June 29, 2008

Guess Who's Coming For Christmas!






If this wasn't just the perfect day! A family birthday, brunch and supper out with Rach, phone calls from Hadley, and a very long distance phone call to say that Finnie From France is coming for Christmas with Maman and Papa.

Will's Birthday Socks:


Pattern: Gentleman's Shooting Socks With Fluted Pattern
Designer: Nancy Bush - Knitting Vintage Socks
Yarn: Opal Uni Solid
Colorway: 1416

June 27, 2008

Storm Stayed Socks

Thin enough to fit easily in boots or shoes but comfortable enough to evoke thoughts of nothing more ambitious than curling up on the sofa with a good book on a wickedly stormy winter's day.

Pattern: Basic Cabled Socks
Designer: Brainylady (see Ravelry website)
Yarn: Tanis Fiber Arts Hand Dyed Yarn
Colorway: Royal Flush
Needles: 2.25 mm circular
Tree: Chamaecyparis obtusa nana

June 20, 2008

Ambling Around The June Garden

The beautiful James McFarlane lilac always reminds me of Adam, who thought we should have a lilac in the early stages of planning this woodland garden. Now he lives in France sans lilac bushes!


The rhododendron was purchased at a rock bottom price at the local grocery store and was tagged "white rhododendron"! Despite its common roots, it puts on a lovely show each year in a little hollow off the side lawn.


Spiraea japonica - Little Princess - is tucked into the edge of the woodland by the upper lawn. It is in a shady area and it takes a sharp eye to spot it among the ferns and native trees.


The window boxes are done up this year in shades of pink, yellow, white and blue.

June 15, 2008

Meet The Picoides villosus Girls





These female Hairy Woodpeckers have been coming together to the peanut feeder over the last couple of days. They lack the brilliant red caps their male counterparts wear. The blue jays impatiently wait for the squirrels to move off the feeder and keep the smaller birds at bay when they are having their lunch. But nothing trumps the woodpeckers. They eat at that feeder whenever they want - one advantage, I guess, of having long and very powerful beaks!

June 12, 2008

One of My Favourite Sock Patterns



Pattern: Socks of Kindness
Designer: Chawne
Yarn: Trekking Pro Natura
Colorway: 1510
Needles: 2 mm. circulars

June 11, 2008

Woodland Rich

I so clearly remember walking this acre of woodland for the first time and finding it hard to believe that it could actually be ours. Almost everyone in the world would like to live on or around water and, while oceans and lakes are mesmerizing, (I would give my eye teeth to have a home in Ronce les Bain!), woodlands have always seemed magical to me - perhaps because the summers of my formative years were spent at a cottage in the Nova Scotia woods. They are places that invite quiet exploration. There are always hidden surprises in nooks and crannies. They are wonderful for birdwatching, and growing gardens that respect the natural beauty of the land.


Several woodpeckers have discovered our peanut feeder this year and they are constantly eating from it. They don't mind at all if I garden within a few feet of them. Unfortunately, this one turned just as I snapped the photo so you can't see the striking black and white feathers.


There is a hidden spot tucked away in the woodland in front of the house where every year, two or three ladyslippers emerge from forest floor. They are exquisite.


The rhododendrons on the property are all coming into bloom this week. The most unusual in the collection is Percy Wiseman with flowers in soft shades of coral and peach.


I ordered a tree peony from Vesey's on Prince Edward Island a few years ago and although the bush itself is still not overly large (about a meter and a half high and a meter wide), it produces enormous blooms the size of bread and butter plates every June.

June 07, 2008

Feel Good Socks


I love the Regia sock yarn (Caribbean Landscape) that I used to knit these socks. It is one in a series of Regia yarns created by the incredibly talented knitwear designer, Kaffe Fassett. The colors are vibrant and pleasing. The yarn gives really good stitch definition and Regia is one of those "work horse" sock yarns that stand up so well to years of wear and laundering.

June 03, 2008

Sweetpea and Lucy


Sweetpea is here. Now Lucy has a friend when she comes to visit. Of course, Lucy is a year older so she is the "big girl" - the boss! But with that comes responsibility. She will have to hold Sweetpea in the hammock. And make sure she doesn't get lost in the ferns. And hold her hand on the woodland trails. And make sure she doesn't sit in direct sun when she is eating popsicles. Oh, it will be quite a job. But fun.

I've made a sweater for Sweetpea. The buttons were kindly sent from France by Lucy's other grandmother so Sweetpea also has a French Connection.