Bartimaeus

The Spring spread of crocuses was beginning to die back and give way to hosts of daffodils all around.

The gardens are bursting with new leaves and blossoms. Birds are nest building, gathering materials from our front garden. I have been excited to see goldcrests too. 

I had enjoyed my trip to Glasgow though the wool and knitting content had been low. Only one quilt had much wool, using tweed or blanket pieces and it even had a ball of wool on it. It looked more like a blanket or picnic rug than a quilt. 

I had managed to make progress with the hat on the train back. I was getting towards the closing stages of the cardigan and now I had the shiny buttons I was looking forward to getting it done. But the stitching up was proving tricky and I had several attempts to join the shoulders and still don't think it looks good. I have started the border early, before stitching other parts, worrying about a lack of wool and not wanting to use up the remaining wool in seams that could use a different wool. I have concluded now that I will not have enough and will need to pick back the sleeves a little and use their wool for the borders. It is a bit discouraging but I think I have a workable plan.

I had a meet up with an ex colleague and was looking forward to that, but forgot the day and ended in a terrible dash to get there. A half hour warning on the phone for somewhere that is an hour away is not much help! I saw one bus slip away on approach and turned back realising that I didn't have my travelling knitting with me anyway. A bad start but all got sorted and Carol was not too worried as she had enough warning to not have to leave the house since she lives nearer. Or she is just very patient. I know she is tolerant so she hasn't shown me any irritation. Indeed she has shown enormous fortitude and positivity during a difficult time with her health, which is inspiring and humbling to see... There was no reason for me to be grumbling about the cardigan being a problem!

We walked on the firm sand as the loose sand is difficult for her to walk on. But then the wind whipped up and blew light sand in our faces. We moved to the solid upwind ground of the prom. After a spell on a bench we went back along. On the way we saw the three tier concentric solid circles, known locally as 'the wedding cake' for its shape was covered on white material. The structure is a popular meeting point as it is easy to see and recognise and large like a bandstand. It was some feat to cover it with white material. All around were attached photos of two girls together at the beach. I noticed someone standing beside the wedding cake that looked like one of the people in the pictures. I asked her about it and she said it was her and her sister and this was part of an arts students exhibition and this was her piece. She mentioned a talk happening later. She was an art student who also was local to Portobello and her giant cake style exhibit -too big to easily fit in a photo -was called 'A Slice of Home'.

We walked on and noticed some chalk or spray painted stencils of trapeze artists and balloons on the ground and as we wondered if this was part of the display as neither of us had seen it before. We continued to a place for lunch. I was distracted by a huge screen displaying someone running into the waves on the beach. I wondered I this was a permanent Portobello linked display or connected to the art. Carol had never been in this part of the establishment before so couldn't tell. Then I could see the Portobello pictures were interespersed with other beach pictures from another country. The student we had met before had come in with another student and they were laying out leaflets on the tables. I approached and found out the screen show was indeed part of the exhibition and there was a walk with explanations of the pieces at two o'clock. I learned the other beach was Mumbai. They gave me a piece of paper with the art walk on it.

Carol wasn't feeling her leg was up to more walking and standing for talks so she was going to have to head home. In the spirit of Carpe Diem, which Carol is very much practising right now, I decided to join this opportunity that had presented itself. For Carol this was a day to rest and do the seizing another time. The weather wasn't looking too stable either.

The map didn't show a starting place so I assumed I should go to number one but there was no group gathering there but one guy said the lecturer was further down and pointed the way. I met the group walking towards me coming to the number one. But they had met for some reason at number three. I soon found they were not done in order. Perhaps they preferred that people gather outside 'Nobles' than the public toilets. Number one was called 'I need 2p' and was displayed on the wall of the public toilets. The artist explained all the displayed heads had been polished. They were indeed shiny. The tails were not. He seemed to have used a lot of effort and brasso. I remember that coke or hp sauce, anything acidic really, polishes coins easily, but it was too late to mention  that now and it was a lot of coins so not sure if it would be quicker. It had been painstaking work for him.

There used to be circuses and funfairs along the prom and this history had stimulated several of the pieces - this one had reminded me of penny the falls arcade games. The chalk drawings I had seen earlier, was one with a circus theme where the artist invited people to add more to it and had brought chalks. The 'hook a print' where there were ducks to catch from bobbing on water, using a hooked rod and the prize was a photo print. Here on the beach someone had built a construction reminiscent of a big top but ethereal not solid and dangling in the spaces, rather than aerial performers were pieces of glass smoothed by the sea such as are found on beaches, dangling by invisible string, called 'The Circus of my Dreams'.

Also on the beach was a performance piece by two girls swirling in elaborate bird costumes. They had similar jumpers and I liked the knitwear as much as the capes and they very much added to the overall bird look, but they were only rarely seen. As they faced towards each other or away from the observers and the attention was drawn to the flying capes.

As we headed away from the prom to another fairground themed exhibit on a table in a book shop, I saw that the sky ahead was very dark indeed as the exhibitors were lucky to have had dry and slightly sunny weather for their mainly outdoor one off exhibition. Serendipity hadn't only smiled on me. We ended indoors seeing the film I had watched repeatedly over lunch. The artist explained Kabaddi was a game she had played in India as a child, racing the waves. A game played by children everywhere there are waves on sand.

Time and tide wait for no child and nor did this event. Tide and Seek, the exhibition, is on every year, as an art walk and I was just lucky to catch it that day. Friday the 13th wasn't unlucky for me.

Indoors my amaryllis had started to bloom. As it is on a shelf in front of a painting by Shane's mum, it is also a magnificent show with a beach backdrop.

We have enjoyed some warming sunny days so I have had a few walks, without artists, but with lots of beauty and colour and some nice scents as well.

I had neglected my knitting somewhat with the setbacks in the cardigan. Beata had asked if I had done anything with the green ball of thick and thin wool. It had languished in a bag, out of sight and out of mind so I got it out one evening and it was soon finished. I sent a picture to Beata, although, as she says, it would look good against a dark background. I admitted I wasn't showing it off at its best.

Beata has had a series of health setbacks, some related and some not. This week was definitely one to feel blessed with good health as I heard from various people I knew who had bad health news updates. 

I have been going to a choir for three weeks and it delayed my delivering of the scarf. I always come back from it in a good mood. The songs and harmonies are beautiful, uplifting and peaceful, even when they are about war. We have sung a few African songs, a Japanese song and this latest time a Scottish one and a German song were included. I thought I could bring the words on my phone but the choir leader, generally very encouraging, didn't like me using my phone and had me supplied with a spare paper version, so I shall have to get round to printing them before next week. If I have it on paper then I can make notes about the tunes, so there is that advantage.

Nye had undertaken to cook tea in my absence and made an elaborate fish dumplings dish. It all came together well and didn't need much reheating for me. Nye revealed while I ate that the recipe was from a video game, but he had checked on a forum of other players that the recipe actually worked before presenting it to us. Tasty things come from surprising places!

The next night I took Beata her scarf and she is very happy with it. I am really glad to have found a satisfactory use for her wool and I was treated to a lovely sky on the way there too.