Post494 Food and Thought

There were a few mildly sunny breaks this week, one, luckily, on Friday as I had lunch at Grange before our Sit'nStitch. It really is a lovely spot. 

This time I ventured to the fisherman's basket, without chips. It was excellent.

The good weather extended to Hurtle Square but Saturday morning was another matter.

We don't often get fog in Adelaide, so it was a surprise on Saturday, to wake to a world shrouded in mist. From the view east, I presumed it was coming down from the Hills.

West over the city, however was just as shrouded. It didn't clear until about 11am - making it difficult for the netball and football matches being played all over the city.

Once it cleared, I did my shopping for Monday, then made a batch of corn and zucchini muffins as a pick-me-up. They kept me going for several days.

Much of my time has been spent proof-reading my brother's latest book - due out in a month or so. It is about convicts - and I think it is really good. I am, of course, biased, but I do think this tells an overall story that is important and enlightening. I learned a lot. Once it is published, I will provide details for anyone interested.

Today was taken up with a visit from Ovenbusters. I had booked them to clean my oven, along with the exhaust fan. I had used them to clean my old oven in 2018, but bought a new, pyrolytic  oven a year later believing I could then keep it clean myself. While I have cleaned the shelves regularly, I baulked at the pyrolytic function - pathetic, I know, but I was reluctant to remove all the shelves and apply such heat. In the end, I engaged Ovenbusters again.

Such services, partly done in an equipped van, are not straightforward in an apartment. While  I have a spare carpark under the building, the entry to our basement carpark is not high enough for some vans, so I try to reserve a street park by parking my own car there, then moving it for the service vehicle. This morning street parking was difficult. There appeared to be a gathering of white cars and vans doing a bit of a shuffle every 2 hours so it took me several times around the block to slip into a close-by vacated space. It was adequate rather than perfect. When Ovenbusters finally arrived, the van was small enough to fit in the carpark.  That's good for the service - but a lot of unnecessary messing about for me beforehand. The service took just over 2 hours and I now have a pristine oven, cooktop and exhaust fan. I will now do my best to keep it that way, which means, I think, engaging Ovenbusters more frequently!

 

On Monday we had 7 for dinner, with Niamh at football and Brigid bringing a friend. It was short and sharp, so Niamh could be picked up quickly and everyone could get home to watch the soccer - Matildas v Canada. Dinner was  a lot of fun, and successful - as were the Matildas.

There was an Adelaide Rosella out and about in the Square but not close enough for me to photograph.  My faithful dove, however, graced my balcony several times and allowed a photograph.

I have made a bit of progress on the Christine Bishop Pulled Mat, and the shawl. I have 40 rows to go on the latter. There are now some 370 stitches on the needles and increasing to 452. It is taking about 25 minutes to knit each row. That's still quite a few more days knitting!

My thanks to all of you who have been in touch about the blog. I do appreciate the communication - and the interest. I will continue weekly.