Oops, I did it again, and new exercises

 You know how I've always said I accept speaking engagements far out, because I've always thought I'd be safely dead by then? And  I never am, and I have to go through with it? I just did it again.

Late July I've agreed to speak online in a pod, as part of an Invictus Games fundraiser, by the Sussex Squad. They're a brilliant group, who support Harry and Meghan's charities with very effective targeted fundraisers. I've been taking part in their Spoutible twice-weekly pod since it started. They can get up to several hundred participants.

So they asked if I'd speak about my own life experience, as far as I feel okay.  This probably came from my recent comments about D-Day, and my point that everyone in a war zone is at war, some, mothers and children, without weapons, and memories of what war does to you if you're in it.

The Invictus  Games, created by Harry for wounded war veterans, are a marvellous way for veterans, women and men,  disabled physically or mentally, to compete at their own level and regain the dignity they lost on being invalided out. Heroes all.  It's a tribute to all veterans of any war, and an acknowledgement of what we owe. So yes, considering my family record, I can do this. 

But, then,  I may be safely dead..;)

Speaking of staying alive, I've been getting creakier as I go, particularly a hip which is a pain in every way. It's been an issue on and off for decades, result of surgery, but lately a bigger nuisance.

I've been doing the chair yoga and started to get a bit bored with knowing exactly what was coming, so I switched to Bob and Brad, great physios, for specific hip exercises, which are helping a lot. 

Their presentation is hokey, but they're excellent physios, and teach the anatomy of pain and its sources.  And they're men, but do treat women and include them firmly in their thinking, yay.  I've had quite a bit of help there.

I know these moves from other exercises such as chi gong, yoga, all that, so it's just a different approach to the same  moves. I'm doing the stretches lying in bed, before I get up and go to sleep. For now they're definitely helping. Anyway, just sayin'.

It's not about living long,  it's about keeping well enough to enjoy it. I don't want to eke out a sad old time!

Meanwhile in between sitting on the patio, admiring my potatoes about to flower 

and my burgeoning, burgeoning, I tell you, flower seeds 

otherwise doing nothing but listen to birds and the wind in the trees, I did more stitching.

 

Trying on here 

The seams are sticking out because this is the first pass, and I was trying on right side out.

The side seams are French seamed. You first stitch up, wrong sides together, then turn, right sides together,  roll the seam between dampened fingers and thumbs, to bring the stitch line to the surface, then stitch again, to enclose the raw edges. 

I was watching Marion's World while I worked on the second pass, and, lookit, she's working on a linen top, too. Smocking though.

This gave me an idea. My sleeves are wider than I want, as a small person, but why not slip a couple of tiny smock type pleats into the sides of the sleeve hems, as a design feature and a fitting move, to bring them in a bit? So that might happen.

Happy day, everyone, try not to commit too far out! Do as I say, not as I do. Except do stretch.

A bangin' day and stitching anyway

Early this morning my neighbor was at the door to explain new flooring going down today, sorry, probably all day noise. Also pouring rain, canopy going up so the men could work outside.

And so it went till 6 pm, when they folded their tents and left. 

I got an idea for the next page,  pausing only to pay bills, run them out to the mailbox, mix a gallon of laundry soap, lunch on the last of the curried red lentils and yogurt, and finish another weaving while I figured out the idea.

Here's the sequence after that 

Complete with changes of mind, and colors, completely different from original idea, upcycling gold work on silk, and transparencies of other artworks scanned and printed onto silk gauze.

There will be overstitching, kantha style, a lot, once the dress is secured in place, using other colors probably.

The original idea can come out another time.

Waste nothing, including ideas.

Happy day, everyone, productive here despite hammers, saws, and rain.  Also I made chocolate pudding, so there's that. And there's an online meeting with my Sussex watching friends this evening.

Photo AC 

Ultra processed reading and stitching

 Latest reading finally arrived at the library, recommended ages ago by Sandra 

So far very interesting, about the food industry and the many processes they use to make food profitable, despite the health results for consumers.

And the day being rainy, a lot of stitching happened 

It's starting to shape up.

The evening was spent in an online pod with friends, discussing the Nigeria visit by Harry and Meghan, connected with the Invictus Games.   

The significance of the Invictus Games, for returning wounded vets, came up because it was founded by Harry, ten years ago and celebrated on May 8, anniversary of VE day. The group asked me to talk about my own experience that day when they found I was at a street celebration that I remembered vividly.  Nice evening.

During the recent massive freecycling for Handsome Son, I scored some jeans I love, wrong size for him, fine for me, with huge and lovely pockets. And a, I think, sofa cover, cotton polyester mix denim look, which nobody took.

There's also a lengthy ruffled matching flounce thing which will probably make 57 or so project bags..

Now I have a large amount of perfectly nice fabric for summer gear once I decide what to make and if the summer ever gets here. Heating kicked in tonight.

Happy day, everyone, make it and take it!

Rehearsing for June, Pride Month 

and as always, Slava Ukraini