Progress

Slowly making progress!  My shoulder is being very good about doing its daily exercises, and although it is a little stiff (as one would expect after not being used for nearly two weeks, and having surgery into the bargain) it's not doing too badly.  The surgical stockings are a thing of the past, the sore throat has healed and proper food is very enjoyable again after a diet of soup and yoghurt.

Here's something much nicer to contemplate, the Clarence River - we stayed here for a couple of nights on our recent holiday.  The wharf would have been a pleasant place to sit and ponder on the state of the world, but while we were staying here a storm blew up with strong wind and heavy rain.....so we stayed in our little van, which you can't see here.

 The Clarence River is very wide towards its mouth - it's known locally as "the big river".

It has been known to flood, and must be an awesome sight when it does.

The one-handed life doesn't have a lot to recommend it, so thank goodness it's only temporary.  Everyday living is slightly more difficult than usual, but the hardest thing is to towel oneself dry after the morning shower; the left arm keeps wanting to join in, even though it shouldn't.  The dressings are off the holes on my shoulder, in fact the hole on my back has already healed.  Not so many years ago, before keyhole surgery became the thing, an operation such as this would have meant an incision in the shoulder as well as the internal work - and that would have meant a longer period of healing.  Now, although some fairly major work was apparently done in there, my shoulder only has four holes and one of them is healed.  Isn't medical science amazing?

We are concerned about our old puss, Binky is going on for 17 and of late has been very quiet, she's been off her food, and isn't her usual bright happy self.  We will take her to the vet this week, but are steeling ourselves for the fact that most of her nine lives may by used up.  She has always been a talkative cat but she is not even talking much now.  We know she won't live forever, but she will be missed.....of all the cats we have had in our lives for the past nearly 40 years, she has been "Miss Personality".

No sewing to report, no knitting, nothing.  Not one note plinked on uke or guitar.  Some books read, none of them memorable but just the same, it's an easy way to pass the time.  A few crossword puzzles have been done.  Christmas parties will soon be starting up (last weekend the quilt group party had to be missed because I felt so blah, and because I couldn't eat anyway) so they will be something to look forward to.  Might start putting up decorations soon, although it will be a two-person job this year.  Isn't is usually the woman who gets to do these things in most households?  Ours is no different, you know.

"Preserving a youthful complexion.
The following rules may be given for the preservation of a youthful complexion.  Rise early and go to bed early.  Take plenty of exercise.  Use plenty of cold water and good soap frequently.  Be moderate in eating and drinking.  Do not lace.  Avoid as much as possible the vitiated atmosphere of crowded assemblies.  Shun cosmetics and washes for the skin.  The latter dry the skin, and only defeat the end they are supposed to have in view."

Probably as good advice now, as when it was given in 1885.....although I do not know any woman these days who wears a tightly laced corset.

Enjoy your days!

Recovering

Thank you to those who have written with good wishes, it is very kind of you and much appreciated.

The trip to Sydney was uneventful, if you count a six hour drive much of which was in pouring rain uneventful.  However we arrived safely, and as instructed I presented myself to the hospital the following morning, was poked, prodded, tested and jabbed......all quite undignified, you know.....duly put to sleep and operated on.  The specialist told Kevin all went well, and I will be seeing him (the specialist, not Kevin......I see him much of the time) tomorrow to find out for myself.

The shoulder hasn't given much trouble since although it is making its presence felt today (thank goodness for industrial strength painkillers) but oh my, I woke up with such a sore throat which has persisted since, so much so that eating anything with lumps is so painful as to be impossible.  Liquids such as soup and yoghurt are about all I can manage.  Did you know that, while you are under anaesthetic, a breathing tube is passed down your throat but most people never know it once they wake up?  For some folks, however, it leaves a very sore throat which a nurse assured me would be better in 24 hours.  That was on Tuesday afternoon.......it is now Sunday afternoon......I am still waiting.......

The piece de resistance, however, is the tight white surgical compression stockings which are to be worn until I see the specialist tomorrow at midday.  They are apparently to prevent blood clots and are so unattractive that I cannot bring myself to go out in public wearing them, and except for a couple of medical appointments on Friday afternoon, have not done so.  Tomorrow's appointment will be kept wearing long pants to cover most of the stockings, and it won't bother me if it is steaming hot.  I have my standards, you know.  The black sling is bad enough:  picture, if you will, a sling with a wide waist strap, and a wide shoulder strap, and the cradle for the arm held away from the body with a wide pad which stands out from one's waist far enough that one cannot see one's feet - hence, walking is slightly difficult, so the morning walk is suspended until further notice.  One doesn't wish to take a tumble on the hill.  Poor Bianca The White Cat had a paw accidentally stepped on the other night because I just couldn't see her.

Physiotherapy started on Friday afternoon and the therapist was pleased with my shoulder, so here's hoping for a quick recovery.  I have even found out that washing long hair one-handed is possible too.

So, six weeks in the sling (with time off for good behaviour, and to stretch the rest of the arm and elbow daily) means, in that time, no sewing, knitting or crocheting, no ukulele playing, (sad), no housework (oh dear).  Fortunately I can read and do crosswords and watch TV and......well......that's about it, really.  All slightly boring.  I will post occasionally so you all know I haven't dropped off the earth, unexciting though those posts may be at times.

"Never, directly or indirectly, refer to the affairs of others, which it may give them pain in any degree to recall."

Indeed.  That includes subjects like operations on parts of one's person, because now it's done I would rather put the pain behind me.

Enjoy your days!

Thunder, lightning, heavy rain.......and even hail!

That's what we had yesterday afternoon.  Lots and lots of heavy rain, 23 mls (that's nearly an inch in old money) in half an hour, and of course when the hail melted it added to the moisture for the garden.  We had some shredded leaves knocked off the we-think-it's-an-apricot tree, as you can see.....but very little other garden damage, and no house damage.

 Lots of wet white stuff, but it isn't snow.  We don't get snow here.

 The wind was blowing cold, it blew the hail against the edge of the garden.

 Although you can't quite see, the grass on the other side of our fence was awash.

This is on the sheltered side of the house.

Despite the storms the rain was very welcome, and looking at the weather radar there is a chance we may get more storms this afternoon......so long as it brings more rain!

Tomorrow we are driving to the Big Smoke, and in two days I will be hopefully pumped full of happy juice because there is no way I am letting any medical people near me otherwise; I don't like having Things done to me.  In three days it will all be over, and on Thursday we are driving home.

There is no way on this earth that the skirt for the wedding will be finished before tomorrow either.  The centre back seam is sewn, and to finish off the edges of both the seam and the opening above it (the zipper is in the lining so an opening is left in the skirt) I am sewing a hand-rolled hem.  It is not difficult, just a little fiddly, and the first side went very well.  The second side.......ah, that's a different story.  The hem was rolled the wrong way so that it was on the outside rather than the inside, and it is having to be re-done.  I know what I did wrong and have learnt my lesson, but as I am leaving for the radio station in less than an hour there is every chance it may not be finished tonight, it will depend on how tired my eyes are after dinner.  I did want to have that much finished before the trip to hospital, because I don't know how long it will be before I can sew again.  A shoulder operation requires the wearing of a sling for several weeks afterward with limited use of the arm in that time - fortunately it's my left arm, and I'm right-handed.

Ah well.  We can only do what we can do, can't we.  So long as it is finished in time for the wedding, because the very thought of the groom's mother in a state of undress is not something we will consider even for a moment.

However if half of me is incapacitated then I won't be able to do much housework, will I?  Oh dear, what a shame......

"Breaking an appointment.
Do not break an appointment with a business man, if possible to avoid it, for if you do, the party with whom you made it may have reason to think that you are not a man of your word, and it may also cause him great annoyance, and loss of time.  If, however, it becomes absolutely necessary to do so, you should inform him beforehand, either by a note or by a special messenger, giving reasons for its non-fulfilment."

These days we would send a text message or an email.

Enjoy your days!

Back home again

We had a good holiday, a break from our normal routine, arrived home a couple of days ago.....and now it almost seems that we haven't been away!  Very few photos were taken, mostly because it's difficult to take a picture of a wide river or beach in strong sunlight, but here are some.

Who's a pretty boy then?  A male King Parrot, apparently the only Australian parrot which has an entirely red head.  Females are green with red underneath - a pair together is a gorgeous sight.

 He is rather pretty, there were three males sharing a cage with no girls to keep them company.  The pale patches on the wings glow in bright light.

 A pale pink Callistemon (bottle brush), so pale that the colour almost can't be seen - just the yellow stamens.

 The morning we left home this stunning moth or butterfly was sitting on our front lawn, so using a leaf as a 'finger' I very carefully picked it up and placed it on a rose bush, then took a couple of photos.  The spots on the wings look like drops of water, don't they?  I have no idea what it is, but it was quite large; you can see some of its tail to the right.

The gardenia did, of course, flower while we were away - but hasn't quite finished yet, so I am able to enjoy its prettiness and scent!

The music festival was good, getting together to sing and play music with friends was fun as always, and the uke group in one town where we stayed let me join with them for their monthly night at a local pub last week - so it was quite a musical holiday.

One sees some amazing sights in beach towns, you know.  Sometimes those sights are better off being forgotten, so I will spare your delicate sensibilities the gruesome details.  Just because one can wear a particular outfit doesn't mean that one should.  There is obviously something about the sub-tropical climate that makes people shed their inhibitions as well as their layers.

But not me, you will be pleased to know.  Modest as ever, that's me.  Even in the camp ground shorts.

Even the sub-tropical north hasn't been spared the dry weather of the past months; the usual lush green scenery is pale and dry.  It's raining lightly here at present with more forecast for the next couple of days, but we need several downpours to do much good.

Only nine days until I Go Under The Knife.  Erk.

"Your children will form habits of evil-speaking if they hear you deal lightly with the reputation of another - if they hear you slander or revile your neighbour.  If you wish your children to show charity toward the erring, you must set the example by the habitual exercise of that virtue yourself.  Without this your teaching will be of but little avail.  If you take pleasure in dwelling upon the faults of others, if you refuse to cover over their infirmities with the mantle of charity, your example will nullify your teaching, and your admonitions will be lost."

This is true.  However, we still reserve the right to criticise.  There is eccentricity which can be tolerated and enjoyed, and there is appalling bad taste......which makes us shudder.

Enjoy your days!

Looking forward to going away.......

.........and the gardenia given to me by my friends at the folk club in Sydney just before we moved here to the Small Smoke is getting ready to flower, and I will miss its prettiness.......such a shame.

 Several months ago it was repotted as it was outgrowing its pretty red pot, and now it is growing beautifully.

Lots of buds getting ready to open, which of course will happen when we are not here.  Quelle bummer.  Perhaps I shall ask our house sitter to take a photo for me.

The skirt lining is done, zipper is inserted - it was very quick and easy, I don't know why I was so uncertain about it - hem is sewn; now for the outer layer, but as the past few days have taken on a life of their own there will be no time before we go away on Thursday morning to sew even one stitch on that.  However we will be home for ten days between our holiday break and the trip to the Big Smoke for the shoulder operation, so I'll just have to see how fast I can move in that time. Still need a little bag for the wedding to carry my glasses and hanky (because the MotG is probably allowed a little sniffle); so far I haven't seen one I love enough to buy but will keep looking.  Somewhere out there the right bag will be waiting for me.

The wardrobe has increased by a few more shirts to make life easier after the surgery, most of them are soft light cotton voile which is a good choice for summer.  A pretty green one (have I ever mentioned that I am quite fond of green?), a couple of blue ones, even a deep purple one, now have their places in the wardrobe.  It doesn't matter what one wears at home but for trips to the shops etc., one does need to look respectable.  They will probably be worn with capri pants, or as I call them, Old Ladies' Shorts.......because there comes a time in a woman's life when she shouldn't wear shorts in public any more (although it's allowable in a camp ground) but it's a bit warm for long pants.

A few Flower Basket blocks have been prepared to take on holiday, some knitting will go along too, there's a bag of books and my tablet thingy is also loaded with books to read.  And of course my uke and some music - can't leave that behind!  A new song has been learned ready for the singing session on Friday night.  Here is where we will be, then we will be heading towards the north coast.......and who knows where we will end up?

Oh dear, the bushfires of the past few days have been very nasty.  The weather has been very hot and dry with low humidity and strong winds, for several months now rainfall has been well below average, so conditions are right for fire.  Even though the fires are several hours' south of here we don't escape; last Friday morning when I went for my morning walk (at 6.40am, that's the crack of dawn you know) the valley was clear although the distant hills were a little hazy which is not unusual early in the day.  Barely half an hour after I returned home the view had disappeared, the valley was full of smoke and there was a heavy smoky smell.  A south-easterly wind had blown it this way, and it took a few hours to disperse.  I would have stayed indoors if that smoke had been in the air, it's very unhealthy stuff.

We love Australia, but she can be very cruel sometimes.

"The promenade dress.
The dress for the promenade should be in perfect harmony with itself.  All the colours worn should harmonize if they are not strictly identical.  The bonnet should not be of one colour, and parasol of another, the dress of a third and the gloves of a fourth.  Nor should one article be new and another shabby.  The collars and cuffs should be of lace; the kid gloves should be selected to harmonize with the colour of the dress, a perfect fit.  The jewellery worn should be bracelets, cuff-buttons, plain gold ear-rings, a watch-chain and brooch."

Something to keep in mind when I am slopping round the camp ground in shorts.

Enjoy your days!

Best wishes to my Canadian family and friends for Thanksgiving!

I hope you all have a great day, and enjoy the time you spend with your loved ones.

Just looking at the photos taken nearly a year ago in Canada is making me feel cooler......our summer is early this year.  Bayfield is a lovely little town and the fall colours were beautiful.

 Our visit to Inglis Falls was on a showery grey day, much nicer than the heat and wind we have been getting lately.

It's been a quiet week at La Chateau des Wombats.  The skirt is cut out and I am plucking up courage to insert an invisible zip into the lining; the skirt fabric is too fine for the weight so I will just leave an opening to reach the zip.  I started making my own clothes at the age of 18 umpty-um years ago, but would you believe have never put in an invisible zip?  It is said, though, that we are never too old to learn something......let's hope we can do it properly.  In all those years I haven't sewn many fabrics as sheer as this either, so fingers crossed I don't make a mess of it.

It's pathetic, I know, but as we get older we seem to lose a certain amount of confidence.  When I was young and silly I would have just charged ahead, inserted that zip and blundered along with delicate fabric, and not worried if it was a mess.  Now I know I have the skills and experience to do it well, but self-doubt is setting in and it's not good......and this from a woman who was game enough to sing a slightly bawdy song in a crowded pub at a folk festival not so many years ago.

On Friday night the Thursday night choir put on a concert for a local charity and to our surprise and delight we had a packed house - we were sending out for more chairs!  Some members of the uke group played too; four of us belong to both that choir and the ukes, one was away but the other three of us had quite a busy evening.  Nice things were said to and about us by audience members, and we think we raised quite a lot of money.  And no, I didn't sing a solo - but I copped the job of introducing the uke group and of counting them in for each song, 1-2-3-4, because neither of our tutors were there and no one else would do it.

So why am I bothered about that zip?

The date for the operation is looming, but first we are going to a folk festival and having a holiday at the coast.  I am checking out op shops to find tops and shirts which button down the front; my wardrobe has a few but they will be useful after the operation when I can't raise my left arm for a while.  It's not a style I wear often so I am not going to pay huge prices for new clothes, and I don't have the time to make several tops.  So far a few new shirts have entered my wardrobe including a green linen sleeveless top with buttons down the front, which should be cool for the coming summer.  If I don't love the tops enough to keep them after the need is passed, they will be donated back to the worthy cause from which they came but will serve the purpose in the meantime.  My summer wardrobe is mostly tee shirts, casual and dressy, but they may be a little difficult to wear for a while.

"But a love of dress has its peril for weak minds.  Uncontrolled by good sense and stimulated by personal vanity, it becomes a temptation at first, and then a curse.  When it is indulged in to the detriment of better employments, and beyond the compass of means, it cannot be too severely condemned.  It then becomes criminal."

To commit a crime because of one's love of dress would not be good.  However, you and I have seen people who commit crimes by their choice of clothing, haven't we?

Enjoy your days!

Some fabrics

These are the fabrics I will be wearing in my role as Mother of the Groom next February, what do you think?  The rather scrumptious green cotton on the left will be a top, while the multi-coloured fabric will be a flared skirt.  The dull teal behind is the skirt lining, we tried out different colours at the fabric shop and believe it or not this was the choice which brought out the fabric's colours best.....even better than a deep olive/gold lining, which was surprising.  Extra skirt fabric was bought to make a matching scarf/wrap, the plan is to bead the ends to give it weight as it's a very light silky poly fabric, almost as light as chiffon.

Fabric for the next bag, the blue Jinny Beyer paisley is the outer fabric and the smokey green (would you believe it's from a range of Christmas fabrics?) is the trim and lining.  Managed to get most of the large piece quilted last Saturday at quilt group, finished it off earlier in the week and cut it out yesterday.  I wasn't going to cut it, but then decided that the project would be easier to pack in the cupboard if it was cut out first, so cut out it was.  It won't be touched again until the wedding sewing is done.

Had my visit to the specialist on Monday and he confirmed what I have been suspecting for over a year, that my shoulder will not get better unless it is surgically fixed.  The operation date is now set for next month after we come home from our holiday, so on Tuesday 19th November I will be Going Under The Knife.  While that is something that doesn't see me dancing round with glee it will be good to - eventually! - be pain free.

Last week when I posted it was a horribly windy day, and it is again today....and it was on Tuesday, too......no doubt about it, we are certainly being blown into summer.  At least we had some rain a few nights ago so the hill behind us isn't looking too dry now.  Our garden is doing well, our plants except for one which is to be replaced are flourishing, and more pics will be taken soon so you can see how pretty they are.

Oh dear, one sees some unfortunate sights these days.  Who decided that tight leggings, which should never be worn outside a gym in my opinion, are outer wear?  And quite honestly, why do large girls wear stretched-to-the-max black leggings with a top which doesn't cover their bum, in public?  It's not pretty.  I'm not exactly svelte myself these days....once I was, alas.......but some of these young women would make at least two of me.  Occasionally one sees a larger girl dressed in clothes which flatter her and don't draw attention to the bits she would probably rather not feature, and she looks really good.  Really tight pants don't flatter very skinny legs either.

I don't watch TV shows which take women in hand and dress them in clothes they probably wouldn't choose for themselves - I find them too arrogant for my taste -  but I do wish some people would look at the back view in their mirror before they set out.

"Indifference to dress.
Indifference and inattention to dress is a defect of character rather than virtue, and often denotes indolence and slovenliness.  Every woman should aim to make herself look as well as possible with the means at her command."

I do try.

Enjoy your days!