Post618 A few challenges, much community and joy.

 

I picked up the dress from the Post Office on Christmas Eve after a message saying it couldn’t be delivered. I assumed  the driver hadn’t bothered stopping. Then our Strata Rep discovered her buzzer was not working. It seems that while the reboot last week fixed my ability to provide entry, it did not fix the buzzer itself. All my complaints about delivery service were unwarranted - the buzzer system for our whole pod is out of action, and had probably been so for a week before Christmas! The company that services it is closed until sometime in January. Fortunately, the urgency of parcel delivery is  now over. Visitors need to phone for me to let them in.

The dress, described online as linen and cotton turns out to be fabric linen, trim cotton, meaning that, apart from the thin green binding along the front edge, the dress is linen. I would not have bought it had I known that. As much as I like linen, I do not like ironing. However, it proved fortuitous. After wearing it all Christmas Day, including driving in it (the critical test in my experience), it was barely crushed.      

I went to bed at 9.30pm on Christmas Day, waking a couple of times, but sleeping for at least 10 hours.

It had been a lovely, and not very strenuous day, mostly sitting around, inside and outside with one daughter’s family, while gifts were exchanged and opened, stories were told (or, mostly, retold) and food consumed, followed by a joyful phone catchup with my other daughter. I guess the effort of getting to this point caught up with me. The food, with no input whatsoever from me, was superbe.  The crowns, incidently, were well received.

I had little energy for anything on Boxing Day. I managed to change and wash my bed linen before settling in to read Murder on the Great Ocean Walk , stopping only to make some spaghetti with pesto around 3pm - a carbohydrate treat for Christmas. 

I also opened the Panettone I had foolishly bought. A very generous slice each day over five days with my morning coffee took care of that. I am registering an extra  0.5kg on my now reliable bathroom scales and need to take care of that before I see my GP on 5 January.

There was a bit of noise from the pub when I got home on Saturday night, the sound of people relaxed and happy. The pub looks quite quaint from my balcony at night.

I couldn’t get a decent shot of the moon but it could have been an Oberon and Titania night in the Square - with a little help from electricity.

On Monday morning, in 38C, I went shopping for a Beijing duck for my stir fry dinner. The shop, near the Adelaide Central Market, that sells them fresh each day, opens at 11am. On my way out I ran into our Strata rep. As we stood in the foyer talking the neighbour moving out of the first floor was bringing her last furniture down in the lift, so we acted as door openers and holders. The apartment is sold but we have no information about the new owner. 

On my return, with duck, broccoli, bean sprouts and a supply of serviettes, I met Alec, another new tenant, at the lift. He now lives below me. We got in the lift together and registered our floors. The lift doors closed. The lift doors opened. The lift doors closed. The lift doors opened. Eventually we got out. The doors continued their dance. I rang the Strata rep. She rang the lift company. We came up the stairs. Alec kindly waited to see I made it to the 3rd floor. I sent messages to the 5 family members coming for dinner offering a postponement in light of the lift situation. They were made of sterner stuff and prepared for stairs (as well as no buzzer). 

Just after 4pm the Strata rep declared the lift fixed! Family arrived carrying my Christmas detritus and my TerraCycle box, successfully delivered to their place. The stir fry hit the spot. I didn’t photograph it in the rush to get my timing right - and I forgot to add the bean sprouts, but it made for a relaxed and companionable evening. So grateful for the support and love.

Leftovers for late lunch today and the bean sprouts  will go in duck soup made from the bones. That will be my New Year's Eve treat.

The last batch of printed Bishops' Bags arrived today. That's 11 days from my order - printed and delivered from China. Faster than the Christmas cards that arrived today - 13 days from Eastern Australia!

More detail in my embroidery blog.

I managed to finish the sleeves on my cardigan last night. Today I stitched the pieces together. While the sleeves look tiny, they are not. The body is large and the shoulders come well down the arms, to just above the elbow. The photo was taken with the left-hand edge band on the needle. Tonight I am stitching the band. I won't be sorry to see it finished.

I've had a joyful and productive week and wish everyone a Peaceful, Happy New Year.