Post610 Feels like Progress

Still feeling chuffed with the result, I spent time on Wednesday writing up the account of my needlecase finish. On a roll, I tackled the remaining 40% of the needlepoint cushion cover, making good progress until interrupted by a phone call from Will, asking if he could call in to assess my rangehood cover request. He arrived half an hour later with his young daughter in tow. While he measured and muttered, his daughter and I explored boxes, display cabinets, puppets, earrings - anything that caught her eye. It was a joy to see such a lively mind.

Even more astounding was the phone call 24 hours later asking again if Will could call in. This time he was accompanied only by the box he had made. After a couple of trips to his van to make adjustment he left me with a finished cabinet and more useable storage! Before on the left, after on the right. Amazing.

My luck ran out with the Jura coffee machine on Sunday. On Saturday I called at my coffee supplier and bought three kilos of coffee beans. The machine has been telling me for several weeks to descale the watertank, but not allowing me to do it. Last week it told me to change the filter, which I did, three times, but it would not continue. Yesterday I once again returned it to the Jura service agent. The receptionist is hopeful, but who knows if I will ever see it again. 

After leaving it I took myself off to buy a coffee grinder and a metal drip filter. I need backup coffee making methods, and I might as well grind the 3 kilos of coffee. Yesterday I made my breakfast coffee with a Vietnamese Phin filter (above). I used to travel with this and have not used it in 15 years. The new larger filter (right, front) makes up to four  cups. The coffee pot has not seen use in years, but will keep several cups warm - a better proposition than using a plunger. Today I ground enough fresh coffee to fill the filter and poured enough water over it to half-fill the pot and give myself a couple of refills throughout the day. Getting the hang of it!

I’ve been working  on the bluebirds cushion through all this excitement, reaching, on the weekend, the point of filling in the remaining white background. On Thursday I got fed up with the roller frame continuously loosening and went searching for locally made slate frames. Create in Stitch are now contacting their local carpenter to order me one. It won’t help with Bluebirds, but I have two more in the queue. 

This evening I finished the white background. I have ordered 3 zipped cushion backs that are a 44cm square. The embroidery is 37x37cm. I therefore have to work a white border all around to cover the difference. It won't be interesting stitching.

The steady rhythm of half cross stitch in a single colour is conducive to thought and last Saturday as I stitched I began to plan my Christmas cards. Before heading to bed around 11pm on Saturday night I thought I’d just check out my photos in readiness. When I did go to bed at 1pm I had the design in my VistaPrint cart, along with some stickers and bookmarks. I did have the good sense not to press order so spent Sunday morning refining and adding to the order. Life has taken its toll  on Christmas cards in general. Mine are not exempt. The list is now down to those who don’t get my blog, live across the planet, or have  got them since childhood, This year’s front photo is of the flowering gum over Jim’s grave.

Sunday was All Souls Day, and friends and I went along to St Peter's Cathedral, where St Peter's Music Foundation sang Faure's Requiem as a Mass at Evensong. I love Faure's Requiem. Although I have sung it and heard it many times as a performance, I have never heard it in context as a Requiem Mass. It was a very remarkable, calming and thought-provoking experience. It surprised me. We had dinner after at A Prayer for the Wild at Heart. A very special evening.

Today it is cold again. I even have the heating on! We had a couple of  fairly warm days and it has  been raining for a couple of days. The new geranium  has benefitted, opening up and developing buds.

The technology surprises kept coming. On Friday I had a call from Internode Support, in response to an email I had sent enquiring about my modem. After answering many questions, and many holds, I was transferred to Customer Support (more questions and holds) who eventually informed me they were sending me a free WiFi6 modem in recognition of my long loyal service!  It was delivered today and installed this evening by Sean the Geek.  It took two hours and I was very pleased I hadn't tried to do it myself. It involved information and processes I did not know. A lot was different since I installed the last one some 8 years ago. I can't hope to keep up with the tech changes. The new TV, now predicted to arrive in two weeks time, will hopefully connect to and work smoothly on the updated network. 

I'm grateful to have access to friends and helpful experts. I'm feeling less anxious about it all - and grateful. 🙏

Post 574 In Adelaide it's all about the Arts!

It's been a busy week, with lots of photo opportunities! On Wednesday I had coffee with Panayoula, with lots of news to catch up on both ways. Back at home I stitched away, trying to progress the Huckaback on Aida piece before meeting friends at the Botanic Gardens for Arc en Ciel, a concert in the Bicentennial Conservatory. It was a great experience. Four musicians, Casper Hawksley. guitar, Celia Craig, Oboe, Harrison Smith Flugelhorn and Thomas Marlin, Cello improvising on the upper walkway while the audience sat in a single row of seats around the lower level path alongside the Chihuly glass sculptures as it gradually got dark.

We sat in front of the purple candles.

I like this photo (right) of the ethereal oboist  playing amongst the trees. 

Overhead the light shone through the ferns, creating shadows as the musicians wove their magic and birds called both inside and outside the building.

The sculptures were lit from below and glowed.

It was exactly an hour, In the heart of the city, only the sounds of music and birds, contemplative.

Towards the end of the hour, the bats began to leave the park, heading, no doubt, for the Moreton Bay figs in our Square! Groups of them were silhouetted agains the roof, but impossible to photograph at the speed they move.

On the way back to the car I managed one shot.

There was also a duck sentinel. unmoved by the passing concert-goers or bats overhead. 

I'm really grateful to the friends who picked me up and dropped me home. It was a magic time out.

Back at home, I got stuck into the Hamsa and finished the piece just before midnight. It was satisfying to take it off the hoop before going to bed.

It meant that the next morning I could prepare my three entries to the Guild Exhibition, ironing, packing and filling out forms, then dropping them off on the way to Pilates. Good job jobbed! Details in embroidery blog.

While I was away, the two extra Evil Eye mandala kits I had ordered were delivered. Unfortunately, I had made an error and ordered one I already had, so I have now put in the correct order.🙄. 

I was almost late to Thursday evening’s concert because I assumed it was at the same time as Arc en Ciel, the previous night and it was half an hour earlier. Fortunately, I was planning to leave early, and Katherine messaged me she was on her way. Parking was difficult, but I made it just in time.  Just  as well. It was fabulous.

A huge contrast to the night before, in setting, program and performers - three choirs, Schola Cantorum from London, the Festival Statesmen Chorus and the Cathedral scholars with a stunning program culminating in the Faure Requiem with the organ and combined choir in a big sound filling the packed cathedral.

We are so privileged to have such a range of music available to us. It was a highly appreciative audience. I'm not sure how the young members of Schola Cantorum managed. They arrived in Australia on 10 February, performed in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide and flew home on 21 Feb,  the day after our concert! They also gave a concert at St Peters' Boys' School in Adelaide . It's a punishing schedule, especially factoring in rehearsals with other choirs.

They appear to want to come again for longer! Hope that works out.

Now that my exhibition contributions are in, I had a bit of a stocktake to decide what to prioritise next. There’s a lot to choose from! Two kits for shawls from Blacker Yarn, in a wool-silk mix arrived this week, along with two more fabulous remnants from Ink and Spindle to add to the pile already waiting to be made into tote bags.

I've also readied the two kits I received for my birthday for stitching. I can't however, find the sashiko needles I think I have somewhere.

While getting sorted, I progressed another Galaxy Dreaming panel, The Evil Eye kit won and is now well underway.

On Friday I stopped for lunch at Grange on the way to Sit'nStitch. It was a lovely day, sitting outside and watching what must surely be the fattest pigeons in the State, cooling themselves in a dish of water left out for them by the Grange Hotel.

On Saturday I made a scheduled visit to the dressmaker to pick up my altered Otami dress, but it hadn’t been done. Disappointing, but no big deal.

 My Library Association t-shirt arrived, so I wore it to stitch on Friday and to the very productive and pleasant Book Club meeting on Sunday. It’s very comfortable! I might make it my Book Club uniform. The March meeting is at my place when we will discuss the Lilly Pilly Creek series, Elly Griffiths' Frozen People  and Laura McCluskey's The Wolf Tree.

The t-shirt also served me well on Monday, when the window cleaners arrived at 8am (in fact, it’s fast becoming my wear-for-getting-things-done attire!).

I had most windows (there’s a lot!) clear of plants and furniture. After they left around 9.30, Shane arrived to try to fix the leak of water into my wall cavity. It rains so little in Adelaide that the leak is only discernible a couple of times a year. After about 3 hours on the roof he had, it seems, found and fixed the problem, to do with the length of screws used in capping the roof, and the way a couple of sheets of corrugated iron meet at the top of the pitch. I really admire and enjoy the way an experienced tradie goes about solving such problems. I now have to wait for a downpour to test it has worked before my ceiling is repaired. No big deal.

While all this was going on, I prepared a vegetable and sausage bake, and made zucchini muffins. I had yogurt to use up, so found a recipe that used it. There’s no way the kids will eat them, but I certainly will! I might make another batch later in the week.

The vegetable bake with sausages worked well: a bit better,  I thought,  than the last efforts. I tried a recipe that adds a tablespoon of marmalade in the last half an hour. I’m not sure it made a difference, but it was less liquid- a definite improvement. As usual, I was too busy serving it to take a photo of the result. There were 8 of us, so not too much left over - a meal for me tonight!

Today I called at the dressmaker's for my altered dress. I'm very pleased with the result.  It's a big improvement, and I feel quite comfortable wearing it without the strange pointy sides. It was, however, only when I tried it on that I realised I should have told them to reinstate the pockets! 🙄

I took the left-over bits home with me, and this afternoon cut 2 straight pieces and added pockets to the outside near the hips.

They are barely visible against the black and will serve to hold a phone, car key and small, flat necessities. Problem solved.

While I was out this morning I went on a hunt for sashiko needles and eventually found some at Riverlea Quilts. I'm stowing them safely in my needle box, ready for the next project!

It's been an eventful week, with a lot of music, colour, reading, creating, family and friendship.

The Adelaide Festival doesn't start until Friday but the Fringe got underway last Friday. There's certainly plenty going on.