The anemones in bloom signal the last days of summer.
The roses in this province will stalwartly soldier on well into October.
And the bee balm keep the bees buzzing well into September
Heading Back To The Weekly Needlework Group
One surefire indication that fall is around the corner is the start up of the needlework group after a long summer break. And this fall, I have a stunning new tote to carry my supplies to and fro.
Our French Mermaid, Isabelle, bought this Linvosges bag for me on their summer vacation.
Isabelle says:
"The area in France where linens were traditionally produced is les Vosges.
That's a mountain name and also a département. Linvosges is based in the main
city, Gérardmer (do not pronounce the D and mer is pronounced like May), which
also features cross country skiing and a very nice lake. There are still a few
linen company headquarters and outlets there. I don't know why les Vosges is the
main place for linen production. Maybe the know how was there, maybe they had
the right crops for it? I read something about laying the fabric in the sun in
the fields to help it become very white."
My fall projects include a Sweet Peasy cardigan for Lucy, a hat/mitten scarf set for Apolline, a hat/glove/scarf set for Lucy, a hat and mittens for Little Bear, socks for friends, the September Morn pullover for me, and a couple pair of fair isle mittens. Yikes! I had better get to it.
We've all, of course, learned about the War at school. Those of us with good memories could probably still discuss the social and political events that came together to result in the conflict. We can name some of the major battles, and will roughly recall the number of casualties - 17 million deaths and 20 million wounded.
But seeing the European cemeteries and memorials to the fallen truly demonstrates the magnitude of it all more than anything else. We have been to sites in Belgium and France and heard about those in the Netherlands. These countries continue to respect and honour the memory of those lost and continue express their gratitude to the Allied countries for coming to their assistance. If children everywhere could, at some stage in their education, visit these sites, it might go a long way to preventing such horrors in the future.
Adam took us one morning to Messines to visit the Irish memorial site and it was truly a moving experience.
The 36th Ulster Division had 32,186 casualties. The 10th Irish Division numbered 9,363 and the 16th Irish Division had 28,398 casualties.
The Peace Tower
The inside of this tower is lit up by the sun only on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month - to mark the day the Armistice was signed.
A leaf motif on a low wall.
When the light changes, the upper part of the leaf becomes a line of marching soldiers
One of the most poignant aspects of the park, for me, were the nine stone tablets inscribed with the words of Irish soldiers. The one above says:
I wish the sea were not so wide that parts me from my love, I wish that things men do below were known to God above. I wish that I were back again in the Glens of Donegal; they’ll call me coward if I return, but a hero if I fall. - Patrick MacGill, London Irish Rifles
Another one that seemed so incredibly sad was
I mean the simple soldier man, who when the Great War first began, just died, stone dead from lumps of lead, in mire - William Orpen, Official War Artist
On another day, we went with Adam and Isabelle to two other cemeteries in France. The first was Notre Dame de Lorette, the largest French military cemetery in the world, a beautiful memorial site close to the town of Arras. The remains of 40,000 French soldiers are buried here - in graves marked with crosses or in ossuary plots.
The Basilica is a magnificent structure and the interpretation centre inside does a marvelous job of showing and explaining the three major battles in the area - The First, Second and Third Battles of Artois. There is a link here to the Canadians and the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
Inside the Basilica
The names of the 580,00 soldiers of all nationalities who died
We were so grateful Adam and Isa for taking us to Vimy Ridge. The battle marked the first time that all four divisions of the Canadian forces fought as a cohesive unit against three divisions of the German army. The Canadians took the Ridge in three days and I am sure it enhanced our identity as a nation, as opposed to a British dominion.
The Vimy Ridge memorial building is absolutely massive and is as awe inspiring as the magnitude of the loss of human life that it commemorates.
We went down into the tunnels on Vimy Ridge, where the temperature was (and is) a constant 13 degrees C all months of the year. The guide turned off the safety lights to demonstrate the degree of darkness in which the Welsh miners worked to dig the tunnels and soldiers lived for many, many months at a time. We could barely make out the person standing next to us.
The guide explained that the miners used canaries to alert them to high levels of gases during the dig. If the canaries died, they quickly retreated from the area. But they found there was a risk of the canaries finding and flying out of the various tunnel exits and alerting the Germans to their location so they started carrying mice in their pockets. When the mice ceased to wiggle around, the men exited the work area.
It was not hard to see that life there was hell on earth and it speaks volumes that soldiers volunteered to be runners in order to gain the privelge of staying in the tunnel as opposed to the trenches. Our guide told us the life expectancy of such a runner was roughly three weeks.
We had an opportunity to explore the trenches, see the craters and the areas of unexploded munitions that are, of course, out of bounds. The entire memorial park is about 250 acres.
We flew from Reykjavik to Brussels on June 23rd. Then made two train connections to arrive in Lille on one of their hottest days of the summer. Alas, for the rest of our stay, it was drizzly, grey, sometimes cold, and generally unsettled.
That didn't stop us from having a great holiday there.
The time with family was one of the best parts of the vacation. We met our grandson, Alec, for the very first time. He is the happiest toddler imaginable, loves being outdoors and is going to play soccer for France some day. His favourite pastime is throwing or kicking a ball. Lucy continued to learn to knit while I was there, working on a garter stitch scarf and doing a good job of it. And Apolline wanted more than anything else to go to the park at the end of their street to demonstrate her athletic skills on a really great selection of playground equipment the town has provided.
We celebrated Canadian Grandfather's birthday with a visit to an Asian fusion buffet style restaurant, Dazya, in downtown Lille. The girls were thrilled to have the all-you-can-eat option with so many choices, including an ice cream bar! The décor was lovely and food was very good - not like North American buffets where quantity often trumps quality. We had a great time.
And, later that day, a casual supper with snack food appetizers, pizza, Cookie Monsters
and a pretty raspberry tarte!
A quick drive (15 minutes?) took us over the border to Belgium to pick up cases of beer at St. Bernardus.
And, of course, there is no sense in driving to another country and not getting a goodly supply!
Prayer Hut
At the crossroads on the way back to France, we saw this little hut. Curious, I got out of the car to peer inside. There was a tiny room with a shelf holding a candle and, on the back wall, a large ceramic tiled mosaic picture of the Madonna. We assume it was built long ago for farm labourers or passerbys to stop and pray. Apparently, they can be found around the countryside. I tried researching the origin of the little buildings but have not had any luck.
Canada Day
We had a backyard Canada Day party with family and friends. The husband from the other family at the gathering is Quebec born while his wife grew up on the French Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. The family is, in fact, in the process of moving there to live. We had adult and child tables, small Canadian flags, maple leaf face tattoos, serviettes, paper plates, lapel pins, etc. Lot of food, wine, and beer and a good time had by all.
Meanwhile, back in our Canadian backyard, the foxgloves were in bloom and Movita Beaucoup and Derek were maintaining the lawns and gardens for us.
We loved Iceland - a country of magnificent scenery, loads of outdoor activities, and friendly people who all speak English! Hiking, cave exploration, snowmobiling, horseback riding, beachcombing, swimming in mineral springs, sightseeing, shopping, eating - there is something for everyone.
Iceland is one of the safest countries on earth and has one of the highest levels of literacy. We were only there for five days and we took three tours during that time. I would highly recommend the Iceland Horizon tour company to anyone thinking of visiting the country. Our guide, Odin (how's that for a good Norse name!), was knowledgeable and informative.
Iceland puts its hot mineral springs and waterfalls to good use - supplying the nation with low cost hydro power and heat. We only got to see one of the major waterfalls in the country - a good reason to go back.
The Gullfoss Waterfall
And you can hear Gullfoss!
Strokkur Geyser
We had the opportunity to view the Strokkur geyser. It erupts every five minutes. Tourists should take note of wind direction lest they get sprayed with very hot water! There were a few people with a tour from India who stood beside me while we waited for the geyser to erupt. I told one of the ladies that their voices would be on my videos - my own Bollywood soundtrack! She laughed and encouraged me to include them in my memories!
The Bessastadakirkja Lutheran church with the President's house in behind.
On the city tour, we stopped to go inside this church on a very blustery morning. The location is beside the water, open, and windswept to say the least. The President's residence is the large white building behind the church. No fences, no security guards, no visible security measures of any kind. We were simply told not to go there!
And the knitting:
There was no end of knitted wear in traditional Icelandic motifs, using wool from Icelandic sheep.
And there were hundreds of balls of Létt Lopi yarn for sale everywhere. I wore my own handkint Strokkur pullover on several occasions while in the country.
Everything on sale from the heavier Icelandic Lopi sweaters to finer weight lace shawls and scarves.
And, of course, my favourite - socks!
There were reindeer skins available at many stores! Not suitable for use as rugs, I assume that people purchase them for wall hangings. Reindeer were imported to Iceland from Norway in the late 18th century and live mostly at higher elevations in the east and northeast. There is an annual reindeer hunt in order to control the population of the animals.
Summer knitting back home:
I have started a pullover from myself, September Morn, using DROPS Nepal yarn. It has been too hot and humid here at home to work on it so I have finished a couple pair of socks. I have to really rev up my knitting again now as my knitting group starts up again in September and I should have more to show for the time away!
Pattern: Thuja
Yarn: H&W Comfort-Wolle Sockenwolle Comfort Color
Colour: 116b.02
Needles: Circular - 2.25 mm
Pattern: K3,P1 Ribbing
Yarn: Berroco Sox
Colour: 1465
Needles: Circular - 2.25 mm
This is the first time I have used either of these yarns for sock knitting. They were lovely to work with and time will tell how well they hold up. I am not expecting any problems.
We loved Iceland - a country of magnificent scenery, loads of outdoor activities, and friendly people who all speak English! Hiking, cave exploration, snowmobiling, horseback riding, beachcombing, swimming in mineral springs, sightseeing, shopping, eating - there is something for everyone.
Iceland is one of the safest countries on earth and has one of the highest levels of literacy. We were only there for five days and we took three tours during that time. I would highly recommend the Iceland Horizon tour company to anyone thinking of visiting the country. Our guide, Odin (how's that for a good Norse name!), was knowledgeable and informative.
Iceland puts its hot mineral springs and waterfalls to good use - supplying the nation with low cost hydro power and heat. We only got to see one of the major waterfalls in the country - a good reason to go back.
The Gullfoss Waterfall
And you can hear Gullfoss!
Strokkur Geyser
We had the opportunity to view the Strokkur geyser. It erupts every five minutes. Tourists should take note of wind direction lest they get sprayed with very hot water! There were a few people with a tour from India who stood beside me while we waited for the geyser to erupt. I told one of the ladies that their voices would be on my videos - my own Bollywood soundtrack! She laughed and encouraged me to include them in my memories!
The Bessastadakirkja Lutheran church with the President's house in behind.
On the city tour, we stopped to go inside this church on a very blustery morning. The location is beside the water, open, and windswept to say the least. The President's residence is the large white building behind the church. No fences, no security guards, no visible security measures of any kind. We were simply told not to go there!
And the knitting:
There was no end of knitted wear in traditional Icelandic motifs, using wool from Icelandic sheep.
And there were hundreds of balls of Létt Lopi yarn for sale everywhere. I wore my own handkint Strokkur pullover on several occasions while in the country.
Everything on sale from the heavier Icelandic Lopi sweaters to finer weight lace shawls and scarves.
And, of course, my favourite - socks!
There were reindeer skins available at many stores! Not suitable for use as rugs, I assume that people purchase them for wall hangings. Reindeer were imported to Iceland from Norway in the late 18th century and live mostly at higher elevations in the east and northeast. There is an annual reindeer hunt in order to control the population of the animals.
Summer knitting back home:
I have started a pullover from myself, September Morn, using DROPS Nepal yarn. It has been too hot and humid here at home to work on it so I have finished a couple pair of socks. I have to really rev up my knitting again now as my knitting group starts up again in September and I should have more to show for the time away!
Pattern: Thuja
Yarn: H&W Comfort-Wolle Sockenwolle Comfort Color
Colour: 116b.02
Needles: Circular - 2.25 mm
Pattern: K3,P1 Ribbing
Yarn: Berroco Sox
Colour: 1465
Needles: Circular - 2.25 mm
This is the first time I have used either of these yarns for sock knitting. They were lovely to work with and time will tell how well they hold up. I am not expecting any problems.
Today is Rachael's (aka Movita's) birthday. But since it is a working day, we celebrated yesterday.
It started at noon at Cha Baa Thai, on Queen Street in Halifax, and one of those restaurant meals during which you don't regret a single menu choice.
Then we headed home for birthday cake. Now, here's where it potentially could get difficult. Movita The Cake Maker, creator of such memorable masterpieces as:
always, for her birthday, asks for a bulk produced supermarket pound cake with icky, cardboardy icing.
Sigh.
Well, it is her birthday. And she should have the birthday cake she wants most. So we bought her a supermarket cake. And carefully packed it in a carton for her to take home and enjoy on her actual birthday. A Gawd awful supermarket pound cake with chocolate icing, four unnaturally brilliant blue icing globs "decorating" each corner, and "Happy Birthday Rachael" written in brilliant yellow. (The lovely man in the supermarket bakery department asked me what color I would prefer for the script - a blue that didn't match the blue globs, bright red, or bright yellow? I floundered. "Well", I responded weakly, "you have a better eye for these things. What do you think?" He thought yellow. So yellow it was. Very, very bright yellow).
And, today, we sat down to eat a light, airy, Angel food cake with fresh strawberries and whipping cream.
After dessert, we drove along the Peggy's Cove Road to a little antique/beach décor shop where we discovered, for Rachael, a small, square platinum metal table with a mirrored top and mirrored bottom shelf. A perfect little piece to use as a side table in the living room, a bedside table in a small bedroom where space is at a premium, or to lighten the dark corner in a dining room etc. Total cost for this charming find: $22.00!!
Then on to Boutilier's Cove, one of our favourite vistas heading down the coastline.
Happy Birthday, Rachael. May the year ahead be filled with sunlight, ocean spray, and all that you hold dear.
