Post 648 A few boxes ticked.

 

While I was stitching the next tea box lid on Wednesday the doves were reserving their energy on bare winter branches nearby. I hope they moved around more than I did. My knees protested strongly by the end of the day.

Thursday was a runaround day. I dashed out to Port Adelaide to Yarn Trader before Pilates and afterwards called at the Guild to drop off my SALA exhibition contributions (3 bags) and discuss a couple of things with Christine before heading to the greengrocer. It was all go at the Guild. My knees are giving me trouble, the result, no doubt, of the hours I spent sitting and embroidering. My Pilates program was adapted to assist recovery.

Although not very clear in the version to the left, the sky in the sunrise photo I caught on Friday morning is full of bats returning from their overnight feeding to their roosts in the Botanic Gardens.

I’ve cropped and enlarged a section to try to show it. You can just see the tiny dots.

My copy of the Laine Anniversary Edition arrived this week. I'm having a fine time browsing it. There are some great patterns.  Stonewash is my favourite jumper. I'm very attracted to several of the sleeveless pullovers. Unfortunately, I don't find them personally very useful in my current situation. My arms get cold. I'd love to knit Wild Rose which has an embroidered rose branch on a lovely subtle knitted diamond backbround, Pael and Snowgum are also pretty interesting. 

I skipped the St Margaret's monthly market on Saturday, partly because I'm not ready to do serious work on the balcony plants, but mainly because I needed to shop for Monday's dinner, and wanted to finish the fourth tea box lid so I could deliver it on Saturday night.

The embroidery had been blocking overnight and was dry, so I could step my way slowly through the process of cutting a backing board, padding it and carefully stretching the fabric over it. pins everywhere as I laced and stitched. This one fits tightly - I must be improving - and only needed a little reassuring double-sided tape on the corners. The recipient is happy.

Our Book Group met on Sunday and in the afternoon I reduced the pile of mending - two around-the-house trousers and a pyjama bottom are now wearable.

Throughout the week I have been stressing about the talk I have agreed to give to the tour group in August. While I now have the talk prepared in a format that I believe does not breach copyright, I have been concerned about how to get to and from the venue (a city hotel without on-site parking) at night.  I had finally made an arrangement for a Guild member to pick me up and drop me home from the venue at 9pm, when my fabulous daughter and son-in-law came up with a date-night plan that includes getting me there and dropping me home. I'm feeling both supported and blessed.

My window cleaner, who had arranged to come yesterday morning, had a change of plan. The afternoon didn't suit me, so we try again next week. In the meantime, the Guild sent out a message to say our SALA Exhibition was short of entries, so I spent much of the day, in between cooking Honey-Lemon-Soy Chicken and fried rice, making another Library Kangaroo, which I managed to deliver to the Guild this afternoon. It turns out the Barossa Valley Branch of the Guild delivered over 40 entries, so the call was unnecessary. The Kangaroo was on my to-do list regardless. Details in my embroidery blog.

It's wet and grey today and likely for the rest of the week. Tomorrow is dermatologist, ASO lunchtime concert and knitting with Brigid. 
The photo above left is the top of my balcony wall garden, now covering the containers holding it in place. The section below that on the right is less verdant and needs some work. A job, I think, for Spring.

Post647 Things bright and beautiful

In spite of the rain (or perhaps because of it!) it has been a week of beauty and busyness. With the benefit of rain, a number of cacti are beginning to bloom on the back balcony. It won't be long before some are covered in bloom.

A couple of doves have paid very brief visis. As the weather is mild it is  possible many are nesting. So far the count of H5 Avian flu, which has finally reached Australia, is 17 cases in wild birds. Hopefully it does not become a local issue.

Last night's dinner was Osso Bucco.  On Friday the butcher only had three pieces of shin-of-beef on display but was happy to cut more, so I asked for 8 pieces. They turned out to be huge - weighing in at 4Kg. We ended up with 6 people for dinner, and consumed a good portion of it. I'll have a couple of meat meals from the remains and some pasta sauce.

The girls came to dinner straight from an Escape Room experience which they had all enjoyed, managing to complete the game with a few minutes to spare. They are fast becoming experts.

I spent most of the week working on the tea box lids. Two of them were gifted on Monday night. The Stars of Winter had been finished last week but I didn't want to reveal it until it was in the hands of the owner. Detail is in my embroidery blog. I love the subtlety of this one. It feels calming and reflective.

The Galah proved tricky. I adapted it to fit a box lid, making it twice the size of the kit design.  I got some advice from the recipient along the way and once again, am pleased with the result. Again, detail is in an embroidery blog post.

Nevertheless, I am a little relieved that the third granddaughter chose the Jewels of Summer design, rather than the Galah. While still requiring meticulous concentration and stitching, it is not quite as challenging.

 

On Saturday, when I received notification that the 12 ply wool I had ordered for my granddaughter's blanket  would arrive on Monday, it occurred to me that she would need a knitting bag for this enterprise, so on Sunday I set about making one. I had plenty of acid-free wadding from the bundle I had bought for the tea box lids so I dug out some bright cotton and made a barrel-shapped bag. I had planned a zip closure, but miscalculated, ending up, fortunately, with an overlap, which I secured with wooden toggles and buttonholes. 

When the wool arrived on Monday, I was pleased with that outcome as it better accommodates the bulge of  1300 gms of wool!

I didn't have any plain fabric to line the bag, so used a piece of batik fabric. It blends fairly well on the inside but is not the best colour match on the edging. It is at least bright and cheerful. I knitted a test square in the new wool. We are both excited about starting this poject in a week or so's time.

On Monday Shane arrived just after 8am to check on the drips I heard  last week. There was about 4 litres of water in the drip tray, but no sign of overflow or uncaught leaks. We concluded I had heard water hitting on the surface of the drip tray once the sponges became saturated.  Shane went on to clean the vents on the ceiling of my balcony. They were very clogged, with, we suspect, about 15 years of dust, certainly 10.. The vents help to circulate air through the ceiling to cool it in Summer. The plan is now to clean them every 2 years.

Once again, I''m impressed with Shane's professionalism, knowledge and communication. He explains each step and reasoning in terms I understand, so I end up with a much greater understanding of how the maintenance system in my apartment works.

This morning, a couple of hours after sunrise,  I had the call I'd been waiting for from the organiser of the Embroidery Tour in August. I now have the date and time of my talk, which is a relief. As he wants a summary to use as an introduction, I will now tidy and finalise the presentation. 

Once again, I've been aware of the rhythm of sunrise and sunset. It's lovely to live where I can observe these on a daily basis.

New every morning is the love my waking and uprising proves.

Post645 All sorts of mending

There’s been quite a lot happening with friends and family this week. For the most part I’ve been at home stitching my thoughts, hopes and wishes into several projects. My major outing was a lunch with friends at Ammos Restaurant at North Adelaide, delicious, plentiful Greek food and great company.

It was 6C on Sunday morning at 8am. That’s cold for Adelaide. I had spent much of Friday finishing my presentation on English embroidery in the Anglo-Saxon period for WES tomorrow. Hopefully, with minor adjustments, it will also serve for the embroidery Tour Group I have to talk to in August. 

It has bothered me, because the topic needs  visuals but I'm troubled about possible breach of copyright using photographs from books or the Internet. I now have a visual presentation in which every photograph has the origin or link acknowledged in full. Even so it will never be seen other than in the physical presentation. I spent all of Sunday writing a paper (9 pages) telling the story of the presentation, with no illustrations, but links or detailed references to every source. That way, anyone wanting a copy can have the paper and follow the links. I printed it off on Sunday night and edited it on Monday morning from the printed copy, transferring changes on Monday afternoon while finalising the lamb shanks, potatoes and broccoli for dinner. I’m finally satisfied. Tomorrow WES Group can critique it and offer suggestions. Whew!

While I was in getting-things-off-my-list mode, I tackled the huge pile of mending on my sewing machine table.  It turned out there were two jumpers, two brooches and a necklace to be mended and a lot of bits of fabric looking for a home. I found the right drawer or storage bin for the fabrics and mended the jumpers  - or so I thought until I wore one and found another hole, now also mended.

The brooch was a greater challenge. Bought at a craft fair many moons ago, it was a mixture of beads and wire. The simple pin had been inadequately attached with a single loop of the wire, evidently at the end of the making process, and had come away.

I could see the problem. The structural wire was very tightly woven, giving no hold to attach the pin. I had been using waxed thread to lash the embroidery for the tea box, so threaded some up in a needle and poked and wrangled until I had secured the pin. Neither artistic nor professional but I’m hoping it will hold. I wore it for a day and it held 🤞🏼.

The finished tea box went into the mail on Thursday and has been well received. 

As relaxation I knitted Justice beanies. I can now do these from memory, once I get clear in my head which wool ply I am using. A few more will be required next year, so it’s a liesurely job. 

It is now three weeks since I had the repair to the piercing on my right ear and this morning, as instructed, I removed the stud and inserted a sleeper. The problem was that, no matter how I tried, I could not close the loop. In the end, I jumped in the car and returned to Essential Beauty and Piercing who had done the repair where, with some difficulty, the duty assistant closed it for me! It has to stay in place for another three weeks. That should be OK. After that I may need to find a different solution when not wearing regular earrings!

Additionally, one of my 8 year old hearing aids is emitting a loud noise whenever switched on. I have an appointment with my audiologist after the WES meeting tomorrow and I'm guessing it will result in replacements. 

This afternoon, after a lovely long phone conversation with a friend, I began the next tea box while watching the sun go down. A nice contrast with the way the week began.

I am so grateful for friends, family and the opportunities afforded to us.

Deo Gratias.

Post644 More Music, More Embroidery and Much Love.

 

My car was booked in for service on Wednesday. As usual I had chosen the option to have two mechanics work on it while I waited. It takes two and a half hours. The waiting area is warm, comfortable and serviced with a coffee machine. I found a seat that did not face the TV screen and got to work to finish the Corinne Lapiere mouse.  It took most of the time with enough thread and time for me to also make a twisted cord. The cord is a bit thicker than it needs to be and I might adjust it.

It has given me an idea. Although it is cute, I doubt many libraries would use a book-carrying mouse as a mascot or ornament. They spend too much time keeping mice out of the stacks.

When the car was ready  (no problems, tyres rotated, oil, brake fluid etc changed, battery chacked) I headed for Centennial Park Cemetery. It was Jim’s birthday. 

The site looks terrific.it is a very serene, contemplative place, silent except for birdsong. He loved his birthday.

As I have done on each visit since October 2024 I checked out Lorraine Trotter’s burial place and was delighted to find, for the first time, a headstone in place.  It is shiny black marble, which reflects the grass that now covers the grave. Quite lovely. So much about Lorraine’s life was secret. I seems important  to mark her life and death in a public way.  

From the cemetery I went to Create in Stitch to buy some felt for the idea the mouse has given me. I came home and worked on it - but I’m not ready to share yet.

I did however, get another idea. I had bought two tea boxes from Create in Stitch a couple of years ago along with kits for embroidery to go on the lids. I made one for my Adelaide daughter to use at work and promised Brigid one when she got her own work space.

Create in Stitch still has the boxes in stock and it occurred to me I should offer to make one for my Canberra daughter, so Thursday morning I was up relatively early to return and buy another box - just in case they sold out! 

Friday was fine so I hung out washing and waited for a parcel before heading to the supermarket. The post also brought the account for the traffic offence I managed to commit last month. I was relieved to get it. It is nearly 6 weeks since it happened, and I was worried it had been stolen from my letterbox. I went straight to the Post Office and paid it. I now have 3 demerit points.

This book (left). was in the parcel.  I had stumbled across it and managed to find a reasonably priced copy through World of Books. My mother, as a newly arrived migrant in 1929, went to Banksmeadow Primary School where she learned a lot about Joseph Banks, all of which she imparted to my brother and I. She would have so loved this book. It contains 181 of the drawings Bank's commissioned. The selection from Botany Bay begins with his illustration of a flannel flower. I'm toying with the idea of embroidering some of them.

I spent the rest of Friday beginning work on Anna Scott"s Jewels of Summer  for the tea box lid.  Anna's instructions are precise, her colour shifts subtle. I think Joseph Banks would approve. It's fun to stitch.  

The weekend was going to be busy with performances on both days. The Gesualdo Six were in town again. I had booked months ago for their performance on Sunday  afternoon at Ukaria - the only Ukaria concert I had booked for the year. While it’s a fabulous venue, I am finding the drive up the Hills tedious and the drive home in winter, into the sunset, stressful. Katherine, however, was going to pick me up.

The Saturday concert at the Cathedral was a later announcement, a performance with the Festival Statesmen Chorus and the Cathedral Choir and Katherine booked. Had the announcements been timed differently I wouldn’t have booked the Ukaria one.

The timing wasn't great. The cathedral is close to Adelaide Oval where the Showdown, between the two State AFL teams was being played that evening, meaning there were parking restrictions and traffic issues. A friend kindly picked me up so we only had one car. The downhill walk from car to cathedral was paid back by an out-of-breath exercise afterwards.

The  concert was superb. The newly installed cathedral lighting system was in full swing, as was what appeared to be a smoke machine! While the latter produced interesting effects, it didn’t do wonders for my accompanying friend’s respiratory weakness.

The cathedral was packed. The Statesmen and the Gesualdo Six performed brackets separately and together. The finale was a performance of both with the cathedral choir, organ and trumpet. The audience was blown away. We left on a high - higher than I remember from any concert. I have included a copy of the program at the end of this post for anyone interested. There is also some audio on the Festival Statesmen Chorus FB page.

I went to bed that night savouring the experience and almost regretting the next day’s booking. Katherine, however, had developed a severe cold from the excursion, slept badly and wisely took to her bed on Sunday, so I opted out, choosing instead to spend several hours checking EOYF payments needing to be made, then working on the tea box lid and my upcoming WES presentation. There is not yet a date available for the broadcast of the concert, but I will keep an eye out.

Commitments and illness meant there were only four of us for dinner on Monday. I had bought family pies because I anticipated being out much of the weekend. The pies worked well and we had a lot to talk about. On examining the tea box, the girls decided they would like to have one each when they are ready to leave home, so I ordered two more online and picked them up this morning from Create in Stitch. There is (fortunately) no hurry.

I'm enjoying the one I'm working on and hope to have the box finished by my posting next week.