Return to Blogland

 
Thank you to Christina, who shamed me into posting again. My sense of guilt finally took over. I had been thinking about the blog, and time passed, and then I forgot, and remembered again, and then more time passed, and I didn't know when to start.

Anyway, in a few words... The kitchen reno is forever in the past, the winter went by, a mild one, which was bearable. My daughter finally got her acceptance to the unversity of her choice and the programme of her choice (McGill, combined Arts & Science) and, as of August 24th, we will officially be empty-nesters.

My husband and I went on a short trip, here are a couple of photos:

 

And just in case you don't know where it was, here is a licence plate that will help:

We were in Scottsdale for five days. It was VERY hot, but I loved the sun, and the dry heat didn't really bother me. It was strange to see streets devoid of any pedestrians, everyone travels by car. It reminded me of Toronto in the middle of winter, when it's too cold to go out, and even walking the dog becomes an ordeal. I guess the people from Scottsdale find it too hot and stay indoors. It was relaxing and the scenery of the desert was quite spectacular. My only complaint was the lack of smaller neighbourhood restaurants. Every restaurant seems to be part of a big chain and the food was, well... okay. We had one very nice meal at Tommy Bahama (who knew they sold more than clothes?), but the rest was very heavy with sauces, too much salad dressing on the salads (I quickly learnt to ask for the dressing on the side), too sweet, too salty, too processed. But then, I am rather difficult when it comes to food, so it was probably me, not them.

We came back to absolutely beautiful weather in Toronto, and we have been sitting in the garden a lot. My knitting has been scattered -- I did get to the Knitter's Frolic and as usual, loved Tanis Fiber Arts' display:

As for the knitting itself, apart from the various WIPs, I started a pair of socks for the plane ride -- it's the pattern and yarn from the Loopy Ewe Sore Losers Sock Yarn Club (you know, the one you could register for if you weren't picked for their regular Sock Yarn Club). Here is the sock in progress (iPhone photo, sorry):

That's Dancing Diamonds Socks by Wendy D. Johnson, in String Theory "Bye Bye Blues". It's an enjoyable knit; the sock is knit from the toe up, the chart is clear, and I'm just at the heel right now.

I will stop here while I am able to finish without interruption. Hopefully, this will be the beginning of a beautiful thing...

Last photo with Gaia enjoying the sun:

 

Comments

[Deirdre]

Hi, Manon, nice to hear from you again!! I've been in the same place - not blogging, thinking about blogging, but never actually getting around to it. I wrote a post in my head yesterday but it never translated to anything more tangible, so way to go on taking the step!

[Christina Scovel]

Oh so great to see an update! Arizona is a blast. My father lives there and I love to visit (well any time but summer). The socks look great. I can't wait to see them finished. And congrats on empty nesting :)

[JulesM]

Good to see your posts again (speaking of which, I need to update my own blog!). The new socks are pretty, and I love that Tanis yarn photo. You look well--and not old enough to be an empty nester :o) I agree, bad food abounds in the U.S. Much trickier to find something smaller-scale, tastier and healthier if you're new to an area.

[Grace]

I too had been checking your blog hoping for an update (right, I'm a good one to talk). We were supposed to be going to Tuscon for two weeks in October but hubby's work got in the way.
Nice socks! I just wish that there was room in my sock drawer for more socks. I went on a sock knitting bender awhile ago so I'm now set for awhile.
Is your cat a Burmese? If I weren't allergic to cats I'd love a Burmese. My daughter's cat is part Burmese/part dog (or so the cat believes). He fetches, growls and, my daughter swears that he barks.
Welcome back!

[Manon]

Deirdre -- Hopefully, this post will the catalyst to motivate you and start blogging again. Remember, we can't read the posts you write in your head, until we're Sookie Stackhouse!
Christina -- Thank you for following my blog, however infrequently I post. I would love to visit Scottsdale again in the winter and we are actually looking to renting a place there next year for a couple of months.
Jules -- Thank you for the compliments. After my visit to Scottsdale, I was actually told where to find the better places and when I return, I will be sure to visit!
Grace -- I have the same problem with socks, but I keep on knitting them when I have a small project. I should really concentrate on knitting socks for my husband. He wears them all winter long and actually wears them through (2 pairs were thrown out this winter). The one problem I have with men's socks is the longer foot, it takes so much longer to knit a pair than for me! My two cats are Siamese and the one on the photo is the older one. He has become evil-tempered in his old age, but sometimes he looks like a happy cat (as he does on this photo). The rest of the time, he fights (a bit too roughly) with the other one, who is really sweet, or he hisses at the dogs, or complains to us about his life...