Last Wednesday I went to Officeworks to pick up printing of a chapter of Margarethe Hald's book. I talked to a helpful assistant about printer ink, which confirmed my view that it is more economical to buy individual cartridges rather than packs and that the recently promoted printers that use larger bottles of ink are not economical for small home printers. I bought three individual replacement cartridges and a document holder for the pages from Hald's book. Her book holds a treasure trove of information about early textiles, techniques, fabrics, threads and practices. I'm so glad I was able to access it.
The new one is a cheerful pink which compliments the succulent still flowering.
On arriving home I found a letter from the company that manages our Strata, informing me that the anticipated electricity upgrade needed for our solar panels to be connected, will take place this coming Monday, and the power will be off for ten hours. I knew it was coming, but had hoped it would not be a Monday which means cancelling the kids coming after school, and the family dinner. The lift will not be working, there will be no wifi, no heating, and I can't cook until after 6pm. Rather than stay here all day in the cold and dark I booked myself into the Stamford Hotel at Glenelg.
I will, at the very least, get a different sunset view.
I also proof-read a Chapter of my brother's current book.
On Thursday I did a final check through Ancient Danish Textiles and, on my way to Pilates, returned the book to Phyllis who had so kindly borrowed it for me. She returned some counted thread books she had borrowed from me for B2B. The books I had ordered from the British Archives arrived, along with the latest Piecework.
I also worked out I would need to empty my freezer before Monday’s electricity shut down. I used up a frozen pie and some frozen wedges for my dinner to help.
I spent Friday morning constructing a bag I had appliqued, before realising I needed to add more embroidery, which I managed to almost finish before I went to Sit’nStitch. Susan’s blanket has made great progress and there are more intricate surprises on Jennifer’s Sophie’s Universe. I progressed my shawl. It is about 70cm long here.
At home I furthered the cause of emptying the freezer by cooking a couple of frozen lamb cutlets and some more wedges. I turned the oven, with the wedges in it, off as I cooked the cutlets. The cutlets and vegetables looked so good when I served them that I forgot about the potato wedges in the oven and put them in the compost bin in morning!
Good for my waistline if not for my memory.
On Saturday I spent the morning tidying, ironing various projects, planning what to take to Glenelg for 2 days (mostly knitting and embroidery!) and reading a great deal of Mystery in the Channel by Freeman Will Crofts' before picking Niamh up from JEMS, taking along the remaining contents of my freezer to store at their place. I am mildly panicked about the electricity upgrade - completely irrationally running through scenarios of it not working, timeline extended, something going wrong. I'm pushing such thoughts aside and trying to focus on enjoying Glenelg.
Before leaving for Glenelg on Sunday I made an adjustment to the Alpaca shawl I made last year. One end was far too long and narrow, reaching the ground when not tied up and a nuisance even when tied. I wanted to take it with me for indoor use, so rolled and folded the extra length and stitched it down (lower end). This has proved effective. The shawl is soft and draping.
My room at the Stamford Grand turned out to be pretty much in the centre of the hotel, facing the beach. The room itself was comfortable and pretty simple. The best bit is the the little sitting area right in front of the window. I had to stand right up against the window to take the photo. It means I could sit in front of the window and watch the scene unfold, which is precisely what I did from 3pm until around 5.30.
It was a sunny but cool afternoon and there were lots of people out. The surf club had groups out on boards and just before sunset a bridal party came out of the hotel to take their photos.
The best bit of course, was the sunset itself. I took more photos than I care to admit. Here's a sample. 
The best bit of course, was the sunset itself. I took more photos than I care to admit. Here's a sample. 
None of them show clearly the line of ships on the horizon, presumably waiting to be escorted into the container port at Port Adelaide.
I had dinner in the hotel restaurant. The wedding party was upstairs in a function room and the bar was noisy. I had skipped lunch so had a very delicious chowder followed by lamb rump with pomegranate molasses and yoghurt.
My table afforded a pleasant view of the jetty by night. I have a Net Galley review copy of The Daffodil Affair, no. 8 in Michael Innes' Inspector Appleby series, so eschewed television and curled up with my Kindle
On Monday the weather turned windy ahead of a forecast storm. Choppy water passes for surf at Glenelg and there were, briefly, a couple of brave souls out near the breakwater on boards. For the most part, however the water and beach were deserted. My neighbour rang to see if I needed help getting out of my apartment via the stairs today. She has promised to ring me this evening to report progress.
I had the first hotel breakfast I've had since leaving England last March. Diners, of course, have to be served from the breakfast bar rather than helping themselves, which makes for queues and a much slower service. I, fortunately, arrived at quite a good time and got served quickly. After breakfast I went for a walk down to the shore. My hotel room is the one circled in blue.
I wandered for a way along Jetty Road looking at the shops, but there was nothing to hold my interest and I returned to my room to read my book, begin working out my latest bag idea and gaze at the water.
It's lovely fabric, and I plan to leave one side of the bag unembellished.
I haven't embroidered all of it - just a swathe across the middle. I think it will look quite good.
Around 4pm my neighbour rang again to tell me the bad news that the electricity meter changeover had not occurred today. Apparently South Australia Power Networks, the agency that has to turn the power off at the Main, did not turn up as booked, leaving the contractor unable to do the work. I have had an unnecessary sojourn at the beach.The work has to be rescheduled and not simply put off for one day (that. for me, is a relief!). I'd have found it very difficult to change my plans for the next day.
I had planned to go along Jetty Road to Europa Cafe for dinner, but in view of the weather I repaired to the hotel bar for Salt and Pepper Calamari. The wind and rain continued for much of the night, with some power outages and property damage in the Hills.
By the time I went to breakfast, however, there was the promise of something better.
I left the hotel before 10am and headed for my hairdresser in the City. I eventually found a parking spot for a small car in the Central Markets, where it is becoming harder and harder to find a spot as the Market redevelopment begins to change things. On the way to the escalator I tripped on a gap in the paving slabs and fell heavily on my knees. I found it difficult to get up without putting all my weight on my knees but eventually managed it by leaning heavily on a nearby car. Embarrassing and unnerving. My knees improved as I walked but I seem to have bruised my ribs. Nothing serious, but sore and scary.
My hairdresser was sympathetic and the re-perm went well. The rain and cloud reappeared. I'm pleased to be home with the heater on and the coffee machine going! I was booked to take the girls to netball practice this evening but got a message to say it was cancelled - presumably because of the weather.
I'm working a bit more of my shawl - I've moved from a 60cm needle to 80cm. I reckon I might run out of the base yarn before it reaches the size I want. Think I might need a trip to the Yarn Trader.
In the meantime, I'll keep knitting - and have an early night. It's been quite a week.
