Friday Smiles 2024 # Week 37

Another busy week has gone, and I am quite pleased with the progress I have made clearing the garage. Again, we have thrown out loads of black bags bursting with rubbish. There is still a pile ready to go to the charity shop, and a few empty boxes to find homes for, but considering what it was like a week ago, it is looking pretty tidy now!

I have also sorted through all my wool now and have two big crates that are going back to Uk with me, and two more to offer to the sewing group. I found about six ongoing projects and kept out a few I thought I could finish here. One was this blanket. It is only half done, but I have stopped it at a place where it makes quite a nice blanket for a cot or pram. The lady who runs the food bank likes to have a few blankets etc ready for when a regular family has a new baby, and they love the colourful blankets. 

I also found a bag full of blue, crocheted squares. They have been at the back of a drawer for a few years and I have no recolllection of making them. They could even have been given to me during the time my 'Knit for Africa' project was running. They were very grubby but lovely and soft, so one evening I sewed them together to make another small blanket. Then I found some soft yellow cotton to make a border and added a few flowers randomly. I washed it by hand the next day and it came out nice, so those two will be delivered next week.

I had to miss sewing this week because I had an appointment with my dermatologist. I have had an ongoing skin problem for a few years and it got considerably worse during the hot weeks of summer. Nothing the doctor or hospital gave me helped at all, so in the end we paid to see a private dermatologist. She took two biopsies and arranged a blood test and yesterday I went back for the results. The condition has a long name that I will never remember, but the creams and tablets that she gave me last time have improved it dramatically. Even she was surprised when she saw it. So I still have them with a decreased dosage, and hopefully it will clear up completely soon, though she did warn me it could re-occur.

The blood test also showed I have very low vitamin B and iron, so I went to my doctor this morning and  have more pills for that now. I take so many pills I rattle and I am greased up like a pole to keep the squirrels out of the birdfeeder, but if it works....

During the water ban we have not been able to fill our pool but we needed it full and looking good for when the house goes on the market, so last week Chris almost drained it and replaced and grouted a few missing tiles. Then on Tuesday a huge tanker arrived outside. (Inox means steel). It was full of water from the Cabrera mountains. 

It parked as close to the wall as possible, and the driver threw a large pipe over the wall, and soon lovely clean, fresh water was pouring into the pool.

After about half an hour the pool was full, and yes, we did both have a swim that afternoon, and it wasn't as cold as I had expected. Tom will be pleased when he arrives on Sunday.

Tonight Chris and I were sitting out on the porch eating tea when we noticed a lovely pink hint in the sky, and the white half moon shadow of early evening.

Hoping it was sign of a lovely sunset round the other side of the house, I followed it round the back where the sky was pinker. But when I got right round, as so often happens, the sky wasn't pink, but a pale and very lovely yellow. This deepened into a rich gold, and I stayed watching until it turned a deep, bright red, and then it was gone. One of nature's miracles and I love it. So  here are a few photos I took.

We are not there yet, but I think we will be sorted ready for the photos to be taken at the start of October.  But for now I will prepare this for linking with Annie's Friday Smiles and  publishing tomorrow.