Rocking Your World 2020; Week 31

We all like to get parcels don't we, even when we know what is inside them, and I especially like my squishy parcels. Two arrived on the same day this week, from two different couriers. They were both ordered from UK companies on the same day, so parcel post does seem to be getting back to normal -- for now anyway. One was another 'parcel of joy'. like one I showed a few weeks ago. Inside was some mid-blue 4ply acrylic yarn, and two new crochet hooks, making my range across the sizes in the 'comfort grip' hooks, just about complete.

The second one, from my favourite yarn supplier who has just started shipping outside of UK again, had yarn for two projects in it. First there were these three balls of very pretty quick-colour-change wools. Instead of the one I am using right now, where the colour changes very gradually throughout the big ball, these are constantly changing in quite a subtle way. They will be used alongside the plain blue from the other parcel. (I only ordered it from a different company because it was on sale for a few days and saved me quite a bit of expense).

Secondly in this parcel, there were some smaller balls of a grey beige and denim blue yarn called Mighty, which is a mix of cotton and 32% jute. It is to make another bag, a more simple beach/openwork shopping bag. The Mighty yarn was recommended for it and I thought the jute might make it more hard-wearing. I was afraid it may feel a bit rough to work with, but it feels quite soft, so I will see how I get on with it. I have to finish my current project first anyway.

We have spent every evening this week, out in the fly-free porch. Some nights I have had to resort to using my big industrial strength fan. Chris thinks it is a bit noisy, so when I can, I manage with my neck fan, which has certainly earned its keep this year. The thermometer has shown above 30º right up to bed time, and when I had a late night dip, just before midnight, the water was still 28º. The forecasters have threatened us with 42-44º tomorrow, but hopefully the highest temperatures will be further inland. We are 10 minutes drive from the coast, but we do get the benefit of a little sea breeze to cool us a bit.

One evening we had two of our little visitors again. These two cicadas sat on the outside of the fly net for ages, just resting, before suddenly taking off again.

A short while later we heard some loud fluttering and we saw one of them had trapped itself between the roof of the fly-free and the overhanging roof of the house, a gap of about six inches, and it was fluttering and crashing around. Perhaps because it was now dark, and they usually are silent and presumably sleeping then, it didn't seem able to crawl out to where it could fly off again, and the animals couldn't take there eyes off it. Tango was sitting on the little table next to me so I got his photo and as you can see, he was mesmerized by it. Foxy was the same, but Kim slept through all the excitement!

Because we have no gutters on our houses out here, when there is heavy rain we get a fair amount of debris washed off the roof onto the fly screen, and as it dries it mostly blows away, and every now and then, Chris uses the power washer to clear the rest. But sitting out there, and looking at the last of the evening birds, making a final swoop around for supper before settling down, I couldn't help but see these three little bits of leaf or twig making a simple smiley face in the corner where the net panels join. I felt someone up there was happy to have our company.

Another evening I happened to glance up just as the sky darkened enough to see the moon clearly and I was struck by it's unusual appearance. It was dark around the curved edge and paler inside, and had one completely straight edge. It looked just like a slice of lemon. I said to Chris "Look. Someone has cut the moon in half tonight". He assured me it was like it two nights every month at the first and third quarters. This was the first quarter I think, and of course I had to capture it on camera.

And now for my real happy post. I have delayed publishing this as I was waiting for a very special delivery this morning. And just now it arrived. Let me introduce my new furry friend, ten week old Bartholomew.

He is a Ragdoll cat, from a breeder in Valencia, and he arrived in a little cat-carrier, by courier. Chris bought him as a special lock-down gift for me. I have cared for many, many  rescue cats, and dogs, over the years, so this time I have a pure bred, and he is gorgeous. I have wanted a Ragdoll ever since I watched Blue Peter with my boys some thirty plus years ago, and they replaced the BP cat when it died, with two Ragdolls. He is a bit scared after his long journey so he is not really ready for a photo shoot yet, but hopefully I will have better ones soon. And 'Well done' to Elizabeth, who knew my parcel last week was a cat litter tray. No-one else was anywhere near close.

So now it is time to link up with Annie's Friday Smiles, and Rocking Your World, and I'll see you all next week.