Yes, it's Jacaranda time again in Adelaide. This is the top on one close to my back balcony.
I had an optometrist appointment on Wednesday morning, resulting in an amended glasses prescription. I've ordered new multifocals and the replacement of the lenses in my reading glasses. There is a slight advance in my cataracts, which will need removing within 5 years but are best left alone for now. On the way home I detoured to Spotlight to get some gold wire to use for couching in the Certificate Course workshop I am preparing. Happily I found suitable beading and florist wire at reasonable prices, so bought both. I also called at the chemist to have prescriptions made up. One is about to expire, so I might as well get all I'm likely to need in the next few months. On a roll, I completed the student notes and sent them off to OfficeWorks for printing, then emailed the newsletter notice to the Guild.
Before Pilates on Thursday I made adjustments to the PowerPoint, copied it to two USBs and picked up the printed notes from OfficeWorks. That, I thought, warranted a wild mushroom pizza at Ballaboosta for lunch.
Panayoula and I spent 2 hours catching up on Friday morning before I went to the B&O shop where Nas , unphased, changed the batteries in my remote using a key - the same as used on an Apple phone. They are supplied with the remote - so I assume mine was removed by the installers along with the packaging. I must have one somewhere.
I had taken the remote wrapped in a hand towel in one of my embroidered bags. A man visiting the shop asked me about the bag - and then asked me to embroider something for his not-yet-born granddaughter! He began with a request for "something pink". I directed him to the Guild shop. He then got more specific - a cap with Mia - Missing in Action embroidered on it! I said I was very busy.
Back home, the remote turned the TV on, but no sound and no channel change! I phoned the shop. NAS explained she just had to restart all their machines because of a blackout. She suggested I had been affected by the same. I tried everything she suggested with the remote and app to no avail. In the end I turned the TV off and back on at the powerpoint and it worked! Nas couldn’t have been more helpful. Will I be able to change the batteries next time? I’ll wait (hopefully 1-2 years) to find out!
When I was over the panic I assembled the kits for the workshop, cutting 1 metre lengths of gold wire plus about 5-6 metres of linen thread and two pieces of hemp cloth, which I edged on the machine. 15 of these are now ready for the workshop -enough for students to work a very basis sample.
I had planned to go the monthly Saturday morning market at St Margaret's, but fortunately checked, to discover it had been held the week before! I shopped for the vegetables and several varieties of sausages for Monday night. then got stuck in to the last sample for my Certificate workshop next year. It was great to catch up with all my grandchildren on Saturday night, the two eldest providing much needed help with the crosswords after dinner.
Book Club was lively on Sunday morning. Most members had read all three of the Joanna Jenkins books up for discussion. One member and I had read only the first, and were both unimpressed. It made for good discussion.
I’ve now packed all the Certificate Course Workshop material into a box, labelled and ready to go. It sits on top of a huge box of books I used to research the period.There will be a few tweaks when the time comes, but I could, if required, take the class tomorrow. If interested you can read about the samples in my embroidery blog.
The sausages I bought for Monday dinner were Italian mild pork and fennel, lamb with balsamic, onion and rosemary, pork with Royal Gala apples, and chicken with fetta and spinach - 6 of each. There were 7 in attendance and we consumed 20 sausages.The lamb and chicken were the ones commented on, but in the end, they are just fuel for engagement.
The Innovations Catalogue, from which, in the past, I have bought many a Christmas present and handy item, is closing. I am steadfastly deleting the sale notices without opening. I did, however, browse the latest Fox Collection catalogue and noticed that, for the first time, they are offering to create a cross stitch cushion kit using your own photo, either as a counted chart or printed on Aida fabric. It caught my imagination. I discussed with my family the potential for things like graduation cushions. In the end I decided I wanted to see how good they were, so I have ordered three using photos of birds and a butterfly. I ordered them on Sunday, and on Monday received notice they were on their way - from China. I guess I should have anticipated that. From past experience the only downside is the reliance on a courier rather than the PO. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
The sun was out, and the jacarandas planted as street trees along the front of our apartments some five years ago have gained height. This one is almost level with my balcony. They are still quite thin and spindly, but will hopefully fill out in the next few years.
I managed to get myself to the pool and swim laps for half an hour. This evening I completing the next round of the fourth cushion. Reports tell me the three installed in the church are being well used. The next round is in the darker green, after that the corners get squared off. I'm nearly half way. It's satisfying to knit - you see progress at every stitch.
As I look back over this post, it's been a very green week!
