Back to bed, again.

Like lots of other people I am finding the smoke from the fires debilitating.  Lots of just sitting or back to bed.  But I have risked the smoke a couple of times to see my grand daughters receive prizes for their school work.  I also keep surfing the internet and finding books.  A little while ago I wrote about Ruth Singer and decided that I could use her new book," Fabric Manipulations".  Most of the techniques in the book I already am familiar with but the ribbon folding is new to me and reminds me greatly of Japanese origami.  It was worth buying for this alone.

I also bought a second hand book from the same author, "Sew it up".

Not a thing I didn't know in it but my daughter keeps asking me for books to improve her dressmaking and this has all the basic techniques.  I have given her my more advanced books but I think this will be a perfect Xmas gift.  As I said, this is a second hand book, it cost me $15 including postage.  It is hard bound, thick and heavy.  Looking inside the cover I see it has come from a library in England.  I don't think any money was made by the seller here, but it has gone to a good home.

To the girls, Monique won the academic award for her year level.  She is high functioning Aspergers, in fact although she is in year 3 she has a lot of her lessons with the year 6 students.  She is also very musical, playing keyboard, viola and trombone, and she sews. (Grandma loves this.)

Jasmine is in year 2 and is our artist and very academically able but is not so keen on sewing, yet.  (She is super shy and looks so like my sister.)

Oh dear, I know Xmas is going to get me.  I am so behind on my work.

Lost

It is hot, dry and windy.  We are enveloped in smoke, yet again.  My asthma is in full swing and I can't stop coughing.

I read a poem once by Elizabeth Bishop, called "One Art".    (It is copyright so I can't print it here.)

It describes how we deal with loss.  How little by little we accept it.  We accept the burning of the Amazon, it is so removed.

 

We accept the burning of Siberia, that is at the other end of the earth in the Arctic.

 

The coral reefs are under threat.

 

The list grows longer and longer, but we accept the loss of all these things, maybe because they seem to happen in isolation and we have time to accept the loss.

It is time to stop the acceptance and act. Time is running out.

Another revision

I have made another food throw in an effort to refine the techniques used to make it.

I have devised another method to add the binding which eliminates the need for any hand sewing at all.  I just have to get the widths right.  There is a lot of sewing in these throws and I haven't been able to work out why it is taking so long to make.  Then I realised that the doctor has me on new medication for blood pressure.  He was quick to tell me it wasn't a heart problem, but a problem with my auto immune system.  What ever it is those tablets slow me down something shocking. 

This one is for my sister.  I will give it one more try and then leave it at that.  I have embroidery to do!

Rain

We were supposed to get severe storms with little rain.  So, when the rain began I wasn't hopeful.  Just a trickle to go into the tank.

There was quite a bit of lightening and Charlie had to sit very close.  Then the heavens opened and the most beautiful rain came pelting down.  We even had puddles.

The girls were far too busy to help me with the Xmas decorations, besides, I saw a python down there and there is no way I am going anywhere near that.  Jesus and the rest of the nativity are down there too, under the house.  I think I will just buy a new set.

But I did put out the Xmas runner for the hall table and added some small trees.

And I bought a small tree from Ikea that I have added some lights too.

The tree out the front of the house is to be lit up as well.  But, it might rain again tonight so that can wait.

It now feels as though Xmas is really on the way.

Next Week

Next week sees that start of Advent and we will be into the mainstream of the Xmas parties and social crush.  I hope the next few days go slowly so that I can just float into this.  Not much hope I think.  The parties start this Sunday night and then it is just full on from then onto the new year and beyond.  I have made sure that I have stocked up on 'ginger thins'.

I am expecting droves of visitors and of course this includes family so there will be no peace with grand children in the house.  All 'the paddlers' will soon walk up the bank from the beach with "just thought we would drop in" and the replies of "of course you must stay we have tons of food and blow up beds". 

We have been replacing the fences which fell down because the white ants got into them.  My husband insisted on metal mesh that was coated against rust and was impervious to white ants. I have bought lots of creepers, mainly Jasmine, to grow over them.  We have had a progression of tradesmen here working on it and I have been baking for "smokos".  But something happened to the no parking sign out the front.  It was replaced recently but now it has a distinct bend in it and of course no one knows anything about it.

We also have a tree next to the road that has been run into, yet again.  After my husband flattened the mail box and then ran into that tree I put a reflector on it.  It doesn't seem to matter people, nobody knows who, still run into it. 

So it is time to crawl under the house where the Xmas decorations are stored and pull them out.  The grandchildren will be here on Saturday so I will put them to work decorating the tree and trimming the house.

Here we go again.