Tag Archives: Yesterday morning

Walking in the Woods – The Cure for Learning Curves and other Life Bumps

Low hanging ornamental plum blossoms. Beautiful against the blue sky.
Low hanging ornamental plum blossoms. Beautiful against the blue sky.

It has been a year – OK only three and a half months – but it feels like a year – of changes and they just keep on coming.  Changes in my children’s lives, changes in my friends lives and a dose of Spring Fever that is leaving me feeling restless! The best cure for restlessness is a walk in the woods.

Shaded wooded path at the Canyon
Shaded wooded path at the Canyon

My mind is abuzz with design idea’s and never enough time to create them all!  I am getting better at writing without knitting first – but that is slow and does not satisfy my creativity as much as the knitting itself.  The best cure for frustration is a walk in the woods.

Curly (Fawn) Liles carpet the old mossy road in the woods.
Curly (Fawn) Liles carpet the old mossy road in the woods.

I wanted to do some work on my blog site – learning curves bit back!  The only way to ease learning curves is a walk in the woods.

Woodland reflections in the flowing waters.
Woodland reflections in the flowing waters.

Not as much time for walking it seems as well!  Though that is going back to normal!  Between, visitors, a miserable cold and equally miserable weather – there was not much walking going on.  The best cure for not walking in the woods is walking in the woods.

A Spotted Towhee, entertainment while walking in the woods.
A Spotted Towhee, entertainment while walking in the woods.

But visitors are gone, cold is gone, weather is improving and life is going back to “normal” or what ever that is for me!  I am walking in the woods.

Reward for walking in the woods
Reward for walking in the woods

IMG_9154 (730x1024)Trilliums are just starting in the woods. Curly (Fawn) Liles, Maple and Dogwood blooms are bountiful right now in the woods.  As are Yellow Violets and a few unknown (to me) blooms.  The triple lobed leaf of the Trillium is pushing up all over the ground, following behind the Lilies.

It is Spring in the woods.

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Crown details
Crown details

Ode to….

I have just released a pattern onto Ravelry, Ode to….  A classic, slightly slouchy colourwork toque.  The green sample was knit with Cascade 220 Superwash Sport and the grey sample was knit with Buffalo Wool Co Buffalo Skies.

It will be free until Wednesday 7:00 am Pacific.

For Aunty Evie and other Logan Fans – Logan in the Jolly Jumper.  Playing with a baby helps to keep one sane and happy.  Who could not smile at a happy baby?!

Walking in the Woods – is the grounding I need to keep sane and creative.  How do you ground yourself?

Happy Viewing

Lynette

 

 

 

 

 

Sunrises this Week

 

Sunrise earlier this week.
Sunrise earlier this week.

It has been an amazing week of sunrises!  I have been getting up a little earlier to try to get some work done and catching the Sun as it comes up.

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Logan loves to chew on his feet right now.
Logan loves to chew on his feet right now.

Logan and Beth have been visiting and have put me a little behind on my pattern writing – but I am catching up.

Camelia
Camelia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The flowers in the garden have been beautiful as well – especially the Camellia!  Though I have to admit to a particular fondness for the Lion Daisy along the fence.  They are so cheerful and the deer have not noticed them this year!

Cheerful Daisies!
Cheerful Daisies!

Happy Viewing

Lynette

Soaring High

Red-tailed Hawk (I think) just about to soar up and over Richards Marsh.
Red-tailed Hawk (I think) just about to soar up and over Richards Marsh.
Friends for life!
Friends for life!

The Retreat is over and went well.  I saw some finished mittens and hats half done and a great many happy retreaters.  I think that I will focus on small projects with big impact for the next Retreat – it worked great this time.

A group of friends who come to the Retreat almost every year now were willing to play with me as I took pictures of the patterns – we had a lot of fun!

Belted Kingfisher from across the Marsh - messy crest and blue bands - the blue is so brilliant in the sun.
Belted Kingfisher from across the Marsh – messy crest and blue bands – the blue is so brilliant in the sun.

The Retreat handout is now an E-book on Ravelry – Winter Series.  Right now you can use the code Retreat 2015 to purchase the Winter Series E-Book from Ravelry for a 25% discount – $12.00 US in stead of $16.00 US.  The E-book holds all of the patters with some options to personalize them with changing the bands.  The patterns are also available as singles – Winter Crossings Winter Skies Winter Dancers and Winter Shadows.

I have been walking regularly and taking pictures all the time.  I will take time to share as the month progresses.

A detail of a long forgotten time.
A detail of a long forgotten tome.

Yesterday we walked at Richards Marsh – an amazing place.  I saw many birds – even managed to take a few shots.  We stopped at the Chase River Estuary to check out the changes there.  I love this old car.

We have been blessed with a very mild Winter to date.  My bulbs are coming up and the mini Iris’s are blooming!  I am so worried that there might be a late freeze – I lost my Magnolia tree to an April snowfall – the weight of the snow knocked the tree over and it never came back!  I worry, but we will wait and enjoy!

Watching me - watching him.
Watching me – watching him.

I have one project left with a heavy deadline – it is almost there!  Then I can breath again.  The Slideshow below is from the Nanaimo River Walk – Indian Plum in bloom, fruit tree gone wild, the delicate tracery of tree against the grey sky and soft fog all around.

Happy Knitting

Lynette

A Great Blue Heron across Richards Marsh.
A Great Blue Heron across Richards Marsh.

Surfing DuckVille

Amazing site - the water was black with ducks.
Amazing site – the water was black with ducks.
Riding the chop!
Riding the chop!
The debris on the beach was thick with roe.
The debris on the beach was thick with roe.

The Surf Scoter – according to the “Book” – is gregarious and loves to flock together – especially when there is herring roe to be found.  Sometimes the flock can number over 300,000!

There weren’t that many at Neck Point yesterday morning but there were at least one thousand – most likely more – Surf Scoters and other ducks surfing the chop!  I saw Buffleheads, Merganzers and Harlequin ducks as well!  I have never seen anything like this flock of ducks.

Harlequin ducks bobbing the chop.
Harlequin ducks bobbing the chop.

The flock would separate out into fingers that would move away and back towards the main flock.  Ducks disappear and reappear as they dove down and popped back up.  The Gulls dove down and settled or veered away into the breeze!  The wind was freshening up as we watched the flock and the water got choppier.  Sometime the flock would almost disappear behind the approaching waves – incredible!

"Fingers" would separate and then rejoin the main flock
“Fingers” would separate and then rejoin the main flock
Loan Eagle
Loan Eagle

It was an amazing morning for bird watching.  A loan Eagle soared overhead – the Gulls were flying and diving around the ducks – the air and ocean were full of movement.

Happy Viewing

Lynette

 

 

 

Foggy Moods

Fog shrouded canopy overhead.
Fog shrouded canopy overhead.
Perfect miniature.
Perfect miniature.
Spider Webs outlined in fog droplets festooning every branch, bush and every rough surface.
Spider Webs outlined in fog droplets festooning every branch, bush and every rough surface.

I could see the Marine Fog rolling in this morning as I watched the sun come up.  The fog pretty much socked in everything for the morning.

There is something fey about fog.  It quiets sounds, softens edges and mutes colours.  Fog shifts, first hiding and then revealing objects drifting in and out of view.  Fog adds mystery to the everyday prosaic views that surround us and fog adds magic to objects seldom viewed.

We walked at Hemer Park this morning.  There were swans on the Marsh side.  We counted 7 at least, drifting in and out of the fog.

Swans drifting in and out of the fog.
Swans drifting in and out of the fog.

There were spider webs everywhere, festooning almost every surface and every web dripping with water.  On the Holden Lake side there were bushes just coming into bud – bright green against the red-brown branches.

Green buds - waiting for more sunlight - waiting to burst into leaf.
Green buds – waiting for more sunlight – waiting to burst into leaf.
Clear blue outlines the trees.
Clear blue outlines the trees.

Yesterdays walk was quite different.  There was no fog.  There was Sun.

Cedar boughs created lace against the blue skies.
Cedar boughs created lace against the blue skies.

The Sun poured down light.  Illuminating and outlining every surface as we walked around Morrell Sanctuary.  Branches were green and bright.  Cedar boughs created lace patterns against the sky.

Both walks were beautiful.

Happy Viewing

Lynette

Yesterday……

At the beginning the path was level.....
At the beginning the path was level…..

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Looking up into the canopy!
Looking up into the canopy!

….We went for a new walk. We walked the Cable Bay Trail.  The trees were amazing.  The undergrowth was beautiful, mostly fern and the sound was uncanny.

The air was filled with bird calls, sharp pips from the small birds; raucous calls from the crows and ravens; eerie cries from a couple of eagles over head; and the ongoing loud honk of a Heron.  We could see a heron flying between the trees and calling – to what or for what we don’t know.  Almost the whole walk down was accompanied by this honking sound.

Small rills of water tumbled down the hills beside us.
Small rills of water tumbled down the hills beside us.
Sea Lions on the log-boom.
Sea Lions on the log-boom.

To add to the birds calls there were many small rills of water tumbling down the hill to the small river at the bottom of the Ravine.  Once down at the bay the loud groans and barks of the sea lions, lolling on the log booms, filled the air.

It was a noisy kind of day!

Moss covered Big-Leaf Maples were highly visible on the walk from beginning to end!
Moss covered Big-Leaf Maples were highly visible on the walk from beginning to end!

It was the trees that got to me.  The big leaf maples covered in Moss towering overhead, next to the bare grey alders and ancient hemlock and fir.  This is a well established forested area.  It had been logged – but not in many generations – there were a few ancient stumps as evidence.

As amazing as the trees were the small fungi.  They grow side by side or out from the moss and bark.  These delicate notes add to the drama of the forest as a whole.  There is always so much to note on every walk!

The trail is well established, clear and mostly easy to walk.  But you will descend and will have to ascend.  It is a bit of a workout!  Next time we will extend the walk to the Joan Point Park to get a view of Dodd’s Narrows.

Happy Walking

Lynette