marin

Well, as you can see, the apple blossom is in full bloom. The bees are taking full advantage and so are we, its scent is heavenly and I'm feeling the need to open up the garden door and let it waft through the house.

It's been yet another eventful week here, though in a rather different way. Our boy went off on his school camp last week only to be retrieved a day early after a tumble resulted in a broken wrist. He's out of pain now, however the near heatwave that everyone else is relishing is decidedly not what he needs right now. The itching has begun!

The warmth means my latest knit was soaked, blocked, dried and even photographed within a matter of hours today. My one skein, quickie whilst awaiting a shipment of yarn, knit is Marin, by Ysolda Teague. It is my first shawl, I am loving it and now I truly understand the reason why so many knitters delight in them! More details and pics, as ever, are over here on wonderful Ravelry.

Now, before I go I need to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. It appears your fingers must have been well and truly crossed because our housing worries are over. Our dreams have come true and we shall be moving into a more permanent house in July. Somewhere we are going to be able to call 'home' and, after eight whole months we shall be reunited with our own beds once again. Hurray!

Have a great week everyone!

flora and fauna

Thank you so much, wonderful bloggy buddies, for all the Soay love. My head was swelling more and more with each and every comment!

We are currently enjoying day after day of beautiful, bright sunshine which is lifting the spirits no end, I have almost forgotten about those countless weeks of rain that we've endured since last December. Watching this season develop is so exciting because it is all so new to us. This is our first Spring, then it will be our first Summer followed by, of course, the first Autumn.

Weekends are still packed with action and we remain in our adopted 'carpe diem' mode. Last weekend we drove over the border for the first time since our arrival. It was La Conner's annual Tulip Festival that drew us southwards and its vibrant blooms, together with a backdrop of snow-capped mountains did not disappoint. The city here is blooming too. Cherry trees line so many of Vancouver's streets and they are treating us to a magnificent display. Huge magnolia trees are ever present too and, pictured in front of an azure blue sky, present a visual feast for our eyes. Next up we are promised azaleas and rhododendrons which, our neighbour tells, will carry on the colour. Now I understand .. there are plus points for all that rain!

We went back to Reifel at the weekend, too. Sadly the owls have gone to pastures new but the ducks were obliging and came strolling along side us, as before. They are pairing up now and it's so sweet seeing them fuss about each other and watching the drakes chase off any opposition. The Model could barely contain her excitement that the cute little chickadees were brave enough to eat from her hand. We upturned logs to discover beetles' eggs and watched furry caterpillars scurrying across the paths. They move surprisingly quickly, funny little things! Don't you just love Spring?

More and more I find myself relying on my phone for day to day point and shoots and all these photos were taken on Instagram. Do, please come and find me there if you're on it too. It would be fun to see you.

Finally, your crossed fingers would be much appreciated this week. We have been house hunting and saw something yesterday that would be perfect for us. I so desperately want to be able to set up somewhere we can all call home. This semi nomadic lifestyle has been quite unsettling for the children and they can't wait to get into their own beds in July!

Happy weekend to everyone.

soay

Spring has well and truly sprung in Vancouver now and it is welcome beyond belief. We are currently being treated to road upon road of blooming cherry blossoms, a breathtaking sight and really I should be out snapping away with the camera before it disappears just as quickly as it began. However, given we arrived late last year with only a handful of suitcases, and most of our house contents still lying in storage till July, my clothing rail is becoming ever more inappropriate for this milder weather. The time has undoubtedly come to ressurrect the sewing machine, particularly now my new Spring knit is complete.

This is Soay, a second pattern by Gudrun Johnston and certainly not to be the last, as you will see. Gudrun's patterns are fantastic to knit from, she explains everything so thoroughly and it's almost as though she is right next to you as each stitch is created. I love that my knitting journey teaches something new with each pattern I've tackled so far and Soay is no exception. The i-cord trim was the challenge this time and it is so effective, such a pretty and neat way to finish off an edge. Interested in the unusual name? Soay (pronounced so-ay) is the name of an island just off the coast of Skye. It's also a breed of primitive sheep, from that same island, of course! (You should click the link for a look, they are cute little things.)

Madelinetosh is a beautiful yarn and I adore this colour too. I always have a hard time fighting off the urge to buy grey but when I saw 'well water' I knew it was the one .. it's a subtle turquoise/blue which just happens to look beautiful with grey too. Ha! Equally perfect was the fact my vintage buttons were already in the tin, and just the right size. My, that is so satisfying.

As ever, my Ravelry notes are here.

Are you having a good week? I do hope so, won't you let me know what you're up to?

whistler

Why aren't there more hours in the day? I've been meaning to get these photos posted for so long but never seemed to be able to grasp the time. These will have to do, and as for words .. gah, there's that lack of time again. Life is turning hectic once more. We are on the move yet again in a matter of months only this time, I'm hoping, to a house we can hopefully call a home. A semi nomadic lifestyle is not good for children, it seems. And as if that isn't enough, my boy takes his big test in a couple of days and there's a special birthday coming up soon, too. Well, you can't say life's boring!

There was a recent fresh dumping of snow up in the Vancouver mountains, resurrecting a ski season we had thought to be all but over. Prices are low now, so we headed up to Cypress Mountain for an afternoon on the snow. It was good to get back up above the clouds once again and it also made me realise I still had Spring Break photos of our trip to Whistler to post.

Whistler. What a place. Not too many photos for you I hope, and fewer words suffice to say we had a fantastic week up there. The scale of it all is astonishing and we were so lucky to see it in all its sun-rayed glory. We returned home feeling exercised, energised, exhilarated, nourished and completely and utterly blessed to have such a magical place on our doorstep. Oh, and totally exhausted too! Whistler Blackcomb .. what a place indeed!

Happy week to you .. come rain or come shine!

speaking canadian

It's unbelievable to think that we've been here in Canada for four months now, the time has passed by so quickly and we have packed a monumental amount of activity into that time. Canada is a breathtakingly beautiful country, its people friendly and charming, and I think we are settling in quite happily. 

Of our two children I would have put money on the Model being the the first to start picking up a new accent but in actual fact it is the Boy who is changing before our eyes. Not in the way he speaks but with what he says. Many a time I have received confused expressions from restaurant and shop staff when I've asked where I can find the 'loo'. They don't exist here, although they do have washrooms. I'm not going to change though, I just say 'loo' and add 'washroom' by way of explanation. You see, I actually believe I am feeling more British now than ever before. The Boy, on the other hand, corrects us at every opportunity with his new Canadianisms. For example, he insists we no longer keep yog-urt in the fridge, it is yo-gurt. Party food doesn't include crisps, it is chips and we would never have chips with a burger if he had his way, we'd all be eating fries. We don't put waste into a bin, he'd have us throw it into the garbage, or the trash can, even. I do know that part of this is his way of having a little fun with his old mum but gradually (and with the utmost subtlety), he is moving onto the side of Canadianism. It's going to be interesting to see how long it takes him to go, if he ever does, the whole way.

We found this clip on YouTube recently on being a Canadian. Yes, we sat on the 'couch', by the window overlooking the 'sidewalk' and had a good chuckle. She's very good.

Have a great day!!!!!

an easter bonnet

OK, hands up I admit it Guv'nor, I might have been just a teensy bit economical with the truth in my last post. Yes, alright, so I made a hat but truly this is very definitely the last of the 'Winter' variety, not least because the sun has appeared and its beating rays are warm! Aaaah, finally the thick coat comes off, finally the skies up there are no longer grey but azure blue and finally those long awaited and much promised cherry blossoms are coming into bloom. There are so many here in Vancouver the display is going to be astonishing!

Now it just so happens that a few weeks ago I overheard a snippet of a conversation between two ladies in the supermarket queue where one asked the other what she had done over the long weekend. 'Oh, we just went to Whistler' she replied nonchalantly. Excuse me? Whistler is one of the greatest ski resorts in the world and to hear such a throw away comment was a bit of a shocker to me. But the truth is, it is only a mere hour and a half away from where we live and everyone has been there. Several times we had been asked whether we'd 'been up to Whistler yet', so eventually we decided to see out the season in style. I'll have you know we could barely contain our excitement!

There are countless photos to sort out so I shall show you just a select few next week but in the meantime we arrived back home last night, with no Easter preparations whatsoever .. however, I did come back with my new hat! During those evenings up in the mountains, when we were shattered after a hard days exercise and wishing desperately that we had prepared the thigh muscles for the rough treatment they were getting, I managed to summon up just enough energy to knit Zumphor. An easy, repetitive pattern but all the same, extremely satisfying. I say that because of all the hats I have knitted to date, I think this could be my favourite yet. If you take extra care over the fabulous double brim and the sewing in of your ends, it is fully reversible. I think I may prefer it in its stocking stitch version though .. what do you reckon? You can get more info and photos here on Ravelry if you like.

So, I am way behind on all things Easter here and I must away to the oven to bake. I wish you all a wonderful, happy weekend with perhaps just a few little oval chocolate goodies!!

Happy Easter.

jul

I think this may be my last Winter hat. Did you notice the way I put 'Winter' in there .. you see I know I promised I was done but there's yet one more I've got my beady eyes on and I wouldn't mind having a stab at it. For the Spring, you understand!

Well, this is Jul, another Jenny Gordy pattern. Like all her others, it is simple, well written and therefore, yep .. quick to do. Love that! I used Aslan Trends llama and silk, which is sensational, like something Rapunzel might have spun. As well as feeling so wonderful, it is easy to knit with too since its smooth texture flew off my needles quite beautifully. Usually when yarn flies off my needles it is accompanied with some rather unsavoury cursing and a swift crochet hook but this was quite a different experience. Even the Model grabbed it, rubbed it against her delicate face with glee and had a look about her that said 'want, want'. May have to hide this one ..

My husband took the photos at the Reifel bird reserve which is a great little place for many reasons. Of course, it's a peaceful and beautiful environment but it's filled with ducks who, once the children have finished feeding, will happily do the walk with you. So cute. We went at the weekend on a promise of seeing some owls and it just so happens the Model is crazy about owls. We weren't disappointed. There were a couple of species to see who, although wild, are pretty much resident at Reifel, but the one that stole our hearts was a Great Horned Owl. There he was, snuggled up in the trees right above us looking a little sleepy but adorable nonetheless. I say adorable, but this owl is big. Naturally he wasn't getting much rest with us standing gawping at him but he did seem to appreciate the Model singing to him and posed for photos quite considerately.

I hope you're having a good week, the weather is certainly changeable here but we're promised more sunshine by the weekend. How about you?