Post 445 Quiet Winter Week

I bought this pot of Gazanias this week.  They are really lovely, hovering over the chair I often sit in in the late afternoon. The long stems are remarkable, and there are plenty of buds. It's a shame I didn't buy them in time to show them off to the friends who came for lunch on Sunday, but I only noticed them as I left the shop and was in a hurry. I'd been to Book Club and didn't have a lot of time to get fresh bread and get home to put the oven on.

Book Club was again good;  wide ranging discussion and shared books and interests.

Our lunch went well - I cooked duck, potatoes with bacon and eggplant parmigiana. Susan brought a blueberry cake. The best bit was the relaxed afternoon of conversation.

Another friend joined us to Sit'nStitch on Friday. Susan had made her fabulous cheese scones in celebration. I just love them.

Susan's Gymea is slowly opening. This morning wind threatened to damage it, but I think disaster was averted when the wind dropped.  

I got to a mending job that has been waiting a while, two pair of possum wool socks whose heels have worn through. The possum wool and merino components tend to wear through leaving the framework of elastane underneath. The socks are the warmest I've ever had, so mending is in order.  

The top two photos are a plain black sock before and after mending, and the left lower is that pair finished.  The lower right is the second pair finished.   I realise, in darning them, that the wear is just above the heel, rather than right on it - which may  indicate I need a larger size sock!

I used my collection of darning wool, still stored in the box I inherited from my grandmother. Some of it is still hers, but I have added to it over the years. It's a chore, but the satisfaction on completion is worth it. 

Today our video entry system was installed in all apartments. Where until this morning, I had a phone, I now have a screen that gives me a view of who rings my buzzer.

It's an improvement, and will be even better next week when the installer returns to help each of us set up the app that will enable us to answer remotely from our phones. I am so looking forward to being able to see the postie when I'm at the Guild, and open the door to enable a parcel to be placed in the foyer. It's a bit of a scary change to master - but wow!  - improvement!

 I've progressed the vest this week.  

This is 24 cm of knitting in the round. At 35cm I get to the V neck and arms. The pattern (and therefore the kit I bought) has one ball of the pale beige, two each of the green and grey and three of the red-brown. It seems to me that the only colour likely to need two balls, is the pale beige! I'm in two minds about whether to just order another ball of beige or persevere until I run out. Fortunately, it's looking good, and is fun to knit, so one way or another the vest will be great. Apart from the beige, I am going to have enough left to make another one!

Finally,  the doves were back this morning, taking time out to catch up on avian news.

Enjoy the week and stay safe.

   

Post 444 Gardens and Garments.

This morning, after my podiatrist appointment, I visited the Himeji Gardens. There were several gardeners working and few visitors. The forecast was for an overcast day, but the sun refused to accept that. It's a magic place. 

 

Today the sound of water was clear and the plants seemed to glow.  

A camellia bush is loaded with blooms which find their way into many places throughout the garden.  

      

The shadows play on rocks and the winter trees make webs against the sky.        

It's lovely to visit.          

The week began with our WES Group meeting focused on Sequins. Pat did an impressive presentation and we had a few examples of items decorated with silver coins and mirrors. It generated a lot of discussion and sharing.  Great session.

I skipped our Strata AGM Thursday evening and voted online. I don't feel comfortable in a meeting room where most people will not be wearing masks. Apparently I was right about that, and the meeting lasted over 90 minutes. 

I did go to Pilates on Thursday and we had a good time Sitting and Stitching on Friday. On Sunday afternoon I had a fabulous relaxed lunch at friends' place and dinner with a selection of family on Saturday night.  Yesterday I cooked duck legs and tried an experiment with capsicum, stuffing them with feta, ricotta, spinach, parsley and spring onions. Not bad for a change.

The two Alice Starmore books arrived and are proving interesting and helpful. Before Pilates I swung past The Yarn Trader to get a knitting needle I was missing. Of course, I came away with three more  Kate Davies' books.  

I'm not going to run out of things to knit in a while!

I've now finished three of this year's Shetland Wool Week hats, one in each of the three provided sizes. Having tried them on a variety of family heads, I think the small and medium would cover most heads. The large does fit a large head, but the medium stretches sufficiently.

This is the three on top of each other.  I've thoroughly enjoyed knitting these, but have set hats aside to work on the Arne and Carlos vest for Katherine. 

It took a while to assemble all the bits for this. It has the addition of DMC Diamont gold thread in the reddy colour lines and that was not in stock when the wool was despatched. I now have it and have started. It's not a complicated pattern - except for steeks, which I have not used before. One step at a time. I've got about 35 cm to knit before I have to worry about that.

My brother and I have decided to give the blue vest a go, so when I finish this one, my next is chosen. It might also prove to be a break if I find the steeks too challenging.  

Somewhere along the line I had better remember my income tax lodgement and my grandmother Nellie's story, which is still very much at the beginning. 

Onward!

Post 443 Invested in Vests.

In a rain break on Friday afternoon I walked around the Square.  Our winter rain has helped a mossy blanket form on at least one tree.  

In a week when both Judith Durham, of the Seekers, and Olivia Newton John died, I have cherished these signs of growth and life. 

   

It was  also, joyfully,  Katherine's birthday on Sunday and lovely to be able to celebrate with all her family at Osteria Oggi in the city. I have undertaken to knit her the Fair Isle waistcoat from Rowan magazine No 70. The wool, on its way from Mascot, next to Sydney airport, did a bit of a dance around the Sydney suburbs, then turned up in an attempted delivery here this morning while I was at the Ophthalmologist. Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the PO this afternoon, so I'll have to wait till tomorrow to pick it up.

Meanwhile, Anthony found a decent home with a colleague for the Arne and Carlos neck warmer! Yeh! 

Another cause for celebration is the news that my friend Robin in NSW is now in rehab after a successful major operation.  It has been a painful and difficult time - but a positive outcome. Another Yeh!

I had a long call from my brother and  agreed to knit him a vest too! We discussed patterns and styles.     Right is the current favourite, possibly using this Bendigo wool (left), but the sample swatch I knitted and posted on Saturday hasn't arrived in Sydney yet, so the jury is out.  I'm looking forward to knitting it, whatever it is.

There have been a few sunny afternoon when it has been pleasant sitting on the balcony, knitting, reading or writing. I love the play of light through the leaves of the balcony plants and the shapes and colours that emerge. There might be another embroidery in there.

Monday evenings get more interesting by the week. This week Fionn, who got his driver's licence last week, drove Niamh to her football training in the family car that had been parked in one of my parking spaces, then returned for dinner. Veronica worked after school at a shop in the city then came on here after work. Brigid was at a Netball Committee meeting and their parents arrived after work. The diners left together to pick up Niamh on the way home. Neat!

I've now finished the second Shetland hat, this one in the medium size, and more cream background, rather than beige. I've embarked on a third, in the small size.  

I've become a bit obsessed with Fair Isle and Shetland knitting. I've now ordered two of Alice Starmore's books from Booktopia.

and two more from the Shetland Times Bookshop.

I think I might be knitting Fair Isle and Aran for a while yet!

In contrast to the last one, this week was low-key. I nursed my pulled muscle for much of it, cancelling Pilates. I knitted, and finished St. Cuthbert's Way,  a handbook for a Pilgrimage to Lindisfarne. I really enjoyed the history components of this - and the melding of landscape with story. I am getting great satisfaction out of returning to the history of Iron Age Britain  - a major area of study in my BA some 55 years ago. So much has been learned in those intervening years and it still fascinates me. 

The results of all my tests for the ophthalmologist today provided no explanation for my eye problem. There was a single marker of auto-immune condition - but not enough to help with a diagnosis. My eyes are functioning quite well but there is damage. The next step is a biopsy in September. It was a long drive to see her today, which is how I missed the wool delivery. 

This afternoon I was expecting Nelly's Bulgarian Embroidery collection to be dropped in, so didn't try to pick up the parcel of wool. I'll get it tomorrow morning on the way to the World Embroidery Study Group. 

Pat is talking to us about sequins - should be good.

Post 126 : If you've got friends and neighbours....

I had a good look at the Aeolium flower this morning. It still has some unopened buds but some of the early flowers are drooping a little. There was no sign today of either the Noisy Myna nor the doves.

This is the third day with no appearance of the doves. Maybe they have gone on winter break, or a bender, or perhaps they are just busy. My check on their habits indicates that they make nests and lay eggs all year round. So maybe they are sitting on eggs.










I spent four hours today visiting a neighbour down the road and helping her set up ScannerPro on her phone so she can scan all her photo albums and share with her family. It was a pleasant, sharing time.

It reminded me, however, that I intended, when I moved in, to scan my many photo albums and create photo books from them. It's time I got on with this.

It took me a while when I returned home to put together the Wednesday email to the World Embroidery Study Guild. Mary Jose, of Fabric of Life , who is a member of the group, had sent me a number of links to online textile events, which formed the basis of today's post. Balancing the amount of information in the emails is a challenge.
Readers may be interested in browsing some of the online offerings in the Selvedge Magazine Virtual Fair.

Also this afternoon Margaret Adams emailed me a photo of a Fair Isle beanie she has just knitted. I think it's lovely - and encourages me to use the wool left over from my scarf to make something similar.

Margaret has an Aeolium similar to mine which is also blooming. She has anemone and iris flowering at the moment, well out of season. Times are still, it seems, out of joint.



Last night I had an email from Genevieve who is reading a French translation of  Le Carre's Agent Running in the Field. I haven't read it yet but will add it to my long list of books I want to read. She is also doing Jessica Grimm's online Imperial Goldwork Course. All the lessons look fabulous, and Jessica is a remarkably talented teacher. It's tempting - but I have more than enough on my plate at this moment!

I really love having like-minded friends in so many places and being able to share our knowledge. It is such a privilege.

My copy of Inspirations was in my letterbox today. I haven't had time to do more than flick through. Two projects immediately grabbed my attention, a Renette Kumm thread painting of succulents (serendipity?) and the Maria Rita Falieri Catherine de Medici project which is featured on the cover. I still have a project I'd like to do from the last issue - but this issue looks as if it might also have things I want to do.







Two more leaves tonight on the Muncaster Orange. It's not fast, but it is enjoyable and forgiving - I don't really like the cream on the  middle leaf. I didn't like it on the original one I did either, but I will, once again, live with it, at least until I see the finished piece.

I'm on a roll now. I have a dental appointment tomorrow, but hopefully I can make some progress on some more leaves.

Post 115

This morning, around 10.30, I heard the distinctive sharp call of the Adelaide Crimson Rosella. Sure enough, there was a pair in the tree opposite my balcony. I had my SLR to hand, but with the wrong lens. This time I decided to risk them leaving, located the lens and took several shots.














These are the results.  I'm fairly pleased.







While I had the chance, I took a couple of macro shots of the aloe flower.







It's not the best photo I've taken, but it is an improvement.  I like the depth of layers and dimension.


I pressed the scarf and sewed up the open edge.

I was going to Katherine's tonight for dinner. Two of the girls were at friends' places so there was room at the table for me to socially distance.








Niamh kindly agreed to model the scarf for me - she has the colouring for it!




Before starting a new project I did a bit more on the owl after getting a bit of colour advice from Niamh and Katherine.













It may look pink in the photos, but the background seed stitches are pale mauve, Niamh's suggestion, and Katherine's thread, since I had run out of that colour.

It is raining steadily. Tomorrow morning I have a Book Club meeting at 10.00am in a Norwood coffee shop - the Crime Book Club I joined last month. Should be interesting.

Post 113 Victor and home

The view was clearer this morning. We had a relaxed morning. I got quite a bit of knitting done before we went into Victor Harbor around midday.

I was down here in early February to visit a friend but didn't go into the town centre. It's quite a few years since I have done so.

The town once had the oldest average age of any postcode in Australia. In the 2017 census 39,3%of its population was over 65.

Like the Shoalhaven in NSW, it is a pleasant and popular place to retire to. There's plenty of boating and fishing, a few vintage shops, a couple of decent pubs, an annual art competition and a few galleries in the area.

The town centre also boasts some specialist - and quirky- shops. Victor Beats is a music shop.














The table outside displays CDs.

The window on the right contains guitars and a lot of didgeridoos.

A bit further along is a tattoo shop.

There is a place with tables and tables of discounted sneakers and running shoes.

There is a very good coffee bar.



We had lunch at the Crown - very well spaced tables and adhering to the 20 people inside 20 outside rule.


As you would expect, there were plenty of seagulls waiting hopefully.


My drive home was smooth and pleasant - 1 hour 20 minutes door to door. A lot faster than yesterday.

When I got home there was a message to say there was a parcel waiting for me at the Post Office. The postie had tried to delivery it while I was away. I guessed it was the package of linens from Phillipa. Commonsense said to wait until tomorrow to pick it up. Commonsense lost. I headed out straight away.
I was right. These are the linens I ordered to fill in gaps in my Crewel chair.  They include the Muncaster Oranges in a mirror image, so I can match it to the one already on the chair.

I was so excited to get these. I have great plans.


I'm so grateful to Phillipa, who has gone out of her way to help me with this.










The sunset tonight was interesting in both the West



















and the East. They could almost be taken of symbols of anger and calm.






After my pub lunch of Salt and Pepper Squid and a milkshake (driving home afterwards) I didn't want or need another meal. I did finish the duck soup I made on Tuesday.








I was determined to finish the Fair Isle knitting. I have been making more mistakes as the scarf lengthens. I have undone and reworked several rows. I am not much one for unpicking, but I have done it several times in this scarf.






By the end of this evening I had finished the scarf. I haven't ironed it yet. That's a job for tomorrow. I tied off all the loose colours hidden inside the tube.
Tomorrow I need to iron it then sew up the ends

I have quite a bit of wool left over.Hats?


I am (unsurprisingly) falling asleep.. Better finish this.

It's been a great break. Catching up with friends is the best bit, but there are lots of benefits and joys. I'm grateful.


And yes, Myrtle and Turtle were waiting patiently for their missing seed!