Post 498 Flying.

A magpie was in the Guild garden on Saturday, watching the carpark activity from a safe vantage point  as I was leaving, taking off as soon as a car moved.

Birds have been active all week: Spring is on the way. The Adelaide Rosella appeared on the seemingly still bare tree at the back of the apartment but flew off before I could grab the DSLR. The early buds must be swelling. The doves have visited every day and the honey eaters make swift forays to check out my plants. 

I had my 6th  COVID vaccination on Wednesday before juggling car parking spaces with my cleaners. I had no adverse reaction, but was tired for a couple of days during which I had time to work up a list of jobs I have been putting off and the courage to tackle a couple of items on the list. 

So, on Friday, I plucked up courage and disposed of the lamp whose shade I had replaced in February . The shade did not fit properly and I had removed it in fear of it falling off. I like the lamp, but I don't use it and it deserves to be used and appreciated. At the risk of coming across as completely mad, I took it to a restoration centre, along with the shade and offered it to them free. My fall-back was to buy a shade that did fit and take the working lamp to a charity. The two assistants in the shop were wary of agreeing without the owner, who was on his way to the shop. When he arrived, he agreed immediately but asked me to accept a bottle of wine in exchange! Done.

The restoration centre is across the road from Nordic Design Furniture so I took another chance. The hap stretcher I bought from Shetland has a problem with one of the 4 connecting knobs that screw the sides together. A screw on one was too short, and would not hold the corner firm. I had researched repair centres and handymen, but found no-one who did such repairs. I took the set of connectors into Nordic Design Furniture and asked Daniel if he had any idea of a service that might fix it. He took it from me, got a tool and some glue, explained the problem (part of the screw had disappeared into the wood) and affected what may only be a temporary fix. He also explained that this side of the connector (lower in photo)  is designed to remain fixed. The connector should only be unscrewed from the side with the brass surround. This made sense, and may mean the temporary fix can be permanent if I undo it correctly. It was a generous response.

I came away from these two encounters on a high. It was uplifting to be shown such kindness in these contexts. A madwoman comes into your business with out-of-left-field, unprofitable requests. Both men responded with kindness and empathy. I felt affirmed and successful. 

I had a late lunch at A Prayer for the Wild at Heart to celebrate, trying the really lovely whiting special instead of my regular gnudi.

Saturday was a Certificate Course workshop taken by Margaret Adams on Canvas Stitches on Linen . There was a lot of information and stitches I have not worked before. I worked on a looser weave linen than most participants, so I could see more clearly what  I was doing. I had a great time and kept working on it when I got home, even though I had other things to work on.  

This is where I am up to (it's a 15cm hoop).

The reason I can work on this, is because I finished and blocked the alpaca shawl during the week. It was a long and, at times difficult, process, but worth it. I have written about it in detail in my stitching blog in more detail than all but knitting nerds would want.    

There is no shortage of things I want to do. I mended a couple of shirts for Fionn over the weekend, ordered a couple of books to help with work I've agreed to do for my brother's next book, while some Christmas fabric I ordered months ago for bags arrived, and I have agreed to give a workshop on Glazig embroidery for the Certificate Course next year. 

My priority is finishing the Canvas stitches above, then the Christine Bishop drawn thread mat - before I embark on another shawl.

Post497 Mostly botanical.

I took this photo in the garden along the front of our apartments while I was waiting for the postman to delivery a parcel I knew wouldn't fit in the letterbox. The bloom is about 6cm across. It would make a neat piece of stump work.

My friend Lorraine and I had a long, relaxed lunch on Wednesday at The Flying Pan. It was a bit quieter than last time. Lorraine has finally shaken the flu she developed just after we met 6 weeks ago.

There was a brilliant sunset that night - a tribute, no doubt to the great work of the Matildas, the Lions, and all the women playing in the most watched television event in Australia since records have been kept.

I'm not a sports fan, but have to acknowledge the achievement. I don't know enough about the game to understand the play, but I did follow the score and commentary on my phone while watching Vera.

Thursday was an unusually busy day for me. In addition to Pilates, I did a large supermarket shop at Unley, and went to Port Adelaide to get a couple of accessories to make the shawl border easier to knit. It required quite a bit of consultation to get what I was looking for. While there, I visited the nearby True Hemp Culture to replenish my supply of eco-friendly nail polish and remover. This shop is a bit of a find. Since Ecolateral closed I have been hard-pressed to find several products. I'm delighted to have stumbled on this source. I managed to mostly dodge the rain that set in in the afternoon, although it was a bit of a search for a carpark at both Port Adelaide and Unley.

I still haven’t made it to the Frida and Diego Exhibition at the Art Gallery. I had a couple of possible spaces  in my diary this week but  chose to visit a couple of SALA exhibitions. August is always South Australian Living Arts month and pre-COVID I visited lots of exhibitions which pop up in shops, and any vacant spaces. This year, a couple of exhibitions caught my eye, so I ventured out.  One in particular, Botanical Beauty at the Noel Lothian Hall at the Botanic Gardens, was only on for three days. As Friday was  catching up with  friends,  I made time on Sunday. 

I’m so glad I did. 

The gardens are looking splendid, with buds just beginning on some plants, flowers and fruit on others. 

There was a huge variety of art and crafts on display and for sale. I fell for the work of Tricia Matthews, from Greenock, in the Barossa Valley, who works in mosaics, particularly using mirrors. All but one of her works on display were of birds. A wonderful Cockatoo had been sold. I have very little spare wall space in the apartment, but wondered if the neighbour across the landing on my floor would mind if I hung it outside my door. She has an artwork outside hers, so I thought she’d agree.  

The one I liked best, apart from the cockatoo, was Koi Fish. In the end I bought it. When I got it home, I realised there was one suitable space left in the apartment. At the end of the corridor, below a glass painting of mahjong players, it will catch the light from the balcony. 

As you approach it distorts and creates new images. It is heavy and will need to be professionally hung. 

It is giving me joy. Jim and I bought a lot of local art, mostly from exhibitions. The collection is important to me.  I‘m so the happy to be able to add this to it.  

Today I waited in for a parcel delivery before taking myself to Barrow and Bench Garden Centre to pick up a few replacement plants, then on to Centennial Park Jubilee Hall where a group of artists from Port Vincent, on the Yorke Peninsula, have a SALA exhibition, Three Generations and Friend, mostly about the sea. It is a good space for art. The driftwood sculptures of Alan Borg are extraordinary, as are some of the sand and seascapes.

While at Centennial Park I visited Jim’s grave. The tree and succulents are thriving. I added a couple more succulents and took a couple of cuttings home to add to my balcony garden.

Back at home I planted some of the replacements. 

The balconies are looking  good, especially this poinsettia from several Christmases ago. The challenge will be to keep up the watering throughout the coming summer. 

The shawl has taken up many hours this week. I am working an icord around two sides, joining an inside and an outside edge. It is very slow work, but will be finished by next week.

Tomorrow I have my 6th COVID vaccine. I’m hoping to get back into regular swimming once that takes effect. Deo volente. 

Post 496 Food, Fibre, Family, Friends - and moonshine.

I missed the super full moon on 2 August. Rising at 4am to see it wasn't a priority. However, last Wednesday morning I woke with a start at 3am. Although my blind was drawn, the bedroom was very light, so I got up to investigate. 

It was a half-moon (not evident in the hastily taken photo) with a star above it. I don't know why it woke me up. I sleep pretty soundly and thought the least I could do was to take a photo.

I went back to bed and slept a couple more hours. The star, it turns out, was Jupiter.

I'm tempted to say it's a once in a blue moon event, but there is blue moon on 31 August which rises at 11.08 am, so that's unlikely to wake me up. It remains to be seen if the sky will be clear enough to see it.

Wednesday was our WES Group meeting, and Barbara shared her collection of tribal textiles from West Bengal and Gudjarat. It is a fabulous collection and was accompanied by an illustrated account of her several trips to the area, developing links to the producing communities. There were 13 of us there and there was a lot of interaction and engagement with the topic. 

I had to rush home to let the cleaners in. Fortunately fortnightly cleaning will not fall on the second Wednesday of the month again until December.

On Thursday morning I had my annual skin cancer check. The dermatologist I have seen for the last 25 years or more has retired so this was my first visit to the new, young, dermatologist she referred me to.  I don't enjoy these visits, but was very impressed with her manner and thoroughness.  She identified two growing moles on my back that need removing. I have an appointment for this in early September.

I went on to Pilates, grabbed a milkshake at the Queen St Cafe,  and then visited friends who had invited me for dinner. As always, we had a relaxed and refreshing time. I undertook to further mend the pants one of the friends bought in Indonesia a few years ago. He wears them to travel in - especially on planes. When the pants split (also several years ago) I offered to mend them, and have been continuing the tradition ever since. I enjoy the challenge and he enjoys the pants and the narrative. They are travelling again soon, and the pants had developed yet another tear.

I finished mending them on Saturday. The  detail  is in my stitching blog.

My granddaughters roll their eyes. Their idea of fashionable, respectable, or even acceptable, clothing, does not include orange pants, with or without patches.

Rowan magazine 73 arrived on Friday. It is a beach-focused issue with some inspiring patterns. I already have more projects than I can handle, but I do hope I can make some of these. 

 As if that weren't enough, yesterday this book arrived with another fine selection of things I would like to make.

Guess I just have to  keep on being highly selective or find the one or two people in my circle who get attracted to one or other of them.  

A friend living in England sent me a link to this article about favourite knitting projects. I don't think I could name one favourite project, but the enthusiasm these knitters express is familiar to me. It continues the discussion kicked off by the Kate Davies quote I used last week. In December the World Embroidery Study Group will be discussing knitting and I'm hoping we will explore this aspect.

It looks like the trainer who works in the Square has returned. Perhaps this signals Spring is on the way. This group was working at 8am on Sunday as I was preparing to go to my Book Club. The cafe we used to meet in has closed due to a major shopping centre renovation. We have been meeting in homes, waiting to see if it reopens, but that, alas, is not going to happen. On Sunday we tried a new place, called Foliage. It is a lovely venue, with plants and all sorts of interesting bits for sale. It got a trifle noisy at one point, but was pleasant and convenient so we will give it another go.     

From there I went on to Katherine's birthday bash, which she had at home. The food, catered by Jesse, was fabulous, disappeared quickly and seemed to be endlessly replenished.  Everyone was occupied, kids drawing, playing games, visiting the park, adults engaged in catching up with each other. It was good to catch up with quite a few friends I haven't seen for a while.

I prepared Monday night's moussaka on Saturday, which gave me a relatively leisured Monday, extending into the relaxed dinner. 

Perhaps a little less relaxed, I cut the steek on the alpaca shawl. The cutting went well. 

The next step, however, was to pick up a further 320 stitches around the two cut sides, giving me 772 stitches on which to work a 12 row border.  I knew that was coming, but hadn't registered that the pattern requires this to be repeated on the inside, as well as the outside, to form a double border joined by an i-cord. I'm on my way with the outside border - but am not yet committed to the double border. It is taking me 70 minutes to knit each row. I've done three rows.

I will record progress in my stitching blog - and hopefully report on the outcome next week.

Post 495 Bags, Birds, Balcony and a Birthday.

This week's highlight was Katherine's birthday on Monday. Her Adelaide family celebrated with dinner at Osteria Oggi on Pirie St - one of the few Adelaide restaurants that open on Monday. Great food and service. Afterwards we adjourned to my place for present-giving, tea, coffee and excellent biscuits made by Niamh. The Matildas capped the evening by winning their match against Denmark to proceed to the quarter final of the World Cup.

The week began with a catch-up with a couple of  old workmates. We hadn't met for about a year, although I bump into one in a shopping centre every now and then. Both have had health scares, but are now doing well.  Interesting, wide-ranging discussions.

When I got home, I found a sunny spot on my western balcony  to read and do a little knitting.  I've caught up this week on a couple more in G R Jordan's Highlands and Islands Detective series, an addition to Cathy Ace's WISE Agency series and the latest in T A William's Armstrong and Oscar Cosy Mysteries.

With no Sit'nStitch on Friday, I planned to visit the Frida Kahlo Exhibition at the Art Gallery, but I waited for a delivery of a possum wool jumper from NZ, which I figured wouldn't fit in my letterbox.

If I wasn't home it would then end up at the local PO over the weekend. The post usually arrives between 11.30 and 12.15, so I paced around the Square for half an hour to intercept the postie, only to discover it was in my letterbox! I cursed myself for a fool for not having checked. I encourage the postie to squish things through the slot, and usually get a message when it's delivered.  I did manage to take some photos of the Adelaide Rosellas in the Square while walking.      It looks as if the early buds might be on the trees.  I've worn the jumper several times since- it's great!

Rather than venturing to the Art Gallery in the afternoon, I went to Create in Stitch and then on to Elders to pick up my brother's most recent auction purchases. Back home, I got stuck into making a bag for Katherine's birthday. I finished it  on Sunday. More detail in my embroidery blog. 

I also baked a couple of batches of Anzac biscuits (yes, one tray is a bit darker than the other but they didn't burn!).                                                  Today I ventured to Port Adelaide to The Yarn Trader to buy a couple more of Kate Davies ' books.  I  admit to being addicted. There are a couple of patterns in each I am interested in knitting,  and a lot of background information. She talks eloquently about the slowing down that knitting brings - the necessary to-ing and fro-ing.     And however fast we learn, however speedily we work, all knitters come to know that the time of knitting is necessarily measured, and that the growth of a project will always be determined by the pace of our own two hands. (p4 Ten Years in the Making)            

On the way to Port Adelaide I stopped at Spotlight to buy some cotton carry bags. These are very cheap and were recently used by JEMS to embellish with felt appliqué. I thought they had huge potential for gift bags, so we will see what I can do with them.

It's another sunny, breezy day in Adelaide.  I wrote most of this in the afternoon sun on the balcony. 

I have 28 rows to go on my shawl. Back to the slowness of knitting.

Post494 Food and Thought

There were a few mildly sunny breaks this week, one, luckily, on Friday as I had lunch at Grange before our Sit'nStitch. It really is a lovely spot. 

This time I ventured to the fisherman's basket, without chips. It was excellent.

The good weather extended to Hurtle Square but Saturday morning was another matter.

We don't often get fog in Adelaide, so it was a surprise on Saturday, to wake to a world shrouded in mist. From the view east, I presumed it was coming down from the Hills.

West over the city, however was just as shrouded. It didn't clear until about 11am - making it difficult for the netball and football matches being played all over the city.

Once it cleared, I did my shopping for Monday, then made a batch of corn and zucchini muffins as a pick-me-up. They kept me going for several days.

Much of my time has been spent proof-reading my brother's latest book - due out in a month or so. It is about convicts - and I think it is really good. I am, of course, biased, but I do think this tells an overall story that is important and enlightening. I learned a lot. Once it is published, I will provide details for anyone interested.

Today was taken up with a visit from Ovenbusters. I had booked them to clean my oven, along with the exhaust fan. I had used them to clean my old oven in 2018, but bought a new, pyrolytic  oven a year later believing I could then keep it clean myself. While I have cleaned the shelves regularly, I baulked at the pyrolytic function - pathetic, I know, but I was reluctant to remove all the shelves and apply such heat. In the end, I engaged Ovenbusters again.

Such services, partly done in an equipped van, are not straightforward in an apartment. While  I have a spare carpark under the building, the entry to our basement carpark is not high enough for some vans, so I try to reserve a street park by parking my own car there, then moving it for the service vehicle. This morning street parking was difficult. There appeared to be a gathering of white cars and vans doing a bit of a shuffle every 2 hours so it took me several times around the block to slip into a close-by vacated space. It was adequate rather than perfect. When Ovenbusters finally arrived, the van was small enough to fit in the carpark.  That's good for the service - but a lot of unnecessary messing about for me beforehand. The service took just over 2 hours and I now have a pristine oven, cooktop and exhaust fan. I will now do my best to keep it that way, which means, I think, engaging Ovenbusters more frequently!

 

On Monday we had 7 for dinner, with Niamh at football and Brigid bringing a friend. It was short and sharp, so Niamh could be picked up quickly and everyone could get home to watch the soccer - Matildas v Canada. Dinner was  a lot of fun, and successful - as were the Matildas.

There was an Adelaide Rosella out and about in the Square but not close enough for me to photograph.  My faithful dove, however, graced my balcony several times and allowed a photograph.

I have made a bit of progress on the Christine Bishop Pulled Mat, and the shawl. I have 40 rows to go on the latter. There are now some 370 stitches on the needles and increasing to 452. It is taking about 25 minutes to knit each row. That's still quite a few more days knitting!

My thanks to all of you who have been in touch about the blog. I do appreciate the communication - and the interest. I will continue weekly.

post 493 Wild

Many thanks to the 16 who responded to my question about continuing this blog. I am really grateful. There is an audience of kindred spirits who enjoy reading it. I enjoy the connection, reflection and writing discipline.  I will continue weekly. 

This was sunset last Wednesday. I spent the morning at the hairdresser and had lunch on Hutt St. with friends.  It was a satisfying, pleasant, if cool and slightly rainy, day culminating in a spectacular sunset.

I was pleased, too, to return to Pilates on Thursday after 2 weeks isolating with my cold. It was good to be back in routine. 

On Friday, before Sit'nStitch, I had lunch at the Grange Hotel. It was crowded. I hadn't booked, because I needed to wait at home for a parcel. I did, however, park next to  rosemary in full flower, full of bees who were happy to have their photos taken.

That night, while working on my shawl, I discovered from a neighbour that our entry buzzers were not working. You would not know, of course, unless someone told you. When I checked, around 11pm, my video screen was dead, so it seemed our whole pod was out. Our Pod Rep is currently overseas, so we reported it to our Strata Management Company by email. There was, predictably, no response until Monday morning. No one came to fix it on Monday, so I asked family members coming to dinner to phone me when they arrived so I could then go down in the lift to let them in. I was a bit stressed about it, but it  worked without problem. We had a really good dinner time. It's good to be reminded of the goodwill and capability with which I am surrounded. 

On Saturday Niamh and Anthony were in Brisbane watching the WWC match between Haiti and England. Katherine, Veronica and I went to The Greek for dinner. It was, as usual, a lovely meal. I forgot to take a photo until Katherine and I were enjoying a coffee with Loukoumi (Greek-style Turkish delight). Veronica's impressive pistachio ice-cream is just visible in the background. All made on the premises.

About 6-8 honey eaters flew on to my balcony this morning, squarking and competing for nectar. They make me smile, so noisy, playful and together.

I headed off to my new, very young and enthusiastic, podiatrist. I asked why he chose Podiatry. It turns out, when he left school, he wanted a year off to travel, while his parents wanted him to go to university, so he applied for courses he believed he had no hope of getting into - Podiatry being top of his list! He figured when he was rejected his parents would allow him to take a year off. Hoisted by his own petard, he got into Podiatry. Then Covid hit, and his chance of travel was further delayed. He can see the irony. His criteria for a good job are: doing good for people, not needing to be athletic, meeting people you wouldn't otherwise meet, getting to know people over time, being able to talk to people and not taking your work home with you. Podiatry fits.

He wanted to know what I would be doing for the rest of the day, so I told him that I was going to a friend's place to plan a talk for the Guild. He wanted to know all about it, so I ended up telling him about Wild Silk. His response: "See, now I know about silk!". How extraordinary!

Margaret and I pulled together all our resources on Wild Silk, Madagascan Cocoon Silk and Golden Orb Spider Silk. We have quite a lot of physical elements as well as a bit of research.  I think it will be an interesting session in September. I also got a bowl of Margaret's fabulous pumpkin soup. Another great day.

To top it off, when I got home, the video entry system seems to be working again. I haven't been able to test it, but the screen is working, so I assume it's fixed and the buzzer will work too. 

I have a pre-proof copy of my brother's new book to read - and it's looking great.     A week rich in opportunity, friendship and joy.