Friday Smiles 2022; Week 41

Wow. Week 41 already. That's only ten more weeks to Christmas! It doesn't feel like that here yet, though the colder evenings are drawing in. Having said that, I sat on the porch until midnight on Tuesday, wearing just a summer dress, and I didn't feel cold. But we have brought out my thinnest blanket to go on the bed this week, and it does get dark much earlier too.

But for now, we are still enjoying mostly sunshine, with a few light showers and thunder rolling round but not bringing us any rain. This morning we needed to do a few admin jobs so we drove down to Mojacar. The sea was quite calm with the waves just breaking in a white froth around the rocks. There were a few people around, but not many.

The sun was full out and its reflection off the sea was beautiful.

We have had a fairly quiet week but we did drive into Vera on Tuesday to see an eye specialist who is going to do Chris' cataract operation privately, as the health service waiting list for 'minor' operations is too long. It is all arranged for Monday 24th providing his blood test and ECG are fine which I am sure they will be.

I had a problem with my big printer last week which was a bit worrying as I do not want to replace it any time soon. One colour was refusing to print despite me putting a new cartridge in, and doing  a print head clean cycle several times. But when I googled it, it was suggested that the one print head was blocked and needed to be cleaned more thoroughly. So after a very helpful youtube video, I bought this kit from Amazon, followed the instructions, and happily my printer is now functioning properly again. Phew!

Sunday was, as I mentioned last week, our Harvest Thanksgiving service at church. These good folk went in on Saturday to decorate the front with canned produce, flowers and fresh fruit and vegetables. 

I especially liked this little corner, so bright and colourful.

My friend made the harvest loaf from salt dough many years ago. She moved back to UK several years ago, and has now just moved to France, but every year her loaf comes back out at the centre of our display. It was very relevant this year, as one member of our congregation gave a lovely rendition of John Betjeman's poem, Diary of a Church Mouse. It is funny with a subtle moral twist at the end. You can find it HERE if you would like to read it.

Today I had a lovely surprise when a white van pulled up and the man brought me a parcel that I had not expected until next week.  Inside was this red box.

The company name "Las Tijeras Magicas" means "The majic scissors", and it is a wool shop in Elche, near Murcia, from where I now nearly always buy my special yarn, on line. Inside I found this.

Aren't those colours glorious. It is the new yarn for my next Winter project - yes it is another blanket which I don't need, but I do need something to keep my hands and mind busy on those long winter evenings, and I saw this pattern and knew it was to be my next project. My lovely hubby Chris ordered the wool and pattern book for me for my birthday next week, so aren't I the lucky one. (There is one more colour to come which is out of stock until next week).

Also in the parcel were some of the cutest buttons that I want for a little project I have in mind.

I ordered a couple of these sets and one each of the shepherds and wise men. Now I must make sure I use them because they are much too sweet to put in a box and forget about them.

And to close,here are some of my sky photos. They are not 'spectacular' ones, but after rather grey skies, the sun tried to break through at the end of the day, and I sat outside watching it fade, and trying to decided whether what was flying around over the green zone was birds going home, or bats coming out to hunt. The one in the photo is definitely a bird!

And with that I will link up with Annie's Friday Smiles.