Post 253 Mostly rabbits, a seagull and a bat

This morning I removed the pins from the 2 blocked Rabbits panels and joined them together before placing them on the cushion cover. It was only then that I realised I would need to complete the hillocks on either end. Otherwise the hillocks end suddenly before the end of cushion front.  I should have thought of this before blocking - even before taking the panels out of the hoop.

I had been intending to attach the panel to the cushion this morning and take the completed cushion to Sit 'n Stitch to show my friends.

I set to work to finish the hillocks. I had put away the green wools, so had to find them and match the colours, sketch on the hillock shape and get stitching.

When it came to time to leave for Sit'n Stitch, I had just finished the hillocks. Although I frequently work without a hoop, just holding embroidery in my hand, it's not an easy way of working crewel, because it is difficult to manage the tension. This however, had to be worked in hand because it is at the edge of the fabric.  Reluctantly, at this point, I decided to leave this at home and take my knitting to Sit 'n Stitch.

I had decided not to rush to the Post Office to pick up the parcel I missed yesterday but to pick it up on my way to Sit 'n Stitch. I only needed to drive around the block once to get a parking space outside the Post Office. When I got to the counter, I discovered the parcel had been taken to another Post Office, not my nominated local one. I had not checked the notification, just assuming it was my nominated one. So I drove the 2 km to the Hutt St PO and got the parcel.

It was, as I had thought, the Jos Hendriks book on Assisi work. I didn't have time to read it, as I was already late for Sit'n Stitch. I have now had a quick look but still haven't had a serious read. It looks as if it might prove to be the basis of yet another World Embroidery Study Group discussion. There are wahat look like useful chapters on the history and style as well as beautiful colour designs. It is not a workbook.

At Sit'n Stitch I helped Jennifer cut out two knitting needle rolls before I got on with my knitting.  

On the way home I swung past the beach. It was sunny, but windy. Relaxing to breath sea air. 

I had to slow for a seagull on the road. 

Back at home I read an article about a Queensland farmer who planted 40.000 sunflower seeds on his property and created a message to be seen from the air, to cheer people up.  

My single pot of sunflowers have a similar effect!

The sun went down a bit like thunder tonight and I was just in time to catch a bat returning to the bat roosting tree.

After dinner I got to work attaching the rabbits. It took about 3 hours.

This, I think, finishes the cushion. I have 3 more pieces to add to the skirt (one finished) and the feathers to attach (currently pinned) before the final panel on the centre back of the chair.

I suspect I might end up adding something to the front panels of the arms.

Post 251 Friends and Ravens

As forecast, there was a bit of rain overnight and a much cooler start to the day. The Adelaide Hills weren't visible this morning.

I am reading Jane Harper's The Survivors, one of this month's choices for my Crime Book Club. So far it's keeping me engaged.

Somewhat to my surprise, Myrtle appeared this morning on the clean balcony, just standing, seemingly waiting. Even more surprising, although clearly wary, she remained while I cautiously opened the door and distributed some seed.

She stayed well away, close to the balcony edge, but didn't fly away. That's a first. 

It was windy but she was not at all puffed up.

As soon as the seed hit the ground she was pecking at it. apparently very hungry. There was a lot of bird noise around, really loud 'ark, ark' sounds usually made by crows or ravens. There are, according to the South Australian Dept of the Environment,, few crows found south of Port Augusta and Corvus Melior, the Little Raven is the most common 'ark, ark' bird in Adelaide.  One flew to the roof above the balcony while Myrtle was feeding. My Vergola roof was closed so the raven wasn't visible. It flew off a few minutes later. Myrtle paused while it was above, had a bit more seed, but  went to the rail to observe when it flew away. She was on alert for several minutes before departing. 

I discovered the pdf file of the book I created yesterday had indeed arrived. It was, of course, sent to the email address I used to set up the new account and make the book, an address I do not regularly use. It took a long time to download the book - all 234 Mb of it. I was still trying to retrieve it on my iPad, so I could view it in iBooks, when I decided I needed to go out.  I succeeded later in the afternoon.

I went to deliver a seated hoop to my friend with the broken humerus. Her arm is healing, but pain has increased as she begins physio on the arm. Hopefully a hoop she does not have to hold will enable her to progress some of her embroidery. From there I went on to Unley to mail a parcel and drop off some soft plastic for recycling.  When I got home there was another notice that I had missed a parcel, to be picked up at the Post Office after 4pm.

The bird noise was still loud this afternoon. Eventually I went to investigate. There were three ravens on the jacaranda calling to their fellows on trees far away. I couldn't capture the three in a single shot. I couldn't even get a clear shot of two. 

One, however, gave me a fair shot.

Eventually, one flew off to the top of a tree a couple of hundred metres away.

The parcel, when I picked it up, turned out to be the book I ordered because of Jenny Adin-Christies's review on her FaceBook page. Stitched and Sewn: the life-saving art of holocaust survivor Trudie Strubel. Just as well I managed yesterday to reduce the pile of embroidery books I needed to review! 

I captured this sunset shot while talking  on the phone to my Blue Mountains friend. She has a mystery infection in her leg, giving her a lot of grief. It didn't prevent us catching up at great length - a much better use of two hours for both of us than the ubiquitous news coverage and commentary tonight. 

I managed to finish the Rabbits while watching an episode of Lewis.  Blocking can wait until tomorrow, but I did test the last two panels together. 

  

It's going to work.

Post 249 Food and Food for Thought.

 

The jacaranda at the back is a bit further in bloom - and the marigolds are holding their own.

The white pigface that Margaret gave me is on the left. It has a very slight pink tinge in the centre of the petals. 

The one on the right is the one I bought. It's so interesting to see these slight variations in plants. I wonder what will happen with these two close to each other. Will they blend? Jennifer Ackerman, in The Bird Way, argues that individual variation in birds brings resilience. I wonder if this is also true of plants?

I hung out the washing I did yesterday, and went shopping at Frewville for bakery items for after-school snacks and fruit for my breakfast before coming home and preparing the pastitsio.  

Brigid's Maths Method exam went well this morning and she went home to continue study for the next one on Thursday. Her dinner went home with the rest of the family.

I got a bit more work done on the Rabbits before dinner and moved the hoop.

I was excited by the email from the Crewel Work Company yesterday to say the Aesop's Fable kit - which Phillipa had originally intended to teach at Beating Around the Bush last month, is almost ready for sale. I had booked into the course, and have reserved the back of my Crewel chair for this piece. There is now a bit of an incentive to finish the smaller pieces I have for the gaps in the rest of the chair so I can start straight away on the Aesop. Looks as if Crewel will be part of my life for a while to come.

It was an interesting sky tonight - great sky, with what looks like a giant handprint.

It has struck me several times that the title of this blog, England 2020, is a misnomer. It was appropriate when I set it up for a trip to England in late February, less so for the rest of the year in Adelaide.  Yesterday I was struck by the perversity of the title  when here in Australia we had no new community-based Covid cases and England announced a month's lock-down.  

The title and circumstances of  this blog bind me to England this year. Some of my activities - photo scanning, embroidery and bits of family history also bind me, causing me to think about my heritage. It's not something I've really thought through before and I'm not sure where it will take me. 2020 may prove to refer to vision as well as a visit and pandemic.

I have progressed the Rabbits a little. There's a chance I might finish it tomorrow.

Post 248 More of the same

It warmed up in Adelaide today - 27C, and the next two days forecast over 30C.  I watered the Eastern balcony plants first up in preparation for the coming days. The Sweet Kisses Bliss Bomb from last Summer has a single flower. I might coax some more, but I'm not greedy, this one is worth having.

This afternoon was our Sit'n Stitch - Jennifer, Susan and I  at Susan's place at Grange. 

In the morning I did a load of washing, prepared an eggplant parmigiana for tomorrow night, finished the last chapter of The Bird Way and reviewed it for Goodreads. I also had another look for the fabric for Jenny McWinney's Cockerill, which I have mislaid . No luck.

It's in that safe place.

Jennifer has finished her Mother and Father Christmas - a fundraiser for Zonta. The scale isn't evident here. They are about 45cm high - quite large. And fabulous.

Susan had made a batch of her much appreciated cheese scones. I had one straight out of the oven - and another later,  and one to take home.

Jennifer worked on another of the panels we bought from Jenny McWinney way back in February (top right panel) , Susan worked on her blanket and I added another inch to my shawl.

At this time of the year every time I go out I I look to see how far the jacaranda blossom has advanced. It seems to be a bit later in Adelaide than some other parts of the country. 

It is, however, underway.

I managed to hold the SLR still for long enough to get this shot of tonight's full moon rising over the hills.

This evening I worked on the last of the Rabbits at Dawn panels, finishing the hillock that has to match up with the panel already worked. Now this is done I can freelance on the rest of it.

Tomorrow Brigid has the first of her final exams. I hope she gets a really good night's sleep.

Post 246 Sunflowers, rabbits and lunch is back on.

 A lunch group of five women, to which I belong, met today for the first time since February. We normally meet at least 4 times a year, trying different restaurants around the city. It simply hasn't been possible to meet until now. We went to Chianti, not far from where I live.  It was closed to diners for months, serving takeaway meals to order and delivering them to cars in the street outside. 

Today it was as busy as I've seen it. Maria was everywhere - greeting, behind the bar, serving, checking, delivering hand sanitiser to our table when ours didn't work. We were in a bit of a noise pocket, but managed to make ourselves heard enough to catch up. I had Orecchiette pasta with Port Lincoln sardines, cauliflower and pine nuts, followed, of course, by affogato.  So good to see friends.

I had planned to go to Norwood before lunch but, as usual, tried to fit in too much beforehand, so I went after lunch, back to Beads on Parade - the shop that was closed on Sunday -  to try to get something to crimp the ends of the necklace that stuck in my neck.  When I arrived, the shop was empty except for the two assistants, both beading at the workbench. They immediately provided advice, found beads to fill the empty spaces on the cord and offered to crimp it for me! I was a bit overwhelmed but fell into line quickly. I strung the extra beads, one assistant helped the three customers who came in and the other crimped my ends. Can't complain about service! 

 Last night's rain didn’t continue throughout the day. The sunflower is still looking spritely with more buds and flowers coming.

Tonight's sunset had a different colour palette to most. The white spot on the left one is not the moon, but a bird. This is a live shot and the white shape moves across the sky - in a way no plane moves.

Ten minutes later the colours were more conventional - but still soft.

The remainder of the day was spent working on the rabbits. Now that I am on the third one of these I'm having a relaxed time playing with the colours. 

I now need to make the fourth set of Rabbits at Dawn match up to this one seamlessly.

I'll  block it tomorrow and start on the last one. The feathers are still waiting to be attached to the chair,  there are a lot of hexies pinned to a quilt on the floor next to one of the lounge room chairs and a bag with the shawl on the coffee table.  

Did I mention I've had a few ideas about Christmas?

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!