after the break

we're getting heavy snow this morning but nothing like the huge storms they're having on the east coast of the province. it's called "shelagh's brush" - the spring storm closest to st. patrick's day.
i think i had my break although much of it was spent in bed.

yesterday i started work on a large mat for my show in may. it's inspired by a wonderful piece of african fabric i bought on etsy last month. the mat will be large - 1 metre x 1 metre and will take about 3 weeks of solid work to complete...

while i slept...

it was the most perfect early spring weather on the west coast of the province. warm sunlight. the streets sparkling with melting snow. keith got down to the cabin. and i stayed home and nursed my cold...

sick

i've managed to stay healthy all fall and winter but have finally been overcome with "the flu". (before i moved to newfoundland in 1975, i knew the difference between a cold and the flu. here everything is referred to as the flu. and the symptoms are often mixed up - fever, sweats, chills, coughing, runny nose...) i've just got a cough and a really heavy pressure on my chest. no energy to work (my body held up until i could take a rest!). especially at night. as soon as i lie down the coughing starts. the weight on my chest. long nights in the spare room. doling out advil and cough syrup and cold molasses. reading at 3:00 in the morning - trying to make myself tired enough to try sleep again.

gathering in the light

my african violets don't bloom in the winter. from late autumn to early spring they sit looking dormant. gathering dust on their velvety leaves. a few weeks ago i noticed the first flower buds. they are now fully blooming with radiant excitement. they gather in the light. the longer days.

more lost boys

yesterday morning i recorded an interview with local cbc and the "lost boys" artist michele karch akerman. it was great hearing her voice (we hadn't spoken before, just alot of emails) and it was hard not to just break into conversation. the project is growing. if any of you are interested in participating (see my lost boys entry of march ), just email me or leave a comment here. michele needs 732 little knit sweaters in all (1 for every man who died, was wounded or went missing at beaumont hamel on july 1st, 1916).

the calm of knitting

i've been knitting. i find right now it slows me down. the pressure of the past two weeks has worn me out. knitting brings me back to the stillness. to the present moment.

after the show

yesterday was definitely a day for recovery. it's been a tough couple of weeks. skipper's last days. furnace problems. travel and the show. while in st. john's i discovered that a good friend of mine has had breast cancer and will now be undergoing radiation.

keith had a tooth pulled yesterday and i had a computer virus scare (luckily my antivirus protection worked) and ivan (my computer guru) came over to make sure i was "clean". a newspaper interview about the show. we know how to care for ourselves though. in the evening a pot of good homemade soup, fresh baked bread. propane stove in front of the tv. american idol. knitting.

the photo above shows my tulip mat and some paisely bowls - just how i pictured them in the show. and below is a joint display of deb and ray's and my work in the craft council shop.