Forty seven, forty eight......

The Arboretum is now up to four dozen trees.

It is getting difficult to fit them all in one photo.....and it's even better than I envisaged it would be.  

One of this week's trees, the second almost but not quite purple fabric from my prize bundle, which also made an appearance in Summertime Blues..  There was a small amount of this striking orange in the bag of strips, and it makes a good contrast.  

A softer greenish-brown with a glorious golden yellow contrast which, if memory serves me correctly, was also used in Summertime Blues.    

I'm more than happy with this week's trees.....but then, I usually am.

The yellow will make a gorgeous tree too, when it has its turn; it's the same colour as our wattle bush which is now covered in tiny buds and which in a couple of months will be spectacular, so of course there needs to be a wattle tree in the Arboretum.

How has everyone been this week?  Words have been read, and stitches sewn and knitted.  Songs have been plinked and sung.  We hunted and gathered.  A visit to the doctor for me to have a Thing on my right elbow looked at was far from being a highlight of the week, let me tell you.  There is now a painful hole in my upper elbow from where a biopsy sample was taken, but at least my arm hasn't fallen off.... although it hurts.

Before my hair started to go grey my hair was red - not pale ginger as my father's was, thank goodness, but deep rich auburn.  It has now been scientifically established that redheads bleed more when injured, and we feel pain more readily than other people; if we are being given anesthetic it takes more to knock us out too.  There is a lot of information online about the subject, here is one site that you or redheaded members of your family may find interesting.  When my second baby was born he came out so quickly that I suffered slight tearing, and when the doctor was stitching me up I complained that he was hurting me.  Rubbish, he said, I gave you a local anesthetic first.  Well, it's not working, I said.  With what is now known about redheads and pain, it's not surprising that it was painful.

That is perhaps why my elbow is still so sore several days after its very minor operation, although it's probably not surprising considering the hole.  It's so deep that it could go clear through to the other side of the world, you know.

Old Man Winter has arrived with a vengeance.  The wind is quite chilly and there isn't much sun - not that there would be much warmth from it, anyway - the fire is burning, and it is a better day to be in looking out than out looking in.  It's a good day to sew, or knit, or just sit with a coffee and read a chapter or two.  Or three, or four......

One thing I don't do is read much online news, or watch news on TV.  There is so much murder and mayhem and gloom and doom that, if you let it, it will drag you down, so in the interests of my mental elf I am carefully choosing what to take in and what to ignore.  An Olde Pharte such as me has no power to influence what is happening in the world in general, and we do need to look after our mental elf, don't we?

"Trusting the driver.

While driving with another who holds the rains, you must not interfere with the driver, as anything of this kind implies a reproof, which is very offensive.  If you think his conduct wrong, or are in fear of danger resulting, you may delicately suggest a change, apologizing therefor.  You should resign yourself to the driver's control, and be perfectly calm and self-possessed during the course of a drive."

One could suggest the same for passengers in a contemporary motor vehicle, yes?

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer