. 

I didn't quite make it, but I am nearly there. I have 79 completed bags, 30 finished except for the  stops on the end of the cords, and 15 cut out and ready to stitch. I expect to have them all finished tomorrow, when I will write it up for my embroidery blog. Some are quite small - whatever it took to use the fabric.

Madness, I agree. However, it is part of my resolution to be purposeful in my purchases (however big a bargain!) and to use up what I have.

The bags will be used over time - and the fabric is put to good use. I have enjoyed doing it. There have been several very hot days in the week. On Sunday and Monday I didn't leave the apartment - such a luxury. A couple of good Sydney friends had invited me to join them visiting Canberra for the Cressida Campbell Exhibition but I wasn't ready to fly. It would have been great to catch up with family and friends, but I'm still in abundance of caution mode.

My treat today was to try the new cafe along Hurtle Square - A Prayer for the Wild at Heart.  My oysters were served on cold rocks, the Barramundi with fondant potato and  leek and shallot  compote.  The food was really good as was the service.   The initial table I chose was near a noisy aircondition outlet, but  I moved before my food arrived. 

So far so good 2023!