Flying Time

No, I won’t be flying anywhere any time soon. It’s time that’s flying. Far too quickly. Do you realize it’s almost February?? How the heck did that happen? That endless spiral of hour following hour, day following day, week following week just seems to suck us all in, doesn’t it? Before we even realize it, another month has gone by. And what do I have to show for this past month? Not much.

Knitting has been sporadic at best. To be honest, I’m not even missing the needles. Yes, I pick up the Loop shawl occasionally, finish a row or two but, honestly, the satisfaction level I usually feel while knitting just isn’t there right now. I know the urge will return. It always does. Right now just doesn’t seem to be the time for knitting.

I’ve started doing a little sketching again; and when I say a little, I really do mean that. Doodles have been popping up on my desk calendar at work. Little scribbles have been showing up on my desk at home. Apparently, my pencils have been calling and I’ve been hearing the siren call, picking up a pencil. It’s a start. And it’s about time.

I’ve also been a little obsessed with macarons for the last couple of weeks. These little French delicacies are so yummy and so finicky, especially when you have an oven that’s way hotter than the dial shows and bakes unevenly.

Lemon Macarons – These look pretty good but they’re hollow inside.

I’ve been trying to bake THE perfect batch and, after three or four batches, I haven’t done it yet. Maybe today, right? It’s definitely been an enjoyable, and tasty, learning experience. Even a “failed” batch tastes amazing. If you’d like to read more about my “experiments”, check out my cooking/baking blog here.

Around the yard, the kids have been skating more and getting much more comfortable. Ethan no longer needs, or wants, something to hold on to. He’s even been practicing with a hockey stick and puck! Trinity has finally gotten over her disgust of the figure skates (and the “pickers”) and was trying some “moves” last weekend (until she fell hard on her hip). Temperatures right now are hovering around the freezing mark and the ice is still great. It would be nice to see it used a little more often but, in the meantime, we’re having fun. And, no, I have not gotten back on to the ice.

Apparently, John DID get on the ice this past week, with Ethan and his friend, but there’s no photographic evidence to support his claim. I’ll have to verify it with Ethan.

To be honest, I’m making it sound like January’s been a downer. It really hasn’t been. It’s just been a quiet month and there’s nothing wrong with that. There’s a time for quiet, a time for rest, a time for restoration. It’s just going by far too quickly!

Coming Back to Life

I suppose the title of this post is appropriate in more ways than one. Spring is coming on in our part of the world.  I know that in parts of Eastern Canada, they’re still struggling with snow and all the nastiness that comes with it; I’m certainly not trying to rub in the fact that our weather is lovely and that things are starting to come up. Spring has arrived here; our season of new life has arrived. If you’re still buried under mountains of snow where you are, I can empathize. I was, after all, born in Winnipeg.

Just a few minutes ago, I took the camera out to our little flower garden out front and saw these:

The tulips are doing well. It won’t be long before there’s colour outside our door. I’m not sure how many tulips we planted last year but there should be a nice showing of tulips before long.

The irises, too, are green with new life. I’m looking forward to seeing the masses of white irises. They always make me feel happy.

And then there are the gorgeous, big, red poppies, the show offs of the garden.

Even the bergamot is showing signs of life. Is it any wonder why I love spring?

As I said at the beginning of this post, the title is appropriate. Even I am noticing a “coming back to life”. It’s as if I’ve been hibernating through the winter and, now that spring is in the air, I, too, am reawakening. I’ve already been out for a few walks, enjoying the tinge of warmth in the still brisk air, relishing the sunshine, looking for all of the signs of spring.

Hopefully, I’ll be more inclined to update this poor, neglected blog a little more often than I have. The last couple of posts have been nothing but bad news. I promise you, there is good news coming!

I have been knitting but not much. I’ve been reading but not much. I’ve been painting but, really, not much. I’ve been waiting for spring and now that it’s upon us, I’m finally feeling more alive, more inspired, more desirous of “doing” rather than just “being”.