Post602 Laden with happiness and tears

Birds are active again, making lots of noise and moving around. I captured the doves through my newly cleaned window of the spare bedroom and snapped the honey eater through the balcony door.                       

Unsurprisingly, I didn't pay them much attention on Wednesday when I was up before 7 to reserve a parking space for the electrician. He arrived at 10.30, discussed my problem, pulled out the kitchen extractor fan, and at 11.20 set off  with the old unit, to buy a replacement. It took about 2 hours to find one that fitted & with which he was happy. It took ages to install and when it was in, the unit projected 2mm over the door clearance. I suggested shaving the door. Garry wasn’t happy. At 5.15 we agreed to leave the doors off for 12 days until he can return, dismantle the unit and remove the row of tiny tiles that are causing the problem.

I so admire the problem solving process and determination to get it right. It was a long day’s work requiring diagnosis, problem solving, meticulous measurement, consultation, product sourcing, purchasing, installation, adaptation, testing. At the end of all that, seven hours later,  it works, but near enough is not good enough and it must come out again. I dips me lid.

I returned the things we removed from the side cupboards, and also found another home for my supply of toilet paper. I don’t mind looking at it for 12 days, but it would invite jokes - and my mother would have disapproved of such display.

I had my 10th COVID shot on Friday morning - and have booked the next one for March next year. Back at home for a recovery coffee, my coffee machine showed the sign for cleaning. I got out the book and a cleaning tablet, and followed the steps. Once again, it didn’t work. I rang the shop. The serviceman who had offered to pay me a visit next time it happened was not there (Friday afternoon, POETS day?) but they promised to organise for him to come after the weekend. In the meantime I can still use the machine ignoring the ‘clean me ‘ signal. I haven't heard from him yet,and have kept making coffee. 🤷🏻‍♀️ It makes up for the slightly sore arm and tiredness from the vaccination.

When I finished the felted bag last week I had most of a 200gm ball of pink 10 ply left . It occurred to me it might make beanies for the JusticeNet walk next year. While I have made, and continue to make, white beanies for the AGJusticeNet team, I’m happy to use up coloured wool for beanies the charity can sell. The pink ball yielded 3 beanies with a bit left over. I do have another pink ball but instead I used up red left over from making slippers. In the process I worked out a better design for 16ply. 

I'm planning to move on to one of the larger knitting projects I have waiting, but as a break from knitting I retrieved one of the Ink and Spindle totes I cut out months ago and worked on it for a couple of days. Details in my embroidery blog. I'm pleased with it.

Beneath these activities has run a great deal of emotion and communication because a reserved, very private, widowed uncle in Canada has terminal cancer and had moved into a palliative care unit. Finding this out has taken a lot of detective work by my intrepid  English cousins. I helped where I could. 

The time difference between here and Vancouver makes synchronous communication tricky. He can no longer use email, which is how he mostly communicated over distance. He likes snail mail, so I’m giving it a go, in hope. It  feels as if cancer is taking over. I’ve started wearing my pin again. 

Tomorrow, however, is World Embroidery Study Group - and Fionn has invited me to the dinner he's cooking. Definitely a bright side.