Post 527 Ups and Downs

The sunflowers, barely open when I foolishly bought them during the heat wave last week, required a lot of coaxing (continuous water topping and stem cutting) before the leaves decided not to droop and the flowers to open. In spite of the colour, when they did come out they didn't look their  best in that tall vase.

 

I did, however, manage to get them posed for the photo on Thursday before I reduced the stems further and relegated them to a smaller, less colour-coordinated vase that held them together and upright and where they are still blooming!

Wednesday's WES Group meeting was focused on textiles of Northern India, specifically Assam and Nagaland, visited by one of our members in 2019. As well as an account of her visit, some history of the area and plenty of photographic illustration, she had collected some fabulous examples of silk, cotton and linen works from the area. In spite of the 37C temperature, 14 attended, engaging enthusiastically in the discussion, asking questions and contributing their own knowledge. It's an energy-generating group. 

 

I needed to be home in the afternoon for my cleaner, who arrived about 2.30 - and found his own parking space, always touch and go in our busy street. I usually write up the WES meeting summary straight away but left it until the next morning, making myself (of course) late for Pilates. I celebrated by having lunch at the Queen St Cafe - an excellent crispy skin atlantic salmon with beetroot aioli, baby potatoes and watercress and radish salad.                                                                 

In between, I made the decision to take up the hem on the Arte Otomi dress I bought and wore to Brigid's 21st. I was reluctant to do it, because it meant removing some of the embroidery, but it was uncomfortably long, even when lifted by the belt. I also knew I could trip on it. 

I folded the hem under about 3" and stitched it by hand, without cutting. I had to undo the side seams a little because of the tapering shape.

I'm much happier with the result - deliberately tested with bare feet to be sure. Worn without a belt it's now a comfortable length - far more relaxing. Even a tiny heel will lift it further.  I’m sorry to lose some embroidery, but there's a lot left!  It's been too hot to wear it anyway.

A busy day on Saturday, when I spent the morning making moussaka, literally sweating over the stove, grabbed a shower, rushed off to pick up Niamh for JEMS, where I’d promised to stand in for an absent helper. I wasn’t really needed, but managed to sort some buttons, do the washing up and pick up the wrong phone on my way out. My bad, as my grandchildren would say.

I didn’t realise until Niamh and I had ordered our milkshakes and rhubarb friands at Queen St Cafe, 10 minutes drive from the Guild. The phone was the same model as mine with a similar cover. Both were in my pocket. Fortunately the owner, a tutor, was still at the Guild. She hadn’t missed it. She insisted she would come to us to pick it up, eschewing directions, saying she would Google the address on her iPad. We waited and waited. Everyone had now gone home from the Guild. We had no means of contact. 50 minutes later, just as we were about to drive away, she arrived. She had (1) mislaid her car keys somewhere at the Guild (2) found her car keys (3) realised once in her car that her iPad had no connectivity without her phone or wifi (4) gone to Queen St in a different suburb. I'm still not sure how she actually found us, but we were all very happy! 

Niamh was home in time to change and get to her football match. Anthony's roast lamb was excellent, likewise Katherine's salad. Katherine and I completed the Guardian Crossword with some remote help from Anthony at the ground watching the last half of Niamh's game. I was home just after 9, in the words of all good 1950s compositions, tired, but happy.

I had to leave home earlier than usual the next morning for my Book Club, because of the numerous road closures between me and Norwood, where we met. Not only has the Fringe closed one connecting road, but the Vailo Adelaide 500 car race was also on this weekend, closing another main city connector,  so I had to take a round-about route. I was quite glad to be leaving home - the noise from the cars was loud. As usual, we had a stimulating and useful discussion. This month we didn't have nominated books - just caught up on what each of us had been reading, which was a lot. Inspired by one of our member's, I came home and spent the afternoon escaping the 31C outside temperature,  reading,  in air-conditioned comfort, the second of Rhys Dylan's DCI Evan Warlow series.  

By the evening however, I was undoing several days of knitting. Left is what I had. Below right is what I should have had. Somehow I had missed a 10 row block of the chart. It’s tricky, working from a black and white chart with multiple colours. Also tricky undoing colour work over 10 rows.

It took more than an hour to pull it undone and rewind the wool.  I also changed down a needle size as it was looking too large. 

The redone missing rows (right) are about 6" in length, row 28 of an 80 row pattern, which is then repeated. I'm beginning to get the concept of the pattern imprinted in my brain, the key to relaxed knitting. Each row has 3 colours, a little trickier to keep untangled than my usual 2 per row of Fair Isle. 

As I was photographing the sunrise yesterday, a flock of birds took off noisily and I managed to get a few shots. I suspect they were Corellas, which feed as a flock in the South parklands, but they could have been lorikeets. Against the sky they just look black. The flight lasted for several minutes. 

A great start to the day.

Birds are increasingly evident - both in sight and sound. I startled 4 doves on my balcony yesterday and this one returned to explore. I think they presage the Autumn Equinox - tomorrow afternoon at 2pm. Interestingly, the temperature has dropped as if on cue,  from several weeks of 30C+, into the mid-twenties today, where it is forecast to remain for the next 10 days. Deo Gratias.

I pushed myself to get to Aquafit today, dashing home to shower and change before meeting Panayoula for coffee at White Picket, where I took the opportunity to have a substantial lunch - a “protein salad” of rocket, spinach, poached eggs, avocado, Haloumi, sun-dried tomato and smoked salmon - while we caught up and laughed a lot. 

Carrot salad for dinner tonight on the 'only one main meal per day' principle. Happy with that.