Tuesday September 27 - Zonked

 I had a Covid vaccination on Sunday afternoon, and felt final that evening, but the next day.... suffice it to say that my step total for the day was 500. Yup. I spent the day mostly sitting on the settee with a book or the knitting and feeling below par. Although I did cheer up after I cancelled my piano teaching for the evening...

Today is another story, and although I am not exactly bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, neither am I feeling quite so stupid and slow.

The post card I sent Ang has arrived, so I can show you my design;

A first attempt at using blackstitch patterns to fill in spaces. It looks fine from a distance. but close up you can see where ll too often one mis-placed stitch has derailed the overall pattern!   

I think (1) I enjoyed it; and shall invest in some aida fabric and proper tapestry needles to give it a fair trial.

I've started knitting hats for the 'Shoe-boxes for Roumania' appeal. I'm not sure how many I will get done by the end of the month, but will be glad to use up some stash. I have a feeling I've got one or two in a bag somewhere which I will have a rummage for in due course. 

Sketch-a-day is still happening - here's a week's worth from the beginning of the month;

I must have boiled the blackberry cough remedy mixture for too long, because now that it is cooled and bottled it is nearer the consistency of jelly than syrup. But is tastes....interesting and efficacious without being either too nasty or too delicious  

The gash in my father's head is all but healed (Thursday 8th Sept) and th jasmine has recovered from being trained along the fence. 

We are trying to rethink how and where I sit to type things (lessons, blogs, other stuff) on my laptop. Sitting at the dining room table really isn't comfortable - I'm perched on top of three cushions, tipped forwards in an precarious and unbalanced position.

The weather has been so variable recently - on the 13th we postponed an outdoor meeting with family for handing over birthday presents, and it rained all day. On the following afternoon I was able to spend time standing in the warm sun chatting with a friends.   

The cat approved the new patio table, and there are a couple of roses left in the garden among other flowers.

It's not really 'news', is it - just burbling along with how life carries on. I've just finished re-reading 'The Diary of a Provincial Lady' by E M Delafield for the umpteenth time - I guess it will son be time to think about whether I want to pot up hyacinths for winter flowering. No, actually, I've thought about it, and it's more trouble than I want to go to. I've just as happy to look at pots full of spring bulbs in the garden... must soon be time to get on with planting them up. I've got my eye on the pots vacated by the tomato plants.