No thank you

Well I appreciate that the physio thinks that knitting is not the best thing for my hand at this point but it is feeling so much better. I think that doing a little here and there really isn't so bad. She is not a knitter and I knit continental, it's my left hand that does all the work not my right one and I think that working on hat/scarf/blanket/bag (pick your project) really is not so bad.... shhh if you don't tell her I won't.

My hand really is much better than it was a few weeks ago, the exercises have helped a great deal. Today I am looking forward to an exciting morning of dropping onto schools to get on there supply lists so that I can hopefully have some income in my life once again. I got an email from a friend at the school in Taipei and it made me wonder what would be different if I stayed another year. I don't regret my decision to come home, but I do wonder how life would be if I was still there.

Oh my look at the time, I have to go...

Trauma..

I had Tai spayed last week and I am not sure who it has been harder on, me or her. She is now recovering nicely and will have her stitches out on the weekend but I found the whole event to be traumatic. She developed a small infection and had to go back to the vet this week but the antibiotics have made a huge difference.

In other news I am still struggling with my sore hand, it's a long story but to make it short I hurt it goofing around with the dog in the spring. It has hurt on and off all summer and I am finally going to physio for it.... the physio told me I can't knit. I know it's a tradgedy, I am not fully listening to her but am restricting myself to a hat on the mornings that I am commuting into town on the bus. Hopefully the physio will help and I will have some more projects on the go soon.

The dog is desperate to go out so I'll have to stop there for now, I'll fill you on my Asian withdrawal symptoms another time

A picture

See, on occasion I do get something finished. This is the blanket that I started so long ago that it's intended got to big, no problem though as everyone seems to be having little people at the moment. The pattern is from the Knit Knack kit that I got from my great pal in SP4. I knit it with Bo from Button d'Or in indigo and some shade of pink that I can't remember the name of. It was a long project and I think that knitting blankets should be saved for very special friends because otherwise I might go crazy from the boredom.

I must be off, my 6:30 wake up is going to have to be pushed back because the toddlers have decided that wake up should be at 7. As a result my morning quiet (blog reading and writing time) has been cut short by 2 little people... and that is all I have to say about that.

Finally

I’m back! I have the laptop up and running and connected (even if it is dial up). Life is good, I am slowly seeing all my friends and catching up on all that has happened in my absence. It’s strange being home, I find myself looking around with new eyes. I see Canada as a much different place than I did when I left 18 months ago.

I was on the bus the other day and a family got on, I was getting off soon so I got up to give them my seat. The father thanked me and the young girl smiled up at me. The young girl was beautiful and caught my attention because she was carrying a paper flag and wearing flag pinas well. I wondered were she would Canadian flags at this time of summer. I watched from a distance as she spoke to her mother in arabic, I was curious to see what she was so excited about. Her mother took a pile of papers from her purse and handed them the girl. The girl carefully took them from her mother and held up her new Canadian resident card to show to her family, then she held up a copy of the oath that new Canadians say. She was so happy, I assume that they had just come from a citizenship ceremony. I found myself excited for that young girl as I watched her examine that pile of documents that makes Canada her home forever. She was glowing and I felt so privilege to witness her joy.

I got off the bus and left the family behind and I was walked to my friends house I thought about all that we have here. Not just what I have as person but what we have as a country, as a nation and how imbalanced the world is. We have so much and others have so little. I don’t think for a moment that our way is any better than that of another nation but that imbalance of space and natural resources makes us so more privileged. I hope remember that next time I am frustrated with a crowded bus or long line in a bank.

I must get moving, I am still trying to sort and unpack my life. I am getting back stuff that has been in storage and my boxes have started arriving from Taipei. It’s strange to see things that have been packed for so long. I will be back with a FO later, I finally finished that baby blanket that I began so long ago. My poor hand protested the whole time - but there will be more on that later.

Re-entry

Well I am back in to the thick things here, it feels as though I never left. I am nannying for some friends this month in my "free time" and I must say it is great to be hanging out with the kids in all fun, no teaching environment. I missed a phone call today because I was busy having a water balloon fight with 5 great little people. I rediscovered that the driveway is a great place to chuck balloons at each other, because here we have driveways and yards and more space than I have seen in a long, long, time. In the midst of all this I am trying to get my life as a substitute teacher back on track - translation I have a million pieces of paper to fill out and lots of errands to run.

I got some great treats in the mail the other day, Lisa (I am not sure where her blog is - sorry) sent me an amazing care package with divine chocolates, bamboo wool and a great scarf pattern. Sorry no photo as the stuff is at home and I am at a friends. Thanks for all the comments lately, sorry I have not had chance to write back. Sadly I do not have very reliable internet access at home at the moment and so my ability to write limited to when I am at other people houses. But, I'm working on it and should have a system up and running soon. I can't wait to log into bloglines and catch up on everyone else's blogs again, it has been a long summer away and I know that there are more posts than I catch up on. Untill then I'll be around as much as I can and back on a more regular basis soon. Hope everyone is having a great summer.