Post 542 Mostly retail therapy, some scary.

 

Wednesday began with a visit to The Bobbin Tree, to pick up the three kits that I ordered the day before from Inspirations. They are, indeed, inspiring, but I am sticking to my knitting. I'm not going to show or discuss them yet, but one is Aquile by  Maria Rita Falleri, whose work I love. From The Bobbin Tree, determined to bite the bullet, I headed into the city to the Apple shop, waited impatiently until one of the helpers was free, then explained I wanted a new laptop.  I had worked out two options, one a Mac Air and one an iPad with keyboard. Explaining took a while, as did finding the only assistant who could help, explaining again and discussing. Eventually, it appeared the iPad option didn't quite fit my criteria, but the Mac Air did. As the store did not have one in stock with the memory I needed, we have ordered it, to be delivered to the store early next week.  I chose store delivery to get help with data transfer. Maybe I don't need that, but I need reassurance. 

In the meantime. my old laptop battery is draining faster and faster. It’s close to 9 years old. I've put off replacement because my computer skills and knowledge are, like the laptop, out of date, and I don't have an IT crowd on hand as I once did. I know I can do this, but change is scary, and time-consuming.

As I was about to drive home, my phone revealed a postie seeking access to the apartment foyer to leave a parcel. I let him in from my phone and the parcel was in the lift when I arrived home, a reminder that I've coped with a change to an app for remote entry! It turned out to be a book I ordered for the Guild Library several months ago. It's stunning.

The Guild Library team meet about fortnightly. When I checked, it was their workday, so I jumped back in the car and delivered it to them. It’s another one WES members will make good use of.

I was still hoping to get to the Aptos Cruz  EOFY sale, the one I abandoned last Tuesday because of the rain. As they have the business on the market, I wanted to get there if possible. Only Thursday or Friday remained to visit. I checked the weather carefully.  The best  forecast gap in the rain was early afternoon on Thursday, so I cancelled my Pilates class, eyed the sky, and set off around lunchtime. It could have been a worse drive, but blinding rain still caught me for several kilometres of the freeway in both directions. Both up and down I found a truck to sit behind and followed the tail lights. A bit scary, but I did it.💪

It was worth it. I got the last of their books Prada and Chanel books for Veronica and two Japanese bowls to match the one I  have used constantly since I bought it on my last visit.

  

I now have my personal set for all occasions , which should cover most meals from soup to toast or roast. Left is the middle size.

My real indulgence was a necklace of shells. I could see myself wearing it. As shell jewellery always does, it reminds me of Alice Walker's poem We Alone. 

This could be our revolution: 
to love what is plentiful 
as much as 
what is scarce

I want to be part of that revolution. I recognise the irony. While shells are plentiful, shell necklaces are not. I hope the artisan got joy in (and appropriate payment for) the making. It's beautiful.

To my surprise, the stand came with it. Aptos Cruz has them made by a local metalworker to fit each piece.  It needs a cord to connect the outer edges of each shoulder, as they stick up, from the thickness, when worn. It's a simple enough adjustment that I can make.   

I’m very glad I made the trip when I did. Friday’s weather was miserable. I waited in for a postal delivery, then headed to Frewville for some pork for Monday, calling at Create in Stitch to drop off my Botanical Embroidery bags for their 20th Anniversary exhibition opening tonight, then bunkered down  to sudoku, crosswords, and word games with the heating on.     

Saturday was also gloomy and wet. I set out for St Margaret’s Woodville Market morning, with an Almanda Blue (left) for the couple who run the plant stall. I promised to start one for them before Christmas, now, thanks to Cathy, I could deliver. They were surprised and pleased.  I had forgotten to go to the bank for more cash but had just enough to buy 7 more plants!    
I got them home, grabbed a bit of lunch before Heading out to an organ concert at the Cathedral. Planting had to wait.    

The St. Peter's organ was sent to Durham, England to be overhauled in 2017 and reinstalled in December 2018. With cathedral acoustics, it is a powerful  sound.          

There is a camera in the organ loft, trained on the keyboard and organist's upper body. While the screen spoils the aesthetic, it provides a lot of useful information. I was astounded by the number of stops. I ended up wanting a second camera on the pedals!
            
I enjoyed some pieces more than others. I didn't much like the last item, the brief Jean Langais' piece written for the liberation of Paris in 1944. I reckon the bells of Paris would have upstaged the organ! 

Back at Katherine & Anthony's place afterwards, Niamh and Veronica were hosting friends for dinner. The three of us who were non-party participants had an excellent risotto before tackling our weekly crosswords.

Sunday, before her last exam on Monday, was Niamh's 50th AFL game, celebrated by her leading the team through a banner on to the field, before winning against the second highest team on the ladder! The rain held off. I followed the score from home. Niamh is my June Superwoman!

Today has been a bit of a run-around. I set out to visit the upholsterer who has my chair. Five weeks ago, he said it wasn’t quite finished, but would be ready the next week. Last week, having heard nothing, I rang them, in business hours, and left a message asking them to ring back. I have repeated that every business day since. No one answers the phone. No one rings back. Today I visited the shop . The door was locked. A clock sign in the window said they were out and the clock displayed 6.30. I began to search for records of bankruptcy. 

Armed with 2 metres of lovely linen cloth one of my daughters gave me a couple of birthdays ago, my second stop was a maker of blinds,. I’ve thought long and hard about how to use the linen and concluded it needs to hang. Originally I thought it needed light behind it but the pattern is in fact better seen against a solid. I don’t need new blinds, but I could do with better sun protection and window insulation in my huge bedroom window.  The fabric would look lovely hanging there and would fitting in light of the many birds outside the window. It is possible, it seems, to add a border to the 2 metre length, back it with insulating fabric, and create a Roman blind. Michelle is coming next Monday to measure and quote. 
 In passing I mentioned to her my concern about the upholsterer. She deals with a supplier who also works with the upholsterer, so she made a phone call. The upholsterers (it’s a family business) are in Queensland on holiday and will be away for another week! A message to that effect on the answering machine and/or website and/or shop door might have been helpful. I am relieved. So far Michelle is my July Superwoman!

Before I headed out to the Guild to drop off something for a friend, a message arrived to say new my laptop was ready to pick up from Apple. The promised link to an appointment for  help transferring data wasn't there. A phone call eventually established I don’t need an appointment, Thursday morning will be fine BUT I need to have backed up the old machine to a hard drive, otherwise they will do that in the shop, which could take hours! When I revealed my Airport back-up hasn't worked reliably for several months I was immediately diverted to tech support. This resulted in such
an absurd conversation with a machine, that I hung up, found online instructions,  dug out the hard drive to which I backed up six years ago and set a back-up going. What began as a prediction of 23 hours to complete, took under 3.   Please think positive thoughts for me, especially on Thursday morning Adelaide time. If we get through this, I will be posting from a new laptop next week. 

I am far more confident on the first sleeve of the coatigan. I am now decreasing at each end of the knit rows for the raglan section. I enjoy the increase in speed as the rows decrease in length - about 70 rows to go. While there is still another sleeve to knit, I have the scent of a finish, and the energy that generates. 

Post 535 Crossing the stream

Last week’s post finished with me wondering if my tiredness was an effect of my flu vac. I also had a sore throat. That night I started to worry that it might in fact be an infection. I had thrown away the last RAT test a couple of weeks ago when I realised it was well past its use-by date. At 2am, searching online. I found a pharmacy not too far away with a pack of 2 tests that could be purchased online and picked up in shop when they opened. I ordered a pack. At 9am I called a couple of WES Group friends to ask them to manage the meeting in my absence then dashed to the pharmacy to pick up the tests. I was in and out in under a minute.

The kit tested FluA&B,COVID  RSV. I tested positive to COVID. 

I was shocked. I've been so cautious - 8 vaccines and avoiding mingling. My second thought was relief that I had not gone to WES - the first meeting I’ve missed since becoming convenor. There are vulnerable  people in the group and we've taken pains to observe the ‘out of an abundance of caution’ principle.

I had plenty of food so bunkered down. I phoned my doctor’s surgery. The duty doctor phoned back that evening having researched anti-viral requirements for kidney donors. She was thorough and helpful and texted me a prescription. My nearest pharmacy was still open, prepared the prescription,  messaged me to come and pick it up wearing a mask and by 7pm I had taken my first dose of antivirals. Katherine dropped a couple of boxes of RAT tests at my door the next morning.

To summarise  the rest, I had mild symptoms, sore throat, croaky voice, on and off mild headaches, waning body aches, tiredness. I tested positive until Sunday morning. My last antiviral dose was Monday morning after which I again tested negative and was free to rejoin the community.

We had a full quota for dinner yesterday with lasagna and cannelloni I bought from Frewville Foodland. A joyous occasion. 

There were 17 people at the WES Group meeting, which went swimmingly. I and other absent members have been able to view a pdf of Margaret’s presentation on Ukrainian embroidery.  Obviously I couldn’t go to family for dinner on Saturday nor to the Ukaria concert on Sunday. Lorraine made the trip on her own. A busy, generous Guild friend called at Mrs Harris’ Gallery on Saturday to retrieve the handbags I’d bought at the last exhibition. 

I am really grateful for the support I’ve had; a health system that functioned efficiently and effectively, family and friends who tended assistance, stayed in touch, checked in and kept me connected, along with a home that kept me safe, in touch with others and nature, with plenty to do.

Today I skipped Aquafit.An overabundance of caution, but seems a bit soon to be in a closed pool environment with 20 other people.

On Friday two separate postal deliverers placed their parcels in the lift downstairs so I could retrieve it on my floor without contact. One was the Marie Wallin Berwick Cardigan kit, the other the Uradale colourway kit for the 2024 Shetland Wool Week beanie. They are lovely to handle, but I have managed to resist and stick to knitting the Inca Coatigan (I’m relabelling it now I can see how big it is!)

With a little bit of pattern manipulation, it is exactly the recommended length of 93cm. Quite long. (the variation in shading in the photo is the result of a shaft of light, not a bleaching agent!).

I've started on the left front, which, is, of course, a much faster knit. 

I think I finally understand the attraction of knitting colour work in the round. The purl rows are slow work with three colours. It would, I think, be worth the terror of a steek to be able to stick to knit stitches and see the pattern as you work it. Enlightenment.

While isolating, I did read 3 books, none of them outstanding. Today I finished Lawful Duty, the latest of Mike Campling's books, the first in a series of police procedurals spinning off the Devonshire Mystery series. It has interesting elements, some of which make me wary. 

The second Early Women of Books bag is now in its happy place transporting vegetables in Sydney's Blue  Mountains! Thanks for the photo Robin.

It was my brother's birthday during the week. This is his birthday rainbow, appearing as he stood on his Sydney balcony listening on his phone to a group of friends sing Happy Birthday.

If that's not a promising start to a year, I don't know what is! Thanks for the photo- and the love.

All week I've had an ear worm, an ABBA song going around in my head.

I have a dream, a song to sing

To help me cope, with anything.

If you see the wonder, of a fairy tale

You can take the future, even if you fail.

I believe in angels, 

Something good in everything I see

I believe in angels,

When I know the time is right for me

I'll cross the stream, I Have a Dream.

I feel as if I crossed a stream this week. 

Not a river or an ocean, but, yes, a stream.