Proof of Pleasant Moments

We are making photographs to understand what our lives mean to us. - Ralph Hattersley

One of the things about trying to write a blog post at least once a week is that it forces you to be present enough to remember to take photos to include in your post. It makes for a good opportunity to remember the nice little moments that occurred throughout the week. Here are some of the pleasant moments I had this week:

I've been toodling around the garden each day, getting to know the greenery that is growing at this new house, gently pruning and cleaning things up. I'm being extra cautious because I have a tendency to be a bit ruthless with my pruning and end up hacking stuff down to the ground so badly that the poor plant doesn't recover. I have a couple of unruly rosebushes at the front of the house, so a couple of weeks ago I took the clippers to it and removed a few branches here and a few dead shoots there. Lo and behold, I think I'm doing something right because I pulled up to the house the other day and found it blooming:

It was a smoky week here on Vancouver Island, and I found myself indoors a lot of the time. I was sitting in the back room stretching on my yoga mat one morning and looked up and saw this lovely sight through the back patio doors. I feel really blessed to get a view like this here:

The neighbourhood kids came around one day to let us know they'd set up a stand around the corner to sell banana loaf and iced tea. I came home with two pieces of banana loaf and a cup of iced tea for $1.25. Take that, Starbucks:

Someone turned up at work this week with a box full of squashes that are currently taking over her garden. For a moment, I was squashed by squashes:

And in amongst those squashes was the cutest l'il canteloupe you ever did see:

Some fabric baskets I'd ordered off Amazon arrived this week. I've used some of them to organize my hand knits on this little bookshelf I got from a vintage shop a couple of years ago. I've struggled for a long time to figure out how to store all my shawls and hats and mitts, and I think I might have finally cracked it. The top two baskets hold things that I'll want to grab in a hurry, like fingerless mitts and hats and cowls. The bottom two are for larger shawls and "special occasion" wraps: the more delicate, silk or lace shawls that aren't really for everyday use. And the larger one on the floor is a basket I've had for a while which I've designated for the larger, heavier wraps and scarves that are reserved for the coldest days when I'd much rather huddle on the couch than go outdoors. I'm amazed that I measured each section well enough that each of those baskets slot in so well. Coming from someone who makes her own garments, that's a pretty sad statement, but it's true. Oh, and that strange circular thing on top is my "light alarm," which is a clock that steadily gets brighter in the mornings to wake me up, which has been far more gentle on my nerves than a jarring alarm:

Today, I visited a local art market with a friend. It feels like a long time since I've attended one of these, and I was having such a nice time looking around that I forgot to take many photos. Here are a few from a lovely stall selling hand-printed linens and napkins:

And the local printing guild where I took my printing workshops had set up a stall and hand this adorable teeny tiny printing press on hand for demonstration:

And on the way back to the car, I stopped to talk to this cat... because he looked like he wanted to chat:

There were so many beautiful goodies on offer that I had to be really careful not to take home a truckload of things, but I did treat myself to this sweet little pendant made from a vintage ceramic plate. I love the subtle and delicate print:

And of course, there's my latest yarn project, which I pinned out onto the blocking board today. It's hard to tell from this photo, but this doily measures about 12 inches in diameter, even though I didn't have enough to finish the entire pattern. It was a struggle to get it finished. I'm pretty sure I worked the last two rounds at least four times each, firstly because of errors I'd made and then to try to fiddle with the pattern in an attempt to eke out enough yarn to complete every round. In the end, I just gave up and fastened off with five rounds to go. I think it looks pretty good for an incomplete doily. I still have no idea what I'm going to do with it yet, but maybe I'll have a better idea once it's completely blocked:

Oh, and I almost forgot: I had the privilege of having one of my projects featured on a blog that I've been following for years. I got a message about a week and a half ago from Julie from Knitted Bliss that she wanted to feature my Over and Over Again Top on her Modification Mondays feature. That was a nice surprise. It was so nice to be recognized for my creativity for a change. It's inspired me to really spend some time thinking about what I want to do with that doily.

So, that was my week. I could do with a nap, but I'm off to daydream about doily projects for a while. Happy Sunday.