When this week's theme came up I immediately thought, "somewhere else' meant a different house, because that is what we are looking for. Not too far away but still somewhere else. There is no somewhere else yet, so there is nothing to show.
And because of this I did not have time to look through photos of places where I have been somewhere else.
It only took another moment to think that every time I turn on the internet and with every Corner View I go somewhere else with each of you.
Thank you.
The apple trees have outdone themselves . Making up for last year's complete lack of apples due to the very late killing frost at blossom time, there are seemingly more than the branches can hold.
This was my flower of choice today and then...
Another flower which outdoes itself every year -whether we like it or not- the (sometimes) dreaded dandelion caught my eye. Amongst the violets (another stunning show) I picked a small bowlful and headed to the kitchen.
I have made things with dandelions before (and violets too) and today was a simple quick bread. This loaf is not too sweet and very subtle in flavour, with equally subtle pretty flecks of yellow.
And there was only one thing to go with it of course, apple blossom tea.
Apple blossom tea is reportedly good for digestion, fat loss, acne, detoxifying the liver and blood circulation. It had a very nice chamomile-like flavour.
It never fails to thrill me, how much I can do with what's at my back door.
Corner View is a weekly appointment - each Wednesday - created by Jane, hosted by Francesca, where bloggers from all corners of the world share their view on a pre-arranged theme.
See more Corner View flowers here.
I am trying to spend lots of time in this incredible weather, fortuitous really, what with all the incredible weeding that needs to be done. I don't even care - because it means I get to be outside!
However, there is lots to be done inside as well, as usual. Indoor weeding. We are trying to get and keep the house show-worthy for potential buyers, which is of course a crazy amount of fun because of the 101 ways I like to mess it up:
Soap making. Another market last weekend, the first outdoor one of the season. It was sunny and windy and warm. Have I mentioned the weather is incredible? Just wait. There are two kinds of incredible. First, it's so warm and fantastic because it felt like it was never going to warm again...
And then it is and it never fails to amaze.
It's sort of like seeing the first deer on your property, amazing and then 5 years later, still amazing.
I woke up to two deer this morning. They were the first thing that I saw when I looked out the bedroom window. Bad Camera even cooperated!
Bad Camera wouldn't work for me when I was trying to photograph this apron I made months ago so, back to the phone.
I have seen these aprons cropping up all over the internet, in all their linen glory. This is a one-size fits-all apron; the cross straps keep it on. Nothing to tie up and look bulgy and weird. I have to wear an apron most of the time at work and I have issues with aprons. I did not make mine from linen but some thrifted mystery fabric I had. I love linen but for an apron? I made up the pattern - it barely needed one.
I have more sewing ahead because unlike Bad Camera, Broken Sewing Machine has been temporarily replaced with a loaner from a friend. I hope I stop receiving random pieces of clothing to alter so I can get on with something new. I'm not a fan of alterations.
A spring sweater will be finished soon. I am on the seemingly no-progress land that is Sleeve Island. So, finished soon for being on Sleeve Island, ha.
I was also busy messing up the kitchen making these biscuits. Unusual but delicious, a hazelnut/ olive oil based uh, shortbread type cookie. Sweet things have been very scarce around here and the family was making rebellious noises. Nothing gets store bought here so if they don't get made they don't get eaten. I like the system but the natives were getting restless
And then there was some whole wheat bread for a bread making class I taught this weekend. I was talking out loud to myself in the kitchen, making my way through the process, trying to figure out the timing for the class. At least the cats know everything there is to know about proofing now.
So back outside and more weeding the garden. It's too early to plant anything, even though it feels like it but the onions and sorrel, the garlic (!) and surprisingly some kale came up. I'm keeping watch for the asparagus, 5 stalks so far and the rhubarb, which is slowing growing in it's usual inconvenient spot.
Is it crazy to get this excited over a few measly vegetables?
While weeding, I noticed the black flies were out and that got me thinking about the bug repellent lotion and soap I have made other years. I have decided to stick with the lotion and I have all the ingredients except for the catnip essential oil, which is not in my budget. Did you know catnip oil is 10x more effective than DEET?
I have infused other herbals before and I thought , well darling kitties, I will use some of your catnip for an oil infusion for the lotion. It went on the stove for a while and now it is in the sunny window. If it doesn't repel biting insects, at least my cats will love me. Will keep you posted.
So, the second incredible? The weather again on Mother's Day:
Yes, snow. The photo doesn't really do the hard blowing snow-ice pellet combo justice.
This alternated every 5 -10 minutes or so with beautiful and sunny (but not warm)
At least there was no killing frost like last year which did the apple blossoms in.
It's okay, by the time you read this it will be warm again.
That phenomenon never ceases to amaze me either.
This is a repeat back from a few years ago but I couldn't find any any birds to pose for me yesterday.
This heron was at the pond. The pond is stocked with trout, so you can see the draw. He was very beautiful and very large. The wingspan is amazing.
It was an extra long weekend due to a lovely April ice storm, just after the snow melted, and then came back. Today was 17'C. Hello, spring! I've decided not to even try to figure out what you are going to do next.
Luckily the power only went out for an hour on Friday.
I alternated between soap making, 8 different kinds for a spring festival next month
and maple syrup finishing,
and eating. The sap is still running but I am out of time to do any more.
There was also some seed starting
Time to put my feet up and relax think about the next project, of course.
How was your weekend? Is it spring where you are?
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Spring is the season that can't make up it's mind.
It's a little cruel to get snow after a warm stretch of days, especially after a long winter, and winters are always too long!
But the days are definitely longer, it's sunnier and that sun is hotter. The cold has changed from a bitter sting to a damp chill.
The temperatures rise above zero during the day (finally) but fall below at night.
This means it's sugaring time, just the right temperatures to tap the maple trees for syrup.
One of the first signs of spring, just before the daffodils bloom and the robins sing.
I took this photo last week on the way to collect the maple sap:
These were some good-sized coyote tracks in the driveway (Most of our coyote population is half-wolf and therefore large)
The sun was hot and all ice and tracks were gone by mid-afternoon.
The wild turkeys are out too, that's a sign! You can see them at the bottom of this post here (I haven't got a good photo of them yet this year). And now there are three males strutting their stuff and more ladies ignoring them. There is quite a party going on out there most mornings.
Since I wrote this post there has been more hot sun followed by, sigh, more blowing snow.
No blossoms yet. Like the lighter dresses and strappy sandals hiding deep in the closet, I will have to wait a little longer for them.
More signs of spring Corner View here.
As she wanted reindeer, he wanted snowflakes. I was very tempted to title this post "Whew!" as that is what I am feeling. It was a long haul to the finish line, due to several unforeseen interruptions in the flow of knitting and so, in the end the -maybe I'll get it done for Christmas- became an Easter sweater!
No matter, it's done, it fits perfectly, he loves it and well, did I say it's done?
For this one I followed the pattern of the Daughter Sweater and found some photos of traditional Cowichan sweater motifs and fit them in to this pattern, more or less. There was some other finangaling around and waiting time (for the boy to actually come home so I could measure his arms and that bad moment near the end where I had to redo the last motif) but I still insist it is a relatively fast knit.
I didn't get a photo of him wearing it as it was a drive-by drop off on the way home from Easter dinner and he had just got off from work and put it on immediately. After a short visit we all proceeded to the elevator of his apartment, where we then got stuck for an hour!
I used the same Cascade Ecological wool as for his sisters, natural grey instead of brown this time.
I have extra yarn left from both sweaters and matching mittens were requested. So, I'm not completely done yet...
I was given a small bag of leather scraps so I got to work to see what I could do with it.
Patches for my husband's at-home "work" pants, a small pouch, a simple purse.
Corner View is a weekly appointment - each Wednesday - created by Jane, hosted by Francesca, where bloggers from all corners of the world share their view on a pre-arranged theme. More corner view here
We don't eat a lot of potatoes but this is our favourite:
Sweet potato oven fries with sweet and spicy hot Thai dipping sauce, a perfect pairing.
Gosh it's crazy to photograph food indoors at supper time. The light is dire!
More Corner Views potato pairings here
Finally, the first of the two Cowichan-style jackets.
She chose the pattern herself. It's this one.
The details for the knitters:
I used Cascade Ecological wool. I liked the un-dyed, natural colours of this wool. The hanks are very large which is economical and well, not so much. ( for example if you need just a little more of one colour and have to buy a whole other big hank, ahem)
The pattern is straightforward. Folks who have knit it before me have complained that the sleeves are too long but that's not a problem for my family. The sleeves are just right.
I have a feeling the pockets are going to sag (even if she never put her hands in them again) so I may sew them up.
Dare I say it's a relative fast knit, even though I took ages to make it happen!
In the first photo the sweater is not blocked as per the instructions but I thought it needed it so I did a light blocking, shown below. It even helped the pocket situation, a bit.
It was important to knit this pattern first because for the second jacket for my son, he chose his design from a photo and I needed a sweater template to fit the design into.
But don't get too impatient, I'm still on the sleeves and he's got to come home to model it!
