Post 540 On the go

The highlight of this week was the Ukaria concert on Sunday afternoon, Voces8 and the Festival Statesmen Chorus. Both were fantastic. It is the concert I most wanted to go to this year, and since the friend I go with is in hospital, I drove up on my own, had my pre-ordered pie lunch, attended the Voces8 Q&A session and then the concert. Unfortunately I can’t share the program, which, as the result of workshops during the week, was not in the program, nor did I make a note of songs as announced. Voces8 ranged from plainsong, to an arrangement of Christ is the morning star from the grave of the Venerable Bede, to Dancing cheek to cheek.

The audience was totally engaged, the songs triggering memories, emotions, connections, energy.

The Festival Statesmen began with a very moving Loch Lomond. It evoked both joy and sadness, taking me back to 1972,  when Jim and I spent Sunday afternoons walking the old Roman road from Helensburgh to the Bonnie bonnie banks of Loch Lomond. I was struck by the insightful change they had made to the last line of the last verse:

But the broken heart it kens nae second spring again

And the world knows not how we are grieving. (from tho the waeful may cease fra their greeting)

It’s a powerful, expressive song, whether thought of in terms of the Jacobite rebellion or lost love. 

They finished their selection with Bridge over troubled water, also moving. 

The drive home at 4.30pm was a bit hair-raising, even on a choral high, with sections of the freeway journey heading right into the setting sun, but well worth it. I quite enjoy instrumental concerts, but it’s choral music that does it for me.

It’s been cold and fairly wet here this week, but on Saturday the sun came out, with a three day pause in the rain predicted,  so I washed my heavy Aran jumper. I’ve been wearing it a lot and it seemed to have taken on a slight grey tinge. It takes ages to dry and drips for a couple of hours, so better not hung inside. I moved it around a couple of times a day.

It took two fine days to dry enough to bring inside. After a night inside it gave me great satisfaction to fold it, ready to wear. I'm wearing it again now, as I post this.

We had a great World Embroidery Study Group morning on Wednesday. Pat has spent about 8 months reading about Embroidery on Knitting and shared her findings. We were spellbound. Focusing on what has been documented in Europe, she traced the history of embroidered knits back to the 15th century and showed us some extraordinary photos of embroidered stockings for both men and women. We learned about traditions of knitting by seafaring men and embroidery on knitted jumpers by Portuguese sailors. We also saw a surprising range of liturgical gloves, knitted and then embroidered. We were able to see and touch items from Pat’s collection (including the two on the far right). The blue coat is knitted and the embroidered panels appliquéd on by Barbara, while Keryn embroidered the jumper for her granddaughter.

We also adjusted our program for the rest of the year particularly to accommodate the Guild’s SALA Exhibition in August. I’m planning to enter the Early Women of the Book bags, along with the explanatory booklet I created, so on Friday I checked it over to see if there was more I  need to do. I only had one sample copy of the 8"x10"booklet printed. To get 2 more printed would cost me $80.  It is quite large and I don't have the software to alter the size.  It occurred to me that by scanning  the copy I could reduce the size to A5, which would be easier and cheaper to print. Once I had the idea, of course, I had to do it immediately. 

Some three hours later I had ordered 6 copies at a total cost of $41.40. When I picked them up on Saturday morning, I discovered I had inadvertently chosen black and white for the cover printing. 🙄

Colour isn’t critical, but more attractive, and it had taken me a good half an hour to get the cover colour right on the scan - then I’d ticked the wrong box for printing!  I think I'll live with it.

 After picking up the booklets, I did a big grocery shop, detouring to pick up a copy of a book I’d read about the same morning. I’m hoping it will help me to understand my weight. I am astonished at the complexity of the topic, but the book is written and laid out in a very accessible way. I'm working my way through it.

I also grabbed a copy of the latest Donna Leon (Brunetti#33)  for a friend. I had received a pre-publication notice which led me to realise I had not read Brunetti #32. so I managed to borrow it from the library and devoured it earlier this week. The new one will have to go on the end of my reading queue.

It was a relatively social week. In addition to WES Group and Pilates, I had dinner with friends on Thursday and, for the first time in several months, stitched with a friend on Friday afternoon (there was a lot of catching up to do). I also gave a talk at U3A. 

I avoid commitments on Mondays so I can focus on preparing for dinner. However, the earliest appointment I had been able to get with the hand therapist was on Monday morning, so I took it. Also, during the week, my  only working watch - which I bought in Keswick, Cumbria, in 2015, died. The battery had been recently renewed, so I needed a new watch.  My dinner host on Thursday told me her sister had a solar watch, an idea new to me. I investigated and found, online, a couple I liked. An Adelaide jewellery store had an EOFY sale that reduced the price by 25%, so after seeing the hand therapist I continued into the CBD to the jewellery store. 

As I suspected, my hand issues are largely the result of my hand movements while knitting rows with three colours, particularly the thumb movements to catch the out-of-play wool on the purl rows. Typing this blog on my iPad (as I am doing now) doesn’t help. I touch-type on my laptop but use my thumbs on phone and tablet. The good news is the brace I have, which is customised to my left hand (right), has been superseded by smaller, standardised braces that are more comfortable and less obtrusive (left). I am using them as I type this. I also have three new hand exercises.

The result of my quick dash into the city after the hand clinic is on my left wrist - a watch that charges from light both in and out of doors and should last 12-15 years. 🙏🏼 The right wrist bracelet is a medi-alert.

From the city I went to Unley,  for bread from the bakery, and  capsicum and strawberries from the greengrocer. The greengrocer had a philodendron that would fill one of my empty balcony pots, so it also came home with me. A woman stopped me in the carpark, saying “Are you going to plant that? You look as if you need help,”! I managed. The photo was taken at dusk, hence the strange colour.

There were 8 of us for a pleasant Monday dinner. We extended the table, which I have left up for the week. It's a more comfortable fit when there are more than six and I don't need to economise on the space it occupies.

Today I gave a talk on my Conversations with Baby Boomer Teachers book at the Enfield branch of the University of the Third Age. I spent several hours refreshing my memory. I haven't thought about it for about 18 months. Most of the audience had been Baby Boomer teachers. There were lots of questions and lively discussion.  I enjoyed it. There's a lot more work to be done in the space, but I intend to leave it to others. I'm sticking to my knitting.

Speaking of which, the first sleeve is underway. Both the brace and the exercises are making a difference. 

I need to post this, so I can do the second set of exercises for the day! It's been a busy week.

Post 533 Long Post for a Full On Week.

Wednesday turned out to be busy as I set about restoring order to my balcony after the re-grouting of the tiles. The tiles needed washing, the pots and furniture returning to position. The first discovery was that my squeegee, the only mop I own, was broken. The sponge squeezing mechanism had come apart, and was missing a connector. I could still operate it awkwardly, holding the disconnected rod. 

I took the opportunity to clean the runners on the door and insect screen of their accumulated grime. The two water dishes were slimy. One contains shells, which in turn were covered in slime. I soaked the shells in a mild solution of bleach, then scrubbed each one with a nail brush. They now look clean and the water clear. I've moved the dish out of the sun in the hope the algae won't form.

I deadheaded flowers, tidied a few plants, swept up petals and reconnected the hose. 

I noticed that the zygocactus is about to flower - so the honeyeaters will be competing with the noisy miner for access before too long.

By the time the balcony was restored and clean I was exhausted. I made a coffee and explored potential replacement of my squeegee. 

I keep a short broom with attached dustpan on the balcony. The broom has nylon bristles, now misshapen and sticking out at all angles. An online search revealed the Frewville Foodland had suitable replacements, so I set off and found what I wanted, a squeegee with a more robust mechanism and a small, handmade broom from Vietnam. 

I already have one of these with a stiff bristle. The new one is soft, and very good at finding fine dust. One on each balcony

When I got home I returned the shells to their dish and finished the job. I decided to replace the hose as well, with one that is tidier and takes up less room. (Yes, this really is tidier!)

Around 3pm, as I was having lunch, a courier delivered the four printed tote bags I had ordered - the Early Women of the Book.

I am delighted with them . Two are for friends in Sydney - fellow students of Early English Literature and Language in undergraduate days, who are as excited as I am.  One is destined for a charity auction and another for the Guild SALA Exhibition - along with the explanatory booklet. 

This has been a very productive exercise. As with the earlier bag, one side has printed the photo as uploaded and the other has somehow removed the white background. It is obviously how the printing process works. I'd like to understand it, but, as they are printed overseas, I doubt I will. 

There was a fabulous full moon that night and I managed to get a decent shot through the slats of my Vergola using my phone. It's the best moonshot I have managed.  A Proud Titania kind of night.

Thursday was ANZAC Day, a public holiday, with Dawn Services and marches of Veterans and service men and women all around the country. I don't attend. I do, however, acknowledge the service of family members and remember their sacrifices - including the mental health issues that followed throughout the lives of those who survived. They needed to forget, but we need to remember.

I had decided not to bake Anzac biscuits. It is school holidays, so no one but me to eat them and  I already had a few left from last month's batch. The point about Anzac biscuits is their keeping capacity. They were developed to last for months on sea voyages to France and Egypt in WWI.  However, when I received this email from a cheeky friend  Dont forget the ANZAC biscuits are in the oven and they burn quickly. WE DONT want them burnt again this year, I got on my high horse and immediately made a batch. That'll show him! No fool like an old fool! At least they will keep.

I had bought fresh prawns on Wednesday, intending to have them in a salad, but in view of the chilly weather, stir fried them with broccolini and peas. A good meal.

On Friday I met a friend in Stirling for coffee and scones. It was busy and crowded, but we did a lot of catching up. She brought me another Alamanda Blue, one that is ready to propagate. Mine is doing well, but isn't old enough to be divided, and I promised one to another keen gardener. Cathy seems to have the Alamanda magic  touch. She has several plants, all excelling themselves.

A balcony isn’t ideal for plant division on this scale, and it has taken me several days over this busy week, but I now have three new plants from this giant, which will grow back over the gap. This is quite a rare local swamp plant and would be best in a pond. It’s important to keep propagating them.

When I arrived home from Stirling there were two parcels in my letterbox. One was a metre of Spice linen - the lining for several bags I am working on. The other was a total surprise - a shawl knitted by an overseas friend as a gift. I was so warmed in every way. An unexpected, personal, perfect gift. It went perfectly with what I was wearing. I feel wrapped in friendship and heather.  

And speaking of heather, Marie Wallin’s new collection was released, and yes, against commonsense, I have ordered a kit. This one is simply too beautiful to pass up. And, from the sublime to the ridiculous,

Even worse,  I also ordered an Uradale (centre) colour way kit for the newly released 2024 Shetland Wool Week hat. 

My Saturday workshop on Glazig embroidery for the Certificate Course went really well. The 12 attendees were enthusiastic, diligent and creative working right up to 2pm. 

I captured 9 of their efforts, thanks to Lee who prompted me to photograph the results before it was too late! The one that looks messy is because I photographed it too close through the plastic bag after it was packed up. I really liked the edging but didn’t want to ask the student to unpack it.

Niamh arrived home from her school trip to Indonesia with stories and gifts. Mine is a pair of lovely filigree silver earrings in a batik box, accompanied by a berry for cleaning the silver. I’ve been to Indonesia a number of times but never encountered these. 

I might just try following the instructions.

On Sunday I had a 2.30 pm concert at Ukaria. It’s a 40 minute drive with my friend Lorraine, and this time also  another friend of hers, in time to secure a convenient car park and enjoy a platter lunch beforehand. The Dudok Quartet of Amsterdam played Mozart String Quartet No.23 in F,K.590, Grazyna Bacewicz String Quartet No4, Tchaikovsky String Quartet No3 in E flat minor. The Ukaria garden is at its very best, and the music was great.

Although school term has begun, yesterday was a pupil free day so no family dinner. I needed a day to shop and recover after a pretty full-on week. Much of the day was spent in a panic, trying to find an example of embroidery a student had given me on Saturday for the next WES Group meeting. I had been too busy and tired on Sunday to unpack my Glazig teaching bag and when I got to it yesterday the example was missing. I searched the car and house and phoned the organiser. I was working out how I was going to explain the loss to the student. Several hours later I worked out where I had tucked it, to keep it safe. Phew! 

Today I had lunch with Panayoula, catching up and sharing our opinions on world problems. At home I finished off making a pot of soup to keep me going for the rest of the week.

I have now reached the sleeve cast-off on the Andes cardigan. It’s looking good. I'm looking forward to seeing the impact of shaping.

It has been a busy, productive week - thanks for reading to the end!

Post 528 as Autumn Leaves Start to Fall.

 

The sunflowers I bought in the heat are finally spent. The last two put out a lot of cheer before they graduated to compost.

Before that happened, I spent Wednesday morning at the hairdresser and in the evening went back to Noi with friends for a very early dinner. We took advantage of their Feed-me and out-by-seven options, both of which worked well for me. It was an exceptional meal, and I'll be returning.

On Thursday, before Pilates, I rushed off to BigW  to buy a copy of Foul Play by Fiona MacIntosh, a Book Club pick, but after much searching through the strange shelf organisation, with no assistant in sight, I gave up and bought Dead Tide, the next in the series ( I was, of course, late for Pilates). 

After Pilates I went to Bunnings to get plumbers tape and some potting mix for succulents. I exited with a trolley full of plants (yes, including a pot of sunflowers!).

On Friday morning the fire alarm went off as I was getting dressed after showering, around 9am. threw on my clothes, grabbed phone, handbag and, as I was leaving, my hearing aids and watch. I went down the stairs, increasingly carefully, as the stair lights were not on below my floor. When I got outside, Maureen, our pod rep, was there before me, in her dressing gown. The alarm had stopped as I reached to bottom of the stairs. A man from another pod joined us. At this point I realised my hearing aids were not in my hand. When nothing happened, we went back into the building. Maureen and the neighbour came up the stairs with me, looking for the hearing aids. I searched in my apartment and then retraced my steps once again up and down the stairs. Nothing. 

I phoned my audiologist and made an appointment to be fitted for new hearing aids before heading out to the supermarket.  As I was getting into the car, my hand brushed against my trouser pocket; there was something in it. Yes, in the stress of evacuating the building via stairs without light, I had dropped what was in my hand - watch and hearing aids - into a pocket so I could use both hands on the stair rail! I felt like an idiot, but was delighted to have found them, and to cancel the appointment for replacements!  

I’ve no idea what set off the alarms. I suspect a neighbour who did not evacuate set off a smoke alarm and managed to turned it off while I was descending the stairs. 

I ended up doing a big shop for Monday night, then spending the afternoon gardening, planting what I had bought the day before, removing spent flowers, dead plants and empty plastic pots, fertilising, watering, repotting and sweeping up. The plumbers tape made absolutely no difference to my hose fitting. It’s still a weak stream, and still leaks. It nevertheless works and is more efficient than watering cans. 

I considered going to the pub for dinner, but settled for a cheese and salami salad and a long talk to my brother before getting organised for Saturday’s certificate workshop. A tiring day. 

Saturday's workshop was a counted stitches sampler. The group was small and friendly, the task interesting and requiring thought. I worked a simple grid sampler, varying thread over 5 basic stitches, so far wool and Danish thread in a similar colour. I intend to add colour variation as I go. For the moment, however, this is parked.

Requirements for the two Guild classes I’ve booked into later in the year have arrived and I’m busy finding, cutting and preparing linens for them.

On Sunday I picked up Lorraine at midday and drove up to Mt Barker Summit for a Ploughman's Lunch and Ukaria concert, our first for the year - the Australian String Quartet with Andrea Lam. It was fabulous. We had front row seats with a good view of the pianist (thanks to Lorraine's walker and disabled booking options).  We were a bit taken aback by the number of mobility devices in the audience. We all seem to have aged substantially. 

Since all the fuss about a certain amateur photographer altering a photo, I decided to have a go with the photo I took of two doves early in the week. I didn’t like the background wall behind the dove on the right of the top photo, so I experimented (using only Apple photo tools) in removing her from the background and re-pasting her into a cropped copy of the photo. While I have removed backgrounds before, I had to learn how to insert the result into another photo (lower photo). The perspective doesn’t quite work. While one bird (presumably the male) is genuinely larger than the other, moving them even slightly closer creates too great a contrast. I haven’t worked out how to enlarge the pasted image. I’m pleased to have tried it - and I promise to always declare if I do it again! 

There were seven of us for dinner on Monday night - really good to catch up with everyone. It is a busy and potentially stressful time for both school and university students, but all seem to have it organised and more of less under control. I feel for them. I remember the stress. Does it need to be like this? While I'm sure I learned from it, I'm not sure it's a necessary part of learning. There's  surely a better way.  My educator’s itch needs scratching.

Last night was the Pascal Full Moon, the first full moon after the March equinox and the signal that next Sunday is Easter. I happened to see it rising over the hills. A privilege. 

Today I skipped Aquafit. I had a few jobs to do and didn't want to be rushed. I got organised for the cleaner, dropped a set of pearls off at a jeweller to be restrung and called at a bookshop for a  colouring book I had read about and thought might provide useful embroidery designs. I have quite a few of these, and no, I haven't made much use of them! 

The Kaffe Fassett cardigan is, however progressing. The weather is cooling and Easter has been a time for knitting since I was a teenager.

It's an interesting mind that can create this set of colours. I am now on row 42 of an 80 row pattern that then repeats approximately 3 times on the back and fronts. I'd like to make significant progress  over Easter in between the family rituals and some reading. I have a pile of hard-copy books I need to tackle while making notes, so I can develop both embroidery ideas and a couple of presentations.  There's also 2 samples to work for my Glazig workshop in April. I won't be bored.

May you be uplifted at Easter!