I am reading about the great influenza epidemic of 1918 on, in The Great Influenza by John M Barry. Among many disturbing things in the book were how long it took for people with particular agendas to make the public aware of how serious the rapidly spreading scourge really was, how many people who, with the adults in the family ill perhaps, had no food coming into the house for the children and babies, and how socially isolating the whole epidemic was, how people were afraid of contact with others – understandably, as the death tolls were horrendous, and people died very fast, often within 24 hours of becoming ill. Which barely scratches the surface, either, of other terrible things in the book. But it has set me wondering whether I really ought to be making facemasks for everyone in the family for christmas ? to be supplied with cases of spray on disinfectant and boxes of rubber gloves – I think many of us are in a false sense of security thinking , well, we have some Tamiflu or similar – which we don’t – but someone does – supplies are all sold out here and in other places too. Perhaps I shouldn’t read anything but fiction.

I feeel we have had workmen here for ever, doing external maintenance and a couple of things needed in the house. Although I have been careful to not lock myself out again (blog nov 24 ) neverthelsss the unexpected always hovers close by, ready to strike – this morning being a case in point.

Yesterday, our contractor Dennis took me into the city to order brass rods and the end fittings for the carpet runner we are having put on the stairs to cover the slightly slippery bare wood. (the creaks will still be there, though) The shop was fascinating, with rolls of shim in copper, brass and aluminium, strips, rods, heavy guage sheets of metal, pipes of all sizes, even a table of metal platters and tableware, but for once I did not have my camera. A large weighing scale was prominent, for these metals are sold by weight and metal prices fluctuate – anyone taking any notice of the current gold price? whoooee. I digress. The appropriate diameter rod, a tube really, was selected, and since the strip of carpet is 60 cm wide we orderd the brass to be cut into 64 cm lengths. It was delivered last evening, in readiness for the carpet laying to begin at 9-30 am today. Dennis and I agree, when the carpet company coordinator was here last week, checking the measurements etc, he specified a ‘9-30 am start’, allowing about 3 hours and finishing ‘at lunchtime’. Even given Uruguayan ideas on time, I confidently predicted that are so busy at this time of year that they would be on time more or less, and expected them around 10am . They arrived at 10-30. The foreman did not take too kindly to my pointing out the time, wagged his finger at me and barked “I said not before 9-30” which of course, could mean any time, and I always go for something more specific than that. But anyway, they brought in the carpet roll, tools and all the gear needed for the job, and then opened the parcel of rods and fittings.

Within a minute it became clear that the rods had been supplied at the wrong length – 20cm too long, and again, although it was not my error in any way, I found myself being soundly berated. My goodness this foreman fellow is a crabby piece of work; but Dennis was nearby and came to my defence within a few minutes. Clearly the rods would have to go back to be re-cut, and the whole thing rescheduled…. how about tomorrow morning, perhaps? Taking into account the carpet layers’ idea of time, I declined the opportunity to have the best part of tomorrow (saturday) all stuffed up. So we have settled on tuesday “after 3-30” which theoretically gives time for me to meet my 12-20 appointment and return home in time. If by some chance he is early, my cleaning lady is here till then, so with my fingers X behind my back, we finally and courteously agreed on that time, and parted amicably.

So, here it is, noon, and I have not done the quilt planning I was going to settle to while the job was going on. I was planning to settle out in the lovely outside area under the newly refurbished shady pergola – but in the last few minutes this has become a lively area of activity as the boys arrange ladders, radio and some tools for some work to patch some concrete out there – so I’d have had to move soon, anyway. But at least in the meantime I have written an outline of this morning’s unexpected flurry of coming and goings.

OK – christmas shopping officially began today with the purchase of truly, limited edition room freshener “Aires Navidades”, the can decorated with christmas tree, bows, glitter, twinkling lights, cute snowbaby and gift wrapped objects – all in the tradiitonal green red gold white northern hemisphere christmas colour scheme. The small print promises to aromatize our surroundings with touches of apple and cinnamon. Product of Argentina, with heavy infuence from north america, I’m thinking.

Fabuloso is a product of a north american company producing household cleaning stuff here, and year round comes in several lovely colours, pink, blue, lavender. This lovely fresh green we swooped on for christmas when we noticed it on the shelves today. The label says this is Fabulosa Navidad, edicion limitada. I have always meant to ask my friend “Toothpaste maker in Montevideo” what is the rationale behind all these glorious colours – will we buy more? I think I just answered my own question!
PS – I could hardly believe it when DH walked in yesterday with another of each, saying “limited edition – they’ll all be gone soon” – the fabuloso is pretty nicely freshly scented as usual, but the room freshener is a sickly mixture of faux pine overlaid with rather cloying sickly scents (pie spices, cinnamon plus very rose-based pot pourri,) which I find so off- putting in so many north american shops and malls, particularly card and gift shops, at this time of the year. At the rate I plan to have it used in our house, it will take several year’s worth of festive seasonal spraying to use up the two cans…

PPS – April 5th update – At the time I posted the above PS, and the rate at which we use bathrooom deodoriser, were all set to be burdened with spicy cloying seasonal airs in the ‘social bathroom’ here for several years to come. Now to my surprise, (and I meant to put this in a month or so ago -) the can we left there while on holiday for a month in february, with the house in care of a non-english speaking woman who therefore won’t read this about herself – is totally empty !!! How one person can use a whole can of that stuff in one month I … well it blew me away. Figuratively speaking no pun intended. …but I was glad to see one can gone, truly all used up. Just today I read of the annual Darwin Awards 2006 where one of the top ten this year included the death by asphyxiation of a very large man who apparently produced prodigious amounts of intestinal gas, and in his small airtight bedroom was gassed ( in his own gases) as he slept. Any of you planning on visiting our social bathroom be assured that although the room is small, when the light is on so is the extractor fan…..

On one of the email lists of art quilters to which I subscribe, a current topic is various ways one can/might get a print from a spiders’ web, to use in/on an art quilt.

Having a real thing about spiders – yes I know, it’s called arachnophobia and I have it in spades – I can’t imagine anything more creepy than handling an actual web in any way at all to get a ‘print’ directly from it.

For me there are two options – either trace a really beautiful photograph of a web or many webs – make your own photographic study even – or study one/several and draw one freehand. Then, if you want this on fabric there are plenty of ways to get the essence down on fabric. Sparkle can be added with very fine beads, or metallic thread… and so on. To make my point I announced to the list I’d immediately go and do a few experiments, would give myself no more than threee hours, and despite the results, good bad or indifferent, would post pics and comments up on my blog. Well, it’s been an hour and a quarter or so as I write this, the results are up, below, and I think I have made my point to my satisfaction. And that point is, in the ongoing search to overcome technical challenges, add a Gee Whizz factor, many art quilters often skip over a more obvious, easier method through which to express themselves….IMHO, anyway.

On cream nylon organza, photgraphed against plain white paper

A this web was drawn freehand with very fine black permanent marker pen.

B this web, on the rhs, was drawn freehand with a silver gel tip pen. The right hand portion was gone over a second time, but even the darker version is very washed out.

Both versions provide a very ephemeral look….