A Visit To Pacific Beach, WA...

Miss M. 

A local fishing for Razor Clams...

Miss M. flying a kite at sunset...

I think these pictures will say it all: 'twas wonderful!  {smile}

Pacific Beach is a little over 3 hours' drive from our home. We only went for two nights, but that was just right. (there is absolutely nothing else to do in that area!) We had all kinds of weather, but above all it was super mild and there was hardly any wind. A bit strange that...

Our old lady Olive came with us and even though she can hardly walk these days, she had a good sniff around the beach!  <wink>

Early Morning Textures...

Amazing you guys, we have been having the most wonderful weather over here, super spring like! And this week the school is off on a break so we're very happy at home relaxing. 

Yesterday Mr. G. and myself spent almost 6 hours outside and my face was the hot proof of it! <wink> We did lots of yard work (me very carefully with that wonky back), but I also spent lots of time reading in the sunshine, outside!  {smile}

This morning we woke up to temperatures just below freezing which was interesting and that is when I took these pics. In the mean time the sky is completely blue once again and we're off for another day outside. First we have to do a bit of grocery shopping though to stack up for our trip to the beach. Life is good!

Ouch!

After days of endless rain, yesterday promised to be a dry one, we even had some sun peeking through! (only for an hour or so, but who is counting...) I immediately felt like doing some gardening. 

With my usual enthusiasm I jumped in so, well... so enthusiastically that I sprained my lower back, several times! After only half an hour or so of weeding, moss pulling and sticks 'picking upping' I had to acknowledge my defeat: bummer! Especially since it was so nice and mild outside. Our Plum tree is already showing signs of spring:

I was able to walk around the house (very carefully), but by nighttime I could barely turn around in my bed! This morning finds me a tiny bit better, which is a good thing since I will be a substitute for two lessons at Little Bit for my Dutch friend who will be in an airplane on her way to Holland today. I don't think I will be doing any hoof picking though!  <wink>

PS Look, I finished another sock:

I'm very pleased with this self-striping yarn. It is fingering-weight though so rather thin. I'm hoping I will be able to wear them in my clogs and my also in my fancy Swedish clog sandals this spring! {smile}

Light After The Rain...

You guys, today it rained hard, even for our Northwestern standards. I volunteered at Little Bit this morning and it was just bucketing so loud on the roof of the arena. The roads were super wet on my way home, I had to drive very carefully with all the 'rivers' streaming down the hills and across the roadways. 

I'm trying to paint you a picture of the feeling that the rain would ever end... but then it did... and the sun came out... and I had to run out with my camera to snap up this happy occasion! The following pictures have only been slightly edited: enjoy!

What a great start to the weekend!

A New Angle...

When I visited The Netherlands last September (man, that seems like ages ago!) one of my friends gave me three skeins of sock yarn that she in turn had received from another friend.
It is in fingering weight (one of the thinnest) which I have never knit with before. I have also never knitted with a self-striping yarn before and boy, it is fun! The anticipation of what color combo is coming next makes want to knit more and more. I'm still practicing the picking way of knitting and I thought another pair of socks with just plain knitting would do the trick. So far so good!  {smile}

--  **  --  **  --

The last few days the weather has not been helping my mood (dark and cloudy and wet) so this morning I decided to make myself a little new sitting/ working nook, to see things from a different angle I suppose. Below you see it at the far end of our front living room (we have two living rooms!)...

I obviously didn't clean up before I took this picture.
Keeping it real...

And here you see it up close:

From left to right: my yarny sock  project, my tablet to watch vlogs  and instagram on etc,
my breakfast smoothie and my knitting notes. (and yes, my reading glasses)

Now I can overlook this part of the garden which catches full sunlight, when the sun is shining that is obviously. We'll see how it works out. And yes, that is a Christmas decoration still hanging there. I like the warm glow that comes from it...

A Quick 'Hello'!

I just had a short but lovely visit by a flock of Evening Grosbeaks: what beautiful birds they are! Every time I see them, which is not very often unfortunately since they are of the migratory kind, I have to smile...

Smiling is a good thing since I am once again enveloped in the 'black cloud'.  This seems to be a part of me and looking back, it has always been a part of me. I'm trying to give it a spot so to speak, but to not let get overtaken by it anymore... In the mean time I'm eating extra veggies, extra juicing, extra light from my special lamp and just going slow, no panic!   <"It's Enough">

I also mentioned the presence of the cloud (which he had undoubtedly already seen coming) to my lovely husband and he immediately went online to find us (plus daughter plus dog) a little cabin near the beach for when we have winter break in a couple of weeks time. Just a couple of nights, but out, out of here and out of the cloud. (and into some foggy sea-clouds probably): can't wait!