A country girl at heart

I was born and raised on the westcoast of Canada, Victoria is a small city but it is a city none the less. It was never very big or exciting but it was not the country. When I was about 11 I had my first real farm experience when we drove to a family reunion in Saskatchewan. My great uncle still lived on the farm that he and my Nana had been raised on. It was a "real farm" with huge wheat fields, chickens and remnants of the old buildings that my great grandfather had built in the early 1900's. I was in love, I thought that maybe I could used to country life. There was something about the quiet, the peacefulness and the remoteness of the country life that was attractive to a little city girl.

So why the heck am I reminiscing about my childhood dreams of farm life... well fast forward 17 years or so and let me tell you about my my great weekend on the "farm". A friend of mine has a farm outside of the city and last weekend I got hear wolves calling in to each other in the wee hours of morning, saw deer grazing in the field outside the window and mowed the biggest lawn I have ever seen. I know that mowing the lawn is a chore that most people despise but when you get mow a lawn big enough that you do it on a ride-on-lawn-mower it completely changes the experience. Here is little old me, barely tall enough to reach the gas pedal on the mower, burning around on the yard having the time of my life. I was marveling at nature, the great weather and the joy of being in a space so large that if I hollered no one would hear me. I remembered as I was mowing that when I was little I thought country life would be great. It is great and after being in cities with millions of people the space of a farm is even more exciting

In retrospect I wish I had a taken a photo of me on that little red lawn mower so I could share it with you... maybe next time.

Not much to share on the knitting front, just pluggin along but Rhineback is in 15 days ( not that I am counting or anything)

secret pal 6

I have been meaning to get to this, things have been busy.

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer high- a nd/natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you? I like just about anything but do tend to buy cotton based fibers unless I am planning on felting it. I have found some amzing stuff in my travels and am really fond of fibers I can't usually afford!
2. Do you spin? Crochet? Nope
3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.) I am not a huge fan of perfume and am allergic to smoke
4. How long have you been knitting?I I relearned about 3 years ago
5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? No, sorry
6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.) Vanilla
7. Do you have a sweet tooth? Yes, I love chocolate especially mint chocolate
8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? I scrapbook, cross stich a little and like beading
9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I like lots of different things, Indigo Girls, Spirit of the West, Jann Arden, most canadian groups in general.
10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? I am big fan of red and puple but not usually together, I also enjoy blues, especially indigo
11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I have a dog named Tai who I brought back with me from Taipei
12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know) To see the world, I am on my way but there is still a long way to go.
13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? Anything soft, the softer the better
14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I don't know, anything that feels like plastic
15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s? Quick projects that are portable so I can knit while I communte into the city.
16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Anything I can felt.
17. What are you knitting right now? A baby blanket and soon to be started a scarf and little socks
18. What do you think about ponchos? I wore them when I was a kid, I am not sure if I want to wear one again
19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Circular
20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? plastic or bamboo - the dog enjoys the bamboo ones though.
21. Are you a sock knitter? I would like to be
22. How did you learn to knit? My grandmother as a chid and then my sister and mom for a refresher course.
23. How old is your oldest UFO? 2 years, a blanket that I started for niece and never finished all the squares for.
24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird? monkey's and pandas
25. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
26. Is there anything that you collect? No not really, but I do like magnets
27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? None
28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on? hmmm sadly I have not had to much time to look lately, I am sure there are but I could not tell you what they are off the top pf my head.
29. Any patterns you have been coveting, but haven't bought for one reason or another? Anything and everything Harry Potter
30. What are your foot measurements, and what kind of socks do you like? I like all socks, I have those average size feet, 8

Busy

Busy week here in my world... but it's all good stuff. I am going to SnB here in Ottawa tonight and I must say that I am looking forward to it. Having people to knit with is always good and it means that I will get some rows done on something that I am working on. I will let you know how it goes. Filling you in on the rest of week would probably bore you to tears so I won't bother. The only exciting thing I did was book rooms so that when we make it to Rhineback we will have somewhere to rest our heads. I am off to deal with some piles of stuff that I still have not unpacked from Taipei, I am the queen of procrastination.

I know that I still have to post the SP6 questionnaire, I promise today or tomorrow.

guess what

Here are the photos I have been promising. My last box of stuff arrived from Taipei yesterday, inside was Tai's favorite hippo. She carried it around all evening and then settled on her bed with it. It was very cute

Current knitting, a baby blanket, yes another one event hough I said was never doing it again. This one is in Lopi and I am going to felt it. It has moss stitch edges and I think when I finally get it down it will felt well. The pattern that I am using said to use Noro... I decided against using my precious Noro for a baby blanket

The next 2 projects that I was hoping to have on the needles by now... an eyelet scarf in purple bamboo from Alchemy for my secret pal and for me footlet slippers in Stampato Merino, it's so soft. I am looking forward to getting these going

Finally the treats from Kristin, yipee. A great bag that she made and some wool from one of her trips this summer. Thanks again Kristin.

SP6 - I will get my answers posted soon, I promise.
after some planning and juggling I'm planning on coming to Rhineback, yipee!

Happiness is...

I stole this post idea from Kristin - who sent me an amazing package of treats that I have still not posted a photo of, sorry - I think it is a great way to post a little reflection on being home.

- Waking up to birds, crickets and morning dew on the grass in the backyard instead of the screeching of horns and the sound of people yelling at each other.
- Long leisurely walks in grassy fields with Tai off her leash ( until the hawks started hunting that is, then she was attached to the leash) and not having to worry about anything running her over.
- Gluten free bread from the grocery store, saves time and tastes better than mine does.
- Becoming settled in my life back in Canada and seeing friends I have not seen 18 months or longer.
- Unpacking and finding clothes in boxes that I forgot I had, it's like Christmas.
- Putting out the word that I am looking for local knitters and finding out that there are some out there, even ones with blogs!
- Public bathrooms that are clean, have soap, hot water and paper towels - in Asia it is always hit and miss, you might get one or two of the 4 elements but never all of them in the same place.
- Being able to stop and ask the first person I see for directions - instead of trying to find someone who might speak English and know what it is that I am talking about.
- Busses that have seats available when you get on.
- Chips and dip, when I want them in normal flavors like plain, instead of seafood, cucumber, lobster or American (which were sweet and salty)
- Freshly picked fall apples, and the thought of Thanksgiving and Halloween just around the corner.
- Cool mornings, warm days and cool evenings, knowing that snow is just around the corner.
- Food that I can eat in restaurants.
- Not having to calculate the time difference every time I want to phone someone.
- Only having to think in one currency.

As you can see I have renamed my blog as well, because the adventure is over but so is the withdrawal. It's "After Asia" in so many ways, my time abroad changed the way that I look at the world and the way that I see things. Sometimes I feel as though I lived a whole life in the time that I was gone. I do miss Asia, sometimes a lot, I miss the excitement and the adventure of all the new things I saw. Yet I'm happy I decided to come home. Great things happen when you least expect them and my Asian adventure was not something I ever expected to occur and then it was fantastic ... there is something to be said for living in the moment and making the most of it.

Shhhh don't tell on me but I have been knitting - details later this week with the photo of my treats from Kristin.

The real world

I am heading back into the real world today.... the day after Labor day is the 1st day of school here in Ontario. Mothers are jumping for joy and teachers are drinking lots of coffee to make it through day one. I am sitting at home. I have mixed feelings about my lack of work but hopefully something will come and if not I will get lots of sub work.

I had a great weekend at the cottage and even managed to get in a swim on Sunday. The lake was not as cold as I thought it would be and after throwing someone else off the dock and running for my life I decided to get my suit and head in myself. It was great to be swimming in September in a lake in the Quebec mountains, going to the cottage is something I could get used to.

I hope the mothers out there are enjoying the first day of school and if any teachers need a coffee delivery let me know.

BTW - if anyone reads any Ottawa knitting blogs let me know, I have looked a little and haven't really found any but I know that there are some out there somewhere. I'm looking for some local knitters...

Thanks

Just a quick note, I am off to the cottage for the long weekend. I just wanted to say thanks to Kristin, she sent me some wool from Maine and bag. I will post a photo when I am back next week. Happy Labor Day - if your a Canadian that is.

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.

Airports

Well I am on the last leg of my travels, I am sititing in the airport in Vancouver waiting for my flight to Ottawa. Part of me can't believe that it is over. I have had an amzing year and half, I've seen and experienced so much and yet it all seems like it was all so long ago now. 2 weeks ago I was in Taiwan and now I am heading back to see friends I have not seen since I left 18 months ago. How time flies when you are having fun.

I had an amazing time with my family and friends in Victoria. I am glad that I stayed there for as long as I ddi even though I did not get half of the stuff done that I wanted to while I was there. They are paging us to board so I guess I must go. I'll be back from Ottawa at some point in the next few days. I guess I need to think of a new blog name since I am no longer in Asia. Anyone got any suggestions?

I've been busy

I have done lots of great things over the last week ...

I went to the Saltspring Island Fiber Festival on Saturday, it was good but I was disappointed at how small it was. However I did get to meet Maureen and her daughter and that was wonderful. It is always fun to meet people that I have met in cyberspace in person

We saw some llamas, angora bunnies and sheep

I was the lucky recipient of some excellent treats this week. Maureen made me the most amazing little photo album and bag. I am so happy with the album and it is already in my purse so I can show it off. I also got this very cute puppy tape measure from Kimberly in Hawaii, she is blogless but I sent it as a thank you for some chibi's I sent her awhile back

My mom's Backtack treats arrived today. I tried to get the dog to sit nicely for the photo but she had other ideas

so I kicked her out of the picture. Mrs.R sent a great needle case, pad, sewing needle case and some other little bits and bobs

An inside shot of the needle cases. They are both very cool and the large one was knitted and then felted. It is beautiful, thanks so much from me and my mom.

I am here in Victoria till Friday and then I am off to join the real world of the unemployed in Ottawa. It has been a lovely vacation but sadly it is almost over. Until then I will keep myself busy with my nieces and nephew - they are adorable after all and I need to spoil them a little more before I leave.

Bookbookbook

I finally got the bookbookbook and I am in love with already. Now all I have to do is end up in the same city as the harlot so I can get her to sign it. She is coming to the westcoast but I will already be back in Ontario by the time she gets here. Oh well, eventually I guess.

I have had a great week here on the Westcoast. I took Tai to the beach the other day and I wish that I had my camera with me as she ran around in circles and loved chasing the seagulls. It was comical to watch this little dog try to catch something that was as big as she was. My sister and her family arrived today and I have a weekend full of family time.... but I am going to the fiber festival tomorrow on Saltspring and I'm very excited. I promise there will be pictures for you Michelle, because she had to head home early and won't make it. I am hopefully meeting up with Maureen, I'm confident we will find one another at some point.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

I made it

Well I should say we made it, Tai and I arrived home safely and my parents and niece came to Vancouver to get us. I am in Victoria until the 29th, visiting with my family and friends. I am looking forward to just hanging out and thankfully I brought the sun with me.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes, it was a great day and I am now the proud owner of Harry Potter 6. Now I just need about 24 uninterrupted hours so that I can get through it. I won't get them so I guess I will just have read a chapter here and there.

Saturday is Saltspring day.... sheep, wool and spinnning here I come.

My last Asia post

Just a quick note from Taipei, I am at the school using the accountants computer and so I have to be quick. I made it back here last night and got Tai back this morning. She is good but has a worrisome looking sore on her leg. We are off to the vet anyway to get her paperwork and I will have him look at it, hopefully it will not be anything serious. Tonight I am looking forward to making all my stuff fit into my luggage, it will be amazing if I get it to work. In then in the morning we are off to the western world. I hope Tai survives the trip alright, we will be off for a long walk in the morning before we get in the car to go to the airport, to get on a plane that will get us to Vancouver, to get in a car to take us to the ferry, to get to the island to finally get to my parents house. It will be long day but well worth it. Thankfully my parents are coming to Vancouver to gather the 2 of us and all my stuff, otherwise I might have to live at the airport because there is no way to transport all this stuf by myself.

I'll be back on the weekend, as a matter of fact by the time I am back I will also be another year older, amazing how time flies when you are having fun. Till Sunday then......

Just a few more Photos

I made it Bangkok in one piece and at the moment it is pouring with rain, I am hoping that it will stop soon so I get out and see a bit more of the city, but until then I thought I would give you a few more photos from Vietnam

We spent our last day in the sun at a great beach

The market in Hoi An

I can not believe how much the chinese influence is visable in Vietnam

The remains of the french are also seen in the old buldings, this not a great one but all the others are turned the wrong way.

All in all in was a fantastic month and I am sad that it is over. I am looking forward to being home though and I will be very soon. I left Carolyn at the airport in Danang and she went off to Cambodia to see Angor Wat ( I'm jealous) and I came to Bangkok to so that I could catch my flight back to Taipei tomorrow and then to Canada on Saturday. If the rain ever stops I will go to see some of the city today and maybe have a few more photos for you before I get to Canada.

It's almost done :(

I am sitting in a internet cafe working on the world's slowest computer with an internet connection that keeps on disappearing. This is try number 3. On Wednesday we got on a bus and rode 2 hours to a small town called Hoi An in the center of Vietnam's coast

It's a great little place with heaps of charm, character and things to do

It is another UNESCO sight and it's known for it's great shopping, tailors and good food

We have had a great time so far, we contemplated only staying a few days and then moving on but since we like it so much we decided to stay here. On Tuesday I am heading back to Bangkok before I go back to Taipei

Yesterday we went to see My Son, it was built by the Cham people beween the 4th and 13th centuries. What reamains of it is amazing to see, little of it remains in tact because it was bombed heavily during the war

There are a few temple building that remain in tact and they are working hard at preserving what is left

Today we are off to the beach, I twisted my ankle yesterday so I am not up for 2 much walking. We stopped at this great beach on the way here and I played with this little girl. The kids here are great, really friendly and a lot of them speak at least a little english. I'll post one last round of photos from Bangkok before I start the epic journey home. By the way, it's my sisters birthday today, Happy Birthday C, I would send you to her blog but I haven't convinced her to start on yet. Have a great weekend everyone, I will see some of you very soon.

Did we say 16, we meant 26, hours on a bus!

Okay as promised some more Laos photos

This is on the road back from the waterfall day trip, I wish the lady had been closer as she had a huge smile on her face

The view from the top of the waterfall, the hike was grueling but worth it

We jumped in and then lay on the top looking down into all the other pools from the photo above this, it was surreal

Look Sean and Paddy Gecko's

Another spectacular sunset

Thank God this is nto the bus that we are about to get on

We decided to be cheap and take the bus from Vietanne to Hue in Vietnam, the poster said it would take 16 hours. I am not sure who is still learning to count but it took 26 hours, it was not fun and we were not very happy backpackers. The 1st 12 hours were not so bad except for the blasting music but in the 2nd half we got share the bus with 4 fridges

Once we got to vietnam the rice fields were picture perfect

We finally arrived here late last night and were dropped on the side of the highway. We called a ritzy(by local standards) hotel and they came to get us, we are splurging and spending 2 nights there. Today we went to see the forbidden purple city here in Hue

What remains of it was cool to see, sadly a lot of it was destroyed in the war

We stopped for lunch at this great little place and got to make our own spring roll style wraps, they were amazing

Then we walked back tot the hotel for a swim, tomorrow we are off to Hoi An.