Post 479 Doves return to the new normal

In the last few days I have been sitting out on my back balcony for a morning coffee. I haven't done this before - preferring to sit inside looking out. However, the morning sun, the more comfortable chair I moved there in November when the painters were working on the front balcony and the summer plants have finally drawn me out.

As I was sitting there yesterday, one of the doves arrived and stayed for a good 20 minutes. I couldn't resist taking photos, some closeup, some against the sky.

It is  a privilege to be so trusted. If I were a marketer I might call it my coffee experience!

The week has sped past, with a return to some routines - Pilates last Thursday, a quarterly lunch with friends, JEMS on Saturday, and the return of Tuesday Stitchers at the Guild.

The lunch was at Sho Sho, on King William Road - really lovely food and great company. JEMS seems off to a good start, and the proprietor of Queen St Cafe was very pleased to welcome Niamh and I back for our milkshakes afterwards.

My big achievement of the week was the completion of a tote bag for a friend's 90th birthday. Her celebratory lunch is this Friday. The bag has ninety embroidered stars and the details are in my embroidery blog. I've ordered some more of the fabric since it worked well.

Since finishing it, I have embarked on another baby cardigan, this time choosing the smallest of the 7 sizes in the pattern. I did have a 200gm ball of slightly off-white cotton in my knitting bag, ready to use, but have mislaid it somewhere along the line. I'm hoping it will turn up, but in the meantime I'm using ecru.

I've finished the back and one front, and am  working on the other. It is a LOT smaller than my first effort, which had 13  rows of motifs, compared to 9 here!

I had coffee with Panayoula in my diary this morning, but she had it in her diary for tomorrow, which is WES Group - so now we are meeting on Thursday!

We have a bit of reorganising to do tomorrow at WES, since our program for the year did not take into account the March Exhibition, which will close the Gallery for a couple of weeks. The request is that we staff the exhibition for that morning. Tomorrow will tell if we agree.  

I began another embroidery project at the Guild today - an idea that occurred to me this morning - but I'll save that to next week.

I will finish as I began, with the pleasant coffee corner on my back balcony. I should, of course, have taken the photo without the washing!

Post 478 Almost back to routine after Holiday period

I never tire of the view from my balcony at all  times of the day, but especially as and after the sun goes down. As I write the sky is pale apricot and bats are wheeling, too swiftly for me to capture in image. 

This was the view of the Square and St Francis Xavier tower on Thursday evening. I love the play of light.

Thursday was Australia Day. I have never celebrated the day. It was not part of my youth (aside from marking the end of the school holidays). Even my mother, whose local knowledge of Botany included all the details of both Cook's arrival at Botany Bay, the First Fleet, and the connection to local landmarks, was more likely to celebrate Wattle Day on 1st August, than Australia Day on 26th January. 

I spent the day in the apartment, reading and working on my apron for the Guild Exhibition.

The sunflowers have continued to open slowly and bring joy and cheer. I continue to play with the removal of backgrounds. On Friday I called in to the Camera Shop in the Central Markets to buy a new card reader and card for my DSLR as the old reader had a bent pin, which likely damaged the card. Over the weekend I discovered a chip in the cover of the lens on my phone camera - so managed to buy a new cover today. Can't do without my cameras!

The regular routines are resuming. Saturday was the first Certificate Course Workshop of the year - a look at metal threads, taken by Jennifer Beale. There was a good turn-out and lots of catching up conversations. We were given a table of threads, with a blank space for a sample and a plastic bag of some 15 threads to match to them. It was an excellent exercise, taking a couple of hours to complete.  I also handed over the baby cardigan - and bowed out at lunch time.

School resumed yesterday and the girls' adjusted uniforms were a success. Whew! Monday dinners are back on and the first went well. It's good to be back into a routine after the messiness of January. This week I will also get back to Pilates. I should now be able to remember which day of the week it is!

Today I finished the apron I was making for the Guild Exhibition. It's useful, but not very striking.  I have moved on to a bag for a 90th birthday in 10 days time. I wanted to make something appropriate, so when Ink and Spindle send out a message about a sale on their Shells linen I had an idea, and ordered enough for a bag.

It arrived yesterday. I have now cut out a tote bag, about 45cm square. I plan to embroider 90 starfish - 40 on each of the front and back, and five up each side. I think I can get it done in time for the Birthday Lunch on 10 February.

Better get on with it.

Post 477 Home again, home again

These are the beach photos I couldn't upload last week.  I didn't venture on to the beach, but everyone else did. Several days were very hot, others windy and a little rainy. It was just lovely to be away, near the beach and with family - uplifting and renewing.

 

On my last day Katherine and I visited the Yankalilla Second Hand and Book Exchange hoping to see Emanda. She wasn't there, but we snagged a few bargains. 

That night we visited friends staying nearby in a house packed with mementos of the sea and an eclectic collection of art and oddities - a true beach shack. It was lovely to see the friends - and the house!

I came home on Friday. It took quite a while to unpack and to return plants to their places. The indoor ones had been sitting in the sink.  The weather had not been quite as hot as forecast and everything had survived - a couple only just. Oddly, my thriving pig-face on the balcony was covered in scale. It's about the toughest plant I own.

I took myself over to the pub on the corner for dinner - salt and pepper squid, of course.

The bats came out in force to welcome me home.      

                  

On Saturday morning I added the buttons to the baby cardigan I had finished at the beach. It's a little bigger than I envisaged, but I'm happy with it. I have another 200gm ball of cotton to make another. Once I've checked with Christine, I'll make that one smaller I think.

Sunday was Book Club. I had read 2 of our options - The Maid by Nita Prose and The Bleeding Heart Yard, by Ellie Griffiths, both good. Afterwards I detoured to pick up four summer uniforms to alter for the girls before school returns next Monday. They needed taking in at the waist and hems. That occupied Sunday and Monday (interrupted by Garry, the electrician replacing a light). 

Today I returned the uniforms - and they fit!

I'm now working on the apron for the Guild Exhibition - a bit mad, but interesting. I've also been playing with removing photos from their background - something my photo hints has been telling me to try for a while. I could remove the background - but not save it anywhere. I have now figured it out!  You can expect to see a lot more disembodied images! 

They will prove, I think, very useful.

These are the sunflowers I bought on Saturday. I love watching them open.

The coming week transitions out of summer holidays - Guild operating, school resuming, Monday dinners - and a public holiday.  Another adventure.

Post 467 Bulletin from the Beach

 This is a short post from the beach at Carrickalinga where I have been since Saturday, staying close to where this photos were taken. There is no wifi here, and very poor connection with my phone provider, so I am uploading this using a hotspot from my two-bar phone connection - a very slow process. I have tried unsuccessfully to load 4 low res photos. I'm not trying one photo only, but if you can't see it, the bandwidth is insufficient.

 I am relaxed and lazy with my daughters, their partners and children close by. It is hot - low to mid 30sC - but a sea breeze and cooler than Adelaide.I hope my plants are surviving. I watered them thoroughly, left upturned bottles of water in some of them and hope for the best. I'll be home again on Friday. 

Last Thursday was my birthday and I had a fine time with messages from friends, lunch with Katherine and the kids at River Cafe, and a visit to Albox to pick up some archival photos for the Guild Samplers project. I had a photo of some fabulous presents I received but that will need to wait, or be discarded.

Many thanks to everyone who made it a great day- relaxed, cocooned in love and support.

                                                        

Today I finished, except for the buttons,  the baby cardigan requested for the Guild shop.   That too will need to wait until next week. 

It's currently raining - great for comfort inside, but less so for the beach. I, of course, like it!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

 

 

Post 466 Mostly blooms, bags, books and bats

 Plenty of hot days again this week, so I've been watering every day in the hope of keeping the blooms coming.

It has worked so far, but I'm not sure what will happen while I am away next week. 

At least this precious Almanda Blue, propagated from one of John Walmsley's original plants and given to me by a friend, should be OK in its saturated pot and saucer filled with water.   It has quite a way to go before it creates the ball for which it is famous, but it's well on the way. 

I've been bunkered down reading and stitching. I have a chapter to read for my brother, but have not given it my full attention yet. I've read The Maid, for Book Club, another in the Cathy Ace WISE Detective Agency series and 3 more in the G R Jordon Highlands and Islands series. I think I still have enough between my Kindle and my Kobo to not run out while at the beach next week.

For several weeks now, the toilet sistern in my bathroom has been dripping and occasionally refilling suddenly. I have tried to pretend it will fix itself and told myself there is no point in calling a plumber over the holiday period. Yesterday morning I bit the bullet and called the plumbing company I use. They promised a plumber around 3pm. Scott arrived at 1.15, borrowed a screwdriver, investigated, explained what he was doing, went and bought a replacement part, returned, installed it, tested, demonstrated - and left just before 2pm. I've never had anything but fabulous service from them. No more drips. I always stress about calling up a service - and I always end up happy and relieved. Slow learner! 

On Friday, while walking around the Square to clock up a few steps, I glanced up and realised that my Christmas bunting was still on display, but my neighbour's string of lights had disappeared. Checking the date ( I lose track at this time of the year) I realised I had missed my mother's 5 January deadline to remove Christmas decorations. I hurried back and went about restoring them to storage. For this year I am now following the tradition that says the Twelve Days of Christmas begin on Boxing Day and  end on 6 January, rather than my mother's Anglican tradition of beginning on Christmas Day and finishing on 5 January (which happened to be my parent's wedding anniversary). I was brought up in the belief that it was unlucky to leave decorations up beyond that date. I hope I've squeezed in by switching dating tradition! In southern parts of England, Twelfth Night is 17 January.  Maybe none of it works Down Under.

The 125 extra bags from the green and checked fabric purchases from the Guild are now completed and stowed away. I've begun work on a sampler apron for the Guild Exhibition in March. This is using up some seersucker I bought to make nightdresses but which proved to be rather too pink.

                     

It's a project with enough challenge to keep me interested. I have embroidered the front to the right of the centre line and  now have to embroider a mirror image on the left side Each column is a different stitch.

It has slowed down my baby cardigan knitting, but not by too much.  I'm now on the first sleeve. I've also borrowed a copy of Vintage Knits, from Katherine, which has a couple of baby jacket patterns without lacy holes. I might try those as well.

I spent today at a friend's place entering another set of data into a database for the Embroiderers' Guild, this time an amazing collection of samplers, mostly associated with the Guild's Certificate Course. This is the work of one retired member (now sadly suffering from dementia) over some 15 years,  8 variously sized folders of samples worked to illustrate every aspect of the certificate course, probably 150 beautifully worked samples or samplers. They form an extraordinary resource for others doing the course, or just interested. It was a two person job to sort, categorise and enter the details. Hopefully the database will make the samples accessible. We completed 6 of the 8 folders and will hopefully finish the job before the end of the month. We are in awe of the skill and persistence that went into this collection. It is hugely satisfying to work on a project like this for a whole day, both of us focused on the task and the joy of handling such skilled work - becoming part of its imparting.

The bats have been very active of late, flying in just after sundown and making a terrific racket feeding on the figs. The sounds are apparently echolocations, guiding others to the food. In the heart of the city! I took these photos last night.

The bats are arriving again as I write this. I'm resisting the urge to take more photos. 

This time next week I  expect to be writing from Carrickalinga where I will be staying with family. It has been difficult for interstate family to get leave and my fingers are crossed for smooth travel in difficult times. I am so looking forward to seeing them.  

The wifi isn't good at Carrickalinga, but I hope to be able to post. Until then.

Post 465 Welcome 2023

My original pink Mandevilla produced its first flower of the season for New Year's Day. It's on my East-facing balcony, doing better than the white and red ones facing West.

Mandevilla lose their leaves in Winter, and I've been watching them slowly reappearing. A flower emerged as a new year gift, worthy of the macro lens.

It has been an exceptionally quiet week for me. The cards and messages have continued to bring joy and news (from Minneapolis today). I've caught up with a bit of reading and a little research for my brother. Mostly I have been occupied making another batch of bags - more of that later.

On Friday I visited Jim's grave and went for a walk at Centennial Park. The birds were audible but not visible and the flowering grevillea, eucalypts and agapanthus were everywhere. The gardens are superb. The small hedges have grown quickly and provide guidelines rather than barriers. So peaceful. 

I have never made a big deal of New Year's Eve. I think my grandparents celebrated with friends around the pianola. After 1963, when we first got television, I would stay up watching with my parents until midnight but that's about it. It was not something my friends, at school or university, were into. This year, after a relaxed, delicious and refreshing dinner with Katherine, Anthony and Niamh, I made my way home in time to catch the end of the 9.30pm fireworks from my back balcony, then watched reruns of murder mysteries while stitching until the midnight fireworks. Adelaide fireworks do not compare with Sydney's, which I watched the next day, but I love the sight and sound of this local welcome of the new year, about 1km from my back balcony.

I have always loved Auld Lang Syne - which I'm pretty sure my grandparents played and sang around that pianola in my early childhood. I have a vivid memory of singing it in Edinburgh Castle in 1972 at the conclusion of an Edinburgh Tattoo. I enjoyed it on an ecard from a UK friend and took a cup of kindness to dear absent friends before heading to dinner with family. 

After the success of last week's bag making using the Christmas fabric, I remembered that I had also purchased 2 other fabric collections from the Guild Trading Table- one of greens, and one of checks and tartans.

What was I thinking?  Whatever it was, I decided I would try to use them up on bags before the end of the year. Amongst the checks was some gingham, which  I set aside to embroider. The rest, and the greens, I cut into 124 bags. Making them has taken up most of my week. 

I didn't quite make it, but I am nearly there. I have 79 completed bags, 30 finished except for the  stops on the end of the cords, and 15 cut out and ready to stitch. I expect to have them all finished tomorrow, when I will write it up for my embroidery blog. Some are quite small - whatever it took to use the fabric.

Madness, I agree. However, it is part of my resolution to be purposeful in my purchases (however big a bargain!) and to use up what I have.

The bags will be used over time - and the fabric is put to good use. I have enjoyed doing it. There have been several very hot days in the week. On Sunday and Monday I didn't leave the apartment - such a luxury. A couple of good Sydney friends had invited me to join them visiting Canberra for the Cressida Campbell Exhibition but I wasn't ready to fly. It would have been great to catch up with family and friends, but I'm still in abundance of caution mode.

My treat today was to try the new cafe along Hurtle Square - A Prayer for the Wild at Heart.  My oysters were served on cold rocks, the Barramundi with fondant potato and  leek and shallot  compote.  The food was really good as was the service.   The initial table I chose was near a noisy aircondition outlet, but  I moved before my food arrived. 

So far so good 2023!

Post 464 - The last 2020 Blog Post for 2022.

Just in time for Christmas, the Summer solstice and the anniversary of my mother's birthday on 21 December, the descendant of the tree begonia we inherited when we bought a house in Gawler in 1973 flowered on my balcony. I regard it as a blessing and reminder of both continuity and change. Maybe because of my mother's birthday, I have thought a lot this week about family no longer with us and how much they gave me and future generations.

They have been uplifting and sustaining memories this week.  

I had a lovely Christmas Day with my Adelaide family. Many thanks for all the hard work that went into making it so enjoyable. I have a fabulous new plant on my balcony and I am learning to use my circle maker.   I feel a lot of pinwheels coming on in 2023! 

In the lead up to Christmas I was kept busy connecting with friends and family as well as preparations. I love the news that flows in at this time from friends and family, some of whom are in contact through social media, some not.  It is a priority to stay in touch and catch up, by phone, email, card, ecard or visit - to maintain the community to which my whole life belongs. I'm still adjusting my response to the variety of Christmas media - but reckon I can keep evolving my practices.        

I finished off the 30 Christmas gift bags I started last week - a bit more than I originally intended, but a very enjoyable job jobbed  The whole process is in my embroidery blog. The bags were a big success and will be reused for years to come. They are not much use outside Christmas, but that just makes them special. 

My other project was to finish 11 of the Shetland Wool Week Bonnie Isle Hats to go with the Christmas crackers. They too were well received and several people continued to wear them through the afternoon. Again, details and photos of all the hats in my embroidery blog. Consensus is they be put away for next year.                                                                                                                                                                                       I've moved on to knitting a baby's cardigan requested by Christine Bishop for the Guild gift shop. 

In Adelaide it was 32C on Christmas Day, 39C on Boxing Day and 40C today - an extraordinary contrast to the weather being experienced by friends and family in the UK and USA. It's also dry, in contrast to the South Australian Murraylands and Riverland where 4000 homes are being inundated by floodwaters and evacuees swelter in temporary accommodation. 

I have not ventured out (or online) for the sales, or for anything else, except watering my plants. I bought half a leg of ham and plenty of salad. Tomorrow's forecast is 24C, so I will replenish eggs and tomatoes once Simon the technician for our entry system has called to answer my questions. 

This is the Boxing Day moon setting over Adelaide. It may  be the last I can capture this year. 

Hope 2023 dawns peacefully - and brings relief to those in peril.