Post494 Food and Thought

There were a few mildly sunny breaks this week, one, luckily, on Friday as I had lunch at Grange before our Sit'nStitch. It really is a lovely spot. 

This time I ventured to the fisherman's basket, without chips. It was excellent.

The good weather extended to Hurtle Square but Saturday morning was another matter.

We don't often get fog in Adelaide, so it was a surprise on Saturday, to wake to a world shrouded in mist. From the view east, I presumed it was coming down from the Hills.

West over the city, however was just as shrouded. It didn't clear until about 11am - making it difficult for the netball and football matches being played all over the city.

Once it cleared, I did my shopping for Monday, then made a batch of corn and zucchini muffins as a pick-me-up. They kept me going for several days.

Much of my time has been spent proof-reading my brother's latest book - due out in a month or so. It is about convicts - and I think it is really good. I am, of course, biased, but I do think this tells an overall story that is important and enlightening. I learned a lot. Once it is published, I will provide details for anyone interested.

Today was taken up with a visit from Ovenbusters. I had booked them to clean my oven, along with the exhaust fan. I had used them to clean my old oven in 2018, but bought a new, pyrolytic  oven a year later believing I could then keep it clean myself. While I have cleaned the shelves regularly, I baulked at the pyrolytic function - pathetic, I know, but I was reluctant to remove all the shelves and apply such heat. In the end, I engaged Ovenbusters again.

Such services, partly done in an equipped van, are not straightforward in an apartment. While  I have a spare carpark under the building, the entry to our basement carpark is not high enough for some vans, so I try to reserve a street park by parking my own car there, then moving it for the service vehicle. This morning street parking was difficult. There appeared to be a gathering of white cars and vans doing a bit of a shuffle every 2 hours so it took me several times around the block to slip into a close-by vacated space. It was adequate rather than perfect. When Ovenbusters finally arrived, the van was small enough to fit in the carpark.  That's good for the service - but a lot of unnecessary messing about for me beforehand. The service took just over 2 hours and I now have a pristine oven, cooktop and exhaust fan. I will now do my best to keep it that way, which means, I think, engaging Ovenbusters more frequently!

 

On Monday we had 7 for dinner, with Niamh at football and Brigid bringing a friend. It was short and sharp, so Niamh could be picked up quickly and everyone could get home to watch the soccer - Matildas v Canada. Dinner was  a lot of fun, and successful - as were the Matildas.

There was an Adelaide Rosella out and about in the Square but not close enough for me to photograph.  My faithful dove, however, graced my balcony several times and allowed a photograph.

I have made a bit of progress on the Christine Bishop Pulled Mat, and the shawl. I have 40 rows to go on the latter. There are now some 370 stitches on the needles and increasing to 452. It is taking about 25 minutes to knit each row. That's still quite a few more days knitting!

My thanks to all of you who have been in touch about the blog. I do appreciate the communication - and the interest. I will continue weekly.

Post 486 A wee soft

There was an eerie glow over the city at sunset yesterday when I drove Niamh to her football bus stop. Once we were out of the building, it was evident that this was rain. The roads were wet, windscreen wipers going full pelt and heavier than usual traffic, yet from the apartment it merely looked a bit misty,  with all the buildings grey. It reminded me of what was referred to as 'a wee soft' by those I taught with in Scotland in 1972 - barely visible rain that nevertheless soaked you through.

I've not encountered this in Adelaide before. Apparently, had I looked East rather than West,  I'd have seen  a rainbow. 

Winter rain (and only Winter rain!) is the norm for Adelaide - showery rather than torrential, and that's what we've been getting, with a few hours of sun in mainly overcast days. 

I have had plenty to occupy me at home - some research for my brother, reading and a concerted effort to finish St Brigid. The latter came a bit adrift last night when I discovered I had underestimated the number of pattern repeats I had completed on the front. I got one side finished to the shoulder before I had the sense to place it against the back, discovering I was out by 22 rows. There was nothing for it but to undo back to the neck decrease (the point shown here) and knit another 22 full rows before trying again. 

While I am using a row counter to keep track of where I am within the 22 pattern rows, I relied on my memory for the number of pattern repeats, which are not easily discerned from the finished garment. Memory is OK - but I should have checked against the finished back before decreasing. To catch up today I have stuck to my knitting, following the sun from the back to the front balcony and then inside.  I have made up 19 of the missing rows and am 2 days behind where I expected to be. Not disastrous.

Before our Sit'nStitch on Friday I ventured warily to the Grange Hotel for lunch. I have been having a problem with the left side of my jaw. I'm not sure if this relates to an operation I had in 1984, or something else. A week ago, chewing calamari set off a lot of pain and jaw restriction which gradually improved throughout the week but left me cautious. Opting for grilled fish without chips worked well and I enjoyed the meal.

Luckily, I have my annual appointment with my periodontist tomorrow, so will hopefully get some indication of the cause of the problem.

Still on the health front, I have read a bit about the injectables recommended by my nephrologist and I remain sceptical. I will certainly seek further medical advice.

I interrupted my knitting today to fertilise my plants. Those on the back balcony are mostly doing well from the rain. The wall garden is spreading nicely.

Again, I've been playing with shapes, tracing the outlines of these leaves to create embroidery patterns. This one has potential - when I've finished my knitting... oh, and the Phoebe Ann Traquair piece I'm planning for next year...

Did I mention the extra alpaca wool I ordered from Adagio mills? They had some black and browns in stock. It runs out quickly, so I ordered some for a shawl. When it arrived I liked it so much I ordered more (enough for 3 shawls) while stocks lasted. It arrived this week, along with a complementary ball of a new line. Now I've got an idea for that....

Post 462 Christmas is coming....

On Wednesday I ventured to Hahndorf to meet my brother at Otto's Bakery during his lunch break. He was in Adelaide for the day on a cruise ship, accompanying a tour group. Very sensibly, he took them to The Cedars, the Hans Heysen house in Hahndorf. He has done this before and we take the opportunity to catch up in his lunch break. I wish I had taken a photo - but I was living in the moment, enjoying the rare chance to meet in person. It's not gourmet food - but an easy and pleasant place to meet. A rare and treasured opportunity.

On the way to Hahndorf, I took the opportunity to stop off in Crafers at Atelier - a gallery with a shop selling local crafts (and food). I hadn't been before but had found online that they carried the ceramics of Jane Burbidge (Just Jane Ceramics), whose beautifully shaped and sized coffee mugs I have used for well over a decade. From at least half a dozen, I am down to two with handles - and I wanted replacements. The gift of the Claire Unger mug a fortnight ago only made the loss more acute.

The ones I am replacing are no longer available but I was hoping she had retained the shape and size in her current Ginko range.  My hope was realised. The gallery ( a great find - I'll go back!) had two of her Ginko mugs (right), good size and very pleasant shape to hold. They also had a range by Indigo Clay, slightly different shape, and a rather more 1970s colour and texture, but still promising. Of course I bought both. I am now enjoying my first coffee from a Ginko mug and have retired the most recently broken original (centre) to service as a succulent pot.

The basket in the photos above was another find at the gallery, interestingly made with a sewing machine and washable. I reckon it works well for my Big Red Geranium.

I couldn't resist trying for some more bat photos. I can't get closer versions. They are too fast for me using my DSLR. A bit of distance does show their size against the landscape.

As a follow-up to my saga of sending a registered medical report to the Dept of Infrastructure & Transport, I had a feedback request from Australia Post, so I politely pointed out that yes, the letter had been delivered, but no, I did not think the matter was resolved until I understood why I had no tracking or delivery advice. Within 5 minutes I had a phone call to explain that registered mail to departments that receive mail in volumes is signed over in large batches, not individual letters. Great for the department and Australia Post, hopeless for senders. I have now suggested they place "Not Suitable for correspondence with Government Department" on the registered letter form.

Saturday was the Maggie's Mart Footpath Sale of Goods  at St Margaret's Woodville and I went along to stock up on plants, which are always good there. For $50 I got a load of succulents and daisies to fill gaps on my balconies. I resisted the very healthy looking frangipani.  As much as I love them and these looked very healthy, three frangipani trees are enough for any balcony!

Over the weekend I placed them into spare spots, these ones on the front  balcony

and a few on the back. 

        

During the week I also soaked and prepared the clay beads and planted a succulent and a begonia in the chipped glass and the handleless mug.

I'll  be interested to see how these go. The ones I bought from my Pilates Studio are doing very well, but they were well established when I bought them. 

There is now an array of Just Jane planters on the front balcony - and I have plenty of coffee cups! 

I managed to get to Grange in time to find a parking space and have lunch at the Grange Hotel before Sit'nStitch on Friday. It was a lovely day, a relaxing time at the beach and also at stitching. It is now very busy at Grange (and other beaches) as the weather has warmed up.  Not everyone swims or fishes. Many just meet friends, walk their dogs and, like me, soak up the wonderful sky and sea.

On the way home I managed a photo of Carrington Street in full Jacaranda glory. A few days later, the purple is being overtaken by the green leaves. That's also a good look, but I am pleased to have captured the purple at its best.

I've still been knitting, but yesterday I played around with some striped plisse that I had originally purchased to make nightdresses for granddaughters, but abandoned. The Guild exhibition next year has a theme of 'It starts with a Stitch' and I decided I could use this very pink fabric to make aprons with sampler-type stitching down the stripes. I think it could work, so I used an apron I had bought for the purpose as a pattern and cut out one apron. 

I'm not quite ready to start stitching. The next couple of weeks are mostly spoken for but but it won't be long. Hope it works. 

Today I spent 3 hours having coffee and lunch with a past neighbour. It was good to catch up. She gave me a very pretty necklace which also serves as a a pendulum for divination. She also suggested my granddaughters might like to borrow it sometimes. 

On my way home I stopped at Bunnings to buy secateurs. I also bought 2 air plants on impulse. By next week I will have them sorted.

Earlier in the morning I made my gingerbread biscuits for Christmas. They look a bit pale here, but they are done, and taste good. There is sugar and golden syrup in them, so I am not going to add more by icing them. 

Finally today, I am sad to learn my sister-in-law's mother died last night after a long illness and decline. A big loss and sadness. Rest in Peace, Wenda. 

Post 457 Birds, beach, balconies - and a blood moon.

This week's bird is the Noisy Miner, managing to dominate the native frangipani for much of the time, although the lorikeets are not too deterred, sometimes insisting on staying while the miners are screeching. These belong to the same family as Bell Birds - Bell Miners - but are not as pretty, nor as melodious.

 

I had a plumber come on Friday morning at 8am. He did a great job, fixing the mixer tap that had come apart, installing a new water filter under my kitchen sink and cleaning out the bathroom sink that was draining a bit slowly. He was done in under half an hour. I decided to roll with the early start and wrap my balcony wall pieces in plastic. 

It looks nothing much but took me over an hour. The  smallest are covered in tape, the others have plastic over them, tucked right under the edges ( handy to have long nails!) and the edges taped.

The Balinese mask on the back balcony looks a bit creepy.

I also moved all the pots on the back balcony into the middle, and added any tools or supplies into the spare bathroom.

I ended up doing quite a bit of cleaning - including  a dish of shells and stones that act as a water source for the birds. and the brass candlestick that belonged to Jim. The brass is taking quite a bit of cleaning to restore its shine. My Brasso was ancient. I did try it, but have assigned it, unfortunately, to landfill. I'm currently trying vinegar. I've added three brass pins and a brass hook to the soak. There's a way to go to get them all into a shiny state!

I invited Theo to inspect and advise, which he did on Sunday morning.  He thinks it's all OK. He brought his ladder and covered the dish mounted too high for me to reach.

 

Saturday was a JEMS day. I had promised to help, and Niamh was able to attend for the first time in several months, since netball has switched over to the Summer program and she no longer has a clash. There were nine JEMS there, five in the younger (8-10) age group - lots of activity, lots of requests for help, lots of sharing. Really good - but I reckon Margaret, the convenor, will have slept well on Saturday!

Afterwards Niamh and I went down to Grange. I had left a bag behind after Friday's Sit'nStitch (ditsy!) and wanted to retrieve it, which I did. As we were there we had our milkshakes at the Jetty Cafe. It was a lovely day. I'm not sure the milkshakes are as good as those at Queen St Cafe, but they are larger, and you can't fault the view.

Katherine was away at a hen's weekend for the wedding of a friend. Anthony got back from Queensland on Saturday morning, but still managed to shop and cook a barbecue, for which I stayed. Great to catch up with everyone. It's exam time.

On Wednesday the wood rounds I had ordered from Stringybark Supplies, arrived. They were much better than I expected. The ready-made set of Christmas ornaments are really bright and cheerful. 

Most exciting, however, were the plain rounds. These are made from radiata pine, old plantations which are now being removed and the land restored to native forrest. An enterprising farmer is creating these rounds from the radiata pine, sanding and selling them - and in some case printing them for corporate merchandise - or as tokens or souvenirs of special occasions.

I found them inspiring, and, by Friday had created 8 of my own, using photographs of lorikeets and Adelaide Rosellas.

I traced the outline of a bird from a photo on my ipad screen, resized it on my printer, then retraced it on to the wood. Then I used either coloured pencils of fine line pens to colour and contextualise the birds.

 I found it utterly addictive. I just wanted to keep going. I was a bit restricted in the birds I could use, because I didn't have a good white colour in either medium, so couldn't try a magpie, or seagull, or raven. 

I have played with Brolgas, to pick up on John Wheeler's The Carol of the Birds. which I learned in Primary School. The white pencil almost worked. I might try acrylic paint.

I've left some with Veronica to see what she can make of them. I am tempted to order another box.......

Monday morning saw me preparing potatoes, broccoli and chicken Marylands for dinner before heading off to the Guild to talk about Bulgarian Embroidery, dashing to buy the bread then home by 2.30 when Niamh arrives from school.  

The painters were already at work - hosing the front balconies down at about 8.15 am.  By the time I got home around 1.30pm  they were working on the overhang above the apartments. To my surprise they had finished my balcony. They apparently painted the ceiling while the first coat dried on the wall, then did the second coat.  I could, the boss told me, remove the plastic sheeting. So I did! 

I was prepared for 5 weeks, and it took 1 day! There is, of course, the back to do, but they now say that won't happen till January! I've reconnected the hose! I might also remove the plastic from the mask.

The Guild session went very well (apart from a few glitches with the technology - fault of the Guild computer setup which needs attention) and there was a lot of interest in both the information about Bulgarian embroidery and the pieces acquisitioned by the Museum.

The footpath outside our apartment entrance has been blocked off - very confusing for visitors, but easy to navigate when you know how. I waited outside for Niamh and Veronica to help navigate. 

Today I was up early to begin the move back. I washed stands and pots as I moved them and (repeatedly) washed the floor. At 10.30am I stopped and went to the Guild to finish labelling Maureen Holbrook's folders. They were in Margaret Morgan's car boot, and she was stitching there today, so it was a good opportunity. I got the job done and had a good time with the group. The folders are now  in my boot, ready to be handed over to Christine in a fortnight's time.

Back home around 1.30pm, I tackled the rest of the balcony restoration. It was fairly heavy work - moving and cleaning a lot of plants. The windows are very dirty, but my efforts with Windex mostly resulted in smears so I think I'll give up on that for a while. 

Probably best to wait and get a window cleaner. I'm now very tired . I'm not used to being on the go all day - and it's 33C today. The plants need a good water (so do I) - and I'm back at the Guild for WES Group tomorrow. 

I watered the plants, had dinner and a big drink before photographing the beginning of the luna eclipse. The blood moon will be at its peak in half an hour - and beyond my photography skills.

A calm end to a busy week.

Post 220 : Rabbits and photos

I spent a few hours throughout the day working on the rabbits, finishing the components that were entirely within the hoop. I figured it would be better to move the hoop before beginning the section on the right, since the edge could not be finished without a move.

I had used an 8" hoop because the linen just fitted and I thought I might get away with carefully stitching to the very edge. It was a mistake. The linen is barely wide enough to fit in and is therefore difficult to tighten.

So when I moved it, I moved to a 6" hoop, which makes it easier to tighten the linen. It would have been better to begin in the 6" hoop and assume I would need to move it. I have three more of Rabbits at Dawn to do for my chair. 6" hoops all the way!

There is a lovely dimension to the piece - as there is to most crewel pieces. It's so relaxed and enjoyable to do.

I'm thinking about how to vary the other pieces while keeping the connection.

I somewhat reluctantly paused my stitching to continue removing photos from the album of my visit to the USA in December 1995. 

The photos came out relatively easily when I used my bread-and-butter knife. However the little adhesive tabs used to attach the photos remained on the back corners and retained much of their adhesive. I was pretty sure the photos would not go through the  scanner with the tabs on the back so I cleaned half a dozen using DissolveIt. It was going to take hours to clean them all, so I thought I might just try them in the scanner.  To my surprise they worked. I was able to scan 65 in a relatively short time. Praise be!

Katherine had invited me to join them for dinner at Grange Cafe this evening. It was a lovely evening and there were people at the beach but the cafe wasn't crowded. We were early snd it did fill up before we left, but it was not crowded. They have new tables, well spaced.

Really pleasant. We had coffee at Katherine's where I picked up another supply of chicken food for the doves.

I am still struggling with this layout. Another experiment tonight.