Post 539 Plants, Paintings and Patterns

My Zygocactuses, Schlumbergera truncata,  have burst into bloom this week. Hopefully the honey eaters will be spreading the seeds around. Known colloquially as Zygos in Australia, I understand these are called Christmas, Holiday or Thanksgiving Cactus in the northern hemisphere, for obvious reasons.

It was pretty quiet at the Guild on Wednesday, my first day as ‘hostess’. I took one phone call asking if the Guild ran Stumpwork classes, and helped one visitor find hoops to display her cross-stitching. Both are interested in membership and one at least, is likely to join. I handed the phone call over to the office manager, when the caller needed details. A lot of our time was spent talking about the breakdown of the Guild’s computer system. Fortunately a technician arrived with the hard drive restored to functionality (with a recommendation of replacement) so the back up, document restoration and financial reports could go ahead. A day of drama, if not much ‘hostessing’. 

I had taken a new flannel flower linen in a sitting hoop and my knitting. Since there was no audience of embroiderers, I stuck to my knitting, finishing 10 rows of pattern.

I had intended to follow the live stream of my UK cousin’s funeral at 7pm, but muddled my time. When I logged in at 7.30 it had finished. Fortunately the on-demand recording became available on Friday afternoon and I was able to watch.

I had my last Shingles vaccination on Thursday and also discussed at some length the nephrologist’s proposal that I take metformin to keep my blood sugar out of the pre-diabetes range. The GP, who has diabetes expertise, is not convinced the blood sugar reading is high enough to warrant medication, but we are going with it and have formulated a plan. If we can reach my weight goal, and blood sugar is under control, we will try withdrawing Metformin. We will monitor every 4 months with blood tests.  I went on to my Pilates class, where my instructor immediately swung behind the plan with changes to my program.

I am very happy with this, and began taking the medication the same day. As predicted, the Shingles shot gave me a sore arm, tiredness and mild aches. I had planned quite a few errands on Friday, but gave up after picking up some jewellery repairs and greengrocery. I did briefly examine a dress in TakingShape. It caught my eye online, but as I suspected, the style was very much not suited to my figure. It was, apparently, National Doughnut Day, and the shopping centre, in partnership with Dulwich Bakery,  was giving away 250 huge sprinkle doughnuts. The queue was out the door and along the footpath. I wasn’t even tempted. (Perhaps the metformin was working!). 

By the time I got home I was very tired so settled into reading Alice Robert’s Crypt. - and watched the funeral. My friend with pancreatic cancer managed to ring me to talk for a few minutes. She is in hospital, too ill to have visitors. 

It was a long weekend here for the King’s Birthday. Apart from dinner at Kilkenny, my plan was to spend it very quietly adjusting to metformin, keeping warm, reading, knitting and preparing my talk on Conversations with Baby Boomer Teachers for a U3A group in a fortnight. 

I finished Crypt around midday on Sunday. The near-useless black and white illustrations at the end of my Kindle version were by no means critical to my enjoyment, but very helpful when I checked them in colour on my iPad, I began to wonder whether I would  read more illustrated books electronically if the e-reader supported colour.. This led me to check where e-reader technology was up to, which spurred me to hang out the washing and head out to buy a Kobo Libra Colour. 

Since the shop was next to Bunnings, I of course also bought the replacement plants I was looking for, a lemon Zygo, 3 kalanchoe, a philodendron, lavender, nemesia, and a Wollemi pine. I have considered joining the conservation effort for the last since moving here, but was very uncertain about the chance of survival on an Adelaide balcony. I have not seen them for sale in Adelaide before. I figure if Bunnings is selling them in Adelaide there has to be a reasonable chance of growing them here. It is on my eastern balcony, where I can protect it from our hottest weather. 

All this reduced my knitting time and committed me to weekend   gardening.

It was overcast, but the rain held off on Monday when I planted on the eastern balcony, I was pleased with the result(left).

The western balcony needed more work today - emptying a few pots, repotting a couple and adding to others. It leaves me with a couple of empty pots to fill. I just got it finished and cleaned up before the rain set in (right).

Nick, the picture hanger, was meant to come at 2pm and I had parked my car in the street in case he couldn’t find a park. My ticket limit was 2.25. 

Unfortunately he was running an hour late. When I went to move my car the rain was bucketing down, and the space in front of my car was empty, so I moved into it. We did an efficient swap when he arrived around 3pm.

He did a professional, efficient job, hanging both Romas (right), level, in alignment with their surroundings. The Jacqueline Hick Widows now hangs alongside her Drover with Camp Dogs (above).  He then checked three things I had hung myself and rehung two of them. I’m delighted. It was great having him here. I suspect his views on COVID would not align with mine, but I will certainly call him if I need to hang more paintings.

While waiting for him to come I experimented with embroidering a single line figure on a knitted jumper in preparation for tomorrow's WES Group meeting. The detail is in my embroidery blog.

Although I’ve been wearing my left hand brace while knitting this weekend, I’m still feeling the arthritis in both thumb/wrist joints - partly, I suspect, a by-product of colour knitting, where thumbs are used to move the carried wool at each stitch. . While the hand physiotherapist I saw in 2009 has retired, it occurred to me that Grip Surgery, which I attended a year ago when I sliced open my thumb on a mandolin, might have hand physios. Sure enough, they have ‘hand therapists’. I now have an appointment for next Monday. 

The knitting, in spite of distractions is coming along. I'm almost up to the sleeve decrease on the second front. It looks huge, but meets pattern measurements. I guess, as an outer garment, it needs room to go over other clothes. I love its bold colours and pattern.  They stand in contrast to the delicacy of the Zygo.

So glad they are both in my world.

Post 538 Rain, Roma and a Rosella

On Wednesday I took some a couple of necklaces to Pink Carat to be restrung, along with an old amber earring to discuss replication. I lost its pair years ago on a plane trip. Their best suggestion is reusing four of its five amber beads to make a shorter pair. They will come up with a proposal.  

I spent the rest of the day advancing the coatigan, much of it in the late afternoon sun on the balcony.

I was glad I had done that when Thursday dawned to the sound of much needed rain, forecast to last 2 days.

The birds who had swooped in and out of my eastern balcony on Wednesday were nowhere to be seen, hopefully sheltering. 

By the time Pilates finished at 1.50pm the sun was out and the sky clear. Friday reversed the process, dawning  clear but settling into steady rain by midday. When the Matildas played China at Adelaide Oval at 7.40 pm it was cold, but dry.

I caught up with a couple of friends by long phone calls and two more embroidery books arrived. I’m particularly impressed with Stitch with One Line. I can see lots of ways of using the concept. For the moment, however, I’m sticking to my knitting.

I spent most of Saturday making moussaka, one for Sunday lunch with friends, and one for Monday with family. It takes several hours, making ragu, slicing and baking egg plants before making béchamel and assembling. 

I had been considering that lino print of Roma Mitchell all week, so left the ragu and eggplant to cool and headed out to Mrs Harris’s shop, armed with the measurements of my limited wall space. To my surprise, the framed print of Roma was almost the perfect fit for the space I had identified. Plan B,  to buy an unframed print and frame it to fit, was not needed. The exhibition finished on Sunday, but I had friends coming to lunch and couldn’t leave to go and pick it up, so we made arrangements for me to pick it up today.  It was too good an opportunity to miss.

Back at home I assembled the ragu and eggplant, made the béchamel sauce, added cheese, let it cool, added egg yolks and finished assembling. By 3pm they were in the fridge, the kitchen cleaned up (it’s a messy dish!) and the place aired.  It was satisfying to have it all organised before heading off to Kilkenny to catch up on netball dramas, reports of the Matilda’s match the night before and our crosswords.

I had organised for friends to come a bit early for Sunday lunch so I could take a FaceTime call from England around 6.00pm - the only time zone matchup that really works. Like an idiot I also decided to change my bed linen on Sunday morning, adding an underlay and another blanket before washing sheets when the sun hit the solar panels. I got the salad made, dessert laid out, nibbles in bowls and the table set just in time for their arrival. We had such a relaxing and enjoyable afternoon, grazing and catching up.

They left in time for my phone call, which lasted an hour and a half and was brilliant. We haven't really caught up properly since I was last in England - 2020, when this blog was started. So reassuring to pick up where we left off. 

I was tired enough to go to bed by 10.30, waking to a glorious Adelaide sunrise, ahead of a more relaxed Monday than usual. The moussaka was cooked, the dishwasher was ready to go,  the Sunday washing ready to hang out, and only fresh bread to buy, so a leisurely pace. Fionn was working, so six of us had a lovely conversational dinner. Afterwards I began watching Macdonald and Dodds - Series 1, episode 1.

This morning I made it to Mrs. Harris’s Shop to pick up Roma. This time I was successful in rousing the gallery owner. We spent a while discovering interests in common. She is keen to read The Gilded Page and I have ordered a copy of The Coat Route by Meg Loukens Noonen.

At home I hung Roma in the spot I had chosen, using existing hooks. The alignment is wrong. They need hanging properly, as does the displaced one. As my previous hanger has retired I phoned another and have organised him to come next Tuesday.

I took time out from knitting to finish another flannel flower bag.

It has been cold for the last few days. Winter hasn't waited for the solstice. The trees in the Square are almost bare, a few stubborn leaves hanging on.

My cousin Christine's funeral is tomorrow evening Australian time. It is being live-streamed, so I will be able to participate as an observer. 

Tomorrow will be my first time volunteering as the rostered 'hostess' at the Embroiderers' Guild - being on hand to help out with visitors or enquiries.  I shall report back next week.

Right at the end of the day, as I was closing the balcony door, an Adelaide Rosella came to feed on the trees behind.. A lot of shots ended in the bin, but this one captured a glorious moment.

Deo gratias.

Post 537 Balancing Act

My post-covid cold symptoms began to weaken by Friday. I still get a bit tired, have a croaky voice and occasional congestion but my lay-low strategy seems to have borne fruit. I’ve postponed a periodontal appointment this week to be safe.

I did venture out on Thursday to an appointment with my nephrologist. Although it’s been a year, he remembered where we were up to in detail. Kidney readings are all good. Blood sugar, however, is not. I am back in the pre-diabetes range and he is concerned. As I did not take up his suggestion of injectables last year (when blood sugar was fine), he is now advocating oral diabetes meds. 

I am giving this much thought. Serendipitously, the GP I am currently seeing specialises in diabetes, so our appointment in 9 days time will be a long discussion as well as an injection. I like and respect my nephrologist who has a specialisation in kidney donor health. His concern is that my kidney will be in trouble in 5-10 years time if I don’t keep my blood sugar down now. Renal health and research discussions were once part of my daily life and it was strange to step back into that world after 10 years.  I have struggled with weight for three decades and I now need to concede that medication might be part of the answer, and essential to my kidney health. I'm fortunate to have the option. 

Saturday was my venture back into the world of theatre, for a 2pm State Theatre/Opera Company performance of Candide.  As parking is a bit of a mess around Her Majesty’s Theatre (recently refurbished and close to the busy Central Market) I took the city loop bus which only operates every 30 minutes on weekends. There was a mild panic when a couple at the bus stop  asked if I was also going to Her Majesty’s because Hutt St, from whence the bus comes, was, they said, closed to traffic. In my Dalee Ella pants and Zuri shirt, I must look like a proper opera-goer! Somehow the bus won through and we arrived in plenty of time.  The couple’s back-up plan was to get a taxi and invite me along!

It was a superb performance - set, orchestra, cast, acting, costume, staging. The refurbished theatre now holds over 1400 and was full. The updated stage is a marvel. The full orchestra and choir were on stage  with the action taking place on the skirt.

Seven rows from the front the view and engagement were great, but looking around, I suspect there are now few, if any, bad seats. The downside is no central aisle. There is just enough space between rows for people to pass in front of those already seated, but it is a long shuffle to the central seats, and no social distancing possible. While there are now numerous bars and food points, the foyers are small, very crowded and difficult to navigate. It may be a little easier at night, but, being a daytime performance, there was no shortage of walking frames and wheelchairs.

In spite of my organisation and intention, I forgot a mask.  Only attendants were wearing them. Although I enjoyed the performance I decided to leave at the interval. I get a little impatient with opera (just get on with the story!), was feeling a bit hemmed in, and delighted with my 80 minutes of  amusement. I concede that’s a bit odd, but I enjoyed putting my toe in the opera water. No photos can be taken during the performance, so the photo is dull.

It was great catching up with school and sport news on Saturday night and to collect my replacement jar of Anthony's honey. Monday dinner was another pleasure and privilege.

On Sunday I ventured to Mrs Harris's Shop, which has a new exhibition, this time a set of coloured lino prints of Local Icons  by Sally Heinrich, who has launched a book of the same for the exhibition. I was after the book, which I got. It is an initial short print run by the local Wakefield Press, for the exhibition. Sally was at the Gallery. I really liked both the exhibition and the book, which I came home and read in the sun. There will be another print run soon. The content is also available to view here. I would like to purchase a print of Roma to sit alongside my photo of Jim with Roma Mitchell while she was Governor. I haven't yet worked out how I could hang the two together. A bit of shuffling of scarce wall space is required.

It seems appropriate to be considering this, as well as my kidney health, today, which is the 10th anniversary of Jim's death. Katherine and I have been to lunch at the River Cafe after visiting his grave. 

The plants are thriving. In the five months since my last visit the plants have spread and the lavender is blooming. In Spring I will trim them and fill the space with cuttings. It is heartening  and joyful - a place of growth, serenity, beauty and birdsong.  

The month from the last week of May to Jim's birthday in the last week of June are inevitably tinged with sadness and reminders of a difficult time. Grief is less raw, memory less reliable, but the loss, sadness are no less. Nor is the gratitude and love.

It was  sustaining to visit with Katherine today in the Autumn sunshine,  to enjoy a relaxing lunch at the River Cafe, talk to Alison by phone and receive messages from friends and family.

Connection really helps. I'm also holding on to the memory and joy of Canberra in January. 

In terms of my craft output, apart from a little proof reading for my brother, I have spent all spare moments this week working on the coatigan - and today finished the first front.

It was challenging working the three colour pattern right up to the last 2 stitches at the shoulder. I had decided to knit a sleeve next, to see how it looked, but once I laid the pieces together I wanted to see the other side more - and to work the black edge! The second side won.

The birds seem as pleased with my balcony garden as I am. The doves (photo taken through fly screen) come every day and even a magpie paid a visit (above).

One of my Adelaide friends has recently been diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer. She has been waiting for an operating theatre to become vacant to have stents implanted before she sees an oncologist. The procedure is happening tomorrow and my thoughts are much with her. 

Sadness and loss have made themselves felt this week. So has love, growth, birdsong, art, creativity and kindness. Tonight it's holding together.

Post536 Mostly Art and Crafts

Much of the early part of the week was spent catching up appointments postponed because of COVID. Wednesday was a car service, Thursday optometrist and Orofacial pain doctor. 

In between appointments I visited the Himeji Garden. Even though there was a wedding taking place just outside, once inside, tranquility reigned. It is extraordinarily calming , even for 10 minutes, which is all I stayed. The sound of water is a big part of the tranquility.        

        

Both medicos are pleased with my progress. It looks as if some mild left-side headaches I’m having might be the result of the way I use my left hand in stitching. I’m now monitoring. 

Friday proved busy. I took the city loop bus in and out of the city for my haircut then drove to Melbourne St to look at the art works on offer at the upcoming Elders auction before going to Unley for a big grocery shop for Monday. My brother was interested in a couple of things so I went to check them out for him.

The Create in Stitch webletter advertised a new line in clamps that looked as if they might be able to be fitted to my "flexible" seated stand. While I find the stalk of the stand very flexible, the clamp is inflexible, so on Thursday I bought one of the new clamps. The fit wasn’t perfect, but good enough to be a substantial improvement. I took it out to show Simela on Friday. She, of course, got out her toolkit and made a few improvements. It now means I can attach a roller or frame, not just a hoop, to the stand. Yes!

The Elders auction was on Sunday. While checking things for my brother, I noticed two bark paintings. I am a sucker for vintage bark paintings. I registered to bid online and bought both of them. Family members will be interested in them. I hope to go and pick them up tomorrow, along with the two my brother bought!

Over the last few days I made 52 gift bags. The bags I cut out in January, from fabric bought at the Guild's trading table, have been sitting on my sewing machine ever since. I decided it was time to make a move on them. Tonight put the finishing touches on the last of them. Details, of course, in my embroidery blog.

While I am now free of Covid, I still have what appear to be symptoms of a cold - a cough, sneezing and a little congestion. This is, apparently, common after number of viral infections, including Covid. Advice seems to be that it is my immune system ridding my lungs of fluid and I am not infectious.  It should clear up in the next couple of weeks.  I am trying to rest, drink warm lemon water and take things easy. I didn't go to Aquafit today and stayed inside for most of the day.

I did go to Katherine's place for dinner on Saturday and hosted our family dinner yesterday, a lively and entertaining time. I had a busy day, beginning with fasting blood tests at 8.30am, shopping, cooking and meeting Barbara who had kindly collected my gallery purchases for me. I get the results of the blood tests from the nephrologist on Thursday. 

As well as family,  I have been visited most days by doves. On Friday they kept up a loud conversation. The rhythm of one of the calls sounded like "It’s Zeffirelli!". Once I got that into my head there was no eraser.

Just as I was wondering whether it would be wise to cancel my early morning coffee appointment tomorrow, Panayoula suggested the same, as there is Covid in her family. Seems it's everywhere. Instead I'm hoping to go and pick up the art works from Sunday's auction, then make more progress on the Inca cardigan. 

Post 535 Crossing the stream

Last week’s post finished with me wondering if my tiredness was an effect of my flu vac. I also had a sore throat. That night I started to worry that it might in fact be an infection. I had thrown away the last RAT test a couple of weeks ago when I realised it was well past its use-by date. At 2am, searching online. I found a pharmacy not too far away with a pack of 2 tests that could be purchased online and picked up in shop when they opened. I ordered a pack. At 9am I called a couple of WES Group friends to ask them to manage the meeting in my absence then dashed to the pharmacy to pick up the tests. I was in and out in under a minute.

The kit tested FluA&B,COVID  RSV. I tested positive to COVID. 

I was shocked. I've been so cautious - 8 vaccines and avoiding mingling. My second thought was relief that I had not gone to WES - the first meeting I’ve missed since becoming convenor. There are vulnerable  people in the group and we've taken pains to observe the ‘out of an abundance of caution’ principle.

I had plenty of food so bunkered down. I phoned my doctor’s surgery. The duty doctor phoned back that evening having researched anti-viral requirements for kidney donors. She was thorough and helpful and texted me a prescription. My nearest pharmacy was still open, prepared the prescription,  messaged me to come and pick it up wearing a mask and by 7pm I had taken my first dose of antivirals. Katherine dropped a couple of boxes of RAT tests at my door the next morning.

To summarise  the rest, I had mild symptoms, sore throat, croaky voice, on and off mild headaches, waning body aches, tiredness. I tested positive until Sunday morning. My last antiviral dose was Monday morning after which I again tested negative and was free to rejoin the community.

We had a full quota for dinner yesterday with lasagna and cannelloni I bought from Frewville Foodland. A joyous occasion. 

There were 17 people at the WES Group meeting, which went swimmingly. I and other absent members have been able to view a pdf of Margaret’s presentation on Ukrainian embroidery.  Obviously I couldn’t go to family for dinner on Saturday nor to the Ukaria concert on Sunday. Lorraine made the trip on her own. A busy, generous Guild friend called at Mrs Harris’ Gallery on Saturday to retrieve the handbags I’d bought at the last exhibition. 

I am really grateful for the support I’ve had; a health system that functioned efficiently and effectively, family and friends who tended assistance, stayed in touch, checked in and kept me connected, along with a home that kept me safe, in touch with others and nature, with plenty to do.

Today I skipped Aquafit.An overabundance of caution, but seems a bit soon to be in a closed pool environment with 20 other people.

On Friday two separate postal deliverers placed their parcels in the lift downstairs so I could retrieve it on my floor without contact. One was the Marie Wallin Berwick Cardigan kit, the other the Uradale colourway kit for the 2024 Shetland Wool Week beanie. They are lovely to handle, but I have managed to resist and stick to knitting the Inca Coatigan (I’m relabelling it now I can see how big it is!)

With a little bit of pattern manipulation, it is exactly the recommended length of 93cm. Quite long. (the variation in shading in the photo is the result of a shaft of light, not a bleaching agent!).

I've started on the left front, which, is, of course, a much faster knit. 

I think I finally understand the attraction of knitting colour work in the round. The purl rows are slow work with three colours. It would, I think, be worth the terror of a steek to be able to stick to knit stitches and see the pattern as you work it. Enlightenment.

While isolating, I did read 3 books, none of them outstanding. Today I finished Lawful Duty, the latest of Mike Campling's books, the first in a series of police procedurals spinning off the Devonshire Mystery series. It has interesting elements, some of which make me wary. 

The second Early Women of Books bag is now in its happy place transporting vegetables in Sydney's Blue  Mountains! Thanks for the photo Robin.

It was my brother's birthday during the week. This is his birthday rainbow, appearing as he stood on his Sydney balcony listening on his phone to a group of friends sing Happy Birthday.

If that's not a promising start to a year, I don't know what is! Thanks for the photo- and the love.

All week I've had an ear worm, an ABBA song going around in my head.

I have a dream, a song to sing

To help me cope, with anything.

If you see the wonder, of a fairy tale

You can take the future, even if you fail.

I believe in angels, 

Something good in everything I see

I believe in angels,

When I know the time is right for me

I'll cross the stream, I Have a Dream.

I feel as if I crossed a stream this week. 

Not a river or an ocean, but, yes, a stream.

Post534 Nothing went to plan...

This was a week of things going awry, or worse. My cousin Christine, in Gloucestershire England, died overnight on Saturday. I have 8 cousins, 6 in England and 2 in Australia. My brother and I  are older than our English cousins, followed by Christine. She was hospitable and welcoming to me, and to our parents when they were alive and visiting England regularly. She was a great Elvis fan -:so pleased she got to visit Gracelands in 2019. I am sad, and thinking of her family as well as the times I spent with her, the last when she and her husband generously drove me to Marsh Gibbon in search of family history in 2020. 

The rest of my news seems trivial in comparison, but some of it isn’t. I had invited friends to lunch on Sunday, but one of them was taken to hospital in the early hours of Saturday and operated on a few hours later. He is now home recovering and still planning to go on the cruise he has booked leaving next Monday. 

Wednesday should have been an adventure, my first day of being the Day Hostess (!!) at the Guild - a volunteer available to answer queries, show visitors around and help out our part-time employee. She, however, was ill. As there were no groups booked to use the premises a decision was taken to close for the day. 

I used the unexpected free time to visit Kmart, drop some items off to a friend and call at the Jam Factory to view their Mother's Day collection. At Kmart I bought more drawer organisers. At the Jam Factory I bought myself yet another mug. I like this a lot. The base is slightly larger than the rim so it holds heat fairly well, and the glaze is lovely. I tried it out later in the afternoon, on the front balcony in the sun, surrounded by plants, knitting.

I caught a glimpse of an Adelaide Rosella just as I was about to bring in the washing.

 

Thursday morning was the annual service of my airconditioner. It hasn't been used a lot this summer and all is well. I discovered, however, as the serviceman was cleaning the filter, that I have for years neglected to clean the vent over the filter. I'm ashamed to say it was really dirty. It was a bit like cleaning venetian blinds, a job I had as a child, necessitating checking every angle. The serviceman (and I!) finished around 11.30am, in plenty of time for me to get to Pilates.

Friday was a medical appointment, mainly Shingles and Flu shots.

This tree (left) is on the street outside the practice, which, unfortunately, had run out of Shingles vaccine. My GP, had she not retired, would have called me to let me know.

The stand-in GP was apologetic, thorough and pleasant.  so I had my flu shot and made an appointment in a month's time for  the Shingles shot. That's within the allowable effectiveness period and will  work well with blood tests and a specialist appointment I have scheduled, so all's well.  I left quite happy.

That afternoon Pat's Early Women of the Book bag arrived in Sydney and brought her pleasure. A second one is winging its way to Robin.

As well as a cancelled lunch on Sunday, Monday dinner was a nonstarter because it was parent-teacher night at the girls’ school between 6pm and 8 pm.  I got early warning of this, so only bought 4 chicken Marylands for (the now aborted) Sunday lunch, instead of the 12 I had planned to buy when including Monday. 

 With lots of freed up time, I plunged into reorganising drawers using my Kmart purchases. First priority was my scarf/shawl drawer, which presented quite a challenge. Success! (yes, the left side of the drawer has two layers).

The bigger challenge, however, were my drawers of fabric! That took quite a while. Without organisers, the drawers take more fabric but I can now see what is there without rummaging. I did some sorting and threw a little bit away.

As well as the drawers, which mostly hold lengths of fabric I have bought, I had several tubs of fabric scraps in varying sizes, mostly left over fabric from things I have made, or, from 1986 to 2004, my dressmaker made for me. The tubs were roughly sorted, but a jumble. The only way to sort it out was to iron.

Of course, I underestimated the time the ironing would take -about 8 hours over Saturday and Sunday in between helping out at JEMS and dinner at Kilkenny.

The tubs however, are sorted - one patterned cottons, one plain cottons, one ginghams, one silks and one satin lining fabrics - lots of the last thanks to the dressmaker I once had.  I also have a few more pieces set aside to make gift bags and a few for embellishments.

As well as being able to see what is there, I have refreshed my memory - including the memory (or absence of memory!) of clothes long gone. There were moments of sadness, but overall gratitude for all  the joy of making, wearing and sharing.

JEMS on Saturday was fun, a small group of creative, productive girls focused on their projects. I had to keep sitting down. My sciatica kicks in when I am on my feet for more than about 15 minutes at a time. I recovered at home with coffee before relaxing at family dinner.

I finished Paul Ceolho's Maktab and Simon Rowell’s Wild Card both of which I enjoyed. Just as Niamh was heading off to her parent-teacher evening yesterday, Fionn, unaware of cancelation, arrived for dinner, an unexpected pleasure. I had Sunday's uncooked Chicken Marylands. It was too late to bake them as planned, but I was able to pan fry two of them with potato and bokchoi -with a little bit of dismembering to ensure they cooked through. It was great to share a meal, and to have time to catch up on his uni news: so glad he came. 

Today I skipped Aquafit in view of a slightly scratchy throat, tiredness and sciatica. Swimming is usually an antidote to sciatica, but oddly that doesn't hold true for Aquafit, where, even with movement, we stand in the one place.  Because my cleaner was coming, I took the chance to clean the fly screen door onto to my front balcony. It was harder than I anticipated - and made a dusty mess both inside and out. I took a lot of trouble cleaning the runners and left it to the cleaner to vacuum the dust - and decided against doing the Eastern balcony screen as well today. In the meantime, as I opened a  cupboard, a pyrex dish fell out and smashed all over the floor. It took a while to clean up and dispose of safely. 

I am now very tired (and wondering if it is a side effect of my  flu vac) but have made some knitting progress. The rows are getting shorter and I only have 20 to go before the final decreases (I'm on the back. It's looking pretty good - and long! 

Vale Christine.❤️