Updates of all sorts

This is day four of the Chia Pet project. Things are starting to sprout, for sure. It actually looks kind of icky right now, but just wait for that luxuriant green growth!

I also finished a knitting project. I think I started this Clapotis last fall for lineup knitting at TIFF before we went to Cambridge. It didn't make the trip with us, and was waiting for me when we got back from Vancouver last week.

I had a lot more yarn, but this is a fine length, and I actually want to use that yarn for something else now! My house, my rules.

The thing I have started is a fancy lace scarf. I started out by casting on, per instructions, 569 stitches. Five Hundred and Sixty Nine. That is a lot. Okay, though, I cast on the right number. I purled a row. I repeated the chart pattern 37 times. I made a mistake somewhere in there, had to unknit about 500 stitches and do it again. Made another mistake, unknit 400 stitches, did it again.

Purled one row.

I am about to do the next row of lace, which is in fact exactly the same as the first row of lace.

I will report back.

Special project

Someone around here with a sense of humour presented this delight to his sister at Christmastime.

We've all been away, but now seems like the perfect time to get excited about this. Full growth, 1-2 weeks. Perfect!

You soak the "planter" for half an hour, or longer if you forget because you are mindlessly scrolling through twitter.

You also soak a couple of teaspoons of the seeds. Now, I do not know how old these are, but heart-eye emojis haven't been around for that long, have they? We're hoping for a good crop.

Gently put the seed goo on the planter.

All over.

Ta da! All ready.

We are covering our seeds in a mini-greenhouse made with a veg bag from the grocery store.

Check back in a couple of days to see if we get anything sprouting!

Three things on Thursday

1. We are back in Toronto. The plane yesterday was full to the brim. 
2. No one swept the pine needles off my front porch since January.
3. The house was empty for three months, and apparently we didn't stock up on toilet paper before we left! 

Short and sweet today; I have unpacking to do!

One down

Once upon a time, I started knitting a pair of elaborate stranded mittens, many colours, tiny needles.

Then I put one half-finished mitten away for about four years.

When I was coming away for a few months, I planned my knitting a bit carefully, bringing things I wanted to get done and vowing (falsely, as it turned out) not to buy yarn, but just knit what I had brought. Well, the sweater took longer than I had thought it would, I had to veer off and knit some baby hats (which I can show you later) and so I am only now getting to the mitten.

It is very dense and warm and soft and lovely.

I had a lot of ends to sew in.

The thumb is not perfect, but that's alright. It's a bit long and a bit thin, and I can see that it has to be like that to get all the diamonds right, but ... not perfect.

I can tell you, it might be a while before I feel like starting the second one! So fiddly, and so many colour changes and I just need some plain garter stitch right now. I should just jump right back into stranded-mitten-land, but I will at least wait until April when I am back in Toronto. We will get our second spring of the year then! So, who needs mittens.... I might just wait until September! 

Hoo boy

Nine days ago I made a list.

Not gonna work, folks. Let's review.

It's my birthday soon! I am 35, I think. Or maybe 60. Who knows? I hope to take a bunch of people out to brunch. 

I did have a birthday, and I did go out with friends. A bunch of old folks, like me, and we had brunch in a restaurant and went for a walk on the beach later. Very nice. But the restaurant was less than half full, and we all elbow-bumped and air-kissed. Not business as usual. 

We'll have another visitor to stay for a night or two, I imagine. 

Our visitor-to-be woke up with a sore throat one day and is not coming. 

Oh, we're going to Whistler! I haven't skied for 30 years or so. (Hmm, maybe I am older than 35.) We have reservations for a couple of dinners already, because we stupidly booked our holiday during the schools' March break.

Yeah, the mountain is closed. They haven't announced yet what will happen the last week of March, which is when we were going, but things are going to get worse before they get better and I am cancelling my dinner reservations there. We hadn't paid for the hotel, but we will lose the price of the bus ride up there. C'est la vie. 

I will finish the multicoloured sweater. I am just working on the collar, and I'm hoping to have it done in a week. Surely I can do that. 

I didn't get the sweater done in time to wear it to my party, but it is done now!
Success!

When I do that, I will start work on some mittens, which were really started something like five years ago. That will be pretty exciting. 

Yes, very exciting! Almost done one mitten, which I now realize has a big old mistake in it. Spot the error.

I am going to Fibres West. I have two friends here who are going. 

No, cancelled! I did go over to my friend's house and see her spinning wheel and her stash of fleece and fabric and everything! We have a dyeing day planned, but who knows what will happen with that. I also went down to my LYS here and bought a few balls of lovely green laceweight yarn, just to make up for no festival.

More flowers will come out, and I will take pictures of them. 

Success!

I will pay for my holiday this May in Norfolk, England. I am pretty sure that the windswept beaches of Norfolk will be safe from whatever viruses are out there, and I hope the planes and trains are okay, too. I have only paid a deposit, but soon have to pay for the rest. 

Cancelled, by my friends and me... We are still negotiating about rebooking fees, but we might rebook for same time next year, or we might have to just bail. No word on refunding airline tickets yet, I think I have lost a few hundred dollars on a hotel in London and a train ticket I very prudently bought in advance.

Before the end of the month, Hot Docs will release all the info about this year's festival. I will likely volunteer at the school program again, but now I will be 60 (could that be right?) and so get free tickets to daytime screenings. So many movies! (People come from all over the world for this festival, so let's hope things are okay. Early May, prime time for epidemics.) 

Ah, postponed. Till when, no one knows. The cinema is closed and the festival will not take place this spring.

I will not be panic buying; I will be going out to eat and drink and swim and see things; I will wash my hands as I sing a chorus of Jolene or maybe Love is All Around. 

We have not been panic buying, so that is good. We have been going out to eat and drink and see things, so that is good. I went for a swim this morning, and by the time I had finished lunch, the city had announced they are closing everything.

And that, surely, is enough. 

 Surely. 

Plans for the last three weeks of March

March is well under way, but I think I can make a short list of what I want to do.

Let's see.

1. It's my birthday soon! I am 35, I think. Or maybe 60. Who knows? I hope to take a bunch of people out to brunch. Not our usual house-filling party, but I've been assured that for a big birthday, one can celebrate all year, so when we get back to Toronto, look out! 
2. We'll have another visitor to stay for a night or two, I imagine. Luckily now I know where the extra sheets and towels are kept, so that's all good. One day I will try to get a picture of where these things are kept.... Imagine Harry Potter's cupboard under the stairs, with most of it filled with a washer and dryer. I am not the hugest person in the world, but I have to squeeze in there with great care, and no way I'm going back in to put things back. Our landlords probably don't realize there are people who couldn't fit. 
3. Oh, we're going to Whistler! I haven't skied for 30 years or so. (Hmm, maybe I am older than 35.) We have reservations for a couple of dinners already, because we stupidly booked our holiday during the schools' March break. At least I have a swimsuit for hot-tub sitting, but I think in my wise old age, I will not be skiing. 
4. I will finish the multicoloured sweater. I am just working on the collar, and I'm hoping to have it done in a week. Surely I can do that. 
5. When I do that, I will start work on some mittens, which were really started something like five years ago. That will be pretty exciting. 
6. I am going to Fibres West. I have two friends here who are going. One knew my husband in elementary school, and I think her older sister and my older sister were friends in the 60s! She lives out of town and I will meet her there. The other is the cousin of my next-door neighbour in Toronto. She came to my 30th birthday party in Toronto in 1990 with a physicist... who was at grad school with Stephen at UBC... oh it's a bit complicated, but whatever, she is a spinner and weaver and she is driving me to Langley to Fibres West. 
7. More flowers will come out, and I will take pictures of them. 
8. I will pay for my holiday this May in Norfolk, England. I am pretty sure that the windswept beaches of Norfolk will be safe from whatever viruses are out there, and I hope the planes and trains are okay, too. I have only paid a deposit, but soon have to pay for the rest. 
9. Before the end of the month, Hot Docs will release all the info about this year's festival. I will likely volunteer at the school program again, but now I will be 60 (could that be right?) and so get free tickets to daytime screenings. So many movies! (People come from all over the world for this festival, so let's hope things are okay. Early May, prime time for epidemics.) 
10. I will not be panic buying; I will be going out to eat and drink and swim and see things; I will wash my hands as I sing a chorus of Jolene or maybe Love is All Around. 

And that, surely, is enough. 

Tour of the old hood

It looks like I'm not going to make a to-do list for March just yet. It was so lovely and sunny today that I have lots of other things to show you.

So busy! This morning I went for a swim: biked over the bridge, swam, walked back. Nine a.m. sunshine over English Bay.

When I got home I did my usual post-swim lolling around, but decided that I had to go out and enjoy the sunshine, so I took a bus to my old (really old, like 1970) stomping grounds.

The Dunbar Theatre is my childhood cinema. I saw such classics as It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World here, and a Carry On movie, I am sure. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if this is where I saw Star Wars in 1977, but opinions vary. Looking good! The library is just north of here, still much the same as well.

Next stop was the park. The community centre is still there, of course, where I took drama class and cooking class and who knows what. And the park is still parklike, although the playground has, thankfully, been modernized. We had metal monkey bars on a concrete playground in my day.

The great thing about this park is the woods! I'm surprised no safety-conscious city politicians have got their hands on them. There are trees with paths and grass, and then there are wilder bits where it looks like people have camped and had a wee fire. All in a couple of city blocks! 

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this plant is Oregon Grape. Make me a yarn with all those colours in it!

The centre of the old neighbourhood is, of course, my old house. We moved from this house in 1976, I believe. And I think the person who bought it then (or their family) must still own it. No one has done anything to it! Look at those ancient window frames. And all that overgrown garden! My father would be turning in his grave, as they say. (You can always click to embiggen if you really want to see those window frames!)

I was poking around and saw a woman in the back yard attempting to hack through the undergrowth, and so I asked her if she lived there. She had just moved in and was hoping for a vegetable garden, so was clearing a spot. She said she thought she had found a brick patio, and I said, yes, there was a brick patio... The tree we had a treehouse in had come down, as had a lovely dogwood tree. Things happen in almost 45 years.

But, our playhouse, circa 1967, is still there! Somewhat rundown. (I wish I had moved that blackberry vine for the photo!)

So, a tad disappointing, all in all. That poor woman will have her work cut out for her, tackling the yard. I hope she can make enough of a dent to have her little garden. She said it was cheap rent, but there are about eight people living in the house, so someone is still making a bundle.

Coffee and a lemon tart and home again.

Maybe some rainy day I will make that to-do list.

A review of February

This is the list I made at the beginning of February, so let's see how I did.

Kids are coming to visit in the middle of the month, so I have to think about that, find bedding, think of things to do. We will make a quick trip to Victoria, somehow, to celebrate about five spring birthdays. 

We did that! We went to Victoria and sang "Happy birthday to Elaine, Gramma, Arthur, (me), John, Reed!" And got the news that there will be a new little addition to the cousinage later this year, so I shall be a great aunt.

Before that, my brother is coming later this week, so I guess I have to find him bedding! And have another friend over for dinner with him, so will have to explore the "entertaining" facilities of this kitchen.

We did that, too! We had a very nice dinner of pasta with scallops and prosciutto, as I recall, and a great night of chit-chatting. I found everyone bedding, and it seems that I have been doing laundry for ever.

I have to get to a knitting shop to get some markers so I can continue with my sweater. I got messed up twice on the first sleeve, so I'm pausing till I can get things right! Might even have to buy another needle or two for this collar. 

I bought the markers and have made pretty good progress, but still have half a sleeve to go, and the collar. I was in a shop today and looked at short circular needles, but c'mon, $14 is way too much. How many 4.5 mm needles do I have in Toronto? (About a kajillion.)

I only brought enough stuff for three knitting projects, and while the sweater is on hold I will doodle away on a garter-stitch wrap I started on the plane out here.

Doodling away! This is my ferry knitting, my "I have guests and I can't just pay attention to my knitting" knitting, and it's keeping me amused and slowly getting bigger. 

 We have tickets for a movie tonight! This is a level of planning kind of unheard of. We are going to see Knives Out, which won an award for costumes, including The Sweater. I actually know nothing else about the movie.

This was a very funny and witty and good movie. I am so used to seeing documentaries that it's quite novel to go see a fictional movie. Daniel Craig with an American accent keeps the audience on their toes. 

Today was lovely and sunny, but when I was out my phone was low on battery so I didn't take many pictures. Soon, though, I will become unbearable with all my cherry blossom and daffodil pictures!

I hope that we can say I have been successful in this. I put pictures on Instagram daily, and I try not to be monotonous with the spring flower pictures, but I do take a lot.

We are, foolishly, looking at real estate. We think that one day we would like to move here, but we are not at all prepared to sell our Toronto house at this point. So we can't really buy anything, but we want to "get a feel for things" by going to open houses for properties we can't afford right now. Today we saw five! Just overwhelming and confusing now, but we shall persevere.  

We have persevered. We saw one we wanted to buy immediately, but the bank said that would not be a good idea. I am actually sick of real estate photos, and am frustrated with the "just looking," so I don't know how long we will keep this up. Buy something now, miraculously tie up all loose ends including those of adult children, use a charm or two to clean up the house in Toronto, I'm in for all that, but apparently I am unable to do all those things.

I hope to make a March to-do list soon, before we are too far into March. Perhaps even tomorrow. 

A weekend away

This past weekend some friends from Toronto came out to the Wet Coast to see the sights, so we very generously invited them (and ourselves) to my brother's house on Salt Spring Island! Aren't we nice?

For the ferry ride over to Victoria the weather was perfect and I was pretty chuffed that our friends would see our best side.

We stopped off at Stephen's sister's house for one night as our friends were flying in at 11 pm. I love these white-edged African violets. I've never had much luck with them, but in my dream home with big windows, one day I might try again.

We all met for breakfast and our birder friends and our birder relatives bonded over Eurasian skylarks. The best place to see a skylark here is apparently the edges of the Victoria airport, and we did see some, but our Dave was trying to get a sound recording and the flying school's little planes were taking off at just the wrong time. So we did see the birds, but didn't get any proof because they fly by really fast and we couldn't really hear them over all the other noise.

We took the little ferry to Salt Spring Island. Since it was just early afternoon, we took a wee trip to Ruckle Park, best place ever. The sun was disappearing, but we saw tons of birds, an otter, so much pretty moss... no orcas happened to be passing by, though. Dave got a good picture of the otter, but he also had a way better camera than anyone else!

I prefer things that don't zip out of the frame... Got these great logs the next day!

We went to the Fernwood Cafe, at the north end of the island and wandered along the beach near there.

Pretty shells, great wood, nice trees... Who cares if the light is a bit gloomy?

After lunch in town, we went to Burgoyne Bay, where Dave hoped to find a sapsucker. Another disappointment, I'm afraid. I was delighted to see a bald eagle in a tree, but that is old hat for some.

And, look, some great lichen!

It was a chilly day, so when we got back to the house, I had a warm shower and put on this gorgeous sweater I found in the closet. It's the one I made for John's 50th birthday some 12 years ago! Photobomb by Katie!

Tuesday morning was clear and for some crazy reason I was up early enough to see the sunrise.

Katie and Dave went off on a noon ferry back to Vancouver Island and we stuck around for a few hours till our ferry back to the city. We saw the daffodils as we were investigating some dandy real estate.

A rather gloomier ferry ride back to civilization this time. One day I would love to make a sea/sky blanket with all these pictures. I do love a horizon!

Now we are back in the big city, on another perfect spring day!