These past few weeks have been trying and hectic, to say the least, but have cumulating in Very Good Things!
After extensive interviewing for those two jobs I’ve mentioned, I was offered BOTH! This was awesome in and of itself, and I accepted the University one with long-term goals in mind. After dancing about in circles for a while, Dru took me out for a very long walk, then I had a very long nap, and then spent the evening (this would be Monday last) planning our mini-vacation. I figured it probably wouldn’t do to go taking time off in the first month of a new job, eh?, so this week was going to count.
Tuesday we drove down to the happy chicken farm of Kelly and Raven. While we did a fly-by visit the other month, it is always so good to get to really visit with them; to drink coffee in the sunshine, to watch the chickens doing weird raptor-things and meet the new house-pigeon and and skritch the elderly, ever-dignified Bryan.
Dru and “Francis”, the tonsured house-pigeon, in the farmhouse’s red-walled Great Room.
And of course, to ramble on and on about fibre addictions with Kel! As you may know from reading her blog, she has recently got herself some silk for spinning, which takes the fibre habit to a whole new level (I have got to get myself some!). Likewise, when not spinning, we were both knitting Monkey socks… (what is it about that pattern?) A pair of “manly Monkeys” is shaping up nicely; I finished sock #1 in time to photograph it on the lawn in the sunshine.
“Manly Monkey” sock #1.
We also took an evening to drive into Windsor to visit Jodi and Peter. After a delicious meal of Ethiopian delights, we walked along the river that borders Windsor and Detroit, and were treated to the spectacular people-watching afforded by the tourists out for the big two-country fireworks display. I found the freshest cotton candy you can get (at the cheapest price, too!) by waiting ’till the end of the midway, but sadly we had to drive back to the farm just as the first “booms” were echoing in order to beat the traffic. Nevertheless, the dinner, walk, and sit upon the porch allowed us some really great visiting time with two more old friends that we don’t see nearly enough of these days.
Photo-metablogging: my shot of Jodi taking a shot of her Ethiopian coffee.
After a few days of farm fun we needed to head back home, but not without a whirlwind stopover to hang out with our parents in London. Kelly had given me a parting gift, you see, that needed to be taken to the capable workshop of my FIL…
She has a name in my mind, but I don’t think I’ll introduce you too her until she’s been restored to her full and proper glory. She’s a “Nilus” Leclarc made in L’Islet, QU, for those of you that care about wheel pedigree. (If anyone has any useful info. about this wheel/manufacturer, please contact me!)
The holiday weekend was mostly spent jonesing for the wheel to come and live with me for reals, watching the city’s fireworks form my panoramic 23rd-floor view, and mentally preparing myself for my first day of grown-up work (which went really well). All in all, a great vacation!
Aemmeleia's Ephemera 