Post 270 Growth and renewal

I went back, this afternoon, and looked at some of the elements of the front balcony garden that I had photographed and talked about back in the early days of the pandemic.

The spider - or one of her descendants - is still at work, weaving ever more complex webs. 

Spiders don't have that on their own.

There's also the pruning from the begonia Jennifer had suggested I cut back. The photo on the right was taken on 11 April, four new leaves on a small cutting. The photo on the left was taken this afternoon. It's only about 20 cm high, but has several branches and shoots. 

I haven't photographed my Yukka before. It's not so easy to photograph well. I'm better with close and small than with large things that need to be photographed from a distance. I brought this Yukka with me from my old house. It was always in a large pot, but outside in a garden. I've cut it back a couple of time to stop it overbalancing. The whole view is on the left, with a pot of poinsettia hanging from it. The base of the Yukka in its pot is well below that. On the right is a closer view of the top leaves. I'm waiting for some of the lower shoots to grow a bit more before cutting the height back again.

This row of about 5 yukkas are all children of the original plant. They really like life on the balcony, and I like their fecundity and green. I don't think it has ever bloomed.

I spent a couple of hours with Jennifer this morning. She is working her way through all the necessary processes and planning and looking pretty good. 

I checked the Guild website today, and we are back to regular meetings after the lockdown, so I plan to go to the Crewel Group on Thursday and Certificate Course workshop on Saturday. I'm so pleased that the Guild has stayed with the 1 person per 4 square metres requirement. The State did go to 1 per 2 metres for a while, but reverted after the recent hotspot outbreak. The Guild's Gallery space works really well at 1 per 4 metres, and it does make me feel really comfortable to be there. I don't think I'd go if we were working at 1 per 2 metres. I feel much the same about cafes and restaurants. As we are getting very used to hearing,  out of an abundance of caution. 

I also checked out the lemon rose pelargonium that I transplanted about a week ago. It's looking robust and healthy. Whew!

I had  good catch up phone calls from my friend Robin in the Blue Mountains. Her infected leg is slowly healing, and she was able to open her pottery studio for the Open Studio Program last weekend. Great that that program could go ahead  in NSW last weekend. 

Also caught up with my brother who is pretty busy promoting his latest book and working on the next one. We covered quite a bit of ground.

Alison and Karl got a very, very cute kitten today - serendipitously on her birthday.

Finally I had a request for any excess elastic I have from a Guild friend who has been asked to make 10 tutus! I think I can oblige.  

These conversations and connections are what keep me sane and operational. They are renewing and nurturing, recharging my batteries when required. 

Deo Gratias.

Post 269 Dinner

Pasta bake was the best option tonight. With Year 12 exams over, study day for  Year 10 and working from home rosters still in effect there was some uncertainty as to how many there would be here for dinner. As it happened it was a full quota and there were no left-overs tonight.

I usually make the ragu for this dish a day in advance. Today, however, I did it all in one go after going to Frewville Foodland for some bread and other bakery.

It was only forecast to be 24C today, and only got to 23C but Niamh and Veronica agreed with me that it seemed much hotter.  I got a good breeze through the apartment late in the afternoon. The  plants were in need of water. They respond quite quickly once they have it.

I love the reds of these begonia (left) and also the variation in the poinsettia leaves (right). This one is the one I bought for the Christmas before last. Last year's one is also still going.  It's a reminder that I need to visit Barrow and Bench and get one for this year.

The Crown of Thorns centre (right) is growing nicely. It looks like leaves developing, not flowers. It may not be mature enough yet for flowers, but there's a lot of growth there.

Both Frangipani have their first leaves. I enjoy the patterns in the leaves when the sun shines through them late in the afternoon on the front balcony. 

The sunset was not as spectacular tonight, but still interesting silhouettes and colours.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to spend a couple of hours with Jennifer, talking, in particular, about a wake for Susan. Nothing can be firmed up until the Coroner has finished. There may be delays following our lockdown.

I made progress on the Oak Apple Tree. Tomorrow I shall work on the branch to the left, then the hillock, leaving the apples till last. 

I'm still really enjoying this.

Tomorrow is also Alison's birthday. I hope she has a really happy one

Post 265 Day 1 of the six-day lockdown: COVID Stag

This is where I ended up at the end of today - the first of the 6 complete lockdown days in South Australia. The stag colours are a little more russet than they appear here.

It's been very relaxing and pleasurable to have the time to just stitch.  This is probably going to be known as the Covid Stag when I add it to my chair!

There was, of course, no work on the building site and not much movement in the Square. A few people walked through, presumably essential workers. Traffic was lighter than usual. I watched a few news bulletins. There were no new Covid cases in the State today. There is commentary (mostly from interstate) about the harshness of the SA lockdown, when, on the first day, after 12,000 tests, there are no cases. The Chief Medical Officer argues that there are still 17 probable cases and we need to stay ahead on the contact tracing. Most South Australians seem to trust her. 

I do.  

I couldn't resist photographing the red begonia again when the sun filtered through its leaves late this afternoon. It did just reach 36C   this afternoon but seemed to cool down a little before sunset.

I have also been watching the growth of this Euphorbia Milii. I bought it as a struggling reject at a plant sale. It was about 50cm tall but drooping, with few leaves. It's looking very healthy and there are lots of new shoots at the crown. I'm wondering if it is about to flower.

This morning I spent a couple of hours finishing Dead Men's Hearts by Aaron Elkins, the first of his I have read. It had a bit going for it - lots of archeology and anthropology detail, used, I thought, very effectively. The ending drama was a bit unlikely and unnecessary, but would look good on film or video. 

I had a couple of visits from my dove friends. The sunflower is absolutely at its best. The one flower at the moment is benefitting from no competition.

The other big news story today, apart from SA's lockdown, has been the report of the Enquiry into Australian Special Forces in Afghanistan. It is a shocking and shameful story. The only good thing is that the enquiry was held, the Defence Force has accepted responsibility, issued apologies and initiated legal processes.

Tomorrow is a little cooler, but hotter on Saturday. I suspect I might choose to finish the stag before I pick up the quilt to add hexies!

Post 245 Mostly botanical

The little bit of rain overnight was enough to refresh the daisies on the balcony's edge but not for the sunflowers. I needed to water those, even though more rain was forecast.

 

 

I managed to get organised to go to the TNT depot on Richmond Road on my way to Pilates to pick up the parcel I wasn't here to receive yesterday. As I guessed, it was the second volume of my blog in print.

Once again, I am pleased with the quality. It serves, however, as a reminder that I still haven't succeeded in ordering the third volume, in spite of several emails to the support line. 

As usual, Pilates was good. I enjoy the Thursday sessions with only one group - four students and the instructor, rather than Friday, when there are two instructors and eight students.  The studio garden is looking particularly lush at the moment. The fig tree has new leaves and there are strawberries on the numerous  strawberry plants.

I diverted to Unley Village on my way home to dispose of a bag of soft plastics and get some ingredients for Monday dinner. I ended up buying some scones - and two sausage rolls from the Dulwich Bakery for my lunch. It was 3pm by the time I got home, and two sausage rolls, a tomato and two scones ended up serving as both lunch and dinner.

The  strawberries in the Pilates garden reminded me of the strawberries waiting to be added to Rabbits at Dawn, so I left the hexies pinned to the quilt and got to work on the rabbits and strawberries.  There was, however, only one strawberry, and rather a lot of hillock to be finished before I could move the hoop on to the strawberry plant. 

The sun came out late in the afternoon, picking out the leaves of the red-leaved begonia.

The flower on the one on the left also comes into its own in the late afternoon.

I had a delivery of a top I bought online. It fortunately fitted into the letterbox - along with a Piecework Magazine returned by whoever I had lent it to. I wish I could remember who that was! My sincere thanks anyway.

I finished a rabbit and the strawberry plant, using the photo taken this morning as a bit of a colour guide,  while watching the 1980 version of The Mirror Cracked from Side to Side, with Angela Lansbury, Elizabeth Taylor, Tony Curtis and Rock Hudson. It was interesting enough to keep me watching. I enjoyed the performances of Edward Fox, Angela Lansbury and Tony Curtis.

It's now raining fairly steadily. Hope my sunflower is benefitting! 

Post 79

As I once again spent most of the day tracking down some details and proof-reading for my brother, it was a blessing that I woke early enough to open my blind to the sunrise.



This enabled me to take some photos for today's blog. Screen shots don't quite cut it.
















I enjoying opening the blind, hopping back into bed and watching through the frame of the doors.


Even the Vergola provides an interesting perspective.


A couple of things happened this morning. Firstly, I had an email from Who Gives a Crap to say my toilet paper ration is ready to be ordered.  I've been ordering from them for about 3 years. They give half their profit to provide sanitation to communities without it. I order one box of 48 rolls each year when I get back from England. That is 12 month's supply for me. This year, of course, they had run out. I had enough for several more weeks. Today's email  wars good timing. I've ordered my usual box, which,should be here in a few days.

The next surprise was a phone call from Jennifer. She is in a Perth rehab hospital, which she likes a lot. She tires easily but is her usually alert, observant and forward thinking self. She is also now reading these posts. How absolutely amazing and fantastic. Before she can fly to Adelaide, she needs to test her lung capacity on a flight-simulation machine that will measure her ability to breath easily in the reduced oxygen environment of a pressurised aircraft. That's very reassuring.

In any case, she wants to complete her rehab in Perth.

My other bit of news was that the Guild class on Counted Sashiko, that, before the Guild closed down, I was booked to attend next weekend, has been moved to September. I guess that means the Guild is hoping to be at least partially operational by September. I'm sure this is a punt, but 

The sun came out late this afternoon and shone brightly on these begonia, which Jennifer gave me. She/ was asking about my spider, who still seems to be adjusting her web. I didn't photograph her web today, but thought Jennifer might like to see the sun on the begonias.

This evening I have concentrated on constructing the hexies for my winter quilt. I managed to construct all that I had papers on. 

I'm now back to tacking the papers on what I think will need to be about 60 more 1" hexies.


It's not fast, but definite progress.

I've used a lot of battery today, so need to post before it dies!

Post 58: Mending

Yesterday's rain limited the dove's visit and the seeds I put out got wet. She was back today to retrieve them, even though they had swollen. She was comfortable enough to sit for quite a while in an empty flower box.





While she surveyed the scene, I got out my darning mushroom and some 2 ply wool, and mended the Uzbekistan slipper socks.







It took a while and it doesn't look elegant, but it is on the sole , not the top. It's interesting that the first mend has felted - no doubt from friction as it rubs on the floor.


Next job was making another batch of ANZAC biscuits, this time using the recipe my mother used - from the Commonsense Cookbook. Over the years I have annotated my copy, to mark conversions from ounces and cup measurements to grams, and also to note a severe reduction in the amount of sugar.

The recipe was similar, but not identical to the one I used two days ago. Butter, flour and oats were the same. Sugar was less in today's recipe (and my variation less still) as was Golden syrup. Coconut was a quarter of a cup more, and bicarbonate of soda half a teaspoon more today. The mixture turned out to be too dry. I added more butter and a little more syrup. I think this was a problem last year as well. They turned out OK - but a bit dry. I think the texture of the last batch was much better. I reckon this is mostly the result of the extra bicarb. I no longer have the Nursing Mothers' Cookbook, which is what I think I used for many years for my ANZAC biscuits. Batch 1 is definitely my preference so far.  I may yet have another try.



I was waiting all day to hear news of Jennifer's progress in the Perth ICU. I had an anxious moment when the WA Premier announced another death overnight from a cruise ship. It turned out to be a man who had been on the Artania. It is a terrible and cruel thing to feel relief.

Eventually I got a message on my network grapevine that Jennifer is still on the ventilator, but breathing herself. Doctors intend, if she remains stable, to take her wholly off the ventilator tomorrow. She will need to remain in ICU for 24-48 hours after that, then in a respiratory ward for at least a week, followed by some time in rehab.  It's a slow process - but it is a way forward to recovery.
The sun was out this afternoon and I spent a lot of time on my balcony with the plants Jennifer gave me.  They are doing well. The aspidistra was divided earlier this year from one I gave Jennifer in 1987 when she succeeded me in a Deputy Principal's job. When Jennifer moved to an apartment last year she asked me to look after it. Earlier this year another friend divided it into 3 parts and we each took one. The begonia also came from Jennifer. Earlier this year she suggested I cut it back,which I did. It has lots of new growth (top right). The small, thriving plant at the bottom right is a cutting from that plant, now expanding its leaves. These plants look so good today. I'm hoping Jennifer is similarly mending.


I spent more time on the balcony contemplating plants today than I did stitching but I managed to finish off the leaves to the right of the squirrel and make inroads into the foliage to the left.













This is where I am now up to. I reckon another two days of stitching will see me ready to scroll up to the lower section of the linen.