Cotton yarn, MacIntosh and the Knit Box

The weather still feels like Autumn here and it does not appear to change any time soon. Walking MacIntosh requires planning around the "occasional showers" and the "sun breaks". Show him his (yellow) raincoat and our Corgi changes into a turtle!

At the same time we feel like yoyos opening and closing windows! Our Pacific Northwest weather is very conducive to mildew!

It seems a good time to catch up on reading, something we love to do in this house - no one would know when they see all the bookshelves, ah rum - and of course in my case, knitting!

I love knitting especially for babies, who doesn't? And knitting for Heavenly Angels in Need (http://heavenlyangelsinneed.com), I have the perfect excuse! When I ordered my selection of yarns from the Knit Box I never imagined it would arrive all the way from Turkey! (Stamp collectors: wait until you see those beautiful stamps!)

The knit box (http://www.theknitbox.com) is the creation of a lovely lady named Figi and she offers a wonderful selection of Turkish cotton!
On her website she explains her company's mission and she offers yarn, accessories, patterns and kits. The best part is she will ship anywhere in the world for one same price!

(photo above from The Knit Box)

"KB Yarn is produced locally by the Sayan family - nine brothers who uprooted themselves from mystical Mardin to find a living in the bigger city of Izmit (neighbouring Golcuk, it was also hit directly by the earthquake). Each working with yarn and textiles in their own different ways yet with a passion and deep-rooted knowledge for fiber handed down through generations. KB yarn is produced exclusively by the Sayans using the best Turkish cottons. Fair trade and labour applies to all products."

I was amazed to see their beautiful Ebru needles, Harem stitch markers and Nika ceramic buttons. Do I have enough birthday money to place my next order... O dreams...

Precious moments, fawn and mountain times

One of the nicest thing about having a caretaker is that you do not have to worry about leaving your home for any length of time. The bonus: he/she happens to witness something you really would have hate to miss and they share the results!

Mum and fawn shortly after birth right in the backyard! Absolutely precious times! I think the photos says it all!

Our little mountain cabin survived the winter!
We opened the shutters and windows to gave it a quick check to make sure everything is alright and then we lit up the wood cooking stove. It is always cool in the mountains at night of course and we were glad to just sit and enjoy the heat while sipping a good cuppa tea.

You will agree the view is fantastic! As for those bluebirds I mentioned a while back, I counted 7 of them in less than 20 minutes. We are truly blessed!

The Fruitful Life by Jerry Bridges, book review

"Healthy human life is a fruitful life." So begins the preface of this book. Each chapter takes us through the fruits of the Spirit beginning with taking on God's character and pursuing our devotion to God.

In this book, Jerry Bridges describes each fruit of the Spirit - Humility, Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness and Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and finally Self control. Guiding us with references to the books of the Bible, the author identifies each fruit as well as the many ways we can use these to strengthen our daily spiritual life.

Well written and easy to use "The Fruitful Life" including its exercises for practice and discussion will help the reader or group to develop his/hers daily devotions. Either read chapter by chapter or read in its entirety, this book will help you to cultivate the beautiful fruit given by the Holy Spirit.

This is indeed a Spirit filled book and I give it 4 1/2 stars. You will too!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

D Day, faraway beaches and blessings

This being the 6th of June - D Day let's remember those many soldiers who gave their lives for our freedom on those faraway beaches of Normandy!

I remember as a little girl traveling with my Dad along this 50 mile stretch on the Normandy coast and visiting the many landing points of that long ago memorable break trough. He carefully checked local maps and made a point to see each of these locations.

My uncle had been part of the offensive and being just a teenager then, my father wanted to honour his memory and so many others. We visited countless cemeteries, not forgetting Henri Chappelle where 7989 military Americans dead are interned. In each visitor's book, he left a personal message...

Always remembered, never forgotten...

And if you happen to meet a Veteran today, please remember to say thank you for your freedom as so many can no longer accept your gratitude.

As the sun is setting, let's remember to count our blessings! Today is a special day!

Blue birds, Highlands and relaxation

A whole week to relax up in the mountains, here we go!

One of the many things I fell in love going to our cabin were the blue birds we spotted on our way up the mountains. I had never seen so many blue birds in my life! Ranchers encourage nesting by placing blue bird nest boxes along the road (sometime I think just for my benefit - I count them as we travel along the one and only road up the canyon).

Native Americans believe the Blue Bird to be a great spirit in the shape of an animal and associate it with the Sun rising.

It is said that Navajos sings the Blue Bird song to remind tribal members to wake up at dawn and rise to greet the Sun:

Bluebird said to me,

"Get up, my grandchild.

It is dawn," it said to me.

The Blue Bird, a most revered song, is still used in social settings and in events such as the nine day winter Nightway ceremony closing act, performed just before the sun rise on the final day.

There is such a wealth of history and folklore in this country to be discovered!

And since it has finally stopped raining we have a chance to load our car without dodging the downpour! Highlands, here we come!

And for an extra tidbit of excitement, we were notified a rather large cougar was seen in the vicinity of our property and warned to be on the lookout...

Guess who is taking her knitting and will stay quietly on the porch... Not taking any chance!

Dunkirk, Dover Castle and the miracle of the little ships

This being the fourth of June - at least according to the calendar as it feels much more like Autumn - we remember Dunkirk and the evacuation of its beaches 70 years ago.
I noticed more than one vessel in Ramsgate's harbour bearing the little sign it was part of that long ago memorable rescue and I am sorry we were no longer there for the eventual celebration!

WW2 veterans set sail from Dover on the 27th of May 2010 to cross the English Channel to Dunkirk for a commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the evacuation.

The former troops and their families were given a rousing send-off, with a performance from the Parachute Regimental Band and a chorus of Jerusalem (my favourite) from a Royal Choral Society choir. A Spitfire and a Hurricane aircraft performed a military fly-past above the ferry as it made its way to northern France.

A flotilla of “little ships” involved in the evacuation set sail from Ramsgate in Kent to join Norfolk Line’s Maersk Dover on the French coast. Many private fishing or pleasure boats, were drafted in to help evacuate the troops from the beaches of Northern France in 1940.

Operation Dynamo was the codename for the Dunkirk evacuation of British, French and Belgian troops between the 27th of May to the 4th of June 1940. Thousands of soldiers were rescued by the famous "little ships of Dunkirk", including 700 merchant marine boats, fishing boats, pleasure craft and lifeboats, the smallest of which was 15-foot fishing boat now displayed in the Imperial War Museum.

Operation Dynamo was named for the dynamo room in the Naval HQ below Dover Castle which in fact contained the dynamo that provided the building with electricity during WW2.

I visited the Naval HQ below the Castle two years ago and it was a visit I will never forget. I would not have wanted to miss it! There is so much history betwixst these walls you feel it as you wander through the corridors!

Always remembered, never forgotten...

Rainy days, gold finch spotting and the meaning of flowers

Rain, rain, when will you stop?... We do see a sun break from time to time but how we would love to see some dry weather! Just enough to pull a few weeds, slow down the slug damage and enjoy our garden!

Our Corgi MacIntosh hates the rain and he looks so depressed when once again, we must pull his raincoat for his walk! No chance for doggie exploration either when it is so wet! Or for Frisbee catching... How sad!

Whilst sharing a cup of tea with a dear friend, we noticed (during a quick sun break) a small yellow bird which we believe to be an American Gold Finch. Lovely colours! Perhaps it is his nest we found in the clematis!

Since knitting is a perfect way to keep busy on such days, I found yet another site for "serious" knitter:
http://www.paviyarns.co.uk
Amazing yarn! This site is perhaps not so much for the occasional knitter though but certainly worth a visit (or two... just to dream!)

I love to see a small posy on our table be it just a small bloom nested in some greenery and I have always wonder about the meaning of flowers.

It is said that tussie-mussies during Victorian times were a way to communicate special feelings. Mostly forgotten in our busy times I daresay, but red roses still imply passionate, romantic love and pink roses a lesser affection; white roses suggest virtue and chastity and yellow roses still stand for friendship or devotion, while sunflowers indicate either haughtiness or respect.
Pansies signifies thoughtfulness, daffodils regards and ivy means fidelity.
Daisies means innocence or purity. Named for the messenger of the gods in Greek mythology, Irises still represents the sending of a message.

I also learned that although very few species are mentioned in the Bible, flowers abounded in Palestine, Israel and Western Syria. It has been documented that two thousand to two thousand five hundred plants are found in the region of which about five hundred probably are similar to British wild-flowers!
There has to be a message there...