Rocking Your World 2020: Week 34

Hi folks. Another week when I have achieved very little except for playing with my new baby and refereeing when he gets over playful with the other animals. They all tolerate him for a short while, but he is still of an age where he is very persistent and doesn't heed warnings, so he gets hissed at and has his ears cuffed when he won't leave them in peace.

He is three months old now, and very agile. He shoots up his play tower and lays at the top playing with the fluffy balls hanging from the top pole. Occasionally he catches sight of himself in the mirror up there, and is quite startled.

When I was buying a few bits before he arrived, I ordered some cat 'treats' that are hard domes made from fish oil that stick to a cupboard or wall for the cats to lick. I thought they might all like them. Unfortunately it said they would not be delivered until October, but they weren't urgent so I left my order in place and had all but forgotten about them. Then yesterday the postman delivered a small parcel and inside were these ten little domes. I stuck one, quite low down on the side of the cupboard in the kitchen and little Tolly was soon licking it enthusiastically. He has worn it down quite a bit already. I haven't seen the other cats trying it but they are often in the kitchen alone so may well be having a lick too. When it is gone I will wait a while before putting the next one up.

We had a lovely visitor in the garden this week. I saw it through the window on several occasions but this was the only time I got out with my camera and she wasn't up for posing for a photo shoot. I am quite sad that we get so few butterflies here, as I know some thrive in hot climates but maybe they need more humidity than we have. This is a Swallowtail butterfly, as seen from above, and below.  I haven't seen it come back again but I know they have a very short life-span.

I have another finished crochet project to show you. I actually finished this last week because I was working on it while I waited for the hoop to be delivered for my mandala. But I decided not to post this on Facebook until I had shown it on here, so that not all my news is 'old news'.

This was made with the yarn I ordered a while back that is 68% cotton and 32% jute. It was surprisingly soft to work with. I had expected it to feel quite harsh. And it has made a really tough, strong bag for shopping/beach/craft. I have used it already and am very pleased with it.

And finally I have two nice sky photos to show. We were sitting on the fly-free porch as usual one evening when we noticed the darkening sky was a bit pink. We are looking almost east from the porch so this was a reflection of the sunset so I hurried round to the other side of the house and just managed to catch these two shots before it was gone.

It's the first time we have had a nice sunset for ages.

Now I am off to link up with Annie's Friday Smiles and Rocking Your World. Annie always finds something to make us smile each week, and even if you haven't felt a seismic wave in these difficult times, I am sure something has gently rocked your world, so do share it with us. 

Rocking Your World 2020: Week 33

And there goes another fairly uneventful week! I almost missed it! How time flies, even when I have few commitments. From talking with family members it would seem that life in UK is much more 'back to normal' than it is here, with quieter streets, half empty trains and buses, and many still having to, or choosing to work at home, but they are still managing to go out for meals, early evening drinks, and occasional days out to the beach or countryside. Here most of us are still staying at home. I needed to pop to the shops this morning so I went to Turre, and although the streets were lined with cars, they must have belonged to residents, because the shops were very quiet, and masks, gloves and/ hand sanitiser are still obligatory in most of them. The markets are all cancelled again. Some bars and restaurants are still open but they are struggling with few foreign visitors to boost their trade, and many have decided to close. 

Today it was announced that we probably have a second wave of the virus, and they don't seem able to stop the number of new cases rising. They have just closed all night-clubs, and stopped smoking outside bars unless the smokers can stay 1.5 metres apart. (Not much fun when you want to have a conversation with someone). But I feel the Town Halls are all doing the best they can, but they can't control everyone's movements all the time.

However, it is not all doom and gloom. We wake up to blue skies every day - well almost every day. It is a bit hotter than I would choose, but we are grateful for aircon units in the main room and our bedroom, and a pool to dip in and out of, so we have ways to keep cool.

I walked up to the Farmacía one day and their thermometer showed 41º. We know the sensor is in the full sun but so am I when I walk up there! One evening we had lots of thunder and lightening, so we quickly moved the seat cushions and electrical items up further into the porch, and sat there watching the rain come down. It was quite hard for a short while, but not really for long enough to do the garden much good. But I believe some places had a lot more than us.

So how have I filled up my time at home? I have to admit that I only do the bare minimum of housework, as no amount of sweeping or polishing can beat the ever present sand and dust. But I do a little each day, and I also cook our main meal at mid-day as my kitchen is cooler in the mornings, and it gets the full sun by the afternoon.

After lunch a siesta is inevitable unless I have something pressing to do. I did manage to make a couple of birthday cards this week, and I still have three to make that will need to be posted soon.

In the evenings I am finding little on TV to hold my attention, though we are enjoying watching the early episodes of Line of Duty. I didn't see the first two or three series, though I did watch the later ones. So most evenings we both sit out on the porch, Chris with his computer and me with my crochet.

So this week I was able to finish off another project and I can now show you what I made with the big ball of colour changing  yarn. It is this huge mandala! (Apologies to my Facebook friends who have already seen it).

The pattern was called Celestial Mandala but I think of it as my Sunburst Mandala. Here is a close up of a small section to show the pattern.

To give you an idea of the size, here I am holding it.

I was unable to find a metal or wooden frame large enough to stretch it on, and in the end I sent away for a 100cm diameter hula-hoop. The colours on offer were all too bright so I settled on a black one, and as my yarn was so dark by the last round, it worked out very well.

There are 81 joining points around the mandala, and the pattern suggested tying every ninth one onto the hoop first to get it evenly spread around, and then each point is stitched around the hoop tightly. I had a little helper with this bit, but he wasn't very helpful!

Two other little things we have accomplished this week: My sun-spinner is now lowered on a new piece of chain so I can reach to turn the motor on and off without fetching the step-stool. (The trials of being a shortie!). It hangs in the archway space at the side of the porch, and now the early rays of sun hit the crystal balls that hang below it, and my porch is dotted with tiny rainbows each morning. That makes me smile!

You may remember my wall clock that I made some years ago. At the time I had real difficulty finding a clock mechanism that would attach straight on the wall, with no need for a plate etc between the working parts and the clock face. It also had to be powerful enough to work the long hands. I eventually found one in America, but the batteries failed after a day or two. We replaced them several times, but in the end gave up, and I have been looking for an alternative ever since.

Well, more recently I found another one advertised and decided to risk sending for it. It took nearly three months to arrive but last week it turned up in the mail. Chris managed to get it set up, and at the last minute he found he could take off the very plain, straight hands that came with it, and use the more ornate ones from the original clock. So it is now working again, and I am really happy with that. I need to replace most of the photos with more up to date ones now, which is why I haven't bothered to straighten them for this photo. They are very light and are held up with blu-tak, and in the heat it gets very soft and they slip a bit. Every now and then one jumps off the wall. But now it is working again, I think it is time for a proper revamp.

The animals are finding the hot weather a bit much, just as we are, and the dogs spend a lot of time lying on the stone floor in the sitting room, under the fan. The cats tend to disappear for the day, and come home in the cooler evening for their food. Little Tolly gets very sleepy in the day. He loves running around the porch in the evenings, but during the day he is my little shadow, following me from room to room, and after a little play he just keels over and sleeps. He has found that our window sills are often a cool place to lay, with some breeze, so he is often up on my craft table under my window, or on Chris' office window. He stretches right out, and I can't believe how much he has grown already. He has a long body and a good length of tail. Here are a couple of shots taken by me and by Chris, of him sleeping away the heat of the day.

It's an easy life for some, isn't it?.

And with that I will link up with Annie's Friday Smiles and Rocking Your World.