Post 56: Food

The big event for today was to be a delivery from Romeo’s Foodland between 12.00 pm and 5 pm. I had time to get an email out to the World Embroidery Study Group with a sample of Miao embroidery designs. I’m going to try sending something out every Wednesday, 

I was just emerging from the shower when my phone rang. A neighbour was outside the front door of our apartments with something she wanted to bring up. It turned out to be two rhubarb and apple mini-muffins she had just baked. A kind thought. 

I had just dressed when my phone rang again. It was the Romeos deliverer telling me the delivery was outside the apartments. He had buzzed me but I hadn’t answered. It was just after 11am. I went down and collected it, then rang him back to say that in future, if the delivery was going to be early, I needed to be informed in advance. He said he understood. We’ll see.

It was a good delivery, a fresh ham hock to roast, a smoked ham hock for soup and French cutlets. Parsnips, turnips and swedes for the soup, milk, berries, grapes, mandarins, butter, margarine and disinfectant. I got most of it put away except for the soup ingredients.  I put the ham hock on to boil and pulses in a bowl of water to soak.

While the hock was turning to stock. and after the muffins had proved delicious,   I figured I might as well give the ANZAC biscuits a go. After my last year’s failure, my daughter obviously decided I needed scaffolding. The ingredients were weighed and labelled. I had to supply a tablespoon of water.

The recipe was specific, including a note that I was not to skip the step of pre-heating the oven and preparing the trays. I rolled my eyes, but obeyed.  I was determined that this batch would be the control.
No deviation.

My plan is to make another batch in the coming days using my recipe and methodology.

The dough was  pliable and produced a very promising tray of 20 biscuits. I did heat the oven - and I even used the timer for the first time in case I got absorbed in my stitching as they cooked.

The result was, I must admit, almost perfect ANZAC biscuits. I know because I made coffee and ate two of them.

I turned off my stock and left it to cool while I worked on he Mellerstain screen.  While I was working on this a friend phoned. She worked on the first edition of the Macquarie dictionary and has written a history of that dictionary. She told me of some of the original debates around the dictionary entry on ANZAC biscuits. During WWI, apart from the four basic ingredients, women added whatever they had in their pantries. My next batch might be interesting.

I was well into the rhythm of the squirrel’s branch, but I stopped to skim the fat from the stock, add the pulses and chop the vegetables.

While at the stove, I  cooked a potato, lamb cutlets, tomato and broccolini for my dinner. I finished it while catching up with one of my daughters by phone. 








I have made inroads in the squirrel’s tree. It is becoming more and more addictive. 

My soup is looking good. Tomorrow I'll add tomato and maybe try it. Rain is forecast, so soup might be just the thing.

Post 55: The Squirrel gets a Tail

There has not been a great deal of the rain forecast for this week, so today I refilled the bowl from which the dove has been drinking.

As soon as she appeared it was to the bowl she went before the grain.











The pink in this zygote bloom and the perfection of the stamens sent me for my SLR and macro lens, but alas, the battery was flat. A more accurate photo will need to wait.


I was about to have breakfast when a message from my daughter told me she had returned the Easter nests container to my door. The container proved to be filled with a recipe and ingredients for a batch of ANZAC biscuits.

For those who are not Australian, ANZAC biscuits are made from mainly oats, coconut, butter, Golden Syrup and bicarbonate of soda, that were sent by Australian and New Zealand families to men at the Front in WWI. The ingredients meant the biscuits kept for months without becoming too hard and dry. They have become a popular staple, especially, but not only at ANZAC Day.We celebrate ANZAC Day on 25 April - the anniversary of the landing of Australian and New Zealand Army Corps at Gallipoli in 1915. It is an important day of commemoration in Australia.

My mother always made the biscuits, not only on ANZAC Day. I made them every year until I lived on my own. I always have the ingredients in my cupboard.

last year's ANZAC  biscuits.

Last year I made a batch at the last minute. They were a dismal failure. When I checked, the bicarbonate of soda had a use-by date in 2014!  My family, therefore, are making sure I don't repeat the failure! I thank them. I will make the biscuits later in the week.



I do most of my reading on a Kindle or a Kobo, but have a pile of hard-copy books that I am trying to reduce. This week I am trying to read and review, on Goodreads, one book a day. Today it was Marcia Langton's . I haven't written my review yet, but I have it in my head. This is a reference book designed for children. It has a good range of information in clear language. I'm not sure about the way it is organised, but it has an excellent index, so finding what you want is easy.

In between reading and making or taking phone calls and emails, I worked hard on the Mellerstain screen. The squirrel now has a tail! And a branch to rest on. He does not yet have an eye.


I managed to get a bit of information today about Jennifer - from a network involving a friend, Jennifer's brother and Susan's nephew. Jennifer is still in ICU, on a ventilator, stable, and slightly improved, but not out of danger.





I thank all of you who have asked after her and are supporting her with thoughts and prayers.






Here's the lower section of the screen at the end of the day. Lots of leaves and branches tomorrow.

Post 52

Aside from playing around with dove photos, today I made a concerted effort on the Mellerstain Firescreen.




The dove is a bit of a distraction. It rained on and
off this morning, but that did not deter the dove from returning several times to  drink from the waterbowl and clear up every last piece of grain .






I created the fantasy photo by accident - but rather liked the result. I might even redo the heading photo for this blog. It seems more appropriate to where we have ended up than the current view of the Thames and the Mitre.
I rang a couple of friends to check they were OK.  Late this afternoon, after watching the Western Australian Premier's news conference, I managed to speak to my friend Susan in hotel isolation in Perth. Jennifer is still seriously ill in ICU in Perth, neither, it seems, better nor worse. From the Premier's press conference. there are still 33 Covid patients in hospital in Western Australia, 5 of whom are in ICUs.

Susan is largely recovered from Covid19 but is very worried about Jennifer.

By early evening I had finished as much of the parrots as I could without scrolling the frame.
I'd have liked to have finished a few more acorns but was too close to the roller.
















 
 I have just spent half an hour or so unlashing the frame, rolling it on to the second half of the piece and re-lashing. Those lovely parrots are now out of sight. The centre of the next section is a squirrel.  I am hoping that members of the squirrel family do not start visiting on my balcony!

Unfortunately I will need to scroll the frame once more before I finish. I was a bit tempted to put it into a sitting frame, but have stuck with the roller. for the moment.

I also got out the linen and threads I gathered in early February to work a piece on the bushfires. The fabric and the threads are all Australian. I have sketched a design but need to revisit it and have a good think. A job for another day. 

I did manage another 6 rows of the Fair Isle scarf. Progress is not sufficient to justify another photograph.

Take care to stay safe.

Post 51: Still on dove and parrots

Well, it looks as if the seeds are the secret to the dove's return. I sprinkled a few seeds on the balcony floor this morning and very soon the dove turned up. She pecked around, eating maybe a third of the seat, then took off again from the  rail.

She came back twice during the day. to finish off the seeds and drink some water.


In my first online grocery order there was no pasta. I bought this package of 'Fettuccine' without knowing what it was.  Last night I used its contents with a Bolognaise sauce I had made. It turns out they are Konjac noodles - made from the root of the Japanese Konjac root. They are translucent and are said to have no taste. There are warnings that they can cause stomach pain, bloating and diarrhoea. The active ingredient in pure form is banned in Australia.




Covered in Bolognaise sauce they were pleasant to eat, and I suffered no ill effects. It won't however, become one of my staples. The current crisis leads us to try and learn about new things. In future, it might be better to investigate before I buy but I was in a hurry and in self-isolation when I ordered.  Je ne regrette rien.

Today I placed another grocery order for delivery next Wednesday. I went with Romeos' again, partly because of the way the manager handled my bungled delivery last Wednesday and partly because they have a good selection of both fresh fruit and vegetable and meat - including ham hocks. A big pot of soup coming up.

I have also managed to get an appointment for a flu vaccination . I had a booster in February before I went to England and my doctor recommends I wait until May to have the new one. I now have an appointment for 1 May.
It was overcast and cooler today - 21C -. There was enough sun for me to spend a couple of hours embroidering on my Western balcony this afternoon.

Once again, the Square is being used by a personal trainer and his student.  They use a range of equipment - as well as the tree and bench.   It's a good use of open space now that gyms are closed.

The spotty fabric in the top right hand corner of the composite photo is part of the bunting I bought before Christmas from The Fabric of Life.




I hung it from my balcony rail and have not yet taken it down. I find it cheerful and a reminder of more stable times.

I have no further news today from my friends in Perth. I figure no news is good news. I will try calling Susan tomorrow.

I made reasonable progress on the parrots before moving inside. I'm really enjoying this stitching.


I had a long conversation with my brother and sister-in-law. Robyn spent the day making more little videos for her young PE class. It's an effort, and I'm sure it will pay off. My brother is still working out the consequences of cancelling his gigs, including the Stone the Crows event that would have just concluded in Wagga Wagga this week.


I've worked steadily on the parrots this evening while watching Gardening Australia and several episodes of Great British Railway Journeys - including the one that visits Dunrobin Castle - evoking memories of the visit we made on the first Crewel Work Scottish Highlands Tour in 2015.

I'm too tired to do more. I'm pretty sure tomorrow will finish what's in my frame and I will be able to roll it on. 

Post 50 :

I did wake just after sunrise this morning, but, after taking the photo, read and dozed until, around 9.15,  I found a message from my son-in-law telling me there was a ‘small delivery’ at my door. It took me a few minutes to work out it was not an addition to my muesli, but some seeds for the visiting dove!

I sprinkled a little on my balcony before doing anything else. 

I don’t share much family information in a blog. I don’t believe I have licence to share much about others’ lives. On the other hand, today I feel the need to acknowledge the life and loss of my Canberra  daughter’s much loved  18 year old cat, Kalia. She was a vital part of their lives. She has been ill in recent weeks and this morning died peacefully at home as her Magpie frenemy appeared and sang her to sleep. I’m grateful for having known Kalia, and for the joy she brought to those she graced with her presence. Her loss will be long felt. 

I sang a quiet lullaby to mark Kalia’s final sleep and within a few minutes my dove appeared, enticed, it seems, by the seed. In between cautiously pecking at the seed, she went back several times to the balcony rail to check out the scene. She also drank from a bowl of stones I keep there.

Not long after, I received unwelcome news. My friend Jennifer in isolation in Perth had tested positive to Covid19 last weekend. Since then, she has been admitted to hospital and is now in an ICU. Her partner has been released from hospital back to the isolation hotel.  It is a serious situation. 

Jennifer is in good hands. Western Australia is currently listed as having 33 Covid19 patients in hospital and 11 of those in ICU. The hospital system is equipped and coping. We wait, hope and pray. 

The news was enough to prompt me to take my Lowery stand out on to the balcony to catch some afternoon sun. The showers forecast are some way off. The spider has added several layers to her web. 















The sun provided great light, which showed up where I had missed a stitch or two, which I can now rectify. My stitches are meditations on healing.

It was a very gentle sunset.

I have continued working on the foliage around the parrots. One or two more long sessions of stitching and I will need to roll the frame on to the bottom half of the linen. It’s been quite a day. 
Our national Covid 19 figures are trending in the right direction, but there is no room for complacency - and the story strikes a sharper note when the statistics take on the face of a friend. Each one is a face, a friend, a relative. 

I stay home and stitch in tribute to life and in hope of health and healing. 

Post 49

I began today by hanging out washing on my Eastern balcony. Although it was a warm day today in Adelaide -29C - the tree in the apartment garden  is exhibiting all the signs of autumn. It will not be long before the leaves are on the ground rather than on the tree.  It's a shame. Although the bare trunks are interesting, I love the screening effect and the birds that the leafy cover brings.

Speaking of birds, my dove friend did pay a brief visit. I think I need to try some birdseed.

This succulent also seems to be darkening its edges in sympathy with the season!


Since it was such a warm day, I decided to wash bedlinen as well. I had another delivery coming today from Romeo's Foodland North Adelaide, the order I put in last Thursday. The confirming email arrived about 8am. The delivery included the ingredients for my muesli and the kefalograviera cheese I needed for the moussaka a couple of weeks ago (yep, a bit late I know, but one day....). The delivery was due between 12 and 5,  so I had plenty of time to get a few jobs done without worrying about listening for the buzzer.  Fortunately,  around 10.45 I did manage to hear it, even without my hearing aids in.

It was the delivery man, to tell my my parcels were outside ready for me to pick up. When I asked him to bring them up to my door, as per my instructions, he said he wasn't allowed to do that, and I should come down and collect them from where he had already put them outside the door. I was taken aback.  He sounded scared and anxious to get away. I had no choice but to quickly make myself respectable and to down to the apartment entrance door, where I found the delivery at a respectable distance from the door.

After I had put the food away, I used the feedback link on the 8am email to send a polite indication of surprise and disappointment. To my surprise late this afternoon the store manager rang me to apologise and assure me it will not happen again. Any future order will be delivered to my door, and be delivered within the chosen time frame. I was very impressed. The call made a big difference in how I felt about both the shop and the delivery. I will order from them again.

Included in the delivery was half a cooked chicken, still warm. I took advantage and had a portion for lunch with salad, and a portion for dinner with even more salad. Both delicious.


Andie, a member of the World Embroidery Study Group, had put together a PowerPoint of her researches into Embroidered Books. This was to have been the focus of our May meeting. There is no point, however, in keeping to a physical world timeline in an asynchronous, online world, so I sent it out today. It's interesting to see whether this opportunity changes the way we operate longterm. 

It has not been much of a photo opportunity day. I spent much of it working on the parrots. Before I stopped for dinner I managed to finish the second parrot and insert the beads in the eye of both birds.










I haven't done much exercise today. I missed the ABC radio dance class in the rush to retrieve my groceries. This is my knee today. Still sore to touch, but not impeding movement.

After dinner I tightened my frame, which was getting a bit slack and got stuck into more leaves. I was hoping to do more, but my eyes are giving out and I'm tired. I'll need to tidy up my leaf tomorrow!

Post 48: The pigeon is a dove

A message from a friend with a science background this morning assures me my avian visitor yesterday was a dove, not a pigeon. I’m delighted to be wrong. I’d rather have a visiting dove, for symbolic reasons if no other. My friend Melody, in the USA, had also made a comment on my FaceBook page, that a pair of  mourning doves  have been visiting annually since her husband died.  I had not heard of mourning doves, and did a bit of investigating.  We do not, it seems, have mourning doves in Australia. My dove appears to be the spotted dove,  
Streptopelia chinensis and I think female.

She paid me another quick visit today. I had no time to roll back the fly screen before she departed, but a visit is a visit.

The episode has called to mind a gag from The Goon Show in which Neddie Seagoon, on a visit to beach, comments on the 'nice pigeons'. His companion (Eccles, maybe?) replies "They're not pigeons, they're gulls" and Neddie retorts "Boys or gulls, they're nice pigeons"!  It must be 60 years since I heard this, and it is the only specific gag I remember from The Goons. I'm not certain my dove is a girl, but it is not a pigeon!

While waiting for my dove to revisit, I progressed my counted piece a little, and sketched in the next stage. 


My bruises are still fairly fierce and sore to touch but I thought it time to take a short walk around the Hameji Garden. This time I drove there. The garden occupies a relatively small section of Adelaide’s South Parkland.

The garden is a gift to Adelaide from the Japanese city of Himeji.






I should have realised that on a fine warm day in the school holidays others would have the same idea. Just outside the entrance a mother was playing a kind of skittles game with her two children. There was plenty of room around them for distancing.

These bicycles outside the entrance turned out to belong to what I guess was a grandmother and granddaughter..

The Hameji Garden is beautifully landscaped for contemplation and rest. There are narrow, winding paths, water features, open spaces, rocks, stones  and  sculptured plants.

Usually when I visit I meet no more than one or two others. Today there were probably another 10-12 people there, all keeping respectful distance, but I decided not to stay.  It is great to know the garden is used and appreciated. I'd rather, however, walk where there are fewer people, or more open spaces.

Instead I did a short circuit around the outside and returned to my embroidery.

I made good progress on the parrots. I really like the way they are shaping up. I'm looking forward to completing the second parrot tomorrow.