Tuesday 29 January 2019

A red day today

Poor DBEM.   While I had the benefit of air conditioning in the office (apart from the interruption of a fire evacuation drill), the DBEM had only electric fans to circulate the warm air.   Our Australian cousins kindly sent their heat wave over the Tasman Sea to us and although it has cooled a lot it is still hotter than usual and oh so muggy.
So tonight the Temperature SAL got a red square.  (Excuse the odd perspective of this bad photograph). Hopefully there won't be too many of these!

Monday 28 January 2019

Christmas Ornament Number 1

I have promised myself to stitch one ornament a month through the year so here's the first.   From the Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue 2012 in 32 count linen with DMC white and Threadworks Christmas red overdyed.  I decided against adding the year to the stitching and will be finishing this into a circular ornament.   It's about 5cm wide so a perfect size.  The over one of the word was rather hard on the elbow but it's all done now and some Volataren Emugel on the elbow will take the pain away - I hope!
Today has been very hot with hotter to come so it's an orange night tonight on the Temperature SAL and if the weatherman is to be believed we may get to a red for a day or so this week!
I'm off out for a long walk now and back to work tomorrow.   This has been a fun public holiday (=day off work) and I've accomplished all I planned to do.

Thursday 24 January 2019

The Octagonal Box is finito - well almost

Today I had a half day off work to escort the DBEM to the cardiologist.   This also allowed time to do a quick grocery shop, a brisk 5km walk, to complete construction on The Octagonal Box and to sleep through the TV weather report!   Just as well the DBEM was awake and could listen to the report of today's temperature - I have stitched the little square to signify today=24 degrees celsius.
The Octagonal Box is complete bar hinges and fastening.   The lid is currently pinned with glass headed pins while I decide how I am going to do the hinges and while I search through my bead box for a front fastener.   I do have a sterling silver anchor charm which I thought might be suitable for the fastening but this box suits gold more than silver!  What is certain is that I don't have the inspiration at the moment so this will go in the cupboard as "half done" while I complete the hardanger doily.
We have next Monday a public holiday in Auckland and I have a long To Do List which will hopefully involve some sewing.   I'm trying to tweak a trouser pattern to get a good fit as I want to make some navy wool gaberdine lined trousers for this winter.  It is hard to generate the required enthusiasm for that in these high temperatures:-)

Monday 21 January 2019

In which we continue the yellow streak.

Today we were promised rain in the evening and I had decided that I'd forgo the evening walk and stay in to stitch up two small cardigans knitted by the DBEM.   But the weatherman was wrong so I went on my walk and only sewed up half a cardigan!
But I did watch the TV weather and add today's square to the Temperature Chart.   This is fun!

Saturday 19 January 2019

Only a year late!

Inspired by Jo of Serendipitous Stitching I have made a start on a 2019 Temperature Chart.   Unlike Lowestoft, Auckland does not have such a huge range in temperature from season to season so it will be interesting to see how the colour variations show up.   This may indeed prove the claims to sub tropical climate  which Aucklander's use as an excuse for almost every garden growing hibiscus!
Progress has been slow and until tonight consisted of writing down the daily temperature.   But I now have the colours to hand and have made a start,  These are the first 10 "little squares" that form the centre of the big spiralled square and tomorrow I will catch up and be able to do one a day.   Quite achievable and will still allow time to complete the Octagonal Box - only three sides to complete now and then the final construction.
The Temperature Chart may well prove to be a depiction of the DBEM's health too -  she finds the "orange days" hard.  Today she had insufficient energy to accept the offer of a drive to a nearby park to sit in the cool of the shady oak trees. 
I on the other hand have derived an almost Calvinistic satisfaction from crossing off every last item on my Saturday To-Do list and can now go to bed happy after turning over the page in the notebook -for tomorrow's list!

Wednesday 9 January 2019

Back to Work

Back at work this week and all is still quiet in my department.  But you know what it's like when the days seem long and the evenings short!  By the time dinner is prepared and eaten; the dishes washed and the once round the walking circuit completed there isn't much time for anything else.   I continue to plod away at The Octagonal Box and with the lid and the base complete I'm working on the sides.   Fortunately my 'tennis elbow' seems to have settled a little and I can manage with minimal discomfort if I'm careful.
We are having hot days and muggy "tropical" nights here so energy levels are depleted for the DBEM  who can usually be revived with a stroll for a few minutes in the evening shade and cool.   Her exercise physiologist comes for a review next week and hopefully he will be pleased with how she has maintained her strength and balance.   So all good on that front at present.

I counted up the list of books read last year and found to my surprise that it was 105.   Surprise because I didn't include on the list any of the e-Books borrowed through the Library, so in reality it would have been many more.   Out of that number some of course are forgettable and some eminently memorable.   Yesterday I finished reading aloud to the DBEM - A Year in the Life of The Yorkshire Shepherdess (Amanda Owen) and we both enjoyed it very much.   The DBEM has just completed Anne Frank's Diary on her Blind Foundation Talking Book so a tale of life on the high dales of Yorkshire was a complete contrast.

And so the new year begins Chez Nous.