January news

Toadlet started the month and the New Year with another migraine aura. She went to lie down straight away and managed to avoid the follow through sickness. We've visited the GP and she has some pills to take as soon as her eyes 'go funny'. So far she hasn't needed them. 

Foul, clashy weather today so after some other chores, I finished this temari

Without flash, bit fuzzy

With flash, too shiny

a sister to this one that I made recently for a friend

I also made one containing a rattle – an old film canister containing some rice grains – commissioned by a friend in France who is awaiting the spring birth of a grand-daughter. She mentioned spring flowers and I was thinking "bright spring star" as I made it. The slight egg shape that you can see in the second and third pictures is caused by the film canister. I was worried that I hadn't got the ball spherical enough but then it occurred to me that egg shapes are very appropriate for spring too!

If your brain works like mine, you'll agree that it can also be seen as a somewhat curvaceous Platonic solid – a dodecahedron.

Most of January seems to have been fairly soggy. This is not unusual here. Between showers/downpours I've continued shredding the leaves and small twigs of the eucalyptus tree. There's still a bit to go but the end is in sight. The slices of trunk have been split (by Toad – too much at once so he did his back in and is still recovering; no archery for him tomorrow) and stacked (by me). I've a few small branch pieces still to split and then we'll cover the top of the pile with a groundsheet and let all dry out.

A local builder came and looked at our leaky wall and assessed what needed doing. He's planning to come and do the work in May or June. It will involve scaffolding and, possibly, knocking down an old stone gatepost so that he can get his long wheelbase van up to the house without having to do several to and fro manoeuvres. The post has been moved before (not by us) to widen the gateway but since there is no gate now it's not really necessary.

All in all January has been a trundly (trundley?) month with us just trundling along doing what needs to be done. Slowly, slowly the light increases. We have a few snowdrops and I brought in and bejugged a branch or two of forsythia to get some early flower sunshine.

Here is a link to my niece's Peruvian newsletter