singing

keith's mother is from conche, a tiny community on newfoundland's northern penninsula. growing up, in a large family, with no electricity, entertainment meant singing. her brothers and sisters are scattered all over north america now. but when they get together - as they did this past weekend in conche. they sing. and they sang in the car driving up. and last night, with a slew of them over for dinner. they sang.

mussels in the corner

this past weekend saw the biggest ever folk music festival in st. john's. newfoundland is famous for its rich history of traditional music. this was my inspiration for a couple of skeins i made recently - "lukey's boat" and "mussels in the corner".

relaxed yet?

i spent all weekend finishing up 2 orders for st. john's. and today i start making yarn to take up to woody point with me next week. so yesterday afternoon was my "window" to get out into the garden. this summer has been so busy. my garden has been neglected. i scan the flowers as i rush out to the greenhouse for herbs. to pick a cucumber. in some spots all i can see is weeds. so facing this task yesterday was a bit overwhelming. when i garden i try to focus on just the area i'm with. get to know the plants after a long absence. but yesterday all i could think of was how much there was to be done. keith was mowing the lawn and re-organizing the shed (children's toys now into the back until next year). he sensed the state i was in and convinced me to take a break. sit back. feel the strong south westerly wind on my body. listen to the leaves in our tall poplar trees. relax. and i did. and then i gardened into the evening. and loved it.
ps.that's abigail sneaking peas.

saturday morning on sunday morning

i love our saturday morning routine. getting up a little later. breakfast then a walk down to west street with abby - picking up the saturday globe, coffees at brewed awakening and then the market on the majestic lawn. produce is coming in. yesterday i got some wonderful pesto and a garlic spread from colette at full-tilt and our weekly greens. and some little tomatoes from the greenhouse. our salad last night was the first of the season made only with locally grown produce. love this time of year.

just peachy

living on an island in the north atlantic, most of the food that i eat is not locally grown. this time of year i'm happy to be getting fruit that is grown in ontario (like these peaches) and not in california or malaysia. my favourite breakfast these days is sliced peaches with granola and yoghurt. here is my "sliced peaches with cream" yarn.

lavender

the garden is at its peak right now. one of my favourite plants is the lavender. the sharp clarity of its colour. the intense fragrance. i'm picking it now to dry. i include a sachet of lavender with every purchase of island sweet yarn from my etsy shop. and speaking of my shop - it's pretty bare right now. a few shawls and scarflettes. but all my yarn is going into orders and next week i'll be spinning yarn to take up to woody point for the writers festival. but late august i'll start loading it up with yarn again. just in time for autumn knitting.

a moment in the garden

with all the company so far this summer. with all the travel. and now once more being in full-swing making product for orders and craft shows. it's a delight to take time to wander around the garden early morning and take notice...