Rocking Your World 2016; Week 16

My smile today is this pretty flower that has just

opened on a little tree in our garden. It isn't the one we have been watching for the past coupe of weeks. That hasn't made much progress so far, but I guess having taken forty years to reach the bud stage, it is going to take its time to actually open as well! This goes by the grand name of Caesalpinia gillesii, or as it is known here, the Bird of Paradise Tree, though it is not related to the Bird of Paradise flowers, and is in fact, a member of the bean family. We bought it in a little pot last year and I nearly lost it because I couldn't keep up with watering it as much as it needed. But later we planted it into our tiny patch of soil and it has flourished. It died right back during the Winter and we didn't know if it would revive with the Spring, but it certainly has, and this is its first flower of the year. I think it is so pretty. It is right outside our sitting room window so I see it each morning when I open up the windows, and it always makes me smile. It has long branching stems of tiny leaves which fold up and sleep at night, and open again with the morning sun. This morning I counted at least ten more buds forming on it so we will have flowers for many week to come.

And here is one more smile from my garden. Aren't these adorable? I planted them way before Christmas and they are still full of flowers. And you really can't help but smile at their little faces.

This week has not been quite my usual list of activities, as we heard at very short notice, that my husband Chris could go to hospital on Wednesday for his long-awaited hernia operation. It was done as day-surgery, and they seem to do most operations here with an epidural now instead of a general anesthetic, so the recovery time is much shorter. It was a long day as we left home at 7.00 in the morning and got back at 9.30 that night, but he is fine, and as long as he is careful what he does for a few weeks, he will soon be right as rain. In Spanish hospitals the nurses only do the medical work and you are expected to have a family member or friend with you most of the time for the care aspects - straightening the bed, helping with food etc. It is quite a good idea as long you have someone who can do it, but I feel sorry for the elderly folk who have lost their partner, and need to depend more on the staff. Be we have great respect for the medical system out here, and are very happy with the treatment we have received.

It did mean I spent a lot of time sitting around waiting but I went well prepared with a fully charged Kindle and my crochet. During the operation the relatives have a special waiting room where they sit until it is over, and then the doctor comes and tells you how it went. I caused quite a stir in there when I sat working on my Sophie's Universe blanket. The older Spanish ladies took turns to come and sit by me and look at what I had done so far. I showed them the pattern and talked about the colours, which all helped to pass the time. The rounds on Sophie are long now but I got four or five done while I was there. I am now on round 69, and have finished part 8 of the Crochet-Along. There are twenty parts altogether but I am missing out a few which tell you how to make rows of matching squares along the two ends before working the border, to turn it from a square into a rectangle. But I am happy to have the square one which will fit nicely on a double bed over the douvet, mainly for show. She is getting quite heavy so maybe after one more part I shall put her away until the Autumn.

I am looking forward to Tuesday when the second part of my Frida CAL will be published and I shall have another set of hexagonal motifs to make. I wonder what they will be like this time. More complex than last week's I think, but still relatively straightforward. The fortnight after that, when part 3 comes out, I will be starting on those lovely dimensional flowers.

But to get me ready for that I have been working on a smaller project to make a Frida's Flowers tote bag, for storing and carrying the wool for the big project. It is a cubic box with a twelve inch square for each side and for the base. Then it is stiffened and lined. It may take me a while to finish it as I only get my sewing machine out when I have to, and will really have to be in the mood to make a bag liner! But here are the sides I have done so far. Two are finished and the other two are on their way. Then I will need to do one plainer one for the base as of course, it will not need to have a raised flower in the centre of it.

It is made with chunky wool and a big fat hook which is very hard for my hands, but this afternoon I sat out on the porch on a lovely warm day, and got quite a bit of it done. My arms will be stiff tomorrow! I never choose to work with chunky wool  but it is the main yarn they sell in our todo shops. It is very thick and I would never wear a garment made from it, but it is cheap and tough and works well for a bag. I had almost enough purples and pinks in my stash and bought a few more, plus some very dark purple to join up the panels and make some handles. It seemed a better idea to use it for the bag rather than my good wool that I buy from UK, and it has kept me busy while I wait for the next part of the blanket pattern.

I will also not be rushing to go out for the next week so I can make sure Chris is OK and not trying to do anything that he shouldn't, so I am looking forward to some more craft time. 

Last week I mentioned that Lisca had sent me some small lace patterns and was translating the instructions from Dutch for me. So when the start of the bell arrived, I decided to dust off my lace pillow and bobbins and have a go. The outer edge was reasonably easy and I have done most of it, but now I am stuck. I don't think I understand the next part of the instructions and neither does Lisca, so we are going to help one another try to figure it out. Here is what I have done so far. There are another fourteen pairs of bobbins wound, ready to fill in the centre, but I have no idea where they go yet.

If I get it sorted out I will show you the finished bell, but don't hold your breath; it could take a while!

Last Sunday after church, I drove to Mojacar for a meeting where I heard some rather sad news. No need to share that with you, but afterwards I wanted to sit and reflect for a while, so I pulled into a little beach at the very far end of the Playa. It was so peaceful and beautiful there, and I took a few photos so I could recapture that feeling later. There was hardly anyone else around. The sky was blue and the sea was a deeper blue. The beach was only recently formed and the seating area where I was, is mostly 'imported' sand which is very yellow. It was windy and I watched a flock of seagulls trying to take off against the gusts of wind, but by the time I had retrieved my phone from the car to take some pictures, they had all gone. I did however take some very interesting cacti flowers or seeds. I'm not sure which they were.

As I went back to the car to drive home, I noticed a wooden pathway winding up the rocks behind me. I have not seen it before though I don't think it was all that new. There was a notice board telling you about some of the things you will see if you walk along it. The whole route was ten kilometers each way, which is a bit further than we could manage right now, but I am hoping when Chris is fully recovered, we can at least do the first half of it.

Finally I have a couple of sky photos, not sunsets this time, but the sunrise as it developed during our ride to the hospital on Wednesday. They are not brilliant photos as they were taken with my phone through a grubby car window, while we were moving along. 

We started out in almost darkness with just a fine line of light in the sky.

Gradually it got brighter and the sky glowed golden.

Then as we arrived, the early morning cloud turned red. In the end it was a lovely day.

Now I will link up at Annie's Friday Smiles and Rocking Your World, and say 'Adios' until next week.