Post 632 A lot going on

It's been a week with quite a lot on my mind, perhaps it's the Paschal moon. Wednesday began with a dash to the Guild to have my laptop tagged. It was the annual visit of an electrician to check and tag any machines used at the Guild. We needed to get the portable screen we are now using at WES, and any laptops likely to be used with it, tagged.

There was a bit of shopping to be done to get through the 4 day break. I made a full batch of chocolate crackle nests. 

Last week I was wondering if the shawl I had finished would go with the orange dress. I'm still unsure. I haven't actually tried it on yet. I did, however, find a small orange bag at a the Hahndorf leather shop. I ordered it to be delivered rather than drive up the Hills in current petrol situation. It arrived today. This is the shawl draped over the dress.  The bag will certainly work, with or without the shawl, but I'm hopeful it just might all work. The account of the shawl is in my embroidery blog.

 I moved quickly on to the  North Star Shawl  by Helen Stewart, the pattern I had chosen for the wool for the Chapter and Skein project. I'm very pleased with it, but set it aside over Easter to progress some embroidery.

As is now a tradition, Katherine and Niamh made hot cross buns on Good Friday. Lots of hot cross buns. I went to sample them as they came out of the oven.  Somehow I forgot to photograph the many trays. They were truly delicious. I had to ration myself to keep my weight under contol. 

I would normally have kept my Easter offering for Easter Sunday, but this year, Fionn's 21st birthday fell on Easter Saturday, so the family celebration focused on that, rather than Easter Sunday. I didn't want to confuse the birthday with Easter celbration, so I took my offering on Good Friday - a basket of felt Easter animals and some nests. The full details are in my embroidery blog account.

Late on Thursday I had a phone call to say the cabinet I had ordered in December to go behind my new TV was ready. The caller agreed that if I approved of it once I saw it,  it would fit on the back seat of my car and if I brought a blanket to wrap it in, two of their staff would help me load it, warning that I would need help at my end to unload it.  They were open on Saturday, so before heading out to Fionn's birthday lunch, I picked it up. Two men carried it to my car wrapped it in the doona I had provided, insisting on securing it in the seat belts - and the need for two people to unload at my end.

I had, of course, throught I'd give it a go on my own, but after watching them and their own precautions, I changed my mind and negotiated for Fionn to call in on Saturday morning to help me. 

We got it in place relatively easily. I had designed it so no cords needed to be detached to install it, since there had been a lot of effort to get the TV tuned. In spite of that, when I turned it on, there was no signal. The aerial cord was still connected at both ends but, while I have internet and streaming, no free-to-air TV.  I have contacted B&O and organised for the installing electricians to come next week and hopefully fix it.

The birthday party was a huge success, fuelled by a tonne of food and beverages. I had a lovely time catching up with a few family friends I haven't seen for a long time. It was a a very relaxed afternoon and Fionn, I think enjoyed it. Such gatherings are reviving and uplifting.  

As mentioned above, I switched to embroidery for a bit. I  finished another Kasia Jacquot panel and bag. A joy to work on.  Again, the detail is in my embroidery blog.

Most of Sunday and Monday was spent working on embroideries of Celtic symbols for my talk on the Legacy of Embroidery in the Early Medieval Period.  I am concerned about breaching copyright in using photos in a public presentation, so have drawn and embroidered these myself

I finished four and am well on the way with the fifth. They are quite tricky to draw and embroider symetrically and mine are far from perfect. This last one, in particular, has involved a lot of unpicking.

The weather has been mostly pleasantly in the low to mid 20s. It rained heavily on Sunday afternoon and my drip was back. The blessed Shane is booked to come and do his magic tomorrow week. I'm expecting this time he will install a drip tray.

I haven't swum this week. Too much going on and the pool closed over the Easter break. I'm hoping to make it on Friday. 

I hope readers had a happy and restful Easter.

Post 616 Installation, Lament and Light

This wasn’t the way I had planned to begin this post, and I can’t safely leave a candle burning for long in my apartment, but I feel the need to light one, however briefly, for hope, solidarity, affirmation, defiance and belief. 

Light will triumph over darkness.

The week’s narrative originally focused on Friday’s activity - my 6 hour television installation. Just before 8am  on Friday two young installers/electricians arrived with two vehicles, made several trips from vans to apartment with large boxes, which they then unpacked, piling up the empty boxes.

It’s hard to believe that’s all for one television. 

A couple of hours later, Richard, salesman and project manager, arrived to supervise, with a trainee. A lot of discussion, conversation and construction, dismantling, rebuilding occurred. Around 1pm I downloaded the B&O app and Richard began teaching me how to use the TV. In spite of my fear, it went smoothly. 

At 2pm all four workers were sitting watching me find channels. We were all very pleased with ourselves. 

I discussed my idea of a low cabinet behind the TV to accommodate the cords. The additional power point I had requested had slipped off their worksheet, leaving my dvd  player still on a power board. Lots of phone calls.  When pushed, one of the young electricians reluctantly said if it were his, and he had a cabinet there, he’d stick with the power board for the dvd player. 

After they left around 2.15, I made a coffee and stared at the blank machine for some time, then took myself off to Nordic Design Furniture to discuss a cabinet. David, their designer, agreed to visit at 9.30am the next morning. He arrived at 8.30am(🙄) and left 45 minutes later with a drawing. By 1pm I'd paid a deposit on a Tasmanian Blackwood cabinet to hold cords and the dvd. It will likely take months to build, but will I think be worth the effort and wait.

It was not until well into Friday evening that I plucked up courage to use the remote and navigate through a few free-to-air programs. It worked! Only on Sunday did I try navigating beyond free-to-air, and successfully logged in and opened some apps. There remains a problem accessing Apple products. I can stream iTunes from my phone or iPad, to the TV, but it won't open directly - my punishment for not buying an Apple product! I can only view Apple photos one at a time. I expect to solve these with help at some point.

I took the photo around 8.45pm on Friday night- the calm and successful end of an intense, 37C day, charged with fear and expectations, navigated with compassion and persistence by 4 highly skilled young abovemen. There are even bats returning to feed if you look closely.

The WES group’s last meeting for the year went well on Wednesday. We shared morning tea, news and projects. I didn’t seek  permissions to show everyone’s work, but I think it’s OK to show this section of a large rug one member had finished weaving the day before.

Another member recommended this book, not just for knitters, but any hand- crafters.

I took along the Bishop cushion and bags. It was the encouragement of this group that gave me permission to proceed. Incidentally, the amended bags are on their way from Guangzhou and the cushions from Melbourne.

Sunday was a Book Club Christmas Morning Tea without book discussion.

There were a lot of stories about miscommunication in medical settings and the mis-application of AI, but on the whole we are a cheerful, resilient and problem-solving group. I got up early on Sunday to make gingerbread trees and angels from dough I prepared late on Saturday afternoon and left in the fridge overnight. I like my biscuits crisp- probably leaving them in the oven a fraction longer than ideal. They are definitely crisp. I took a few to Book Club un-iced but when I got home, melted a block of white chocolate and drizzled it over them. They would certainly not pass muster in any cooking competition, but I like the taste. 

Much of the evening was spent knitting while watching the TV news as the BONDI shooting incident unfolded - a shocking and terrible thing. At the moment it looks as if we will rise to the occasion and put in place the necessary controls to maintain our democracy and prevent a recurrence.

Monday dinners are back on. Last night it was 5 of us for party pies, salads chicken and duck legs, Today my first 3 Christmas cards arrived - all from cousins in England! I love the messages they bring. More connection and light!

To cap off the day, around 5pm a piper began playing laments in the Square. I suspect it was the same one who played 3 years ago and stayed well out of sight. This time she (if it was the same one) stayed below several large trees, out of my sight, played for ten minutes and left.

I've spent the best part of today with my two youngest granddaughters, who got their Year 12 results yesterday - a trying time for everyone. While there are minor disappointments, their results are excellent and they will be able to do the courses they're aiming for either at their first or second-choice universities. Which it is will not be known until offers come out on 10 January. Today we went shopping at an Art Gallery and had lunch at Queen St to celebrate. 

They are candles of hope for the future in a fractured world. We are in this together, however old, wherever we are, were born, or are headed. Even as we lament, we remember:

In this world of darkness so we must shine, 

You in your small corner, and I in mine.