58/365 Recreating characters from my childhood....

...in snow.
Remember Button moon? No? Here's a quick reminder:


And here is a brief list of things you should remember if you wish to recreate Mr. Spoon in snowman form (which obviously you do):

* DON'T. He has a head far far bigger than his neck. This is a far from ideal physique for snowmen construction. His head will fall off. You will stamp your foot. His body will then fall off because you are making him on a balcony and when you stamp your foot the whole thing vibrates. At least if you stamp a foot the size of mine it does.

* Is it windy? Then DON'T! Particularly if you are using a flimsy blue plastic plate for his hat. It will blow away. And you will have to run after it, in a foot of snow. And when you've retrieved it and go back to trying to get buttons to stick on his face, it will blow away again because you have failed to put something heavy on it. Dufus.

* If your prime snowman making spot is in plain site of the Spanish Embassy then you may wish to create your masterpiece either before or after 3pm, when they are all leaving for the afternoon and can come out and watch you from the carpark. Just a thought.

* Still determined to give it a go? Ok, I did warn you....



It's all worth it!

57/365 Snowy play

Sunday Morning:
Antique hunting with Ana and Art in Perth. Bought: One weaving themed tea-towel, one antique photo to send to a loved one and an awesome knitting pattern book from the 60s.
We will be returning to Perth though, as we missed out on the tourist attraction of choice: the Massive Cheese (more on that later in the year).

Lunchtime:
Breakfast buffet. There is something wonderful about a plate of cinnamon bun and fried potatoes.

Afternoon:
A lesson in machine-sock knitting, how hypnotic is this:

And then a walk in the snow.


Evening: Tea and Betsy's delicious cupcakes.

A good day was had by all.x

56/365 A thrifting we will go...

(Blog from Saturday!)
The day started with an early alarm for the boy, who was determined to make it to the canal bright and breezy for a last skate before the thaw. The music blared, he got out of bed (shocking in itself), and I rolled over and went to back to sleep.

He returned.

Apparently it was 5am, not the required 6am, and I need lessons on setting the alarm clock. Oops!

Anyway, post skate we headed out in 'The Beast', and I spent a fab day thrifting in Smiths Falls.

Some of my haul:



It turns out that being upgraded to that enormous car was a great thing, the $1 thrift store sale is dangerous.

I have stacks of fabric, including the Mickey Mouse alphabet sheet you can see here. Two summer corduroy jackets, an awesome woollen-take-me-skiing in this sweater (bottom right), and a collection of picture books for Paul.

Jobs a good 'un!

56/365 Compact lottery

And the grand prize in the 'book a "compact" rental car' lottery this weekend:



Yep, this thing is compact, in the same way that I am compact! Its days like these that I miss that beloved rusty old fiesta (RIP).

But hey, managed to get it home without hitting any buses, so one up on last time!

55/365 Pop Quiz (Part 1)

Is this photograph depicting:

a) The annual Sasquatch hunt. Surburban Sasquatch are chased down the river and caught in giant nets before they fall down the waterfall. They are weighed, tagged and set free in Northern Quebec to prevent them causing harm in Urban areas.

b) Preparations for the Giant Rainbow Salmon rush. Come the thaw these humongous fishes will head down the river to spawn at the bottom of the waterfall. Fishing Quotas allow 1000 of these delicious fishies to be caught, only to be sold in the Byward Market area of Ottawa.

c) The imminent dynamiting of the river. The ice is blown up by mysterious men in orange jackets who may or may not be part of conspiracy to end all winter fun in the Capitol region.

d) Mad scientists (rumoured to be a secret research group from NRC) using magic nets spun from beaver fur to catch rainbows.

e) All of the above. The four groups form a co-operative for the last week of February to pool their resources in the pursuit of their goals.

f) None of the above. Amy you've completely lost what little sense you had. Again.

54/365 Lady in Red

I'm not a fan of lipstick, but Mrs. Cardinal whose been hanging out in the tree outside my window definitely wears it well. She also appears to spend more time on her hair-do than me, that's quite the quiff.

53/365 Mammal spotting on Maple Isalnd

When we decided to move to a Capital city, I must admit to being a little unsure, I'm a country girl at heart.

Thankfully, despite being able to see Parliament from our place (*) we also get our fair share of wildlife. Much of this has been seen on a little Island in the Rideau River at the end of the street. Maple Island is not only one of my favourite picnic spots, but we've been lucky enough to see Raccoons, Chipmunks, a Snapping Turtle (**), Red/Grey and Black squirrels, Muskrats and the odd chewed up tree as evidence of local Beavers.

Winter means less mammal spots however, and on today's stroll I only managed to see this example of Canus Awkwardus.



Otherwise known as Jasper the wonderdog.

Almost every day we take a little afternoon stroll to the same place to sit on a bench together and look out over the water. And each time he goes around the wrong side of this tree, and then looks back over his shoulder at me as if I'm the one that needs training.

I swear sometimes he winks too. And yet I love him. Funny how often in life the awkward ones are so dear to us.

(*) In the interest of honesty, you can only see the Peace Tower if you lean out of the window to a dangerous extent. Oh, and only in Winter when there aren't any leaves on the trees. But my point is, we're in the city.

(**) I am aware Snapping Turtles are not mammals and apologise for any confusion this list may cause.