Wednesday not in Egypt

 One of the YouTube channels I've been following since it started is Silver and Solo, created by Jen, lifelong happy single person and a lot of fun to follow. She's so honest, and her life is interesting. A Canadian, she now lives in Vancouver, and recently turned 60. 

Here's part of her birthday present to herself, balloon trip over the Valley of the Kings, and more.

 

She saved and planned and splurged on a once in a lifetime solo trip to Egypt. Checked all her boxes. Hotel room overlooking the pyramids, see King Tutankhamen's tomb, sail down the Nile, another hotel room overlooking the Nile, even ride a camel!  

It was fun just seeing her face whenever she saw something she'd longed to see, and the squeee of excitement.  Anyway I was touched by her joy and thought you'd like it too.

My own 60th birthday present to myself was a set of free weights, not as romantic, but they've improved my life.

If you're solo and have passed your 60th, what did you do for yourself for your birthday?

Wednesday self care involved the biannual doctor visit to get assessed again for the Prolia injection. My doctor said nice things about my fitness and was very happy I'd had the successful hip replacement. 

Meanwhile I had a couple of interesting convos. Her nurse commented on my cold hands, which led to pastry and how I make it well, because cold hands. 

Turns out she started life at culinary school as a pastry chef. I commented there was probably less shouting now, whereupon she said I could tell some stories about restaurant kitchens!

When I checked out there was an interesting discussion in the middle of setting up my appointments, with a receptionist who'd worked way back for Disney. She was explaining to a bearded colleague that Disney required a beard or clean shaven. You had to take vacation time to grow it! Who knew.

Never a dull moment in my doctor's office. I also had a comic interlude when the injection lady called my first name and another lady and I both stood. Then she explained it's the one here for an injection, and we both said still me! Then she specified what kind and my namesake went with her. She returned after a while to the waiting area and when my name was called, dammit if she didn't jump up again. But it was me this time.

Handsome Tenant seems to be studying the heatpump and getting the hang of the system. One thing I liked that they did was reconfigure how to change the filter. 

Now it's set up inside the return grill in the living room rather than out on the deck where the furnace is in a storage area. Saves going outside in winter to change the filter, I like this.  You just pop off the grill and insert the filter, then close it again. Easy.

Today's yes2next was 20 minutes' resistance band work. I've moved to the blue, heavier, band now. Yay me.

Happy day everyone, give yourself a present, you're worth it.

Meanwhile here's yet another bouquet. When I thought I'd picked the last, the zinnias and daisies evidently took it as a challenge.

Incidentally the chickens have been busted. Some miserable person reported they were ALL OVER, THEY'D ESCAPED, WHO DID THIS, etc. So the HOA is looking into it. I know nothing..

Where it makes sense to alert: I got a text from the bank security department asking if I had authorized the (big) check for the heatpump. I confirmed, and they will pay it. 

 Still there for you, friends 

Because it's my flag, too!

Heat pump done, walk fitted in, and Textiles and Tea

I was up very early Tuesday, to get to the condo for 7:30 because the HVAC team could be there that early. They were delayed and arrived after nine, but oh well. 

The lead guy had me personally attest to which of the downstairs units they were replacing. Reminded me of marking up the right body part for surgery. 

It begins.

Then two vanloads of technicians and equipment arrived and once everyone was running about with tools and things I asked if they needed me there.  They assured me they didn't, but I needed to come back later for the paperwork.

That could have been anything between three and seven, depending on how well it went. So I took off, got in a walk, cast on Sock Two, read some Cazalet  Chronicles, I really like that book, dozed off, heated some thirty minute lentils and rice, one more meal of that recipe to go, cauliflower cheese now finished, cod up next. 

And it occurred to me to show you the great toeup sock start I do when I'm not doing shortrows. It's the patch toe.

You knit a square in garter (plain knit) stitch, on two needles, casting on one fourth of the number the sock requires. Here I need 52 stitches, so I cast on 13. Since knitting stitches are rectangular not square, you need to check how many rows of knitting you need. Pro tip:  it won't be thirteen. Best to fold corner to corner to establish when you've got a square.

Then you keep your thirteen original stitches and pick up thirteen on the other three sides if your square. My last sock I picked up so I was knitting on four needles. This time I picked up 13 on the first needle in addition to the original 13. Then 13 on two  more needles, to knit in a triangle, my favorite way.

Once picked up, keep knitting and now it will become stockinette stitch because you're working in the round. And you're off, into the foot. I really like the simplicity of this start. The toe then shapes itself diagonally, and it's very comfortable.

There, worth every penny you paid for it!

Then an interlude back at the condo, after I got a call at 2pm saying they were done, all went smoothly,  just clearing up. So I went over to wait till they did the finishing bits, argued among themselves about cooking steak and chicken, and presented me with the paperwork. I got rebates adding up to about $700, most of which will go to pay the township for the permits, which will arrive in the mail soon.

The temp got up to nearly 90°f today, so when the cooling started up it was great. There's a fancy thermostat which Handsome Son will have to program with an app. I'll leave that Manly Task to him. 

Home again to a cup of tea to accompany Textiles and Tea with

,

who combines computer programming concepts and video with weaving , saluting women in the computer world, including Ada Lovelace who, with Charles Babbage, devised the punch card coding which was the predecessor of modern computing.

This is Ada

And here Ahree's doing an artist in residence weaving session to show how the cloth on the walls was made

This is a detail from Timecard, a piece showing the different tasks and time allotted, color coded, over a week. Initially she wanted a lot of colors for the activities, but after trying it out here, decided it was chaotic, and went for a muted effect. The piece covers a week from 6am to midnight.

This is a piece graphing the proportions of men to women in computer science courses, each row a year, the left part women, the right men. Women peaked in the field until the mid eighties with the PC and men taking an interest then pushing women out of the field women had created.

Here's a detail showing an inset of copper, symbolizing the use of copper in chip making. And it shows the sharp decline in women studying computer science.

She's an interesting artist in weaving, programming, well, weaving is programming, likewise knitting,  and the history of both.

Happy day, everyone, Tuesday was action packed here. I had to skip the knitting group but couldn't be in two places at once. 

Don't try to be in two places at once, it's very tiring.

 

Beauty break, and reading

Here's a quilted piece I'm showing you with the permission of the maker, on Spoutible,  because it's a great handling of color and color progression

Just enjoy it! I could talk color theory but let's not. Just let it work on you. She's a gifted artist in quilting, and I thank her for permission to show you.

Friday morning I spent more time than I expected to on the Yeung Man Cooking recipe, 30 minute curried lentils.

 Here's the cast of characters, with substitutions. No red chili oil, so I used the same quantity of that fiery Indian condiment Gary's neighbor sent recently, no coconut cream, so I used Greek yogurt. No spinach so I omitted it. No basmati rice so I used brown.

No red lentils, so I used brown. None of it mattered, because it's strongly seasoned and  came out well.

It's a great meal but you really have to be in the mood for all the stages. Even I, usually dauntless, was a bit daunted once under way with baking the tofu, rinsing and cooking the rice, rinsing the lentils, dicing onions and mincing the garlic and hot pepper, and toasting the seeds.  Yes, did I mention crushing the cardamom pods..

I also served it differently, with the curried mixture over the rice instead of beside it.

I definitely like his idea of adding crushed cardamom pods to the rice. Very aromatic,and they come to the surface, so you can easily find and remove them.

Anyway this was good, despite many stages, and I'll do it again. Meanwhile this is enough for several meals. I like knowing I have dinner ready before I even get up in the morning.

I'm reading several books at once now and this one has eclipsed the others

It's a wonderfully written journey, head to toe, of the landscape of the human body, by a medical practitioner in several fields who is also conversant with the history of medical practice.

When I was studying life drawing I often thought that the human body was like a landscape, with hills, valleys, folds and intersections. This book reminds me very much of that experience. He's respectful of patients as well as of the mechanisms of the organs.  

One of his most stunning chapters is about the eye and how it processes light traveling across the universe in nano seconds to illuminate what we're reading.

Pretty good, but less exciting, is

A recommendation from Susan Hill as being in the style of Barbara Pym. Older widowed woman, living in a hotel happily, helping sort out, or interfere in, the lives of younger family members and a former lover. 

 It's okay, mild enough, but no resemblance to the piercing intelligence of Pym.  I don't think Hill has grasped the point of Pym. I shouldn't be surprised, since she doesn't get Austen either. 

She seems to read to find out what happens, when that's the least of your concerns with Austen or Pym. She does grasp Anita Brookner, but then Brookner's more evident, a wonderful writer, painting a clearer image of a world, and without the irony I love in Pym and Austen.

I don't think Pym and Austen are alike, just that they provoke work from the reader, as a participant, not as a passenger.

I just finished yet another reading of 

the first Heyer I ever read, as a teen, recommended by our history teacher! She was interested in the eighteenth century historical accuracy of Heyer's depiction of  France and England, and we were interested in the romance angle.

Waiting at the library are 

and 

Both are Hill recommendations or at least mentioned warmly in her year of reading book. The second is a volume of the Cazalet Chronicles which I read and loved years ago online and I think I'd like to revisit it as a paper book.

Susan Hill gave me a few good ideas, despite my carping.

Friday morning I Signed The Heatpump Contract. The Rubicon is firmly behind me, along with the contents of my wallet.

Happy day, everyone, and remember, when you're sighing about floating apostrophes, "would of" and damages being mixed up with damage