Post 334 Lady Ann’s garden grows

 

I thought I would take the plunge this morning and attach the Phoenix and Lady Ann's Garden panels to the chair. I pinned them on to the chair and realised that it would be better if the edges of the two panels aligned.   

I sketched in an extension of the pattern, making sure the additions would cover the border line on the linen.

Over the course of the day, with the help of a 3" hoop, I stitched the areas I had sketched in.  It took four moves of the hoop.

I had to make do with the colours I had. At one stage I thought of going to Create in Stitch to get a couple of colours I had used up, but the lift maintenance crew had arrived to replace the rollers, and the lift was out of use, so I gave up that idea.

Unfortunately, I couldn't put the finished piece on the chair without re-blocking.  So at the moment it is once again drying on the blocking board.

The addition is a little sparse but I didn't want to add more than necessary. I'm pretty sure it will now fit the space more comfortably.

I had a catch-up call with my brother and brought the guest beds sheets in from the washing line before the sun went down with splendour. 

I did try to capture the flights of birds returning to roost - but they were too swift for me.

I hadn't counted on spending so much time today on the crewel work, so worked this evening on three more pink crochet circles. I now have 5 finished - half the target.

Pilates tomorrow, but there might be time to stitch the two panels on to the chair. The tooth I am booked to have extracted in 2 weeks' time is beginning to ache a little. I'm hoping it lasts two more weeks. 

Fingers crossed.

Post 329 Embroidery all the way; starts and finishes

 First thing this morning I checked the blocking. It was dry, but not wrinkle-free, so I tightened the pins and dampened it again.By midday it was dry and wrinkle-free,  so I removed the pins and added the bead eye. (Yes, I should have done this before I blocked it and the wrinkling around the head is the result).

I couldn't wait to try the two finished pieces on the chair. This is a rough pinning. The Phoenix and Flowers is in the exact position, Lady Ann's Flowers in more roughly placed. The space that is left is exactly the width of the Aesop Frame embroidery.

The two pieces are now rolled up safely in my embroidery roll.

 

Next week I will take the cover off and stitch these two pieces on. I had thought to wait, but the Aesop Frame is going to take a few weeks.

It was our Sit'nStitch afternoon - very relaxed but also productive. Susan finished her Anna Scott Mountain Oak. This is just out of the hoop. It's really lovely work, hugely detailed.

Jennifer is working on Sophie's Universe. This is the centre. The two outer colours were added this afternoon.       

I worked on these - or one and a half of them The rest I finished at home.

This morning I transferred the sketch I had made yesterday to linen using a light pad and a pencil. I haven't sketched in much of the fine detail but can do that as I go.  I fitted it to a hoop.

I also hooped up one of Nicola's bird linens. I'm planning to do this one in the colours of an Australian Blue Wren.

This evening I found some threads I want to use for both projects.

I began work on the easier of the two, using a deep blue Madeira metallic with quite a sparkle - which, of course. does not shop up in the photo. 

It's going to be fun doing this.

Tomorrow Alison and Karl arrive and I have a bit of preparation to do. Today's glut of needlework news is unlikely to be repeated.

Post 328 Pilates, Parcels and Printer Problems

 This morning's task was to get my spare room ready for my weekend visitors. The beds were made up 12 months ago, after my last visitors left, but it is also the room in which I store all my craft equipment and unfinished projects. They should be in the cupboard, but over the last year many have only made it to the luggage shelves at the end of the bed -or the end of the bed itself. This morning they all got put away and the trundle extracted from under the bed and set up. It was a bit of an effort, but it is done. I needed a coffee after that. 

I did manage to water the plants and put out some seeds.

I was rewarded by a visit from Black Tips later in the day.

On the way to Pilates I picked up my parcel from the Post Office - and another one from my letterbox.  The one in my letterbox was my copy of the Shetland Wool Week Annual.

My Watford friend Christine had put me on to this. It contains patterns and articles from the 2020 Virtual Shetland Wool Week - and they are fabulous.

The hats, in particular, are calling to me.  Katie's Kep, by Wilma Malcolmson, , made in different colour ways would both use up left-over wool and make fabulous gifts.

I also love Da Skaw Beret (right), by Angela Irvine. I'd like one of these myself. The Kirk Ness Toorie is also lovely.

There are fabulous socks - and leg warmers.

I'm so grateful to Christine for putting me on to this. It's not just eye candy - I will make some of these this year.

I worked fairly hard at Pilates. Martine, my usual instructor, was still on leave and Leanne, the studio owner, took the class. She always tries new things.

Afterwards, I drop some things off at the Salvos and went to Unley shopping centre to do the shopping I missed yesterday because of my shoe. To my amazement, the boarded-up green grocer that didn't open again after our first Covid lockdown early last year has been transformed and opened yesterday as a new business, incorporating another empty shop next door.

It's huge - a really big selection of fruit and veg (this is half of it) and another section, almost as big, with local eggs, pasta, sauces and similar produce.

I've missed a green grocer in this shopping centre, and this one promises to be terrific.

I bought nectarines, plums, potatoes, watermelon, cucumber, blueberries, strawberries and two bottles of my favourite passata. 

They also had a good range of flowers. I didn't buy any, but was intrigued by these ones called 'Green tricks'.

By now it was nearly 3pm and I hadn't had lunch. While I was taking these photos I noticed that The Lunch Club had lime milkshakes, so I indulged along with a sausage roll and a chocolate finger.It was an excellent sausage roll and I took the biscuit home to have with coffee.

After the coffee and biscuit, I finished the Phoenix!  I was so impressed with my effort that I even sorted and put away the left-over threads in my colour-coded containers.

I was feeling a bit tired after all this, but changed activity and got a second wind.

The Phoenix and Flowers is now blocked and drying. I'll take a closer photo tomorrow when it is dry, but I'm pleased with it.

I need to decide whether to add this and Lady Ann's Flowers to my chair now, or wait until I've finished the Aesop's Frame. 

I did not want to rush straight into Aesop, so I played around with my earlier idea of the image and text from Alan Garner's The Owl Service

I tried to print a photo of the plate that inspired Garner, but my printer played up again. I decided the full plate might be too complicated anyway, so I did a bit of a rough sketch . I think something like this might work. 

I'll sleep on it.

Post 321 Magpie, Brownies, Yankalilla and Bee.

 As I carried my breakfast towards the balcony this morning, I could see I had a visitor.

The closer I got to the balcony door, the bigger  the visitor appeared.

By the time I got to the door, the magpie looked huge. 

I decided I would have my breakfast inside this morning. I'm not arguing with that beak.

I had invited family to morning tea at the hotel at 11am when the chef starts work. They don't do morning tea, but agreed we could use the dessert menu. Everyone chose the chocolate brownie, which came with warm chocolate sauce and icecream. It was pretty good.

Afterwards, I went into Yankalilla to have a look around, but mostly to call into the vintage/book shop that is owned and run by Emanda, an artist who has been, until fairly recently, a very  creative member of the Embroiderers' Guild of South Australia. As luck had it, she was in the shop this afternoon and we had a bit of a catch up. She has been so busy in the shop this last year, that she has done almost no art or craft work. Apparently many people have moved down here from Adelaide, either renting or buying, presumably because they can work from home as easily here as in Adelaide, or because they are retired and can't travel further. 

It explains the numbers of people around the towns, far more than previous years. It's not just the January holiday period. Amanda said it's been busy for months.

I found a pendant I really liked in her shop - there's always something worth having. If I don't get good use out of it someone in the family will.

I'm now reading Death in a Wheelbarrow, a recently reprinted Golden Age Crime mystery by William Gore, a pseudonym for Jan Gordon, who, with his wife Cora, wrote numerous Art and Travel books in the  1930s 40s and 50s.  They seem to have been a very interesting couple. Death in a Wheelbarrow is amusing as well as, so far, an interesting mystery.

I had an early dinner in the hotel this evening. Duck was off the menu, so I had the calamari, which was excellent.

The service from the kitchen was slow, but the affogato was good when it arrived, and I appreciated the extra scoop of icecream to compensate for the wait!

I struggled a bit with the wings of the bee in my crewel piece. The thread I was using was too dark. I undid it twice until I got the effect I wanted - 

and when I got there it was a lot paler than I had anticipated. I then moved my hoop and began the hillock. I'm pleased with this, even though I haven't finished it.

Tomorrow I go back to Adelaide. I'm a bit sorry to be going. I'm now used to being here, have a door that locks and know how to work the place.  On the other hand, I can pretty much do all the same things at home. 

It's been a nice break, and great to spend extended time with family.  

Post 320 Not much to show but a glow

 

I spent much of the day reading the latest of Bruce Beckham's Skelgill series set in Cumbria.  I discovered these in 2018, on my way to a retreat in the Lake District after searching for crime fiction set in the area. It turned out to be a great series to read while there, with a strong sense of place, engaging detection puzzles and characters you want to meet again. I was delighted therefore, when I discovered number 16 in the series, published only 4 days ago.

It was a great read. Beckham skilfully gives DS Jones a major role in this one, seemingly preparing for a series shift in emphasis. We follow her thought processes, including her doubts and insecurities. I really enjoyed it.

There was a cool breeze which did not deter the golfers. The pool was quiet in the morning but had plenty of activity in the afternoon.  I ventured out to move my car back to its allocated parking space, in which there was an alien car when I returned yesterday. 

If I were a painter I'd have a go at painting this bit of my view.  These houses are certainly nothing special in architectural terms but they have a very interesting geometric form in silhouette, that both echoes and contrasts with the shoreline, especially at dusk. Those strange points on the row of houses are in fact the windows on the gable rooves (yes, I know roofs has been standard since the 80s, but my habits were set long before that. It's archaic, but permissible!).

I eased myself out of Skelgill's Cumbria by crocheting another square. 

I quite like the effect of the two neutral colours.

I came across an eco-friendly suggestion for these  circles  as reusable make-up removal pads. Having reached an age when I have time to make them, I no longer use make-up, so I won't be taking up this idea.

I also added a couple of leaves and the rest of the stem under the Phoenix. It looks a little dark in the photo, less so in reality. It will balance out with the flower.

Tomorrow.

The sun sets over the headland which is on the very edge of the view from my balcony here, so there is not much chance of variation. It provides at least a lovely glow.

Post 319 A very happy birthday

These are my friend Deirdre's Queen of the Night flowers, currently blooming at her home in Lismore in northern NSW. It is an orchid cactus that, yes, only blooms at night.    They are native to Mexico. 

What a privilege to have one growing and see it bloom.

It was a day of privileges for me. I woke at 6.30 am, the time (so I was told) that I was born 74 years ago. My mother was just 21 and a great mother. She'd have loved to see these flowers.

I had phone calls this morning from a couple of friends and also my brother. and a long call from Alison late this afternoon. There were emails from other friends, including a lovely long newsy one from Christine in Watford, still keeping on keeping on. She received my Christmas card yesterday. It was posted on 13 December!

There were no less than 3 Jackie Lawson ecards - all different and cheery, as well as newsy text messages - and 20 or so FB messages.  

I don't remember receiving so much attention on my birthday. I am feeling very privileged and loved. It is  important to me, and to my identity, to have friends from all times of my life - from primary school, high school, university, my paid work life and my retirement and both immediate and extended family.  Thank you all for staying connected - whether on my birthday or other times.

. 

The event of the day was a birthday lunch at Normanville (photo courtesy of Caitlin on Katherine's phone!).  The most spectacular meal was Niamh's beef burger held together by a knife.

The kids chose, bought and/or made me really thoughtful presents. Veronica's earrings were made from brown sea glass- light shines through them in the sun. Niamh's annual pin cushion, to keep my chairs safe, was entirely designed and made by her this year without help. I love the birds.  Brigid's earrings were, amazingly, each two fused cowries, so they are reversible, Fionn's shell and bead chime is so elegant - perfect shape for my balcony

and the necklace, by Suzette Watkins of Australian Landscape Jewellery is one I had, unknown to Katherine and Anthony, actually looked at online to buy as a gift. It is really beautiful. 

Back at the Golf Hotel, I talked with Alison, took in the gifts, reread the wonderful cards 

and cracked open the bottle of de-alcoholised (yes, that's what the bottle says) wine I had bought at the local supermarket - the only kind they offered.  It doesn't, I think, have a lot to recommend it.

The birthday surprises were not over.  At 6pm, as a magpie made a lot of noise on the roof above the next balcony, the locksmith arrived to fix the lock on my door! It took 45 minutes, a lot of deconstruction, visits to the van, reconfiguring and testing, but my door now locks and my key opens it. 

I miss the gaffer tape that kept the malfunctioning lock from locking me either in or out, but it will be good not to take my computer, iPad, Kindle and Kobo with me every time I leave the room as a precaution because it doesn't lock.

The big red kangaroos put in another appearance at dusk. I really do wish I had bought my SLR - or upgraded my iPhone to either an 11 or 12 Pro with a 4x zoom. The 2x on my phone just won't do the job.

My stitching has been a bit limited today - two crocheted squares and half a stem to support the Phoenix.

Not bad, all things considered.

It's been a fabulous day.