Post651: Good Things

On Friday, after the servicing of my air conditioning system, spending an hour with the hygienist and dentist, visiting the pharmacy and shopping at Frewville for Monday dinner, I treated myself to a late lunch at Balaboosta

While waiting for my wild mushroom pizza to emerge from the wood oven, I was entertained by a troop of sparrows hopping around the outside tables waiting for diners to leave.

They seemed to know their place in the world, staying on the ground until diners left, then hopping on to the vacated table to clean up.

The pizza, was, as always, fabulous and there were only a few crumbs left for the sparrows.

 I My blog week began with WES Group, which went exceptionally well. I was there in plenty of time to set up for SALA Exhibition visitors and, in spite of illness and travel keeping key players away, we had 11 members there to make it work. We moved around the room, hearing about the inspiration and process of the entries of 5 members present, and discussed a further 3 sets of entries from first hand knowledge.  We were able to welcome and assist 6 visitors throughout the morning. There was agreement we should do the same at future exhibitions. No photos are permitted, so I can’t show you.

On the way home I called at OfficeWorks to pick up a box of tips for my iPad pencils. I’d ordered them online to be picked up in store as they had none in stock. I opened the gigantic box in the car to find this! I’m guessing small parcels get lost in their delivery vans. Perhaps if I'd had them delivered to my home they's have been in an envelope.

On Thursday I took the plunge and prepared my 2025/26 tax information. It took several hours to gather and document the information I need.  I approached my tax agent  for instructions, and have sent my documentation to the accountant today.

On Saturday I cooked the lamb shanks for Monday dinner and visited the Handspinners and Weavers' SALA Exhibition.There were a couple of really beautiful shawls in a silk/wool mix and some most interesting felting work.

The Bishop bags arrived on Thursday. I collected them on Saturday and spent Sunday morning making the small corrections to the print. There are 6 places on each bag where a word isn’t clear. Hardly surprising when they are printed from a photograph of words embroidered in Quaker stitch! I mailed the package of 12 bags yesterday, the first stop on my stop-off list.

The second stop was the audiologist, who tweeked the program on my right hearing aid. So the swooshing noise is gone and both aids work. I then went to the bank to check whether they had sent me a replacement for a debit card that expires this month. I was concerned it might have been caught up in a recent spate of thefts from letterboxes. 

It took 45 minutes of waiting while the attendant (“specialist” in current bank-speak) checked online, then on phone with his supervisor, then a variety of bank teams, eventually establishing that, because I had not used the card in 18 months, it was deemed no longer active and did not need a replacement! Once I had disavowed them of this conclusion they authorised a new card, which is being Express posted, at no charge to me, to arrive within 10 days! 

I'm grateful that Australia Post has a different view of Express Post (the box of Bishop bags sent yesterday were delivered safely in Sydney this morning). Having said that, I appreciate the identity checks the bank made throughout the process, and I would rather wait while the "specialist' did it than go through the process on my own at home. I don’t regularly withdraw from that account, but keep the card  as my backup. I finally made it to the shopping centre and home by 2pm.

I spent much of this morning finalising my tax documentation and communicating about the Bishop Bags. My Sydney partner in the enterprise has insisted on sharing the costs as well as delivering them to MOW. In the end I felt it was churlish to keep refusing such generosity. It is a fully joint venture.

Not much of the forecast rain arrived today and it was pleasant on the western balcony in the late afternoon sun. Some pots need replanting, but others are looking healthy. I find this kalanchoe stem very pleasing in pattern and colour.

I've managed to progress the outer border of the Balvraid Hap, working hard this evening to reach the peak. It's fairly slow going, but I'm gradually speeding up. It's rather like a frill- a 16 row pattern of 20 stitches is worked vertically to the edge, progressing about 5 cm. The remaining section requires 20 repeats of the pattern, 6400 stitches (who's counting?). That will take me a few days

The current photo doesn't capute much of the edge pattern, It shows a bit better in the close-up. The finished shawl will need to be blocked to show the lace.

I'm finished knitting for tonight. Even though I'd love to finish, if I push on further I will be up all night.

On the whole it's been a week of achievement,  progress and satisfaction. Next week brings, as well as a lot more forecast rain, the challenge of my talk to the Embroidery Tour Group on Sunday. I'm  as prepared as I can be. 🙏