Hi all

I just checked and I see I haven’t posted since Sunday. Whoops! The prayer shawl (which I blogged about here) is now huge and I am very nearly at the end of the second skein. I draped it around my shoulders last night and it is very snuggly (not that I need extra warmth at this time of the year) and soft, and it is a perfect size. The width covers me from neck to waist at the back, the ends cover my front. It’s going to be tough giving this away.

We have two apricot trees and the one with the larger fruit is now producing well. Every day I have to go out there and pick some or they’ll end up on the grass. I have given some away to a couple of friends and will be taking some more to my acupuncture appointment this afternoon.

My back has been better this week, though I notice that at around 4.30 in the afternoon, when I am making dinner which of course involves standing up for a stretch of time in the kitchen, I get an ache. Yesterday I had to lie down on the floor for a few minutes to rest. I had a good long walk with a friend on Wednesday evening, but couldn’t manage one last night.

Wednesday’s walk was very pleasant. The sky was a beautiful mix of clouds and clear, and as we were getting close to my friend’s house we started to see lightning. Huge raindrops started to fall and by the time I reached my house I was pretty wet. It was very refreshing and of course I then had to watch the storm from my deck.

Crossing my fingers that today is the day that the mail carrier brings my new yarn. It would be perfect timing; as soon as I finish the prayer shawl I could start on the first lace scarf. I’m not sure what size needles I’ll be using, but I’ll probably start out with the Denise Interchangeables, but if they are too slippery with the soysilk I may have to invest in some wood circs. I won’t know until I try it.

We had two beach days this week. The parks around here are excellent. Bear Creek Park is a campsite for RVs and tents and public day use. It has lots of space to play and a beach with a safe swimming area marked off with logs. Of course all the kids end up out in the water, trying to sit or even stand on the logs without being tipped into the water. At one point, my boys were on one log with about 6 other kids and they were having a blast. The other park we went to was Bertram Creek which I think is our all-time favourite. Playground, beach, dock, gophers – yes, don’t forget the ground squirrels, which attract children like magnets. Of course they all want to feed them – I had taken some fruit for our snack, so at least the food they were offered was good for them!

I heard from World Traveller after a long silence. He says he’s having problems with his jaw and asked me to send him his mouthguard. It fits on his bottom teeth when he’s sleeping so he can’t grind his teeth. We thought it had been lost but I found it in his desk drawer, so I sent it off along with his swimshorts (you never know, it may get warm enough in Sweden to swim this summer) and some notes from his brothers. He’s going to be there for another month.

It’s a long weekend here in BC – Monday is BC Day – and we have a plan to go south to Osoyoos one day to visit the model railway and the Desert Centre. Is this a crazy idea considering that Osoyoos is even hotter than here? We shall see.

I just heard Lego Nut upstairs, coughing, He’s had a cold since Wednesday. Felt rotten the first day, as is usual for him. He slept all evening after we came home from the beach and apparently woke up in the middle of the night, wide awake and unable to drop off again.

Ninja Boy’s sleep was screwy yesterday too – he was up at 7.30 yesterday morning – I was gobsmacked to find him up and showering at an hour when he is usually dead to the world. After breakfast, he crashed out on the living room floor for about four hours; I had to step over him to get out the deck door to water the plants. 🙂

So I think we’re up to date now. I wish you all a wonderful weekend, and I’ll definitely post when that soysilk arrives. Can’t wait to see it.