Yarnivorous

G'day all! 12 is a big number around here, being all to do with Seattle Seahawks and the 12th man - did you know that American football has 11 players active on the ground at any one time and the twelfth man is the spectators watching the game?  I didn't.  I know about the 12th man in cricket but not this thing that has been adopted here regarding what I usually call gridiron. But I don't want to talk about American football and I don't want to talk about 12, I want to talk about six. Yes, we have now been in Seattle for six years (and a number of days). Six years. Where has the time gone? This is our seventh winter - how have we managed?  Some people love gloom but we are solar powered.  And Seattle tends to be rather gloomy in winter.  I manage by making stuff like crazy, I wear bright colours, and I hang out online on Ravelry.  Without my rav mates, I'd be bored out of my brain.  I'd get a job but I don't have a work permit and that me...

G'day all! Life has been hectic for the last while.  Nothing bad has happened, I've just been busy. I put us in for the edible garden tour and confirmed just after we got back from England.  Who knew that there was so much to be done in the garden? And then my in-laws arrived three days after the garden tour.  It may not surprise you to know that clearing the study was a laborious process?  My knitting, quilting and computer room became their bedroom for nearly three weeks. The in laws left yesterday evening. What did we do whilst they were here?  The first week involved puttering around and waiting for good weather, not pretty average weather.  We took off to Artist Point at Mount Baker on one fairly clear day. The second week DH and his dad started building a shed.  The shed will hold the bikes and the mower and plywood and stuff.   DH and I have to deal with the windows, the gables and the shingles.  We ...

G'day all! This was a winter for hibernating. Green Lake sunset What?  Winter has ended?, I hear Americans cry.  Meteorological winter has ended - it runs from December 1 to Feb 28/29 in the northern hemisphere. Sunrise And sunset from the same day Anyway, I live in Seattle, and Spring arrived about two or three weeks ago here.  It pays no mind to dates.  The crocuses started blooming at the start of Feb, the odd daffodil showed up (though they are really getting underway now except in my yard where they are still making promises) and then the cherry plums started blooming. Crocuses.  Croci? Artful arrangement by nature More crocuses Now the magnolias are starting, if they haven't been blown away by today's atrociously windy weather. It feels like I hardly did a thing in January.  I may as well have hibernated because it was not a good month.  It started well with lots of sun and then went to seed.  I w...

G'day all! Who can believe that it is 2016 already? Anyone?  Bueller? Hooray, cast off the last FO for 2015 with 2 minutes to go! How did it get to be 2016?  What happened to all the years previous?  How did they flit away so quickly? Last sunset of 2015 Welcome, 2016.  I expect you'll be a pretty interesting year - if nothing else, I expect to reach a fairly momentous birthday.  I also wonder how on earth that happened and how things can be 20 and 30 years ago and I was an adult (of sorts) then.... Gorgeous yarn.  So pretty. I have to say that 2015 ended beautifully - after a month where we had the second-highest rainfall ever and one of the most rainy months (aka days with measurable rain) ever, the last few days were superb.  Frosts overnight and then gloriously sunny days. Last sunrise of 2015  I even crawled out of bed early enough to catch sunrise at one of my favourite beauty spots.  Okay, so local sun...