Monday, November 19, 2012

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.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Winter light


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

Friday, November 09, 2012

Another snowy day


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

Thursday, November 08, 2012

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.

Wednesday, November 07, 2012

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.

Monday, November 05, 2012

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.


Thursday, May 31, 2012

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.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

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.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

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.

Monday, May 07, 2012

Time to Be in Earnest


Time To Be In Earnest: A Fragment Of AutobiographyTime 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.


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Sunday, May 06, 2012

Closing the Day

She brought me my glasses and insisted I get up, 
and thus began another day with my two favourite people.

Friday, May 04, 2012

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.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Greening

My Small Girl grows in leaps and bounds (sometimes literally) these days. 
It's beautiful to watch. And frightening.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Boots

The sun came out and we found worms AND ladybugs.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Digging

We spent the afternoon digging in the garden. 
The dirt felt so crumbly and healthy, and apparently it tasted good too.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

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, April 08, 2012

Sunday night

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

Friday, April 06, 2012

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.

Thursday, April 05, 2012

Snowing and Melting

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

Monday, April 02, 2012

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.

Sunday, April 01, 2012

The snow is melted

 Her little wagon is the perfect receptacle for mud soup 
and her collection of sticks and rocks.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

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.

Monday, March 26, 2012

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.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Visitors

We both felt gloomy and trapped by the weather, 
but the prospect of visitors cheered the mood considerably.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

First Awake

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

Friday, March 16, 2012

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.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Golden light

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

Saturday, March 10, 2012

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.

Wednesday, March 07, 2012

Packing

She loves riding "up high," 
which is a boon to our grand plans of snowshoeing in the mountains this weekend.

Tuesday, March 06, 2012

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.

Monday, March 05, 2012

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.

Sunday, March 04, 2012

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.

Saturday, March 03, 2012

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.

Friday, March 02, 2012

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.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Olive Theory

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

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

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.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Brilliance

We had few definite plans for the day, aside from shoveling the sidewalk, 
and it felt so good to just be.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Winter storm

A forecast for heavy snow called for waffles for supper. 
They brought the whipping cream and an impromptu barn-raising was held.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Small treasures

Grocery shopping in the city, treats at lunch, a first hair cut, and several procrastinated chores: 
another successful and enjoyable errand day.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Stripes

The rhythm, sound and smell of ironing was pleasant and calming 
and my melancholic spirit felt better for the task.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Valentines

Wine and chocolate: oh happy thought.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Oh Heart

A husband's flowers; neighbourly cupcakes; a whispered "I wuv you" in the dark;
Valentines is so much more than romantic love.

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

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?)

Monday, February 06, 2012

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 GrayCharlotte 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.



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Sunday, February 05, 2012

Sundays

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

Thursday, February 02, 2012

Groundhog's Shadow

She cried because the puddle from yesterday was solid ice today. 
But at least there were flowers to smell.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Melt

Oh daughter, your curiousity inspires me.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Tea for Two

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

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Orange

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

Monday, January 23, 2012

Horizon

A walk in the sunshine does my heart good.