Cast on

I finished one Christmas project and started another. 

A day of highs and lows, ending with my favourite dessert and YO and K2tog.

Winter light

Music, knitting and sunshine: all the good things in life.

Another snowy day

She was so proud that her hair was finally long enough for a pony tail. 

I is for Interesting

Instead of Mama going to a conference and little E going with Daddy,

we played with letters, made snow angels and visited with friends. 

Not quite how the day had been planned, but not bad either.

Swing state

Regardless of what is going on in the day

--and regardless of the state of the weather--

she's always ready to swing.

A break in the clouds

Trying to get back into the habit of blogging. 

Life is full...as always, with much learning and many life lessons. 

And much joy, like an afternoon walk in the sunshine, after days of cloud.

Rockelbel's Canon - ThePianoGuys

We first saw Jon Schmidt a couple of years ago when he did a concert in Calgary (see post here). He and his cello co-conspirator have become a major YouTube sensation, and justifiably so.

Weary

The plowed furrows in the field across the street have a lovely pattern in the evening light,

and the evening is so lovely and peaceful...relief.

Raindrops on poppies

It was a lovely break of a rainy day: 

she napped and cuddled, we made muffins, and then Daddy came home for waffles and wine.

Time to Be in Earnest

Time To Be In Earnest: A Fragment Of Autobiography by P.D. James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I expected not to like Time to Be In Earnest simply on the principle of it being an autobiography and therefore being navel-gazing. Consequently, I was happily surprised to really enjoy it.

I liked the format of the book--part daily diary, part lifelong history. I thought James combined the two well, going from a discussion of a minute detail of her life to the broader topic of, for instance, the purpose of the BBC, fairly effortlessly.

James referenced a number of events and people of whom I had no notion, so at times it was handy to have the internet close by to look things up, and that was a bit arduous.

It is clear that James loves her country--the cities, the churches, the country landscape, the ocean, the language. This love comes through her writing clearly, and with me reading, she was preaching to the choir.


View all my reviews

Closing the Day

She brought me my glasses and insisted I get up, 

and thus began another day with my two favourite people.

Sprouts

We planted potatoes together: I dug the holes, she put the potatoes in and we covered them up together.
It is so much fun to hang out with a curious two year old.

Greening

My Small Girl grows in leaps and bounds (sometimes literally) these days. 

It's beautiful to watch. And frightening.

Boots

The sun came out and we found worms AND ladybugs.

Digging

We spent the afternoon digging in the garden. 

The dirt felt so crumbly and healthy, and apparently it tasted good too.

Logarithms

We had the most delightful spontaneous tea visit with the couple down the street. 

She made fast friends with her eighty-something year old playmate, and I chatted books and history.

Sunday night

It was a typical Easter Sunday, which is to say that it was just as it should be. 

He is risen indeed.

Silhouette

It was a busy and productive day, and she put herself to bed,

making this Mama suddenly wonder whether she's ready for her little girl to grow up.

Snowing and Melting

It made her day that her uncle would build her a snowman, even when it promptly fell over. 

Life is for those outside

They played so well together 

but there was only "baby swing" and that caused for a lesson in taking turns and sharing.

The snow is melted

 Her little wagon is the perfect receptacle for mud soup 

and her collection of sticks and rocks.

A Delicate Affair

She carefully carried them from grocery store to car, smelled them gently all the way home, 

brought them into the house (after giving them a tour of the yard) 

and then painstakingly placed each one in the vase.

Impromptu

She was in no shape to go anywhere all day, 

and besides that, the day's weather was less than welcoming. 

But by evening, she was eating again, we finished supper early and it was beautifully misty, so we went.

Visitors

We both felt gloomy and trapped by the weather, 

but the prospect of visitors cheered the mood considerably.

First Awake

She woke first, as always, but let us sleep in. And thereafter began our Sunday routine.

The good with the bad

I cheered on the melting snow and she marveled in the growing puddles. 

Either way, we were happy for the spring sunshine.

Golden light

The time change hit us hard as usual, but the later sunlight meant we could begin another season of evening walks.

A Pulk

I'd never heard of a pulk before, but it made for comfortable cross-country riding for her, 

and we had the most amazing sunny morning in the deep snow of the Bow Valley.

Packing

She loves riding "up high," 

which is a boon to our grand plans of snowshoeing in the mountains this weekend.

The Inbetween

I identify with this. Especially the hair. And the soup. And the beliefs.

Icicle

The perfect "snow day": blustery in the morning, warm, sunny and beautiful in the afternoon. 

We spent just as much time outside today as we did inside.

Whiteness Abounds

We shoveled twice today and could easily have done it again. 

Snowfall warning in effect and with nowhere to go, we built paths and angels and went for a long walk, in awe of the white mascara on the landscape.

Spectacle

We had to hunt all over for said "glasses," but she insisted that I must take a picture of her in them. 

A last escapade before bed.

Gently falling

They walked me home from work in the pouring snow. 

My heart delighted in the huge flakes and I wished I could stay outside til dark.

Sick Day

I left them with blankets and pillows to snuggle and commiserate on the couch 

and went for a walk solo, wonderfully lost in my thoughts.

Olive Theory

I taught her to put whole olives on her fingers. We share a love for olives, much to her father's dismay.

One Step

It was a grumpy day for the most part but there were moments where we understood each other perfectly, and that made everything ok.

Brilliance

We had few definite plans for the day, aside from shoveling the sidewalk, 

and it felt so good to just be.

Winter storm

A forecast for heavy snow called for waffles for supper. 

They brought the whipping cream and an impromptu barn-raising was held.

Small treasures

Grocery shopping in the city, treats at lunch, a first hair cut, and several procrastinated chores: 

another successful and enjoyable errand day.

Stripes

The rhythm, sound and smell of ironing was pleasant and calming 

and my melancholic spirit felt better for the task.

Valentines

Wine and chocolate: oh happy thought.

Oh Heart

A husband's flowers; neighbourly cupcakes; a whispered "I wuv you" in the dark;

Valentines is so much more than romantic love.

Kitties

A very runny nose is offset by finding a pair of kitty shoes, complete with ears. 

(Why don't they make polka-dot tights in grown-up sizes?)

Blue Sky Monday

Another week begun with the usual routines. 

However, her two-hour morning nap was an unscheduled response to an unwelcome midwinter cold.

Charlotte Gray

Charlotte Gray by Sebastian Faulks

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I expected a war-romance kind of book (perhaps because I haven't read Sebastian Faulks before?) and got so much more. It feels like Faulks takes his readers very seriously, and gives us something to really chew on and think about.



Yes, there's romance, but it's complicated. In addition, there is beautiful descriptions of the scenery of France, a delve into how people handle the psychological damage of war, and a historical narrative on life in France during the Second World War.



One of my favourite things about Faulks' writing: his thorough descriptions of food and clothing. It really helps build a mental picture of the world of 1940s era France and England.



View all my reviews

Sundays

Sunday: a whole day to spend together as a family.

Groundhog's Shadow

She cried because the puddle from yesterday was solid ice today. 

But at least there were flowers to smell.

Melt

Oh daughter, your curiousity inspires me.

Tea for Two

Tea for the little girls; tea for the big girls. A happy way to spend the morning.

Orange

We saw a squirrel, two chickadees and a surprise blizzard, and shared supper with a most beloved uncle.

Horizon

A walk in the sunshine does my heart good.