Hiding in plain sight

The macaw, as I am sure you are very well aware, is notable for its camouflage.

A little frock I bought in Ao Nang, Thailand, a little over 19 years ago. I've not worn it for many years but I have loved it long-time. When I selected what to pack and what to leave behind, this had to come home with me. I knew that one day I would put its much-loved print to good use, somehow.

Some weeks ago, before I purchased the Polish lace with which to make my shower curtain (working fantastically well you may care to know – so much better than any water-resistant stuff) I had a rummage through my textile collection, so itching was I to get the sewing machine out. As I took the pieces from my treasure chest and placed them on the shorty-bed sofa beside it, the Central American birds from Southeast Asia took one look at the West African cushion covers and flatly refused to get back into their cage. Something had to be done.

It's been a bit of a challenge because it is not awfully easy to fit a cushion inside a tiny frock. Well, yes it is, if you are happy with just the one cushion and a great deal of wasted fabric. But I am not that person and so the frock has been carefully dismantled, its parts ironed and measured, and appropriately small cushion pads obtained. Even so, there is a bit of a patchwork thing going on with the pillow-case tuck in part at the back. Yes, a zip would have required less overlap, but this cheap lightweight cotton is not capable of supporting a zip.

This afternoon I have made one cushion cover. Tomorrow I hope to construct its lifelong partner.

This morning I filed my tax return, set up a Direct Debit to have it all paid by 31st Jan 2020 and then popped into my new bank to apply for a credit card. Application accepted. Good! I've had a credit card forever but I despise my current provider and the sooner I can be shot of them so much the better.

I did undertake a little research and I really fancied the Amnesty International credit card. Those have been provided previously by the Co-operative Bank, but sadly it is no longer a “product” they support. At least the one for which I have been accepted has an equal ethical score, it just doesn't have the really cool “candle-in-barbed-wire” graphic embedded in it (and doesn't send money to AI either).

Apart from that, this week I have needed to respond to three urgent matters concerning the property in London for which I am responsible; I have made a proactive suggestion regarding the pigeon situation in the property I inhabit in Kent, and I am juggling with an unexpected threat from bailiffs regarding debts owed by a person unknown to anyone hereabouts, although Court records suggest that my current home is the address from which debts must be retrieved.

Which is why there are times when real life takes priority over blip. It's all so exciting! What jolly fun! Who needs TV?

Here I am still, enjoying your journals, I apologise if I am sometimes invisible in the canopy - I am, however, still squawking!