counting down the minutes......

 

It is time to close the last page in the book of 2020.   

The end!!!  

It has been a roller coaster ride.

To everyone, a sincere wish for many brighter days ahead!

it's Christmas Eve

 December 24th, 2020

and what a year it's been!!  

Our Christmas Day table is set for two this year.   It is different for sure.  Still, knowing that we're all keeping safe we will make do.  And planning for when we can be together.....wonderful!!!

Monday's snowfall lingers on the rooftops.   Very festive!  This was the view shortly before 8 am this morning.

Sully has been providing "joyful sounds"   since early this morning.  We waited till this afternoon

to put anything under the tree.  The present quality control dog is only too happy to inspect!

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!

and all good wishes for 2021!

star light, star bright

 Locally there is still a chance this evening to see Jupiter and Saturn ...should the rain stop and the skies clear.  But just in case......

As with most of 2020, Christmas too will be different.....it will be just the two of us.   We made a family decision that as we've worked so hard to maintain our little bubbles staying the course is the best option.

Yesterday we did a gift drop off to our daughter and grandsons.  No visiting,  just a quick hello to our daughter and then with a wave goodbye we retraced our route home.   Our grandsons would have been disappointed (very unhappy) that we didn't come in and spend time with them.   

I think the best explanation that I've heard was not wanting to be that person that caught covid and had to tell a health care worker that this happened because I did something dumb...... and putting more folks at risk.

Well that chance of seeing anything this evening, slim, it's now a winter wonderland outside.    Very large snowflakes falling.

"it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas"

Christmas is coming

 12 12 2020    and here we are......

always remember to be thankful for what you have (and don't have),

blessed for family and friends,

and hopeful  for better days ahead.

somewhere out there

My blog posting has certainly been dismal.  I'm still here.  We're doing ok on the home front making the best of the stay in your own household bubble......

December brings brightness with outdoor Christmas lights shining ( strata rules say not till December 1st).   As for a family gathering Christmas day, well that too likes like it will be different this year.  

We will make the best of it.

stay safe, warm and healthy.......

 

and here we are....

 

all about the numbers

Today, 07 07 2020  and it's our grandson's 12th birthday.   

and his brother turned 10 back in April.

This year of course birthday parties are not the norm.

Happy Father's Day

Dahlias to Dad.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

May the fourth

be with you....stay safe, stay strong....

In this corner it feels like I'm in a pickle, trying to accomplish small things well at some points it is a challenge.  So best to make these....

It's a very simple recipe to follow.   The mini cucumbers are reasonably priced and in a pinch work great for this small batch.  The hardest part is leaving them in the fridge a few days!.

Hand spinning continues.  It was nice when this  Perfectly Good Wednesday MKAL started on April 22nd (Ravelry).  Thus far I'm pleased with the progress on this shawl. 



till next time, take care.

so, it's still April

 04  20 2020   not an ordinary day, mind you none of our days are ordinary nor normal.  So better to make the best of what we've got!

Earlier yesterday morning we did a mini road trip (I know, I know...what about staying at home??)  but it was a drop off to deliver grandson two's birthday gift (and birthday's are very important to little boys), home made cookies and some other treats for Vanessa and the boys.   From a safe distance we did get a brief chat with our daughter and then it was time to hit the road again.   We'd already decided that just saying hi to our grandsons and then leaving would have caused more upsets than needed.   Hopefully it will be sooner than later that we can actually visit (fingers crossed).

The drive itself reminded me of  'taking a Sunday drive' of years past....no traffic just local scenery to look at.    It was nice but also so strange.   And the travelling time door to door one way a mere hour!!  The old norm  driving was an hour and a half or longer each way.

Today's grocery pickup was a success as most of what I'd ordered was included in the order....including some yeast!!

The mail was delivered shortly after 10 am and that's early for us.   The parcel in the box was for
our neighbour so DH delivered it to them.  A while later the same neighbour after checking their
mail delivered  our parcel in their box to us!   The parcel that arrived (quite unexpected)  contained wooly  goodness....two types of roving!!! 
 
Many thanks to Michelle for your thoughtfulness! (boulderneigh.blogspot.com)  

round and round

A new day yet it feels like someone hit the repeat button.   Outside sunshine, blue skies and white puffy clouds.  And there's a full moon rising tonight!


Indoors one of the beans is finally up.    There is no explaining why is did the 'bury yourself' in the dirt and then finally sprouted up in the middle.....so this is middle earth!

friends sticking together

Sully and Bunny

friends sticking together

take your pick

so, is it spring or not???   April 1st woke up to snow! A dusting the next day....and so the week has continued cold and some flakes falling.....sigh     So, winter still or really spring??

Today it's 04 04 2020   or 2020 04 04, take your pick.

Remember the good old days when it was ok to go to the store, library or other shops??

Friends sticking together.

take care everyone.

back to gentler times

it's Time Life  60's love songs on tv, we were much younger then and worries, well  they were nothing  as compared to today's world.  So yes, I have somewhat dated myself but that's ok.

The old songs are a reason to smile.   These days we need reasons to smile.

So how are you doing with staying at home?  What are you doing to keep busy?

always, always

thankful,

grateful 

and

blessed

take care

behind the patio hedge

life goes on at a slower place.  Finding new ways for every day routines. well it is interesting especially when everything is at home.   No more 'we're out of....' and just go to the store.

In this corner of the world it is the start of spring.  The extra hours of daylight are a bonus.  I've been planting seeds indoors for this year's patio garden. 

We missed our weekly family lunch with our daughter and grandsons.   They're safely at home.   Maybe we should plan a video chat lunch date.

remember...keep your distance,  stay safe  and healthy!

so here we are....

March 20th, 2020........the first day of Spring (yeah!!)   and most everything else (boo!!!!)

It is hard to keep perspective with the virus spreading and everything is uncharted territory.

Keep connected with friends and family.  

Thank goodness for emails.

Keep busy at home.

Read a book, pull out unfinished projects,

try a new recipe.

and always, always,

be thankful,

grateful

and blessed.

stay healthy and safe.

bring on the sunshine

These days finding reasons to smile, well sometimes are fewer and father apart. 

Spring IS right around the corner.  The weatherman is promising sunshine this week and milder
temperatures.

And this morning I can across this quote:

"Everyone should be taught to sew, not merely for the sake

 of making something, but as an accomplishment which may prove

a stabilizer in time of perplexity or distress.

Many a time when I need to hold myself firmly,

I have taken up a needle - a sewing needle, some knitting needles, 

or a crochet hook.  Whatever its form or purpose, it often

proved to be as the needle of a compass,

keeping me to the course."

- First Lady Grace Coolidge

To this quote add spindles for spinning and the compass course is easily charted.

Keep calm and carry on.

forward and back

Today is 02 02 2020, forward and back, just the same.   Along with hindsight being 2020   and here we are in 2020.   It's going to be some kind of year.

A category 4 atmospheric river hit all of the province...... and what is this???  lots of rain, flooding in some areas, wind  and someone with their finger on the repeat button.     It used to be that when the pineapple express came up from Hawaii sure it brought rain along with milder temperatures.  By Tuesday more than a chance of snow.......how many days till spring, too many according to the calendar.      And not to forget, it's Groundhog Day!


In the meantime, a new start for February, some Santa Cruz roving.   Other than VM bits to remove it's lovely to spin.

always be  

 thankful, grateful and blessed

and let others know that 

you're thinking about them

lend a hand 

things do come full circle

till next time.

it's been a very long month

It truly has been a long month!

A week of Arctic weather was more than enough.  And that is the reason bears hibernate!   Indoor life was fine and there were more than enough options to keep busy.........

Our resident Anna's hummingbirds survived the extreme cold.   Feeders were kept insulated as best we could.

On rare moments, brightness in the sky..sunshine, I remember you sunshine .... and then gone again.


Australia needs help in so many ways.    I found a link to a Quilt Guild that  is making quilts for fire victims.  With the theme Trees, I   made a pattern and then working from fabric stash did some hand applique.   Not fancy but heart felt.   They're now on their way to Oz.

Postage to send  joey pouches and the like is way too much so we've opted to send a money donation.  The Koala Hospital  Port Macquarrie NSW has a good website and info.


And the keeping busy.........

The white turtles are Clun Forest.  It's one of the wool types I'll spin as part of a breed study with our Ravelry Jenkins spindle group.  On my meet the sheep list I've eight to try....

And for fun (using up some spun bits and pieces)  knitted and crocheted bags.   They're a perfect size  to hold an empty gelato container.   And emptying that container......pure bliss!

and that's a wrap for January 2020!

in 2020....

A word to add for 2020, mindfulness.  Focus on today.  Pretty simple, right?