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.

Post 567 2025 is heating up.

It was very quiet on the street when I went for a walk around the block on New Year’s Day around 11.30am. The nearby cafes were closed. I didn’t go as far as Hutt St, where I’m sure there would be more activity. The yellow cube at the far end of our row is A Prayer for the Wild at Heart, packed up and closed for the next week.

I don’t often walk past the Box Factory(which is a Community Centre directly behind our apartments) unless I’m going to a meeting there. Today I noticed this prickly pear growing in their garden, a fine specimen to see from the opposite side of the road!

KimoYES, importers of Japanese fabric, both vintage and contemporary, had one of their periodic clearance sales. I have ignored these for a couple of years now. In the past I have used their remnants to make gift bags. More recently I have used cotton fabrics, mostly from the Guild trading table, and I still have a good supply of these. I had, however, recently realised I have very few silk bags in my current supply. There’s a place for their feel and interest, so I ordered a few remnant pieces, enough, I think,  for 18 medium sized bags at a cost of about $3.70 per bag. I had hoped to post a photo but they will no doubt arrive while we are at Carrickalinga this week and be waiting at the PO next Monday. 

After posting last week I received the admission forms for my upcoming hand surgery. When I read them, I was horrified to discover I was not only required to have someone pick me up after the surgery, which I had anticipated (a friend had offered) but to have ‘a carer’ there throughout the procedure and staying with me overnight. This seemed a considerable burden in January, as people were returning from leave, or preparing for a return to study. On Thursday I phoned the surgeon’s rooms, explained I couldn’t meet the requirement and requested a quick consultation to see if the finger was sufficiently healed to cancel surgery altogether. By a miracle I got a time that afternoon. He was sympathetic and helpful. The knuckle no longer held fluid. It wasn’t urgent. His advice was however, to do the surgery while the finger was in its current non-inflamed condition. We agreed to postpone. I promised to discuss a suitable date with my family.

The next day I raised it with Katherine when she called in unexpectedly. Her immediate response was that January is, in fact, a good time for her to take a day off work, and to stay overnight! After several reassurances, I phoned the clinic. They had not reassigned the booking and reinstated it . On Sunday I spent 2 hours filling out the online admission form, Katherine has organised our transport - surgery is back on! A tiny blister has appeared on the joint, but won't, I hope, deter the surgeon.

While that might have been Much Ado About Nothing, Sunday, 5 January, was Twelfth Night, Epiphany, and the day for removing Christmas decorations. It was also my parents’ wedding anniversary. My mother was meticulous about adhering to tradition, so, in addition to filling out hospital forms, I removed Christmas decorations, put them away in their red box, reread all my Christmas cards and updated my Christmas card address records. The tree I bought is not looking too healthy. Along the stem, the needles are dry and brown.I’ve watered it as instructed, but it’s dropping needles. 🙏

On Saturday I had a phone call from my neighbour around 9.30am, to say the lift was out of order again, and the service company had been called. I had intended to go for an early walk, before the temperature reached its predicted 38C but decided against it. The lift was fixed around midday, well in time for me to go to family dinner. 

Meantime, I had a strange visitor.  It looked like a relative of one of the birds I had seen in the Square last week. It is a Rock Dove, a feral form of Columbidae, the common pigeon. This one stood stationary on my balcony for a couple of hours, moving to a slightly different position about every ten minutes.  It initially had an inflated neck, but that was less noticeable over time. I didn’t see it leave, and it hasn’t been back. It left behind quite a few droppings, unusual for birds on my balcony. Perhaps a form of heat stress? 

 

I've also been ticking off a few small jobs. One was testing the pouch I bought to hold my car keys while swimming. I wore it in the shower with a pen inside. The pouch got thoroughly wet, but the pen remained completely dry, so it's ready for the beach! 

I also posted an account of this Christmas embroidery to my embroidery blog

Sunday's sunset caught my eye, drawing me away from the repeat of Donaldson and Dodd.

While it can't compete with the Aurora Australis that was visible that night along the coast, it was beautiful and enhanced by the arrival of the bats for their nightly feed in the Moreton Bay Fig tree.   

Once again, the Catholic Cathedral sent its message in lights, dwarfed but not extinguished by the surrounding reflections of commerce.

Today I began packing for Carrickalinga, first deciding what embroidery and knitting to take, then the swimming gear, including sun and insect lotions, followed by clothes and a trip to the supermarket for the basic supplies we will need to get us going. I pick up my daughter and son-in-law from the airport tomorrow afternoon and drive straight there. We’ll be too late for regular shops. A big part of my preparation, of course, was clearing the boot of my car. That involved trips to the Salvos, to the bin and to the Guild. I’m just about there. I can finish packing in the morning before a thorough soaking of my plants. I’ve saved a few empty milk and soda bottles to upend full of water in a few pots. I'm only away 4 days but that’s enough to kill a few plants when it’s over 34C each day. 

Yesterday I finished Aquile . The account is in my embroidery blog. It’s far from perfect, but I’m satisfied. I’m taking knitting, an evil eye embroidery and the tassel knots for Aquile  to Carrickalinga. I can knot and socialise, so that’s my predicted winner but I’m not putting money on it.

I'll report next week!

Post 504 Quite a week.

There was a fabulous rainbow over the city early on Wednesday morning. I just caught it after Robyn, my sister-in-law, noticed and drew my attention to it.

I reckon the pot of gold was somewhere near the police barracks that are about to be moved!

We went on to have brunch with Niamh, Veronica and Fionn at the Queen St Cafe. A happy time.

I had  a postal vote in our upcoming referendum and posted my ballot paper well in advance of closing date. I now have my Electoral Commission receipt.

My brother, staying with me for much of the week, is not keen on marmalade, which is pretty much my only(occasional) jam, so I opened the last jar of the crab-apple jelly I made from our crab apple tree in West Hindmarsh. The end of an era, and, yes, about time it was used!

It was a  relaxing time with my visitors. We've got a working plan for the book I'm helping my brother with; he edited another of his publications and Robyn has her lessons planned for the next term. They watched Niamh's football match (in the cold) and we had several relaxed meals, one with all the Adelaide family here on Friday night. It was a really good time.

They went home on Saturday. A  spectacular sunset rounded off their visit.  A rainbow and a spectacular sunset - the gods clearly approved of their visit.

On Sunday Katherine and I went to the Finale of the Festival of Choirs, on in Adelaide over the weekend. Five choirs, one each from Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, NSW and Queensland have been performing in 5 concerts. We only went to the last, which was at St Peter's Cathedral in the afternoon. 

It was a varied and interesting program. I enjoyed hearing Rainforest again. My favourite from the individual choirs was the Sydney Choir's Kirie and Gloria from Missa Rigensis. 

The final combined choirs piece, however was a stand-out, with the five choirs enclosing the audience on three sides, each with its conductor taking signals from Carl Crossin in the middle of the central aisle, surrounding us with sound. It really was fabulous, though not easy to photograph. These are some of the combined choirs processing to take up their places around the cathedral.

For the last couple of days the sun has been shining and the temperature is rising a little. I've caught up with washing and begun an advent calendar commission for Brigid. The honey eaters have been active, swooping around the balcony even as I was hanging out washing!

A message from my friend Ken almost stopped my heart. It said " I think we are close to 'end of life treatment'. It was only when I opened it and saw the attached photo that I realised, with relief, that he was referring to  another split in his favourite travel pants! 

Nowhere near end-of-life if I have my way.

Today I kept to my plan of returning to swimming when my back was healed and I'd had my 6th COVID shot. I got myself organised (no hearing aids, small bag with keys, cards & phone for front desk to mind, towel, pool shoes and toiletries) and fronted up for a 45 minute Aqua Fitness class at Unley Swim, a pool in the Unley shopping centre. I haven't used it before. The group was friendly, the instructor clear and helpful, and the session fairly vigorous. I managed without difficulty and really enjoyed it. I am now tired and feeling a few muscles. I have signed up for a 10 week block and it's in my diary indefinitely. 

I'm behind in my reading, and discovered I need another 28 row pattern repeat on the shawl, so nothing much to report there. With about 350 stitches on the needle now, each round takes a while. I'm unlikely to be finished by next week.  Still,

One foot up and one foot down, 

That's the way to London Town 

- or maybe 

Stitch by stitch (don't let them fall!), 

Very soon you'll have your shawl.  

(You can tell my brother's been staying with me!)

Post 440 Air waves of various kinds.

Around 3.30 on Friday I had just come inside after sitting on my front balcony in the sun for half an hour, when I heard the sound of bagpipes - loud enough for me to hear the tune through my double glazed windows. When I investigated, the sound was very loud but the piper hard to find, standing under a tree, difficult to see from any position on my balcony. I love bagpipes and the piper was good. This was the best I could do with my phone so I rushed for my DSLR.

The result wasn't much better. After 5 tunes she left walking with a friend towards Carrington St. Yes, a female piper appeared like a goddess through the trees,  laughing with a friend, and, with a cyclist who had been an admiring audience, played beautifully for about 10 minutes before exiting stage right.  A bit of magic on a cold Friday afternoon.

Wednesday's World Embroidery Study Group went smoothly. There were 10 of us there and Barbara went through her presentation on the recent trip she led to Central Australia. 

On Thursday I had morning tea with a friend at her home and in the afternoon Michael came to talk further to me about my life, in preparation for the radio interview I agreed to do for his weekly program on Vision Radio - a community station for the vision impaired broadcasting at frequency 1197AM. We talked for just under 5 hours! He then compiled questions which he sent to me and the interview was recorded this afternoon.  He decided we had too much material for one broadcast, so we recorded two. One goes to air on Thursday 28 July at 7.30pm and the other on 4 August, repeated on the following Sundays at 12.30pm. The two interviews went smoothly - once I found the studio car park! It didn't quite follow the script of our previous session - but we got there comfortably.

On Friday morning I showered and removed the outer dressing on my knee from the mole removal. My instructions were to avoid walking with it,  so I bunkered down and knitted for much of the day. 

There is a lot of Covid in Adelaide (and everywhere else as far as I can tell). My Adelaide family is locked down with Covid, recovering slowly. I dropped in what I hope were some lockdown cheer on Saturday after I'd been to see the Eye Specialist. I included the wrist warmers I've been knitting for Katherine from the Marie Wallin kit I bought last year. A bit mad and useless in Australia - and no help at all in relation to Covid, but maybe one cold morning when walking....

According to the specialist, my eye condition is apparently a bit of a mystery - an unusual development in someone my age and usually associated with auto-immune conditions. I had an eye swab, a referral for another raft of blood tests and an appointment to see her again in 3 weeks time. I had the blood tests on Monday - all but one, for which the clinic did not have the tube. I had to ring their head office and book it. I'll go back tomorrow to have that. 

The blood test clinic was quite close to the Victoria Park Wetlands, so afterwards I went for a short walk - about 20 minutes. It's the first walk I've done since having the mole removed. I'll keep the walks short until I get the stitches out.

The wetlands were looking pretty but some of the paths were pretty muddy.

I'm on a bit of a knitting roll at the moment. This is an Arne and Carlos pattern - Jaeger- which makes a lot of sense in the snow in Norway.  I love the look, and the challenge of knitting it - but it is not a sensible garment in Adelaide, where the lowest recorded daily maximum was 8.3C in 1922. Today was only 9C, however, I'm not sure if anyone will want to wear this.

Plan B is to join the sides and create a bag. I've finished the back, and am now working on the front. It is Rowan Norwegian Wool - really lovely to work with and much easier than the Fair Isle arm warmers. this technique of working the contrast colour in a contrast stitch to the main colour. It takes concentration.

I have managed to resist the temptation to buy any of the new Bendigo Woollen Mill Alpine yarn - 60% Wool, 20% Alpaca, 5%Silk & 15% Neps- and also the Morris & Son sale. I have found a pattern for some Rowan yarn my brother bought at auction (left), and also some 8ply I bought myself a few years ago (right). I'm also itching to knit some of this year's Shetland Wool Week hats, using up some yarn I have stashed. Knit faster, woman! 

I've also been reading Holy Woman: a Divine Adventure  by Louise Omer, an Adelaide author who was a Pentecostal preacher until the breakdown of her marriage, after which she set out on a pilgrimage around the world to find the female divine. It is a remarkable account of the journey. It is a very specific, personal journey, with significant insights into controlling behaviours. It is not as historically based as I had expected. It has sent me off to find some more books from her bibliography - particularly in relation to the transition of Irish goddesses into Irish catholicism. 

It's been cold and grey for most of the week but there have been a couple of dramatic sunsets to alleviate the gloom. There's also the memory of that piper.

I plan to keep knitting and reading this week, going out cautiously as required. Staying safe, staying warm is the theme. 

Post 437 Walks, anniversaries and a productive workshop

 

Although it was grey and wet on Wednesday, I took advantage of a break in the rain to do another walk in the Pakapakantha Wetlands(!) sticking to paved paths for the first and last stretches, but on to the packed soil paths in between. There was a lot of water around and I was very careful on the numerous slippery patches. This was the first of my 30 minute Week 3 walks for the Heart Foundation program. While there were few birds visible this time, they were making a lot of noise - a flock of sulphur-crested cockatoos way up in the tree tops.

I was so pleased with my walking success that I stopped off at the General Havelock pub for a late lunch. I haven't been here for over a year and it turns out they have a new chef and menu. The garfish I previously enjoyed is replaced with barramundi. I eschewed the batter and, as well as feeling virtuous, enjoyed the moist, succulent fish inside. I did eat the chips - and yes, that is a glass of prosecco, only the second glass of alcoholic drink I have had in a year.  It was a little chilly sitting outside when the sun wasn't out, but still pleasant.

I capped off the day with a spectacular sunset and advancing the little horses. I love the way this building reflects the last rays of the sun.

Thursday was dry and sunny so I took advantage, washed and hung out some woollens - dry in 4 hours. 

After Pilates, I shopped, buying the ingredients for moussaka for Monday night - and also an extra one for tomorrow's rescheduled lunch with friends.  I indulged a bit. Iceberg lettuces have come down from $10 to $6.90! Expensive by past measures, but now a bargain. Thursday's sunset was quite a contrast - more like a cloud blanket!  

The bougainvillea at the Pilates Studio was shedding flowers, so I retrieved one to photograph on my phone. It matches the top and socks I was wearing!

This one (left) is pretty much the actual size. There has to be a way to use these in embroidery! 

A couple of books also arrived on Thursday - a bit of a mixed blessing, as they signal a lot more work to be done. These are part of a 'how to' series, so provide leads to follow up - so signal a lot more rabbit holes to explore.  I am, as I've said before, a glutton for punishment

On Friday Jim would have been 75. Katherine and I had lunch at the River Cafe - a low key affair and a welcome time out. We had to rely on electronics to connect to Alison. It remains an indelible marker.  As a friend said to me, Jim would have been pleased.

Saturday brought a fabulous Guild Certificate Course Workshop - Boro with Barbara Mullan. It was such good fun. I have finished the pocket that Barbara suggested we make. Details in my embroidery blog.

Sunday was Book Club, another great session. There is a lot of sharing in this group - the books we've read or discovered, the sub-genres we like, what we are or are not doing. I didn't greatly like either of the books we read for this session (Twelve Secrets by Robert Gold and Distress Signals by Catherine Ryan Howard), but it doesn't matter - views differed, are respected and worth discussing.

Monday's moussaka was a big success - which was great, as I have another one in the fridge for tomorrow's lunch! One interesting thing is that for the first time I've made this (and I've made it more times than I can count) the eggplant cost more than the lamb. Our economy is changing. I suspect that the secret to the success of this one is the half bottle of red wine I used up! 

I had planned to make a batch of gingerbread biscuits for after-school snacks, but didn't get to it. I made them this evening as part of tomorrow's dessert.

                                         

I've finished appliqueing the woollen horses behind the embroidered ones and am working blanket stitch around the edge. I've decided, however, that I need a few more horses in some blank areas in the corners.  The girls agreed with me yesterday on this, so I have printed another sheet of Solvi with 6 horses. The blanket is hard to photograph.

I also whipped up another needlework roll from a banner I found while looking for Boro fabric.

Yesterday marked twelve months since I began my weight loss project and daily weight record. The loss at 1 year was 21 kg. For a couple of months now, I have settled around this weight. My renal specialist is happy and both my renal and diabetes readings are no longer at levels of concern. While I'd like to lose more weight I have enjoyed adding a little bread, potato and pasta back into my meals. I haven't reintroduced alcohol, nor moved above 2 serves of fruit.  I think I will rest here for a while over winter then reduce further.  I will continue to weigh myself each morning to ensure my weight doesn't creep up, but think I can now stop recording daily weight.

Today I did the first of this week's Heart Foundation walks in the South Parklands. I've moved from 3 walks a week to 4. A challenge. The sun was out and it was very pleasant. I managed to get close to this magpie, but I missed my chance to photograph a couple of Adelaide Rosellas.

My balcony gardens are doing well in the colder and wetter weather. I'm still waiting for the carpet cleaner and Vergola servicer to get in touch. It's just about time to make more phone calls. I've also been closing the heavy curtains at night and using the heating sparingly, preserving power where I can in times of shortage. I haven't suffered from cold.