Post 550 Birds, a blind and ablaze with colour.

My personal big event this week was this morning's installation  of the blind I had ordered several weeks ago.

The installer arrived about 8.45am, with ladder, blind and left-over linen. Within minutes he had removed the old blind and had the new one balanced on his head as he positioned and drilled the screws in place.

By 9.05 it was all over. I had a new blind and he was off to his next job, taking the old blind and its fittings with him.

The new blind has sun protective backing, which will help considerably in temperature regulation.

It does take up a little more space when up than the old one (left), but I can afford to lose the tiny bit of light and sky.

I am delighted with it. I think I knew as soon as I was given the fabric, that it needed to be put to such use. It took a few years to pluck up courage. It does justice to the fabulous linen fabric, to the artist, the giver and the birds on the other side of the glass.  Gratitude.

While the blind uses the whole fabric piece I was given, the plain linen surround required to make it fit the window space resulted in significant off-cuts, which now belong to me. To my surprise, these are even-weave - 36 count, which is finer than I now choose to use, but not outside my stretch. At the very least there are fellow embroiderers who will use it.

More projects!

I had begun the week with a visit to the coffee machine shop to discuss the problem I was having with the clean and decalcify lights on my new machine. The staff had no experience of the problem and suggested I bring it in for them to look at. This I did the next day (sigh). They have only one technician at the moment and a backlog, so I am back to plunger coffee. To cheer myself up, I paid a visit to the wetlands, looking out for birds.  

                                  

I had no trouble finding them.          

They were all foraging in the ground and seemed to be finding what they were after.

The sulphur crested cockatoos were happy alongside

the long-billed corellas.

The magpie kept to itself.

My 8th COVID vaccine on Friday resulted in the predicted sore arm and tiredness, also about 48 hours of heartburn, which I can't attribute to any other cause. 

Knitting did not make my arm any more sore, so I'm pleased to say I am now on the home run with the blanket, currently adding the final side to the border. I will write it up in an embroidery blog later this week - once the recipient has it. The photo is of the finished squares joined together before the border (and before pressing!). It has had its challenges but I'm pleased with the result - and the process.

The temperature is warming a little and the signs of Spring are everywhere evident. The tree behind my balcony now has visible buds.

     The back balcony pots are awash with colour, and that ring-in coral tree has come into its own, matched by Thursday's sunset.         

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