Saturday June 28

I am in Duncan at my moms' and we went for a quick trip to Whippletree Junction today so I could get some knitting needles for my next thing I'm knitting. And she said I should look in at her friend's studio. 

It's in the really neat part of Whippletree that is like a quaint and fanciful little village. And the studio is amazing. Oozing creative output. It's wonderful. 

I don't know how many looms in there altogether. 

A beautiful tapestry in progress there. This is the loom. 

And a close up of it. 

And this the painting that it is being worked from. The yarn colours are exactly perfect. I love it. 

I think fibre arts must be in my blood. 

L

Thursday June 26

Camping with the Grade tens. Eva and her friends organized it themselves. Biking to Ruckle Park campground. They asked a couple parents to come along for insurance and I brought my car and my two younger kids. We went to the lake yesterday. 

The camping group are the folks all on the farther away dock. 

This is most of them with their broccoli head ponytails. 

I think everyone had a good time. 

L

Monday June 23

Hobby du jour. This is where the allowance money is going at the moment. 

The incomplete arsenal of three boys. 

On a different note, now that we have smaller accordions, sometimes there is spontaneous accordion playing going on. 

It sounds nice. 

And as another contrast, this is what Tobin learned today. He relearned, more specifically, and is knitting up a storm. 

It might turn out to be a dishcloth, in the end.  

L

Tuesday June 17

Sometimes it's so darn beautiful down by the docks with the sun all sparkly off the water and a breeze blowing the vegetation around and all the people powered water traffic going by. 

I biked down with Julias for his paddling practice and saw a line of harbour ferries/ pickle boats all heading in the same direction. 

We had extra folks for dinner last night and a sleepover in the living room with four extra teenagers.  

All that, and there being no school due to the teachers strike, bumps me right into summer mode. 

Cheers. 

L

Sunday June 15

At my nephews birthday barbecue we ended up talking knitted dishcloths. 

Here's mine. I'm halfway done. 

This was one of my friends last night at the IMAX 3D. The glasses are BIG. 

Cheers. 

L

Saturday June 14

We were at Tempo Trend where they have 600 accordions in stock. Jeff took his big Aabco accordion to trade in for a smaller, lighter one. Eva and I left after an hour to go to our recital and the others were there for another three hours. 

They sell other instruments, too. 

They showed Tobin how to play an accordion that was his size. 

End of the story is that we now have three accordions and a new guitar at home now. 

We have upped the musical quotient of the house. 

L

Friday June 13

Tonight is the spring fair at the elementary school. In the hallway this week are all the themed raffle baskets lined up on tables for the folks to look at and put their tickets in the boxes to get a chance to win. Exciting!

During the day they are covered up. I suppose it is too distracting for the kidlets during school time to have to walk past all that exciting loot. 

It reminds me of a giant Kim's game. The memory game from girl guides and my friend's birthday parties of the past where we had to remember and list off all the things on the tray once it had been covered up or taken away. Now this one, this one would be a challenge!

Also, feast your eyes on this cake. Because, wow, fantastic. 

L

Thursday June 12

I was at a church today taking pictures of a recital as a favour and I thought this thing was really neat looking. 

I think it is a baptismal font or some such item. It has water in it. 

The other good thing from outing was being able to bring home leftover gluten free chocolate cake from Origin Bakery. Yum. Thanks Guyonne!

L

Wednesday June 11

Sometimes it's interesting having a husband whose office is in the hospital. He brought this home from work. 

This is the other side of it. 

It looks a little bit like coral or some sea creature. 

It is not that. This is what it is. 

In case you can't read the words, it says Section of Polycystic Kidney Embedded in Plastic Resin. Julias says we can't use it for a doorstop for the front room because it's gross. 

Yesterday Jeff brought home the other one. 

Cystic Liver Section Set in Plastic Resin. 

It looks Ike this. 

And the other side. 

I think that one does look quite a bit like liver. 

I don't know.... I could get used to seeing it as a door stop. It's not very much worse than the current doorstop which is a giant plastic bee that we picked up at Liquidation World when Eva was two. 

Cheers.

L

Tuesday June 10

Saturday there was an outrigger race called Island Iron starting on the beach at Cadboro Bay. All four OC6's were trailered over there for it from the gorge. To do this, on Friday night they had to be paddled from their regular dock to the beach over at the Songhees, then walked up out of the water onto the grass where there would be derigged. This takes quite a few bodies to make light work of it so all the juniors and all the adult crews were asked to come out and help. 

Paddle the boat over. And bring the wheels down to it. 

Hike the boat out onto the wheels. 

And guide and balance it up the beach. 

To the grass where the wheels come back out from underneath and down to the beach for next boat. 

And start derigging - taking the big outrigger (the ama) off the side. 

Then wheels back under and walk it carefully to the trailer. 

And one, two, three, up. On to the trailer. Everybody all on one side please. 

Then they drove them over to Cadboro Bay and unloaded and rerigged them. 

Today we did the reverse, rerigging them on the Songhees beachside and paddling them back to their home dock. 

Quite a process. 

L

Sunday June 8

Seen at the student cello recital. My friend, her mother and her daughter. 

It was a nice little recital and my son played his piece very well. 

L

Monday June 9

The elementary school has had a lizard for quite a few years. 

Her name was Gertie and she looked like this one. She was quite distinctly green. 

A few days ago she died and so they have put up a display of remembrance hearts around the library window where Gertie lived in her  terrarium.

The kids who wanted to could get a heart from the office I think and write something about the lizard. I think it's a touching way of marking the passing of this little school pet. I like it.  

 L