Groundhog Day

I was pleased that the news this morning referenced the movie, as it's always been one of my favourites (despite the presence of Andie MacDowell, which I have always thought was a perfect name for her). I love the double Irish chain quilt, and even have one partly made using similar fabrics from my stash. So, the weather prognostication indeed is calling for 6 more weeks of winter, and I'll be pleased if it's only 6 weeks! It's time I got busy planting some seeds for the garden, to get the spring feeling started for the year, as there's a new storm predicted for tomorrow.

We're busy preparing for the Valentine's Day ball, and I have my dress all but completed - it needs hems (4 in all, underdress, 2 sleeves, and quite yards of it on the bias circle skirt). And we've been dancing, dancing: went to the Ballroom Barn on Saturday night for a lesson in foxtrot - apparently there is more than one kind; and the one we're learning in class isn't the same. Had fun anyway. The teachers seem quite addicted to a sort of line dancing so I don't want to have anything to do with that. Dancing is for dancing together, not in a line, for goodness' sake!

I'm competing with the Sock Knitters' Anonymous on Ravelry in the January Mystery Sock. It's a lovely pattern, and now that I'm past the beaded part, it should go quite quickly.

Quick Visit followed by a Slow Return

We travelled to Halifax this past weekend to help our daughter move, and while there took the chance to drop in to the Old Triangle Ale House and do a spot of set dancing on Sunday afternoon. It was lovely to dance at speed to Kevin Roach's fiddling, and we did the Clare, the Mazurka and hmmm...the Plain.



Fred did another more obscure one too - the one we learned last Easter, I think, with the squares in it, maybe the Newport Meserts. No, it wasn't - I asked and it was the Antrim Square. It looked lovely. I was at that time sitting with a group of newish knitters who had decided to visit the Triangle with their needles and yarn for a S'n'B. One had knitted a hat for her boyfriend (he thanked her for the yalmulka, so I guess it was a bit small) and was starting a scarf. The others were even more beginner.

They were all very impressed with my diamond sock, and the 1.5 mm bamboo needles it is on. I raved about The Loop yarn shop, just down Barrington St. from us. They had visited, but decided that The Loop was away above them as yet - the beginner patterns they were recommended looked really hard! They were school teachers, and were hoping for a snow day on the morrow.

I think they got it, too - we set out at 5 pm in a flurry and quite a brisk wind, and, after dropping off our daughter, set out for home. Lovely Alister and Cathy, our Halifax hosts, had put up a packed lunch for us, and so we ate and travelled at the same time. Well, we got to the Cobequid Pass fairly easily, but it was white-outs and quite a bit of snow on the roads all the way after that. Was predicted to change to rain but no sign of that while we were on the road.

Luckily we encountered a bunch of homeward-bound Islanders at the Port Elgin rotary and followed them to the Bridge. There was a scary bit when we came upon a group of cars by the side of the road - they were assisting the driver of a snow plough, which had gone off the road and was lying on its side in the field, about 4 metres below the road level.

Once on the Island we debated which route to take to get home - we live on a secondary road, which might not have been plowed - so we took the main route - which still wasn't plowed in spite of it's main-ness - and literally plowed through. As we got nearer we started saying, "well, we could walk from here", and that became more true the farther we got! As it happened we did get to drive all the way, but it was 11 pm when we got home. 6 hours for a 3.5 hour drive.

It was a lovely time anyway, and we'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Try to remember this in July

Man, is it cold! We've gone a couple of years without the -36 windchill and I'd forgotten what it's like - the car was sluggish this morning (at -22) and I thought I would never get the gearshift into neutral so it could sit, idling, for a bit before I had to get in and drive for 20 minutes. However, it was more willing to shift gears later on the drive in.

We are caught up in the excitement of a costume ball! A local theatre is doing a Valentine's Day period ball from the era of the Noel Coward play "Private Lives", set in 1929/30. In addition to the ball, our tickets provide for 6 ballroom dance lessons (in the six weeks leading up to the ball) and assistance with making a ballgown of the period. I've a huge stash of fabric, with 9 different chiffons with glitz, entirely appropriate to the 1929 period. I have just to choose! The 30's bias-cut satins aren't going to do it for me, so I've plumped (pun intended) for the no-waist late flapper look, with a shift in something shiny (I have silver satiny stuff and a red/burgundy taffeta) and some glitzy chiffon to drape over it. I may have to do a couple before I decide.

Fred has his black suit, fresh from the cleaners, and a new formal shirt and black silk bow-tie. Won't we look splendid!

Happy New Year!

Christmas always lasts and lasts at my house because there are two post-Christmas birthdays (the 10th and the 31st of January) to celebrate. So, even though the Christmas goodies are still not all gone, I made a birthday cake on Saturday. The usual Maritimer's Mint Chocolate Cake, without the mint as Fred's not crazy about it. Good cake, even without - the secret Maritimer's ingredient ensures amazing moistness. No. If you're a Maritimer you'll know what it is. If you're not, you can't know. It's not allowed.

This holiday season's jigsaw puzzle, a 1500-piece Botticelli's "Birth of Venus" (aka: Venus on the Half-Shell), has been hanging on as well - it is a *big* monster. However, we did quite a bit after dinner last night and now only the boring bits are left - mostly water around the shell, and the shell itself. That should be easy, though, because it's very geometric and directional. It should be good to get the dining room table back again.

It Has Snowed, It Has Been Snowing, It's Here!

Now that winter is officially here - first real snow is much more significant than mere dates on the calendar - I'm all about knitting - or, as I knit all the time anyway, I'm all about finishing old projects and starting new ones. Today I spent a lot of time looking at cowl patterns on Ravelry, and I think everyone should get one from me for Christmas. However, they all seem to be made of very, very soft luxury fibres, so I am going to go through my stash, with particular reference to that bag of stuff from Belfast Mini Mills, and get at casting something on! They all look so lovely and easy and quick.

...and now it's gone....

And it did fly away. Fast. Last weekend I planted 18 different kinds of bulbs for spring. There were two kinds of crocus, and a few pink tulips, and the rest were far more rare and interesting types: many kinds of alliums including "drumstick", Atropurpureum, and Sicilian Honey Garlic! All very tall and spectacular-looking.

Then there were many Fritillaries, including the checkered lilies I saw at the Province House flower beds with Anne in the spring. She said they're the Charles Rennie McIntosh flower, and sure enough they are - the little checkered patterns look just like his. Amazing to see in a flower! There were Dutch Iris - in burgundy and purple and called "Eye of the Tiger". There were others I can't remember - although all are carefully noted in my garden diary along with locations. Come on Spring!

We also moved some rugosa roses to the roadside - there were two David Thompsons and two Snowy Pavement. We watered for a couple of days and then it rained for two -I put the hose away because it's growing colder, but I may have to get it out again if they're droopy this weekend. And they should have some winter protection too, as they are just where the snowplough will pile up the snow mountains, come January (and February and March!). I hope the usual branches of the Christmas tree will be enough.

Summer's Passing....fast!

There's knitting, gardening, and music to report, though very little dancing lately. I think my knees are enjoying the rest - I can hear them creaking when I walk up and down stairs. That can not be good.
I did quite a bit of knitting on our trip to and from CIAW...made a pair of baby socks for a woman at work who's having a boy - or actually has HAD a boy by now - and finished a pair of purple Bridgits - one on the way down and one during the week, using down time during the dancing and at concerts, etc. There was only one time when my hands were too hot to knit - the yarn was sticking to them. Yesterday I finished another pair of baby socks, they're very fast and cute, too. Unfortunately I don't know too many folks who are having babies at the moment! Now I'm making a pair of slate grey men's socks, and they're rather dull so it's hard to get enthused.
The garden suffered quite a bit while we were away, so I've been weeding and discovering lots of surprises. There's quite a job of deadheading to come, as the feverfew is almost finished and is looking quite bad now, though it was still fine in the photo, with that (spit) yellow lily. Phlox and daylilies are coming out everywhere, though, in compensation!