There Is No Other City Like Paris

The Otherfords talked once of going to Paris and I hope one day they manage to take their trip. There is no other city as magical as Paris. The Louvre is an excellent starting point for strolling the section of Paris that never fails to be soul satisfying and hopelessly romantic as one traces the footsteps of the great writers, artists, philosphers, and thinkers who have called Paris home over the centuries. The architectural detail, scope, and size of the Louvre is truly amazing. We didn't go inside to look at the vast collections of art as we were greedy to see as much of that section of the city again as possible. The beautiful September days were perfect for strolling the Seine, exploring the Left Bank with its Latin Quarter, circling the Eiffel Tower, and walking Boulevards Saint Germain and Saint Michel. A third trip to the city sometime will definitely include an examination of the artwork of the Louvre as well as the work of the Impressionists housed in the Musee d'Orsay.

The Louvre



Tuileries Gardens







I love the way Parisians provide small green chairs in their gardens. Unlike park benches, they can be picked up and angled toward or away from the sun, placed for reading, snoozing, snacking, or people watching.

Luxembourg Gardens or Jardin de Luxembourg





Besides the water, palm trees, other botanical specimens, walking paths and lawns, there are statues of animals, classical and historical figures tucked periodically into the landscape.

And it was gratifying to see that long before the feminist movement, twenty statues of French queens and saints were given a prominent place, standing in rows as we strolled the park.

Rosie Beaucoup Has Flown The Coop

Rosie Beaucoup has flown the coop - taken to the air in what was once poetically referred to as a silver bird, an airship, and is now known as just another Air Canada flight with sometimes indifferent, bored, and even sullen flight crew. Gone, alas, are the days of "laughter silvered wings". The flight from Halifax to Montreal provided movies but no ear phones - apparently, one has to bring them from home when flying to La Belle Province. I watched a Hindu film with occasional English subtitles that flashed across the bottom of the screen. And fared better on the flight from Montreal to Paris. With no one in the seat beside me, I netted an extra blanket and pillow, ear phones for this trip, and no one in the seat ahead so my cofee cup wasn't threatened every time someone leaned back to rest. It was also, on the plus side, one of the quietest overseas flights I have been on and it was easy to doze off a little. Of course, with the time change, the sun was shining brilliantly at about 2:30 a.m. Halifax time, and like a plant, I responded to the light and came to life, ready for the train ride from Paris to Lille.

Spud & Chloe and Finnie From France

Here are three of my favourite things: Spud & Chloe yarn, the Cookie Sweater (for our little Finnie), and the nooks of crannies of my own woodland garden.

Pattern: Cookie Sweater
Source: Miss Bea's Rainy Day
Designer: Louisa Harding
Yarn: Spud & Chloe Sweater
Color: Watermelon

This Spud & Chloe yarn has produced a lot of excitement in the knitting world (my parallel universe) since its recent introduction. I discovered it on the first day the gals at The Tangled Skeins in Dartmouth put it out. It is a wool/cotton blend, soft, with good stitch definition, and comes in worsted and fingering weights and very pretty colors. And washable!

We are very lucky in this region to have such great yarn stores. It is fun to play around with Knitmap.com and see how shockingly few yarn suppliers can be found in some major centres around the world!

In Halifax, there's the Loop Cafe on Barrington Street, L.K. Yarns with Louise in the Hydrostone, the Tangled Skeins in Dartmouth and, along the South Shore, Have A Yarn in Mahone Bay. They all have great owners and staff and a truly impressive array of products.

Winter White On A Hot August Day

Pattern: Basic Cabled Mittens
Designer: Amy O'Dell
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash
Color: Winter White
Needles: 3.5 mm. dpn's

I really enjoy knitting cables and mittens are a great way to work a cabled pattern and produce something very practical. I modified this pattern a bit by turning to Ann Budd's basic mitten pattern for the thumb gusset as I prefer the fit.

Gone Pro

I've gone pro. It was Movita's Blue Opal bedroom that turned the corner for me. If I can paint a bedroom with a drop ceiling on a black, black day with pouring rain and 100% humidity with only two small light bulbs in the ceiling, holding a work light in my left hand and a paint brush or roller in my right, and pausing only when absolutely necessary to wipe the dripping sweat from my brow, and finding the next day in better light that the room is gorgeous, I'm a pro.
Now, which tools to pack for France...

The Colors of August

Clematis: Wisley

Hard to believe that this clematis was introduced at the Chelsea flower show as recently as 2004. It feels as though it has been at home here forever. It is a strong, reliable, showy plant.



Pattern: Merion Mitts (again)
Designer: mintyfresh
Yarn: Cascade 220
Color: 7802
Also strong, reliable and showy.

Mittens: The Turquoise/Pink Period

This is a great way to make good use of leftover yarn and keep little hands toasty this coming winter.
Pattern: The Knitter's Handbook of Patterns by Ann Budd
Yarns: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted, Lamb's Pride Superwash Worsted and Mission Falls 1824 Wool