The Past Few Days

I'm playing catch-up again, but it's not so bad this time.  Only a few days have passed since the last batch upload of my 365 pictures.  Which, by the way, the Flickr uploader makes a lot easier.  (except when it doesn't work and won't put your pictures into their sets like it's supposed to)

Anyway.



Wednesday was another Knit Night in Burlington, where we and our matching knitting accessories gather to debate which of the cheesecakes and tarts are the best of the night's pickings.

Vivian is at the fun part of her Clapotis, and shared the dropping of several stitches with us.



Thursday was not an exciting day, but local strawberries make any day special.



Saturday the GTA was hit with a very dramatic thunderstorm.  I love a good storm, and this one was a doozy. 



Just when it seemed the storm had passed, I heard a 'fwump' and saw a flash outside the window.  Lightning had struck a tree across the street, bringing down a smallish branch.  I snapped a quick picture on my walk to the yarn store, where I was meeting up with Wendi,



And finally gave in and brought home the skein of sock yarn that's been calling to me for weeks now.



Overall, not a bad few days.

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365.188, originally uploaded by Vaedri1.

I picked up this gorgeous "Fall Leaves" batt at the Grimsby Fleece and Fibre festival.



New rule: no buying more spinning fibre until I use up enough that I can fit it in my fibre stash tote.

Why I Live Here

It's easy to forget, sitting on my dingy little loveseat in my crumbling old building, surrounded by "colourful" neighbours.



But a quick walk, less than five minutes, straight down the street...



is an easy reminder.



I really do live in a pretty place.

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365.183, originally uploaded by Vaedri1.

When my grandfather passed away, following my grandmother by only a few years, we had the sad task of going through his remaining belongings and disposing of the bits and pieces that had no special attachment to anyone left behind. Throwing the bags and boxes into the donation bins was the saddest part of the whole affair.

When we were sorting everything out, I was most drawn to those items that triggered memories - the red glass candy dish that was always full of those sweet and somehow dry pastel-coated almonds, the silly tartan tam with the red pom pom. And this painting.

Visits to my grandparents' home were not particularly exciting for a child. They lived in a small apartment with scratchy white stucco-ed walls. Looking back, it was a rather charming place, with arched doorways, and cunning little glass doors for windows. There was even the little metal door outside the apartment, decorated with an engraving of a bottle, that swung open to provide a place for milk delivery way back when.

But when I was small, it was a boring place, with no backyard, no toys, and no animals. My brother and I were not actively 'entertained' and were left to find out own amusements. One of the most popular activities during our visits was to dump out a jar full of pennies, both shiny and dull, and lay them out on the intricately patterned rug, sliding them about until our fingers turned green. We'd alternately sip at frosted glasses full of off-brand ginger ale and try to convince the rabbit ears to tune in something fun on the giant console tv.

Another favourite activity was daydreaming. I remember gazing at this painting, letting the adult conversation going on over my head fade to a distant drone, and imagine sitting at one of those tables. Under a red umbrella, maybe. And after tea, I would go up to the castle, maybe clambering up the steep, green rocks, or maybe I would wander up the cobbled High Street, stopping in the tourist shops as the road climbed higher and higher.

This is a memory that has in some ways become stronger as I've grown up, given structure and reinforcement by my actual visits to the city.

But I never did find that terrace.

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365.182, originally uploaded by Vaedri1.

Today's pic is also an FO pic.

This year's summer "cottage" trip will actually be my very first cruise, and I'm very excited about it. I wanted to have something I could bring to throw over my shoulders, without packing a jacket. This will be perfect, I think.

It turned out quite long, at about eight feet, so it's long enough to wrap around and tie, and I can use it as a blanket if need be.

It's knitting using Diamond's Bamboo Cotton, which is just perfect for this kind of thing, with a lovely weight and drape to it.

I can wrap this around myself, and just imagine that I'm standing on the deck of a giant ship, gazing out over the Mediterranean as the moon rises over Italy.

Project notes and more pictures are over in Ravelry, if you're interested.