Two Trees; One Ring

I feel like I just wrote this post.  Either the week flew by really fast or not much has changed out in the world of my trees.  Actually, its a bit of both.

The maple is just about the same as it was last week, I think.  Maybe those buds are fluffed a bit more.  Maybe I'm imagining that.

And copper beech hasn't changed at all.  Such a slow-grower.  I could say that the spots on the branches seem more pronounced but that may be because of the rain slicking down the bark. 

It's a rainy day and I took these while sheltering under an umbrella.  That seems to change the light a little bit even though I used my white umbrella.  It has been mostly rainy this week, feeding those rings up nice and plump.  But yesterday was a cold and clear day with wind.  It felt like March but maybe colder.  A huge amount of snow on the mountains which suits me just fine.  All the beauty but none of the work.  My kind of weather. 

Saturday Stash

My apologies for not showing up last Saturday.  It was newsletter week and all I knit on was the white sweater since it was pretty simple stuff.  This week, I crossed all kinds of finish lines. 

The Downton Abbey KAL aka Concordia Gauntlets are all finshhed.  And so is this season of Downton Abbey.  I'm not sure I want to watch any more...they killed off my favorite character.  No chance of it being a cliff-hanger and wondering for months if he's really dead.  Pretty sure it's a done deal.  Oh, I know I'll be back for more but won't be quite the same again.

Still in Downton Abbey land, my Lady Violet Shooting's Socks are all finished, too.  The yarn - a Blue-faced Leicester from Fleece Artist - is absolutely wonderful to put on your feet.  And it's very easy on the hands while knitting, too.  I love them.  They won't see too many pheasants or grouse but I can promise a whole bunch of heather.  Once I get them out in that garden.

The Spring Trees shawl is blocking and I took that photo rather than one draped over my shoulder.  The main attraction to this pattern is the branching of the fractal pattern.  It was a tricky pattern at times but definitely worth the effort.  And the charting and pattern-writing was top-notch.  The trees here are not quite getting their spring haze of new green but that is what this shawl reminds me of. 

And the last project which is not finished but getting much closer.  I spent some time this morning with the neckline.   This is not the clearest pattern-writing.  They explain some things and then just leave you to figure out others.  It is not written for inexperienced knitters.  Although, once you get what they haven't told you, it's quite doable for almost any knitter.  I only have the sleeves to go now and I think it's going to be  a smashing sweater.  Spring in Alberta sounds like a great time to test it out. 

The nice thing about so many finished all at once is I get to start a whole bunch of things now.  I'll have to get see what's in the stash chests and spend many hours some time checking out likely patterns.  Now that's fun.

Fifty Fridays #28

Today, I am sharing color photos.  And, more than one.  It''s my older son's birthday and I've been thinking about him in his baby life. In particular, I've been thinking about first meeting him.  I have my own memories which are not recorded.  So I thought I'd share how he looked at some other first meetings. 

Here he is with my mother, his Gran.    Unfortunately, their first encounter took place at a sad time: my younger brother's funeral.  But we thought Mom would be cheered having a new baby to cuddle.  And I believe it was a comfort to her.   She always claimed to have no memory of that year but I'm sure she remembered this scene. 

And this is the first - and only - time that he met his father's mother:  Grandmama.  None of the kids ever got to know her as she lived quite far away.  This was a long weekend marathon drive so that she could meet them. We had that kind of energy in those days - and that little money and time from work.   Big sister took time from her swim in the hotel pool for a photo op. 

 Happy Birthday, Alex!

Two Trees; One Ring

It's been a week.  A pretty mild week weather-wise.  Some rain, a bunch of sun and quite a few clouds.  But it seems to be doing the trees some good. I took these photos yesterday afternoon as I wasn't sure I'd have time this morning.  It was much later in the day than I usually take these pictures.  It's interesting to see the difference between morning light and that of late afternoon. 

Progress for the maple is not just wishful thinking any more.  It really is sprouting some leaves now. At least I assume they are leaves.  Will we be surprised?

And the copper beech is just slowly doing its thing.  It doesn't seem to have dramatic turns in the spring.  Can you see how flat the light is at this time of day? 

And,  here are some winter blooms which I couldn't resist sharing.  Ivory Prince, our lovely hellebore, is making his way to the stage.  I'm sorry to report that his friend, Hot Flash, is not going to perform this year.  She seems to have taken her prickly leaves and gone into retirement for a while.