Post 484 recipes, repairs, repertoire, and a rainbow

I had planned to begin this post with the doves who visited on Friday, but the rainbow that greeted me as I was preparing my breakfast on Sunday deserves that honour. 

I managed to snap a few photos before it faded away. It was a great way to start the day - which lived up to its promise.

The morning was spent at Book Club. The choices had been mine, Everyone in my family has killed someone, by Benjamin Stevenson, and Judgement Day by Mali Waugh. Both were well received and provided plenty to talk about. I'm grateful to Brigid for the Stevenson suggestion.

In the afternoon, Katherine and I went to the Adelaide Chamber Singers concert at St John's Halifax St, a well-planned program with two Byrd motets, the Vaughan Williams setting of Ben Jonson's Wedding Chorus, a couple of Ben Van Tiernen pieces and a fabulous rendering of Charles Hutchinson Gabriel's His Eye is on the Sparrow.

A pretty perfect Autumn Sunday in Adelaide.

The signs of Winter are appearing.  There has been a lot of rain this week, and day temperatures between 15C and 18C.     

   

The painters have finished, and on Thursday the doves huddled together on my balcony, looking neither for food nor water, just warmth. I was interested in an article in The Washington Post this week reported on the research indicating mental health benefits from watching or hearing birds.

On Wednesday, after a visit to the optometrist, shopping and cleaning, I made a batch of corn and zucchini muffins, using a recipe adapted from several I had compared, including one sent to me by Vivienne. 

It was remarkably successful. I had a couple for my dinner and, as Vivienne had promised me, they lasted several days, cold or warmed briefly in the microwave.

I will be making these regularly now. 

I was on standby for JEMS on Saturday, but not needed. Niamh has netball for the next couple of months so I spent Saturday shopping and cooking for Monday and progressing the St Brigid jumper.

On Wednesday I also had a message to say my Jacqueline Hick frame repair was ready, so called to pick it up, brought it home and hung it. I can't avoid reflections on the glass, but it hangs appropriately beside two of her paintings and is easily accessible. Jodie did a great job on the frame.

Early in the week I had trouble opening the drawer on one of the cabinets Nordic Design Furniture had made me.  Clearly there was something in the lower drawer  jamming the upper drawer's movement. All my efforts to free it failed and I could not work out how to remove the drawer. On Thursday, after Pilates, I called out at Nordic Design Furniture to ask them to show me how to open the drawer. Daniel, the owner, was there, and extraordinarily helpful. I went home and had the drawer open in about 3 minutes. Yes, of course, I had packed too much into it! It is such a joy to engage with sympathetic and kind people - and to solve problems. The young man who came on Monday morning to service my aircon unit was similarly helpful and professional.

I have also been eking out the Greek Easter biscuits that Panayoula gave me last week. I am putting back some of the weight I lost - due, I think, to the reintroduction of a modest amount of carbohydrates in my diet, including the pasta bake I made  for the first time in over a year for family dinner last night. I see the nephrologist on Thursday, and he will be unimpressed.  I'm going to need help to manage a sustainable diet that keeps my one kidney healthy, and have arranged to see a highly recommended nutritionist when she takes on new patients in September. Until then I need more exercise and fewer carbs. In the meantime, I fronted up for fasting blood and urine tests this morning, so fingers crossed.

It wasn't raining today so I spent the rest of the day doing washing, reading Christopher Fowler's The Waterhouse and making a big batch of Anzac biscuits. I seem to have cracked the recipe that family members (me included!) like. I ration myself - but they may be out of bounds after my visit to the nephrologist on Thursday!     

The St Brigid jumper is progressing slowly but steadily. I am now halfway up the front. Some Ink & Spindle linen remnants arrived today - I have some bag ideas for these when St Brigid is finished.

I wouldn't want to run out of projects!