Post497 Mostly botanical.

I took this photo in the garden along the front of our apartments while I was waiting for the postman to delivery a parcel I knew wouldn't fit in the letterbox. The bloom is about 6cm across. It would make a neat piece of stump work.

My friend Lorraine and I had a long, relaxed lunch on Wednesday at The Flying Pan. It was a bit quieter than last time. Lorraine has finally shaken the flu she developed just after we met 6 weeks ago.

There was a brilliant sunset that night - a tribute, no doubt to the great work of the Matildas, the Lions, and all the women playing in the most watched television event in Australia since records have been kept.

I'm not a sports fan, but have to acknowledge the achievement. I don't know enough about the game to understand the play, but I did follow the score and commentary on my phone while watching Vera.

Thursday was an unusually busy day for me. In addition to Pilates, I did a large supermarket shop at Unley, and went to Port Adelaide to get a couple of accessories to make the shawl border easier to knit. It required quite a bit of consultation to get what I was looking for. While there, I visited the nearby True Hemp Culture to replenish my supply of eco-friendly nail polish and remover. This shop is a bit of a find. Since Ecolateral closed I have been hard-pressed to find several products. I'm delighted to have stumbled on this source. I managed to mostly dodge the rain that set in in the afternoon, although it was a bit of a search for a carpark at both Port Adelaide and Unley.

I still haven’t made it to the Frida and Diego Exhibition at the Art Gallery. I had a couple of possible spaces  in my diary this week but  chose to visit a couple of SALA exhibitions. August is always South Australian Living Arts month and pre-COVID I visited lots of exhibitions which pop up in shops, and any vacant spaces. This year, a couple of exhibitions caught my eye, so I ventured out.  One in particular, Botanical Beauty at the Noel Lothian Hall at the Botanic Gardens, was only on for three days. As Friday was  catching up with  friends,  I made time on Sunday. 

I’m so glad I did. 

The gardens are looking splendid, with buds just beginning on some plants, flowers and fruit on others. 

There was a huge variety of art and crafts on display and for sale. I fell for the work of Tricia Matthews, from Greenock, in the Barossa Valley, who works in mosaics, particularly using mirrors. All but one of her works on display were of birds. A wonderful Cockatoo had been sold. I have very little spare wall space in the apartment, but wondered if the neighbour across the landing on my floor would mind if I hung it outside my door. She has an artwork outside hers, so I thought she’d agree.  

The one I liked best, apart from the cockatoo, was Koi Fish. In the end I bought it. When I got it home, I realised there was one suitable space left in the apartment. At the end of the corridor, below a glass painting of mahjong players, it will catch the light from the balcony. 

As you approach it distorts and creates new images. It is heavy and will need to be professionally hung. 

It is giving me joy. Jim and I bought a lot of local art, mostly from exhibitions. The collection is important to me.  I‘m so the happy to be able to add this to it.  

Today I waited in for a parcel delivery before taking myself to Barrow and Bench Garden Centre to pick up a few replacement plants, then on to Centennial Park Jubilee Hall where a group of artists from Port Vincent, on the Yorke Peninsula, have a SALA exhibition, Three Generations and Friend, mostly about the sea. It is a good space for art. The driftwood sculptures of Alan Borg are extraordinary, as are some of the sand and seascapes.

While at Centennial Park I visited Jim’s grave. The tree and succulents are thriving. I added a couple more succulents and took a couple of cuttings home to add to my balcony garden.

Back at home I planted some of the replacements. 

The balconies are looking  good, especially this poinsettia from several Christmases ago. The challenge will be to keep up the watering throughout the coming summer. 

The shawl has taken up many hours this week. I am working an icord around two sides, joining an inside and an outside edge. It is very slow work, but will be finished by next week.

Tomorrow I have my 6th COVID vaccine. I’m hoping to get back into regular swimming once that takes effect. Deo volente.