fun stuff: blankets on porch

my scrap blankets...on the front porch

the front of our house faces north.

i brought my blankets out because the light on the porch 

was perfect for a photo shoot for this post.

a couple of my neighbours stopped by to see what i was up to

so once again, blogger me was forced to come out of the closet.

a few hours later, i found a couple of balls of scrap yarn in my mail box

(didn't i tell you i live on the best block in the hood?)

i'm still reading and getting very inspired by cecile andrew's circle of simplicity.  

it is a great book especially for all you fans of henry david thoreau out there.

i've also started lori lansens' the mountain story.  

her previous novels (the girls, rush home road) are some of my favourites 

so i was excited when i spotted this new title.  

i'll tell you more when i get further into the book.

what are you knitting?  reading?

care to share?

erica

xoxo

joining frontier dreams and small things

long weekending

it's been a pretty emotional week around here...

my great aunt passed away on friday, she was 86 years young.

my mom and brother came to town, bearing gifts of yummy moon cakes.

even better, my mom also brought and shared 

lots of childhood memories of her and her aunt !!

after saturday breakfast...

we took them for a little hike.

my mom came prepared with her hiking shoes

(did i mention she was 81???)

it was a super quick visit

(my brother had to get back to work)

oh...but it was so nice to see them.

this morning, i feel the exhaustion going through my body.

emotional roller coaster rides are not my thing!!!

thank goodness it's a long weekend.

erica

xoxo

joining karen

between the rains

soooo much rain came down in the last four days
i would estimate- at least a hundred millilitres,
and more is coming during the rest of the week

it was intermittent...
the sky would darken and a very heavy gloom 
would set in within the walls of our dry, cozy, little home
and the torrents of rain would pour down for about an hour or so.

then, in its full late summer strength and force, 
the sun would come out,
for just enough time 
to give us a chance to walk and explore

we grab our just-in-case umbrellas
and head always towards the ocean
always aching for that deep joy of being awed by its vastness and beauty

never do we return home disappointed

erica

xoxo

thrifted threads: mussel-ly indigo

welcome to another
'what i wore wednesday'

today, i link up with lindsey and the ladies for some fashion fun.

after a very long dry summer, the rain have finally come to our corner of the island.

it has been so warm and dry since spring that 

even my dessert-loving friends were doing their version of the rain dance.

for the cooler weather, i'm back in my thrifted fall favourites.

you've seen this one before...

it's a heavy cotton tunic that someone beautifully dyed in indigo.

i found it (and another one just like it, only in purple)

 while visiting my sisters in calgary, alberta 

about three summers ago.

you probably already know i love these indigo/blue/purple hues.

i gravitate towards them everywhere i go...

while on holidays last week, i spent hours admiring and photographing 

the opened mussels on the beach. 

they were everywhere... aren't they stunning?

remember jenny joseph's poem "when i am an old woman i shall wear purple"?

although i really like the poem...i could never relate to that line.

i've been wearing purple all my life!!!

erica

xoxo

fun stuff: september knits and reads

aaahh september...you are here already!!!

i've got two blankets on the go,

i must say...it is quite satisfying to be working both ends of the colour spectrum.

i've just finished unravelling an orange/pumpkin and a lilac thrifted sweater(s), 

so i have loads of reusable yarn to play with. 

i'm still working through jeff krasno's wanderlust workbook i found last week 
(yes...the yogi goddess in me is slowly awakening)

also, i'm reading cecile andrew's classic the circle of simplicity 

not only is it a wonderful quick read (i'm more than half way through) 

but so much of it resonates with me.

i love love love her idea of a simplicity circle (a community or group that comes together to share and strengthen each other's endeavours to simplify life)

i might just start one !!

what are you knitting? reading?

care to share?

erica

xoxo

joining frontier dreams and small things

healing waters

the pacific north west kept its waters warm for our late august visit.

it was so wonderful to walk and get our feet 

massaged by the sand and kissed by the crabs.

everyday...we studied the tides

and our days were scheduled around its rhythm.

we are back home now...

dealing with organizing and loving our little messy home.

the rain, that was promised, have come (in buckets).

so the mountain of laundry is growing until the sun comes back to dry them.

today...i'm refilling the fridge, baking some chocolate, need-to-be-eaten banana muffins, getting rid of some clutter and filling up some donation bags.
if/when we get a break from the rain...you'll find me in the backyard!


erica
xoxo

cathedral grove

lost...stand still.

the trees ahead and bushes beside you are not lost.

wherever you are is called here.

and you must treat it as a powerful stranger,

must ask permission to know it and be known.

the forest breathes. 

listen. it answers.

i have made this place around you.

if you leave it, you may come back again, saying here.

no two trees are the same to raven.

no two branches are the same to wren.

if what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,

you are surely lost.

stand still.

the forest knows where you are.

you must let it find you

                                                     - david wagoner

with school starting in just over a week

we are soaking up these last few days of summer.

our last week was spent in qualicum bay...

if we weren't by the ocean, you would have found us in the forest.

this part of vancouver island is a nature lover's paradise,

there are so many nature paths and forest trails to explore.

these pictures were taken in cathedral grove,

a very special ancient douglas fir ecosystem.

all i can say is...it truly is a magical and spiritual place!

we spent a couple of hours meandering, picnicking, and hugging some giant trees.

walking/hiking with my teens is the best way to get them to talk...and talk they did.

they are excited and feeling confident for this upcoming school year.

ian and i just listened and smiled...

we are both feeling soooo grateful (it has been an incredible summer!!)

erica

xoxo