Weekend Bliss

I had originally intended to do this post on Monday. Monday however was filled with appointments and errands and not a spare minute to sit and do much of anything. I'm here now though so I thought I would show and tell you what a lovely weekend we had.

We did a lot of walking over the weekend, as once again we were blessed with magnificent weather. It starts off frosty in the mornings but warms up as the day goes on. We started our walk very early in the morning. Only a few serious photographers were about, so it was lovely and quiet. The perfect way to start the day. The first pic is of these wonderful barns which just happen to be along one of our favorite walks. I have always loved old barns, they have so much character. These looked especially lovely in the early morning. They were a part of an old farm that has been long gone for many years now.
Further along the trail we came across this bent over tree that formed a circle with its reflection in the water. My hubby titled it "It's all about the O". It was still and quiet except for the birds that were singing...just for us of course! Just as we were about to make for home hubby heard a rustle behind us. There hiding in the long grass was this wonderful bird. It is an American Bittern. It was so well camouflaged that it took me a while before I saw it too. When they feel threatened they sway just like long grass stems making it even harder to see. What a great way to end our walk.

Returning home we realized how hungry we were. So lunch was a grilled cheese, tomato and avocado sandwich. Sorry I was just to hungry to take a pic. You will have to believe me when I say it was delicious!

As if my weekend wasn't wonderful enough, I then settled down in my favorite chair to crochet with this... .... yippee! Yummy new yarn that arrived the day before! Sheer bliss I tell you! Peruvian wool yarn, so soft and cushy! It came from a company called Knitpicks. At $1.99 per 50 gram ball I thought it was a great bargain. It comes in such great colors. This is fingering weight, I think that would be 3 ply in England. I love working with thinner yarn so I was in heaven.

So there you have it, my perfect weekend!
See you soon.

Ahead

For once I am actually ahead with things. Bunnies are made for Easter already, so I can scratch that off the list. It's not often that I manage to get so far ahead. I often start off with good intentions and planning. But something comes along that has to be done right now, and all my plans go into disarray. For now though I will just enjoy being ahead while it lasts.
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I am not the only one that is ahead. Mother Nature has given us the most incredible winter this year. Everything is at least six weeks ahead of schedule. During our weekend walk, (to which I might add I even took off my coat because I got to warm) we spotted these little flowers blooming. I was so happy to see them as I know that the little hummingbirds can't be to far behind. These are one of the first flowers they feed on after coming back to our area.
This lovely little bird sang his little heart out, just for us of course. I think he was enjoying the nice warm day too.
Of course not everything is peaceful and serene. There was a whole lot of squabbling going on as the geese all vie for the best nesting spots. My goodness they do make a racket! Hubby has a new more powerful lens for his camera so he was having a grand time taking photo's.

After today's morning rain we have another incredible week of sun and mild temperatures. So a lot of walking and garden tidying will be in the works. Sorry all you people that are still knee deep in snow with more coming. Hopefully my little post today will bring a little sunshine into your day.

Have a lovely Tuesday!

Moss and Sugar Scrubs

Firstly a big thank you for all your get well wishes. My back is feeling so much better. In fact I even took a stroll around the garden. The first in a long time.

I came across one of our raised flower beds that was completely covered in moss. A lot of people around here just hate moss and spend lots of time and money trying to get rid of it. Of course the moss always wins and comes back year after year. I happen to love moss. The different types and colors are just amazing.
It grows on everything. Come summer when the sun stays for longer than 10 minutes it dries up and crumbles away until our next rainy season.
Of course as you would expect not much is blooming, except the Heather. I think and hope that is the only white stuff that we will see on the ground this winter.
I even sat for a while on the front porch. I was well sheltered and the sun was out for a bit. It did seem a bit unreal though sitting on our front porch in February!
Back in the house again I went to work on a new product. Foaming Sugar Scrubs. This one is Pink Grapefruit.
This one is Italian Granita Ice. Loaded with Fair Trade Organic Sugar and infused with soothing Almond Oil. They are wonderful for gently exfoliating while taking a bath. Which is exactly what I did when I went back into the house. One of the benefits of making new products is being able to try them out! If I do say so myself I think we have winner here. The only problem was deciding which one to try first.

Have a great Thursday!

What to do...

... when your back goes out and you are bored to tears just waiting for it to get well again? Why a new crochet project of course! That's what I get for rolling over in bed and having a wonderful stretch and then something went pop. Nothing serious though, just a strained muscle but it sure did hamper me for a few days. I think there is nothing worse than your body not being able to work right, but your brain is still going a hundred miles an hour brimming with ideas. So it was crochet to the rescue. Thank goodness that was a least something I could do. I think I am going to make these grannies into a blanket. Or at the very least a lap throw. It all depends on how bored I get making a ton of little grannies. I have decided to put this together as I go along. That way I won't have the daunting task of sewing in a gazillion little ends once all the squares are finished.

Of course walking was out of the question over the weekend. It was a shame though as we had great walking weather again. I did make a short visit to my 93 year old neighbor to pop her mail over to her. We both had a giggle when she was able to get up out of the chair much faster than I could. Stayed for some tea and then waddled home....
... to this lovely dinner. There is something to be said for being laid up for a few days and being taken care of.
We are so lucky to live in the Pacific Northwest and have such an abundance of yummy salmon. So dinner was salmon coated with herbs and spices, spicy rice and asparagus with olive oil and lemon. Yummy, yummy, yummy! I always think it is such a treat to have dinner cooked for you. I really enjoy the meal a lot more than if I had to cook it myself.

So having your back pop out isn't really so bad...not that I am recommending it. But it does have a few little advantages!

See you soon!

Thursday

I managed to finish the front of my crochet pillow this week. Now I am on the hunt for a recycled sweater, hopefully in a yellow or green or even a white color. I plan on making the back from the sweater. Maybe I will be lucky and find a cashmere one at the thrift store. I have been pretty successful before at finding them. Then all I have to do is stitch the two together.
Of course I am still soap making. I cut these three yesterday. From left to right, Oatmeal Milk and Honey. Wonderful for dry itchy winter skin. White Lavender and Violet and Geranium and Bergamot.
Ever since I have started using handmade soap I no longer care for store bought soap. It is loaded with drying detergent. Sure it gives lots of bubbles but handmade soap is a lot kinder to your skin.

Well the new season of the TV show Lost started a couple of days ago. I have been waiting forever for it to start. All I can say is I am well and truly lost. I am hoping that bits and pieces will start to fall into place as the weeks follow and I will have that, "Oh now I get it" moment. But for now I am left scratching my head and wondering what it all means. Am I the only one that is lost?

Looks like another OK weekend on the weather front. I am pretty sure a walk is in the works. I have to say that we are having a pretty good winter here. Daytime temps are usually in the low fifties. Compared to the rest of the country I think we are quite lucky.

See you soon!