Post 415 Stitching all the way.

On Wednesday friends came to lunch - quite an event. The street is now open and, although there were a lot of workers on the building site and parked in the street, there were spaces! Makes quite a difference.

Margaret bought me a birthday present - a lovely Hardanger ornament in an exquisite bag, both worked by her. Wow! The bag fabric is so soft. I've been stroking it while watching TV. So satisfying to have been given such a beautifully worked item.

We had a very pleasant afternoon catching up. Time got away from us - just lovely to be able to do this. 

Thursday began with the dentist and hygienist. My 20-something hygienist has just accepted a job in Western Australia at the end of this month. She was very excited. She has cousins and friends in Perth and was trying to decide between two accommodation offers, one an apartment on her own in the city, the other a shared house near the beach. She plans to drive over (!!) because she is nervous of planes in Covid times, leaving her dog behind with her mother until she is settled. She also has a sister in Adelaide who is 31 weeks pregnant and has been diagnosed with Covid. Her sister's gynaecologist thinks the baby may have immunity from the mother's vaccinations, but if she has any signs of pain, or labour, she needs to drive across the city to Flinders Medical Centre, where there is the only Covid birthing ward in Adelaide!  So Rosie plans to come back to visit when the baby is born. By Saturday, Western Australia had once again closed its border. I don't know if Rosie qualifies for an exemption - but it's an example of the impact on ordinary lives. It's a hard time to be starting in a career.

Alison needed some cushion covers, so on Thursday afternoon we decided on fabric from photographs and I ran these up, posted them Friday and here they are in situ today. I'm so glad I had years of working in online education. Nothing can replace being together, but being at ease with online communication goes a long way to keeping me functional and happy. Photo by Alison.

Susan and I sat and stitched on Friday, both of us are working on knitting projects - Susan's larger (and rather more successful) than mine. She is up to blocking the 5-6 strips for her blanket. I am struggling with the pattern for my bag. The instructions are that each line of the graph represents two lines of knitting - the same pattern row on the right and wrong side. It is evident, however, that the bag in the kit photograph has been knitted with only one row per graph row. I've followed the instructions, resulting in a much longer bag. I'm now adapting. I stopped when I reached the given bag measurement - two patterns short of the graph. I cast off loosely, which may be a mistake, but the bag is lined.  Now I have to knit the other side.

Saturday was the first Certificate Course Workshop for 2022 - Chican Embroidery with Barbara Mullan. I really enjoyed it.  Barbara eschewed the PowerPoint, showed us her books and examples then plunged into the 8 stitches she'd decided we could manage in the time.

I thought I had some cotton muslin, but when I looked on Friday night, all I had was some very fine muslin I'd used for an RSN class which I'd abandoned, so I unpicked it, beads and all, washed, dried and ironed it.  I worked  6 of the 8 stitches in one of the motifs Barbara gave us. It is photographed here on top of some pink lining fabric.

Following a suggestion from Margaret Adams, I turned the sample into (surprise!) a bag, using the lining overlaid with the muslin both inside and out.  

To finish off, I made a twisted cord and added some cowrie shells as stoppers at the end.  I'm pretty pleased with it. The mauve colour is closer.

I also finished off the Hearts and Roses bag. The outside leaves got attached to the double base and a bias strip added, the sides were hand stitched together, then a gusset added for the cord.

This is  the finished product, in various views.

It is quite a piece - but I have no idea what to do with it. I don't think I will really use it - but it's very pretty and I'm pleased to have made it.

Our book club met on Sunday. It was a very engaged and informative meeting - a lot to catch up on - in spite of one of our six members being unable to attend because they are close contacts of a Covid case.

It's been a wet few days in Adelaide and quite humid. Adelaide usually has a dry desert heat. I like the humidity, but most locals hate it and complain loudly ("like Sydney!"). 

I've been concerned about the cover over my Vergola filling up with water. The abseiler came on Monday morning and emptied it. He tells me there's not long to go on the work.

I captured the water-laden clouds just after sunset on Sunday. There are actually 3 bats in the photo - returning to roost in the big Morton Bay Fig on the left.

On Monday my new Kobo arrived. I was a bit concerned it might be too big. It is great! I like the design. The corners fold back so you can see the status, place and page very quickly. The colour is much mauver than the photo. The back light works, it plays audio books, AND it links to Overdrive! Might even rival my Kindle.  My pack of Kim Diehl's Applique Freezer Papers also arrived. 

In between a good phone catch up with my brother, and another with Vivienne, I managed to make this top which I hope will fit Brigid. I'm nervous. It looks as if it will fit a 4 year old but it should be right from the pattern size I used.  I bought the red-back spider fabric from Missy Rose  on a whim- a preorder, then  couldn't think of a anyone who'd like it. 

Brigid rescued me and said she'd wear it as a top, so I found a pattern. Just before posting I received the good news. It fits!

Today I've been to the hairdresser, dropped my portable lights off at the Guild to be tested and tagged then dropped the top off for Brigid. The hairstyle is a little bit Nicola Spurrier, our much loved Chief Medical Officer who has fabulous greying hair - apparently people now ask for hair like hers! I wish.  

Two more Christmas cards arrived today, both from the USA. 

I need to decide on my next embroidery project. Do I return to the Aesop Frame or work on the two Dijanne Cevaal guardians holding koalas ?  I'm tempted by the latter, but am a bit conflicted about a very European spirit figure in an Australian context. Hmmm.

It's still humid in Adelaide, currently 30C.  I've had two messages while finishing this post, one letting me know a friend in NSW is home from a long stay in hospital, and one from an Adelaide friend cancelling dinner tomorrow because one of them has Covid.

A very strange world at the moment.

Post 414 Birthday Celebrations.

This week began with my birthday celebrations. I'm truly grateful to my daughters for ensuring we were together for this auspicious birthday. Birthdays themselves have never really been great events to me. Early January in Australia is when most people are away and difficult to get together. In recent years we have managed to gather at the beach but it wasn't possible last year and only possible this year through the grit and determination of my daughters. Alison especially had to make sacrifices, detailed plans and endless adjustments and inconveniences to come from Canberra. 

She also took this and several other photos, for which I am grateful.

As you can see, I broke out and had a lime milkshake!

My habit of asking a waitress to take a photo of us all at the lunch table at the Normanville Jetty Cafe did not pay off this time. The photo isn't a good one, and I agreed not to use it. 

We therefore have two photos, one taken by Alison and one by Karl, so everyone gets in. I haven't attempted to meld them into one.

After lunch we repaired to one of the holiday rentals for candles and cake - not together. The apples that were blown upon have not been eaten but the icecream cake disappearing. I didn't indulge. 

I was given some really lovely gifts, all so carefully chosen: the SA-made, Celtic style brooch from Brigid (top left), the Canberra-made and designed one from Alison and Karl,(lower right), a necklace from Katherine and Alison, an amazing locally made paperweight from Fionn, a Normanville made clove scented leopard trivet from Veronica (it emits the scent when heated by a dish!). Niamh always makes me a pin-cushion (a much needed continual reminder not to put my pins and needles into the arm of the lounge chair). This year's is a book - cleverly designed and made by Niamh. While it is puffy and solid, pins will not get lost in it. The thickness and shape prevents that happening. It is great. I should have placed all these on the tray cloth my friend Vivienne made for me, but didn't think until too late!

It was a really lovely day. There were also lots of messages from friends. Carrickalinga phone reception is still terrible, but sms and online messages get through. I am really grateful. It was my kind of day. I hadn't thought much about reaching 75 but it now does seem a bit of a milestone - one that Jim knew he was unlikely to reach, and that my mother missed by 9 years in spite of expectations of longevity. I am very, very blessed, and will try to make the most of every day.

On Thursday we were up early to pack so that Alison and Karl could return to Canberra. Their afternoon flight had been brought forward to 9.30am and it's a 90 minute drive to the airport. Sad to say goodbye, but so fabulous to have had the time. I returned the key to the Agent before 10am, then took this photo along the road on my way back. I moved in with Katherine and her family at their holiday rental up on the hill - another blessing. 

On Friday we went into Yankalilla to get a few supplies. Katherine and I visited the Second Hand & Book Exchange. Katherine found the doilies she was looking for. I was looking for Amanda, who runs the shop and was at one stage an active SA Embroiderers' Guild member but she wasn't there. However, I did find some books that I couldn't resist.

None of them are specifically on embroidery or textiles, but they do have significant relevance. I've finished the Viking one, which has proved really useful and dipped into the others. 

I've now done as much as I can without a sewing machine on the Hearts and Roses bag. Once I stitch each of the six outside pieces to their six inside lining pieces there's another round of hand stitching to join the six together. A job for next week.

The weather has cooled down - mostly in the low to mid 20sC. I have no regrets, but I think, although it hasn't stopped them swimming, everyone else would prefer it a bit warmer.

The kangaroos have moved somewhere else for their evening graze in the last few days, or maybe they don't like the cooler evenings. 

On Sunday the paddock was taken over by a flock of galahs, their screeching silenced while they fed. I regretted not bringing my DSLR.  The photo taken with my iPad is live, which improves it, but inserted here they look like stones.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         They were easier to photograph as they flew away! 

By Monday morning they were feeding on the road verge! Presumably they have stripped the paddock of whatever it is they like.

Carrickalinga turned on a smashing sunset for our last night.

I've started on the Marie Wallin Fair Isle Bag I bought as a kit last September.  I brought the kit with me, but forgot to add the needles! Katherine managed to find some for me in Normanville. 

It is proving difficult. I knitted the first section, which is half the base, without realising the whole bag is knitted in garter stitch, not stocking stitch. I swapped over when I started on the wider section, which is the front. 

It is intuitive, and much easier, to work purl rows on the wrong side, otherwise you spend a lot of time moving your working and resting threads from one side to another to avoid carrying thread across the right side. 

The pattern also shows up more crisply in stocking stitch. Since arriving home I've worked the next section in stocking stitch and I'm much happier. I will continue in this mode.

Before we left on Monday, there were some moments where it is obvious why so many artists have painted this part of the SA coast. The light was lovely and the cliff line clear.  I even managed to catch a couple of birds in flight.

I arrived home to find the wind had upset the pot of on my back balcony, and also blown over the container of seed for the birds. The lid was nowhere to be found - no doubt acted as a frisby over the nearby roofs. The spilt seed had not, as far as I could see, been found by birds. Perhaps they were waiting for me to return, because within minutes one dove appeared, ignored the spilt seed, and attempted to get the seed remaining in the container, which I had righted. The dove had several attempts to get to the seed, but couldn't manage the balancing act without upsetting the container, gave up and retreating to the spilt seed. I did oblige by tipping out the seed left in the container!

Today I made two forays into the outside world, one to Ecolateral at Magill to pick up the two things I ordered online in their New Year sale. While I was in that side of town I called at Heyne's Nursery to replenish a few plants. I bought a red Aloha Mandevilla,  The pink one on my Eastern balcony has done so well, I thought I'd try another in the West. I also bought another bowl-shaped pot and some white geraniums to put in it. I dropped these at home, then went out again to Unley to get fresh milk, fruit and vegetables. 

The two trips, a bit of washing and watering took all the energy I had today. I read a fair bit of the Bruce Beckham Inspector Skelgill book I had been saving. Late in the day I did manage to find and purchase some pdf versions of a series of books on goddess embroidery by Mary Kelly. That should keep me busy for a few weeks - once I've read the Celtic book above!

Thank you for all the birthday wishes and messages. It's been an awesome week! 

I did, incidentally, maintain my weight loss program. 18.6 kg down now. Thanks for all the help and support.  

Post 413 Coming to you from Carrickalinga

Since Saturday I have been staying with family at Carrickalinga. This is the view from the beach house where I am currently staying. This is looking north, back towards Adelaide. It is warming up (currently 32C) but still pretty pleasant.

I am staying at the moment in a A frame house, with one of my daughters. The house has lots of light in the living areas. There is lots of wooden panelling and mezzanine structures.  It makes for a very good beach house.    Birds perch under the eaves.                  

My other daughter and her family are staying close by. They are further from the beach, but with fabulous views over the surrounding countryside. 

Kangaroos graze in the evening on the open paddocks and on the hills.

I'm hoping my balcony garden is not suffering too much in the heat. I watered it thoroughly before leaving. I also gave the doves a last feed.

Up until Friday the abseilers were hard at work and no doubt will continue while I'm away.  Today I had a call from them apologising for the noise last night. Apparently some of their equipment blew off the roof in the wind. With a bit of luck they will be nearly or fully finished when I return.

The days before coming down here were taken up with shopping, packing and a bit of stitching, except for the excitement generated by the British National Archives release of the 1921 census data around 10.30pm Adelaide time on Thursday. Although the data will be available through Ancestry in June, I indulged myself and purchased copies of the transcript of entries for both sets of my grandparents. The paternal one included my father, who was 20 months old at the time. This confirmed their address and my grandfather's occupation. It gave me his employer's name for the first time. The maternal one also gave me a little more information about my grandfather's work. Amusingly, my grandmother's name, Nellie, was transcribed as 'Willie'.  I haven't accessed the raw form, but I suspect this is result of transcription by computer. 

I've advanced my Hearts and Roses bag. The outside  and inside flaps are finished. I am now working on the last of the pockets. The light here is not good enough to work on it after dark and I am running low on a couple of thread colours and attempting to ration and improvise. Once I've finished the pockets I won't be able to do much assembly until I get home. I need a sewing machine to stitch the outside to the lining pieces before I stitch them together by hand. I also need an iron. I think it will look good, I'm less convinced about usefulness, but we'll see.

Happy Birthday to Melody, whose birthday is today on the other side of the world. Mine is tomorrow and I'm looking forward to lunch with family - outside at the Normanville Jetty Cafe. 

Post 412: the first of 2022

The first part of the week was hot in Adelaide - over 35C from Wednesday to Friday and 30C on the weekend. It's not unusual at this time of the year, and could be a lot worse. I don't enjoy the heat and was happy to spend most days inside with the aircon on low. 

It did make for some pleasing sunsets. 

Like much of the world, we are in the midst of an Omicron outbreak. Although the raw numbers in South Australia are not huge, 16558 active cases, 101 in hospital and 12 in ICU, this is high on a per-capita basis, and higher than at any other point in the pandemic. Testing demand has been so high that the definition of close contact has been modified and testing on arrival for interstate visitors removed.  There is considerable unease in the community. I, like most friends and family, are being ultra-cautious. Rapid antigen tests are in very short supply. I have managed to obtain a pack of 5 from Sydney which arrived today.

New Year's Eve fireworks were moved from the usual riverbank location to a smaller park with ticketed seating and controllable entrance and exit.  They are a fairly tame affair in Adelaide anyway. I was pleased with the move, because my view of the riverbank is blocked by high rise buildings, whereas  I have a view of the sky over Rymill Park, the new venue.

I enjoyed 8 minutes of fireworks at 9.30 and again at midnight. While waiting I watched the three episodes of the BBC's excellent Scotland from the Sky. It brought back memories of walking Roman roads and visiting many prehistoric sites when living in Scotland.

I discovered on Thursday that Christmas cards I had sent overseas on 30 November hadn't arrived yet, so I sent out an email version. I don't expect all my absent friends to send cards, but I love getting news from them at Christmas. Cards suit me because I love the medium of photographs with narrative and make my own.  I'm not fussy, however, about the medium in which I stay in touch with friends.  It's been lovely this week, between Christmas and New Year, to catch up with a number of friends by phone, email or social media. I've had lovely long conversations one way or another. That's hugely satisfying.

It can also be sad. Today a Christmas letter brought news of the death last year of a favourite NZ cousin of my mother's - not much older than me - who I met as a teenager. My mother (on bride's left) was at her wedding in England in 1966.

My only two excursions for the week were to family for dinner on Saturday night and to the optometrist on New Year's Eve. My eyes have improved significantly. I have now weaned myself from the steroid cream but need to continue the lubricant at least 6 times a day and the hot packs at least once. The condition, it seems, is genetic and treatment long-term. I also had the eye test for my driving licence and went straight to the Post Office, put it in a registered envelope and mailed it. I usually deliver it to a Government Service Centre but figured it wiser to trust the mail than mingle in a place where I would likely have to wait. 

One thing I accomplished at home was to organise the needle box my brother bought me at an auction. I am still looking for packets of needles in the various project bags and pouches I have but I can see how useful it will be to have a place where all the packets are together and visible.

There were about 40 packets of vintage machine needles in the box, mostly size 2 or 1, with a couple  1/2  and a 0. While I might try a couple in my machine, there are way too many for me to use in my lifetime. A dressmaking friend will find good use for them. We've agreed to meet up once there is less Covid circulating. 

In between conversations with friends and family, I've read several books, including some more research on the Celts and Anglo-Saxons for my WES workshop this year, and worked on a couple of pieces of embroidery. 

This is the next stage of the Hearts and Roses project. 

I need to complete six of these sides (left), six matching lining  pieces (right) and six inner pockets.

So far I've completed 3 sides and 3 lining pieces.

I've also worked on a mandala to cover some of the zipper holes on one of my tops. 

Mandalas make good grab and go projects and I plan to do a few more for other tops.

I've also watched the first and part of the second series of Brokenwood and, as a break, replayed the first of Ben Fogle's Scotland's Sacred Islands. which I love. When I was in my teens, I can remember a conversation about what I would be doing when I was 21. My father said, out of the blue, that if I had any sense I would be travelling in the Hebrides, the most beautiful place on earth. He didn't elaborate but it stuck with me. I didn't make it when I was 21, but when I was 25 and Jim and I worked in Scotland, I made sure we explored what we could of the Hebrides. We got to Skye, Mull, Iona, Harris, Lewis and Orkney. I haven't seen all the world, so don't know if my London-born father's assessment was accurate, but he was definitely on to something. Ben Fogle raises the concept of 'thin' places - where the 'real' and 'spiritual' worlds are close together. Or magic. I don't have a travel bucket list. The Hebrides, however, still call to me, or, as the song says are puttin' love on me.

This morning there was a crashing on the roof, signalling the return of the abseilers. They have covered my Vergola once again. This time they are painting the wall. It began too windy today to paint, but they have holes to plug. The plastic pipe seems to go into the gaps between the wall sheets. I'm hoping they will get most of their work done while I'm (hopefully) at Carrickalinga next week, assuming the Covid situation allows.