Moon(s)

Ever since I was a kid I thought we got gipped (is that a word here?) - you know, cheated, because we only had one moon. Everyone loves the moon. Wouldn't everyone tripely love three moons? I wanted more!

As a child I was fascinated by the full moon, the half moon, the quarter moon. But as soon as I learned that Jupiter had 8 moons I was completely jealous. (I know, now Jupiter has sixty-three known natural satellites according to Wikipedia) And as soon as I saw them in Life Magazine I was consumed. They were orange and yellow and red and big.

Then came Luke Skywalker standing on the sand dune looking at the moons of Tatooine. I wanted them plus the music that swelled with them.

But last night our moon put on a little show that was worthy of it's oneness. I hope you all got out your telescopes and binoculars and had a look because it was pretty spectacular. And the dogs loved it because I set myself up with a chair and a vodka outside and sat there a moon gazed - they thought it was a party outside, for a change.

But the best part was when I came in this morning to look at my lame photos from last night. There is proof - living proof - that there is another moon hiding behind our moon and only popping out to see the moon dance. I feel content at last and not ripped off anymore.

Ciao

Breakfast.

Since most of my knitting at the moment is secret squirel stuff (except for the red chinese vest which I am knitting in grey/blue alpaca from Bendigo!) I am going to write about other stuff in my life. Every year on my birthday I set a task for myself. One year I gave up trying to tell jokes (I always miss a key point in the telling and get a sea of blank faces at the punch line!! Very discouraging). This is the year for making my little world a more positive and fun place by doing and enjoying little things. I have some amazing mentors in this field and people help me everyday who don't even know they are helping.

So I am going to blog about my attempts at living a more lovely life for the second half of my life - and making these lovely things life-long habits.

Breakfast is my first hurdle of the day. I can get up early. I can jump in the shower. I can clean my teeth and easily decide what to wear for the day. But what to have for breakfast is a challenge. I don't really feel like eating anything. I never have been a breakfast girl. But I have read more than my fair share of dieting books and they all say "breakfast is the most important meal of the day"! OK I believe it!

So I'm going to make breakfast an event instead of a meal. I gathered all my books, read up on what I actually need in my diet that I am not getting from chocolate and tuna and have decided on a smoothie! I got skim milk, fruit, soy product, fiber, linseeds and almonds, protein powder and a vitamin. I know that this might not sound like an eureka moment for some but it is for me. But how do you make a smoothie an event? I put some Sergio on the stereo, open the curtains to the gorgeous sunny day and sit down at the table.

It's a start!! Now I am ready to face my day with the most important meal of the day accomplished in style.

Ciao.

Home!

See ya Seattle! I'll miss you all soooo much my family and friends. I'll miss the city. I'll miss the amazing landscape and Mount Rainier. I'll miss the music and the food. I'll miss my son's incredible bar tending talents. I'll miss the clean atmosphere. I'll miss the fun and the sun. I'll miss my new friends too.

Hello again Canberra! It has taken me four days to get over my travel hangover - it was bad this time for some reason (nothing at all to do with that big party the night before I left and all the mandarine vodka we drank!). But I feel human now. And I like being home all except for the cccold. I guess I'll get used to it again. And I have my new stash to keep me warm!! Mmmm angora!!

And I have started a new project today. I couldn't decide what to knit first so I started on some beautiful alpaca from Bendigo - go figure! I'm still pondering my other new ventures with my new yarn.

I have so many blogs to catch up on - I barely read any while I was away. But thanks for all your lovely comments on mine. I hope you all enjoyed the little bit of my holiday that I shared. It was a blast and I can't wait to do it all again - but there is some serious knitting to get done first.

Glad to be home. Ciao.

Brother's socks delivered.

Nettie - Little Brother likes his socks!

Seattle and 'other' shopping.

I ventured into the big CBD of Seattle before I had dinner with friends - I guess my inner country girl had a bit of a hard time - it is summer holidays here so LOTS of people and I am not that good in crowds anyway. So I looked up a lot.

It is a beautiful city - very clean and clear with interesting sites and shops. I'm just not that into it.

One of the girlfriends works on one of the top floors of this building.

Then we came back into West Seattle and went to the Matador and drank the best ever Cosmopolitans. Not just because my son made them for us - no - because he makes them damned good!!

And this is what happens when you try to take a self portrait after drinking a couple of those damned good Cosmos.

By the way - he makes those Cosmopolitans with flavored Vodka!!

I'm having a great time but I feel like I am almost ready to come home.
Ciao.

Three diets!

First diet - the Pastry Diet.

All I can say is I am thankful that this bakery does not live in Canberra!!
That is a shot of one of the four cases full of THE most delicious bakery goodies ever. Chocolate cake to gain 20 kilos for! And the rest is just amazingly yummy and only 1 mile from my mother's house!

This is hard to see but the bread in the window is all shaped like sea creatures - star fish, a big octopus and turtles. It is really cute. It is the best bakery I have ever been to. Oh, oh, and the baker is a chocolatier too!

Did I say it is only 1 mile from my bedroom over here? Will I be able to try everything before I come back in a week?

The Wild Ginger diet -

this food is soooooo gooood and I have been here twice! My son brought me two nights ago and my friends just took me there tonight. Those are sechuan beans with pickled turnips and pepper scallops.

Duck is their specialty - make your own duck rolls.

And the best company too.

And the Knitting diet - all you can knit and it's not fattening at all!!!

There was a sale at the LYS (can you believe I hit a sale in the short time I am here!!) I picked up some 40% off Angora and before I could quickly get it out of my hand the woman who owned the store came up to me and said "Oh, you should take it and give the little bunnies a home!" so my mom bought me enough for a red angora sweater. Am I a lucky girl or what?

And look what came in the post today - way way cheaper than at home and no postage. I am in heaven.

Now I only have to live until I am 153!

I am sleeping with my angora tonight!!

Relaxing at the cabin and visitors

My girlfriend has a little cabin on Hood Canal on the Olympic Peninsula. We had an extremely relaxing three days there - four of us - all friends for 40 years. One of the GF brought an old high school year book with her and we had hours of fun looking thru - see old boyfriends, people who are still their friends and sadly they knew all the people who had died too. But it was mostly lots of laughs.


And this is her front yard - nice, no?



We ate and ate again (boy, I am going to have to go on more than one kind of diet when I get home!!)

And I got a little knitting done with all the talking, and a little walking too.

We had a lovely little visitor the last night we were there - came in for some dog food.

We didn't get too close as they are not that nice if they feel they are being attacked - but Rocky gave us a good 15 minutes of entertainment - watching him eat and make little noises (nothing to do with the two bottles of champaigne - absolutely nothing!)

Ciao

This is what I've been doing!

Don't look too close - it still need another coat on the deck and some touch ups on the rails and fence. Dad and I have been out there workin and it's been great. We will go get some more paint this afternoon.

Went to the best ever Mariners baseball game last night. We beat the Boston Red Socks bad!!

Well, there's been painting and baseball.

And visiting.

And eating.

And gardening.

I have been driving my Dad's truck. I have only gotten into the wrong side of the car 4 times (oh, look, there's no steering wheel!) and only banged my left hand on the door half a dozen times trying to shift with it. But I haven't pulled into the wrong side of the street once yet. Oh, yeah, I almost got run over looking the wrong way when I stepped into the street but that doesn't count. And look what my mom knit - a little sock for the dohickey that unlocks the key from the ignition in Dad's truck. Isn't it cute?

OK - there has been a little shopping

and yes, that is Malabrigo. It was on special at the LYS and I couldn't resist. Plus some soft linen and...

Maizy sock yarn - corn fiber and nylon - and rosewood dpn's. I am going to be soooo poor moneywise next year - rich fiberwise.

Still beautiful and sunny. Seafair starts this weekend but I am staying clear - too many crowds for me. Going to Hoods Canal tomorrow with girlfriends. Can't wait! Ciao.

Brother's socks

Hey Nettie - I finished little brother's socks - not bad for first attempt at dyeing? He likes them and is calling them his "Larrikin Socks"

Can't wait to try more!

Rhonda