Post 190 Books, Birds and Birthdays

Today was full of photo opportunities, beginning with the dove summons. Myrtle flew off, but Turtle hung around for a while on the wall garden before adjourning to the roof for a bit. They made forays during the day to feast on the seed. There was building work next door, so perhaps they are getting bolder.












I had Pilates - good as usual - after which I called at the Guild to pick up a couple of library books.

I was pleased to find the Elsa Gudjonsson in the library. It is out of print and I had sourced the cheapest copy available for $A163.00  delivered. It is, I think, the Icelandic Embroidery Bible and very useful.  The pattern book is useful in a different way. It was last borrowed in 2013 and the Gudjonsson has, it seems, never been borrowed. I suspect that is about to change.

After getting home and examining the books, I set about scanning a photo album. I chose at random one covering much of the 1980s. There are photos of birthday parties, family visits

and our trip to Britain and Italy in December 1984.

I was going out this evening to a small birthday celebration in a restaurant. I planned to go early to get a park. As I was getting ready I noticed the lorikeets feeding on the trees behind the apartment so grabbed my camera. This is a sample of the photos.



There were about 8 lorikeets in all.



The Rosella held itself aloof - but was keeping an eye out.








The small cosy dinner turned into quite an event.  There was a 50th wedding anniversary celebration at the other end of the restaurant.




We'd been there about half an hour when the entertainment arrived - two accordianists who proceeded to serenade the happy couple with every Italian song popularised in English - and a good few more that didn't make it into Australia





We had Volare, It's Amore, Santa Lucia, Feniculi Fenicula, Quando, quando, quando, O solo mio,  - and Delilah!























There was a Covid Marshall in attendance - and no dancing. Our table was suitably distanced from the party and from other tables, but we got the sound and a little bit of the action when a waitress told the players there were two birthday celebrants on our table.  They of course, played Happy Birthday!




Quite an eventful and photoful day!

Post 187 Lamb shanks

More loud coo-ing this morning.  This time Turtle sitting in the wall garden seemingly keeping guard while Myrtle ate the seed left from yesterday.  They didn't stay long, but by the end of the day all the seed had gone.




Today was family dinner and kids after school day. I planned to try cooking lamb shanks with potatoes in their jackets but needed a few more large potatoes. I browned the lamb shanks and got them into the oven for a bit before going to Coles at Norwood. I wanted to go to the bookshop there so easier to do both in one place.


Once home and organised I could embroider while the lamb shanks cooked.  I moved on to the fourth quadrant of the Icelandic Helm's Awe circle.







I did remember to take a photo of the lamb shanks as they came out of the oven, but after that was too preoccupied to think about photos. It was a very pleasant and relaxed afternoon with the girls and the meal worked.

I am slowly widening my Monday dinner repertoire!


I managed to finish the Helm's Awe Circle and to add the lining.








I had to adjust the size as I went along in order to get the best match of  design. I had not originally planned to join up the circle, but once I got to the construction it seemed a good idea.

I will need to do a bit of thinking and manipulating to get the best closure.















That, however, is a job for tomorrow.

Post 184

I woke this morning to a lovely long email from my friend Christine in Watford, England. She is patiently waiting for a cataract operation - put off because it is elective surgery in a Covid world.  Over the weekend I will share a photo of one of her recent embroideries which I find most interesting.  She is also joining lots of queues. I had sent her some of my supply of elastic, which is still scarce in Watford. I had begun to think I was crazy to have sent it, but I'm glad I did.

She told me of a visit she made to Iceland years ago. She managed to buy a book on counted Icelandic embroidery while there but on reaching home discovered all the colours where in Icelandic. Her library  had no Icelandic dictionary, so she wrote to the Icelandic Embassy with a list of words, which they obligingly translated for her!

 When I put on my merino slacks this morning I noticed a ladder emanating from the leg seam. I got out my grandmother's box of darning wools but couldn't lay my hands on my darning mushroom. I figured a small ceramic dish would serve, but after outlining the hole and beginning to darn, I decided there was sufficient give and stretch in the fabric to simply stitch the two sides of the hole together. Much easier and worked a treat. Once I worked that out, the mushroom, of course, turned up!



On the bottom of the chocolate box was this elastic. It still stretches - but does not retract. My grandmother died in 1980, so hardly surprising!







I picked Jennifer up just after lunch to go to our friend Susan's place at Grange to stitch. There was a lot to catch up on.

Jennifer had found this fabulous fabric to go with her embroidery. Very Gaugin. My contribution is the linen stripe for the lining. It's going to look fantastic.


We covered lots of topics - and we all three have plans for more projects than we have hours in the day for a long time to come.

On the way home I once again found myself waiting for changing traffic lights at the turn from Anzac Highway to South Terrace looking at what I think is a young Boab tree. It has a lovely rounded shape - no doubt shaped by the Council workers.










I worked on the outside edge of the Icelandic Endless Knot, putting the last stitches in after dinner. I had to take it out of the hoop to put in the last two stitches.













I've been thinking a lot about how to use it. I had an idea it might work as a square bag/satchel but needed to play with it to see if it would work.




I think this shape works with the design.













I found a piece of Ink and Spindle linen which I think might work as lining.
















I figured if I used this shape I could embroider the four quadrants of the Helm of Awe embroidery on the flaps. It is, I think, well worth a try.  I've marked the quadrants off in accordance with the pattern I bought yesterday. Watch this space.

The lining fabric is printed as cross-stitch, so I think it could work quite well.

Tomorrow is a Certificate Course workshop at the Guild. I'm going to try to go to this one, which is on Wessex embroidery. I've gathered most of the things I need for the workshop. 

I'd better go to bed, or I won't wake up on time to go!

Post 182 Research, Good Hair, building drama

My hair was still dry and full of body this morning - what I was hoping to find.

I spent most of the day researching the family backgrounds of a couple of nineteenth century artists for my brother. It's absorbing activity.

Around 3pm I emerged to sit on the front balcony in the sun with my embroidery. It reached 20.4C at 3.15pm in Adelaide, so I got the best of the afternoon.

Around 5pm activity on the building site next door hotted up. Lots of pumping noise, large vehicles and reversing vehicle sounds.

I'm guessing they might have ruptured a water pipe. They appear edto be pumping water - in or out I wasn't sure. At 8pm in the dark,  they were still working but all went quiet shortly after.

When I checked I still had water, but when I took my phone off the charger as I went to bed just after midnight, I found a message at 8.19pm telling me the water main was repaired but might take up to three hours for water to be restored!

What I didn't know didn't hurt me!





I'm sure the workers missed the sunset. I love these ones that have a golden reflection on the side of the Credit Union building!

I received the three documents I ordered yesterday on Icelandic magic symbols and a transcription of the Huld manuscript. Now I need to read them.



As I reached the last quarter of my Icelandic Endless Knot I discovered a mistake. Fortunately I could correct it without undoing too much. One stitch out in such a geometric design potentially distorts quite a lot.

I had hoped to finish it today, but no matter.  There's progress.

Post 181 Windows, Hair and Runes

This afternoon I spent a couple of hours sitting on my front balcony in the sun and stitching the Icelandic Endless knot. It was pleasantly warm in the sun. The plants are looking ready to welcome Spring.


It was a busy morning. The window cleaner arrived before 8am. He cleans my outside, non-balcony window from the roof of our car park with a very long-arm tool before doing all the other windows from inside the apartment. Before Covid he employed 5 men, one of whom used to come and help. With Covid his work has dropped off to the point where he works on his own.  He normally comes twice a year, which is sufficient, but I suggested that if he ever has a job in the city between my cleans he could do an extra one for me.  It should be easier to photograph the doves (when they return) through the window now the dust from the building work has been removed (until it recurs!)

We are all in this together.


My other commitment this morning was the hairdresser to repeat my perm. It doesn't look quite so mad in reality. It will be a bit frizzy for a couple of weeks. but will settle into what I want after that. It will also reduce the oiliness of my hair for several months- the main aim of the exercise.  So the effort has been worth it.

From the hair dresser I went to Create in Stitch to replace the Appleton's 227 I had run out of for the Icelandic project. I also asked about hessian for the Jenny McWhinney garlic bag that I got free. They don't carry hessian, but did have some 18 count linen that should work in a similar way. I got enough to make two. I know Jennifer wants to make one too. The colour isn't as rich, but the texture is right. Given that most of the recommended thread is silk, the linen might work better.

My brother called to catch up and with a small research request. Unfortunately my phone battery died before we hung up.  It was so flat that it took quite a few minutes on the  charger before it revived enough to be usable. It was a very rare moment when I wished I had a landline!

I discovered this afternoon an article on Icelandic Embroidery written by Elsa Godjonsson, an Icelandic researcher who has written a now out-of-print book on Traditional Icelandic Embroidery. I'm a bit tempted to indulge in an expensive second-hand copy!  I also found some designs based on Icelandic runes. I might try working one of those and have ordered a couple of papers on their background. I hope others in the World Embroidery Study Group have become as addicted!

Here’s my progress on the one at hand. The camera picks up flaws not visible to the naked eye - but that’s helpful.

It might be possible to finish it tomorrow.

Post 180 Mostly cooking

I spent much of today preparing a roast for tonight - and forgetting to take photos. I planned a pork roast, and bought two pieces of rolled pork shoulder, 4.7 kg in total. I calculated the cooking time carefully, but added the two weights together to get a cooking time - around four hours. Of course,  I should have worked on the single weight and the cooking time was about half what I'd calculated as the separate pieces cooked through more quickly than a single large piece would do.

Fortunately I checked and took the meat out of the oven for over an hour, putting it back just before dinner..There were  also potatoes, broccolini, carrots and parsnips. The only things I have left to photograph are the roasting pans soaking in the sink and I won't inflict that on any reader.

I did manage to dig out some pieces of printed linen and one of velvet. I had  promised Jennifer I would do this in case one of them was suitable as a back for the bag she plans to make from her embroidery.

Not sure if any of them fits the bill but we'll find out of Friday.

There was some fairly quiet work in the building site today- a couple of men laying pipes of some sort .

In between cooking and various other chores I stitched steadily away at the Icelandic Endless Knot piece. I think I’m going to run out of Appleton’s 227 - the dark red. I think a trip to Create in Stitch is called for. I have a skein of the next colour in the range, but it would notice.


I’m still enjoying the design and stitch.

This must be my shortest post ever. I’m falling asleep and have to be up for the window cleaner at 7.30 in the morning. I also have my follow up hairdressing appointment.