Spring Outing

On May 2nd DH, DD and I did a morning outing to a local stand of woods called Thickson Woods.  It is a spring ritual to go down there and have a look at the current year's baby owls. 
I didn't manage to get a photo of them with my basic camera.
My DDaughter though brought her big ass lens and got a fairly good shot of one of them.  I am always in awe of my daughter's photographic skills.

I think this is the shot I got of the owl....hmmm....Nope..... Nice foliage though!

I did get a few shots I like.  Usually what I am attracted to is the textures of nature.  I am always trying to figure out how to translate the textures into knitting.

 As you can guess I am usually looking down at the forest floor while everyone is peering up into the trees.

These look like little shells on the moss but they are actually little paper wasp nests. 

Every year the Fern Fiddle Heads fascinate me.

 On occasion I do look up.  What an amazing Spring sky!

And what amazing company!

I am just so glad Spring has finally arrived!

The End of February

Yesterday we had a beautiful late winter snowfall. The weather was warmish so the snow was heavy and clung to all the trees in a very marshmallow way.

I enjoyed my walk with my wee Kessie. Yet didn't enjoy the filth that gathered on her underside! The dirty dog days are upon us I fear.

Ah well....I am needing Spring weather so much it is not much of a hardship!

I spent some of the weekend working on my Cloisonne sweater. I may add another layer of lace at the bottom in the brown because I think I want it to be a bit longer. Loving it though. Love love love knitting with Berocco Ultra Alpaca! It is difficult to resist burying my face in the softness on a regular basis.

If I get it done before summer (here's hoping)....(My heart skipped a beat with the idea of summer!)...it will be my Spring sweater.

Enjoy your last day of February and, if you live in the north, start taking stock of your spring clothes.

Oscar watched last night...... Colin Firth is a funny man! Yea for The Kings Speech!

The Trees

The Trees

by Philip Larkin (1922 - 1985)

The trees are coming into leaf

Like something almost being said;

The recent buds relax and spread,

Their greenness is a kind of grief.

Is it that they are born again

And we grow old? No, they die too.

Their yearly trick of looking new

Is written in the rings of grain.

Yet still the unresting castles thresh

In fullgrown thickness every May.

Last year is dead, they seem to say,

Begin afresh, afresh, afresh.

Photos taken this morning while walking the dog.

Happy Easter

What a beautiful weekend it has been this Easter weekend.

It really seems to be that winter has left us and summer is on its way.

Both of the walks today were strolls of enjoyment for both Kessie and me. This evening's was filled with the scents of barbeques and the sound of birds. Kessie for sure is enjoying all the smells that she is encountering . Even if I wanted to take a brisk walk I probably wouldn't be able to without dragging the girl behind.

So between the sniffing and the peeing on every other blade of grass (yes there is some grass now too) my walk around the block is taking twice as long as normal.

But she is just so damned cute that I bear her no grudge!

We wish you all the best weekend!

My backyard

Hostas et al.

Explorer Roses


I do love my back yard! Especially at this time of year.

Victoria, Victoria!

It is Victoria Day long weekend. The weekend for beginning summer planting. The first weekend to be at the cottage (if you have a cottage). I have not started my summer planting. I am not at the cottage.

Yesterday I was at the store and the weather was sunny and hot. Today I am at home and the weather is cool. I don't want to garden in cool weather. (insert whine here) (foot stomp)

Yesterday was much busier at the shop than I thought it would be. Not everybody has a cottage and some people have taken the weekend to knit. I got a visit from Hunka Hunka Burnin Yarn yesterday. Such a lovely petite woman she is! It is neat to meet fellow bloggers!

Today, since it is cool I am working on a Secret Sister gift for my sorority. It is revealing day on Tuesday and I hope that I get the project done. I also have to come up with a poem about my life this past year. I am trying to decide between Haiku and Limerick. I used to write alot of poetry but I find it difficult now. Maybe if I meditate a poem will appear.



Going back to Friday. I had a day long visit from my sister, Dad and his wife at the store. My sister has taken up knitting again (30 some odd years later). She is knitting a scarf out of Mission Falls 1824 cotton, Colinette silk and Colinette Mohair. The colours together are stunning. The hand... so soft. It is being knit on 10mm needles with 2 strands of the cotton and one strand each of the silk and mohair. The pattern is from Last Minute Knitted Gifts which I do have in the store. Cast on 16 sts and k1 P1 rib till done and then make a fringe. (extremely abreviated instructions)



My Father's wife brought a whole bunch of Vintage buttons to sell in the shop. There are some really great ones and they are reasonably priced! I will post some pictures of them later this week.



Rhea and a few of her friends also dropped by on Friday. The lucky teenagers had a PA day which means they didn't have to go to school.







And now for one picture of Kessie and her ball. She won't play with the smaller tennis ball we got her. NO, she wants the big tennis ball. It takes her 5 minutes to get in her mouth but she can do it and we can't stop her!

Digging Spring!

It is a beautiful Sunday today. Almost like Spring! Wait! It is Spring. I got out to do some raking and to keep Kessie from digging up the garden...

So many branches from the tree snapped off over the winter. Kessie now has a nice pile to drag around the backyard should she desire.


This week at the store was a good one. I got most of my orders in so I now have various shades of Hempathy and Bonsai. I just got Svale in an off white but it is a good summer top colour.

I picked up a few books at the library on Monday evening on knitting. I am loving Folk Bags and I am planning a Saturday class with lunch to make the Camel bag or the Carpet Bag.

I am still working on Bob Blankie from Mission Falls, Peony bag from Interweave Magazine, a basic sock in Tofutsies and I have started the Camel Bag from the Folk Bags book. Now, my friends that is only the knitting I am doing at the store! At home I am getting close to finishing my sweater, looking at the Swallow Tail Shawl and thinking about the Rowan poncho I started last summer. Do you think that 7 WIP's is enough? Probably not! ...because I just remembered I am also knitting a Rowan sweater for an order! Anybody think that 8 is enough? (wasn't that a title for a movie?) ...ACHH! I just remembere another WIP! Cotton Patagonia Poncho using a Knitty pattern! Can I stop at 9? Should I start something else to make it an even 10? Please stop me!!

Svale scarf is done.

Now it is time to go back outside!