COLD!!

We are having a record cold spell here on the coast right now ... with the wind chill, it's been getting down to -18 at night! That's pretty rare here, and we're feeling it. My computer corner is on the starboard side of the boat, toward the bow .... which means that it faces the 'weather', wind and all; there's an air scoop on the hull right outside my window, too. The result of all this is that it's especially cold to sit at my computer for any length of time right now ... hence, no posts the last few days.

Even this heron was 'hunkering down' to avoid the cold!

 Wanna see that a little closer?

We're off on a little road trip this morning, up to Parksville to a special community Christmas dinner we try to attend every year, and a pre-Christmas visit to my sister Julie and her partner Robert, and our old friend Sri and his new wife, MaryAnn! Home tomorrow....  :) 

YUP. IT SNOWED.

I stopped at Blackburn Lake this afternoon to knit a bit between Welcome Wagon visits. It was cold!

 This is ice in the little creek, not water....

 ... and I just really liked this view across to Mt. Maxwell.

But I was there mainly to prove that it snowed here on Salt Spring Island last night...

See? :)

FIRST SNOW

So it's 7:30 pm., and  I've booked a full day of visits and errands to run in Ganges tomorrow - 12 miles away, by the way. I've been sitting here beside the fire knitting, oblivious to the world outside in the dark .... and Michael just got home from Ganges, informing me that it's snowing outside.

Sure enough, I opened the blinds to see if it really was true ... and it's snowing outside.

Guess I have to wait until morning to see if I have to start cancelling my plans. What a shame it would be if I had to stay home and knit tomorrow.... lol. After all, I've just started the 2013 Advent Scarf, so I'll have  some knitting to do!

Well, I was tempted to take a day off from blogging after succeeding in completing NaBloPoMo, but I decided I better not ... I've got a habit re-established here!

I had a pretty lazy day today ... it rained off and on so I started a little fire in the woodstove, knitted a little, did a bit of housework (why, yes, I do housework .. but only when I really need a break from the important stuff I'm doing. Like knitting.) and finally blocked a shawl I finished over a month ago:

It's Harbour Lights by Sivia Harding, (one of my all-time favorite lace designers), but I used a narrower border ... probably about the 6th or 7th one I've knit since she debuted the pattern at the Victoria FibreFest several years ago. This one is a gift for someone I hope to see tomorrow, so I'm glad it's drying quickly!

Next up ... I've *got* to get the red baby blanket blocked and ready to ship -- it's going up-Island to Parksville with us on Saturday morning so Julie can take it to Alberta when she goes for Christmas. My niece, Doneen, had her baby shower today... she's due on January 4th, and I think this is the first preggo picture any of us has seen of her!

I might have to have another lazy day tomorrow... there's an outside chance there will be snow on the ground when we wake up in the morning, apparently.