Post 174 Hair, rain and pincushion

This morning I had a hairdressing appointment - the first haircut since I had a perm six weeks ago. The perm did not work well - for the first time in years. My hairdresser agrees and next week she is going to redo it in part.

Today's cut was excellent.

Before I left for the appointment I managed to finish my response to a council canvass of resident views about a requested parking change in our street. My neighbour and I discussed it yesterday and she offered to take our responses to the Town Hall, which she did today.It's great to have a  collaborator!





I was meant to meet Panayoula for coffee at 2.30pm but her appointments changed at the last minute so we postponed. A pity, but it gave me a chance to advance the cube pincushion for the counted bag project. I managed to get the four-sided stitch outline done for the whole piece before dinner.







Around 5pm the promised rain arrived.


It had been gloomy all day, without any rain falling, but it has now arrived and set in - if the forecasts are right, for the rest of the week..









The city was dark and misty.

The pub on the corner looked cosy. I hope that Lorraine is warm and comfortable in her room in the hospital behind it.

The building work had been relatively quiet today and was silent by the time the rain came.

I got two of the cube sides embroidered this evening.

Three sides to go, then construction.





 Should be fun.

Post 172: Birds, book-ended by 'broidery - and a bit of a breakout.

The first task after breakfast this morning was to finish the needlelace on the second tassel of the bag. Before I could start there was a message from the friend who was to host our Sit'n Stitch this afternoon to say she wasn't well and needed to postpone.

I was to pick up Jennifer for this, so we consulted and decided that we would go to Mr Nick's for lunch then come back to my place to stitch.


That settled, I finished the bag.







Then, as I was getting tidied up ready to go out, I had a balcony visitor, the first in a while. The building work is silent on Sunday so the Noisy Miner was about.

He eyed off the plants, but clearly there is no nectar that appeals in any of them.










I was, however, pleased to see any bird. I took these through the glass door, so as not to scare him off.







I was a few minutes late picking Jennifer up in my effort to get these shots.













None the less we had a very delicious lunch right in front of the fire. Both of us shed a layer in the warmth.  There were a respectable number of people there when we arrived, but it was never crowded and before long we were pretty much on our own.

We began with a gin cocktail and finished with affogato (the gin, I hasten to say, the only alcohol).


We both had a little bit of shopping to do, so separated and met up again. By this time, Jennifer was worn out. There was, I fear, too much walking for her around the supermarket. At her request I took her home rather than to my place. Two and a half hours is more than enough for her at the moment. I hope we didn't overdo it. My mother would have said she should sleep well tonight, but I'm not sure it works like that for a Covid long hawler.





Back at home, the birds were making a racket. It seems they have been taking advantage of the lack of building activity.















Before a helicopter scared them away, I managed to capture a couple of lorikeets. While the branches appear bare from a distance, they are clearly beginning to bud, and the parrot families are on to it.

 The rosella sat silently in the background. Perhaps it wasn't the helicopter that scared the lorikeets away.












It's good to have these back. I haven't seen the doves this weekend, but reckon they won't be too far away.

My evening was spent on embroidery for the needle case that goes in the bag. I.m very pleased with progress on this. I have 24 beads to add and four-sided stitch all around the outside edge of this, the front, and an equivalent sized back, before construction.

Then I have only the little cube pincushion to go.

Rain is forecast all week this week, conducive to stitching.

Post 171 Forgot the beads!

I can always get myself to sleep by thinking about the detail of my latest embroidery project, the steps that have been taken and the next steps to take. Last night, as I was thinking about the next steps in the Counted Bag, I realised that I had completely forgotten about the beads that are meant to be the finishing touch on each side.

So  this morning I dug out one of the beading 'shoes' from my unfinished Margaret Lee beaded bag project and set to work to rectify the omission.




Each side of the bag has 24 beads, so I had to stitch on 96 beads without going through to the lining. It presented a challenge - as much of patience and care as embroidery skill.

I did manage it, but it took the whole morning and then some; probably about 4 hours. I'm quite pleased I made the effort.

It was JEMS day and I needed to pick up Niamh at 3pm. She had had a good session and was full of the fabric cutting tool they had been shown how to use and with which they had cut shapes that she thinks will be made into a cushion.  There were only 3 JEMS there, so they had been able to have a good go at the machine.

We went to the Queen Street Cafe again for milkshakes. It will never replace the Red House which closed, but I think it could develop into a place where we are known and our needs anticipated. Niamh had a chocolate brownie rich with very thick dark chocolate and caramel and I had an excellent rhubarb friand. Over time I may be able to convince the manager to serve lime milkshakes!

Katherine was very busy picking up and delivering from parties, netball, and football. We all met up for dinner of Anthony's barbecued meat, baked potatoes, and vegetables. Delicious, - and my red meat allocation for the week!

Back at home, I attempted to attach the cords and tassels. The cords are made and in, and one tassel is finished.

A plain tassel doesn't take long to make, but one with a needlelace head takes longer. I got one finished, but common sense has prevailed and I'm leaving the second one until the morning.


It is constructed and just waiting for the needlelace. That's a 45 minute job - with my wits about me- so not to be started at 11.45 pm



It will still be there in the morning - and the bag has had enough of my time for one day!