You are not alone...

Dear readers south of the 49th you are not alone. Today it is snowing London. I tried to take a picture but it doesn't do it justice. The flakes are the size of teacups. Then it stops only to start again. Now they look like thimbles.
The Olympics have started and I can't ever remember such a campaign of national pride. The "I Believe" commercials must have been written by the guys who came up with the "I AM CANADIAN" ads. They are very effective. How some ever, how many of us cringed in our chairs when the cauldron malfunctioned?????? Oh crap! Not a good sign in the wake of the horrendous accident with the young luge athlete. Frankly I did not need to see that news clip replayed.

I walked into the room just as it was being played the first time. It was terrible and I hope we never become so jaded that we are not affected by such a tragedy.

I have signed up for the Yarn Harlot's "Knitting Olympics." See "other" blog.

I have to go out grocery shopping...spit..on Saturday yet. EEE I hate the crowds. I will go knit now shop later.

I'm baack...

This has been the worse couple of weeks. Minus the escape to Mexico, of course. As wonderful as that break was the reality when we got home was worse than the usual post holiday slump.

I have been on an emotional see saw.

So I had a think and I asked myself, "What would make me feel better?" I grabbed the yellow pages and called up a cleaning service and hired a couple of girls to spring clean the house.

They clean like I knit. I ooo and ahhh over wool and they rejoice in a shiny tap and sparkling grout. This is a match made in heaven.

They will be back every Monday until the whole house is done. They even wash walls and windows! No, I am not giving out their names I am keeping them to myself. When the whole house is done I am going to have them come in every other week to do the big stuff. This is the best gift I have ever given myself. It means I am on a "wool fast" but hey Lent is coming anyway.

Only in Canada would we truck snow to a venue! The Olympics start on Friday and there isn't enough snow in Vancouver. Hello?? Vancouver?? I could have told them that. They should have picked Timmins. Lots of snow in northern Ontario.
I got an email this week from a friend I had lost touch with. I had put a post on Lost Trekkers People Search well over a year ago. Just for the fun of it she googles her name and there was my post. It has been 15 years since we have been in contact! Wow, time does go a lot faster when you are older. It was good to touch base with her and find out what has happened in the intervening years. We have both had a rocky time of it. She made me laugh when she said she kept reading the Best Seller's list looking for my name.
I missed Sandy's birthday in January. Sandy who never forgets my birthday or Christmas AND is always there to encourage me. Mea Culpa.

My concentration has gone south but I am knitting Teddies for Tragedies. I am on my third one now. It is mindless garter stitch for the most part and I am using up left overs from Michael's Vest. I did, however, have to go out and buy some more "bear" colour. That was before my cleaning Diva's. I will be knitting out of the stash for a while, no problem with that.

Mom always said, "If I go in my sleep don't mourn me." She would also tell me to pull myself together and get on with my life. I am really trying but some days it is just too much to ask.

to abbeysmum

Thank you for the recommendation for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It was a great "on the beach book" and I have already thanked someone else for the suggestion....sigh Then I looked back in the comments and found you. I have gone out and purchased the hard back copy of the next one.

Tomorrow is Friday....TGIF....I am emotionally worn out this week. .

Today has been a hard day...

Oh my, I have had a hard day preceded by a hard weekend.
How many times did I go to the phone this weekend to let Mom know we were home safe? How many times did I think, "Oh I have to show Mom the pictures from Mexico?"
Today is the 2nd of the month and I have been weepy all day. Then Carl called me at work to say he will be away on a charter trip this weekend. I immediately thought," Oh I will go see Mom."...sigh. So I am a wreck, all over again. My ankle is better but today everything hurt and my concentration at work was completely off.

Back to the real world.

Sigh...It was wonderful and now it is not just a memory but a plan to return. We were at the Las Brisas Resort, Huatulco, Mexico, the Pacific side, south of Acapulco.
Click on the pictures for a better view!

The little flower in the centre is a ...gardenia. I almost fell over when I saw it. My first thought was, "wait till I tell Mom." That happened a lot. The flowers were beautiful and I found the huge shrubs, next to the squash courts, covered in gardenia blooms.
This the view of the snorkel beach from the Mexicana Restaurant. We had planned on going snorkeling but had to fore go that plan. I There was no way I could wear flippers..lol.. next time though.....
I even got Carl into a "Guayabera" a traditional Mexican shirt. This was taken about 6 pm in the evening it was 30C.
He took me to the "Kasbah"...but we weren't impressed with the meal. The atmosphere was wonderful however.
Right hand side of the Manzanilla Beach.
This foot ended up in that ocean. I took this picture the first day. It was a chore but Carl got me down to the waters edge.
Can you see the iguana? there were a couple on the resort and they would appear in the darnedest places.
When I had enough of the saltwater there was the pool. The deep end was 6'8". The pool is higher than the ocean level. That is Tangolunda Bay beyond.
The greatest disadvantage of the resort were the stairs. They do say they are not suitable for anyone with mobility issues. I had 2 good feet when we paid for the holiday.
Another shot of the bay.
View from our room.
Sun rise the last morning.
Waiting for my return.
There are more pictures over on the face book link and a 360 degree video of the beach.

We are planning a 2 week holiday next year. We may try one of the other resorts. Lots of time to decide. The food in the Buffet restaurant was wonderful. The selection was mind boggling. The a la carte restaurants were a little more disappointing. The weather was perfect and I feel rested. My nose is burnt, my foot is much improved and my grief not quite so painful.

Back to work today and I know I will be busy. There will be a mountain of paper on my desk. Carl just left all bundled up in his pork pie hat, leather coat and gloves. Big difference from his Panama jack hat and shorts..lol
I brought home a bag of sand, some shells and coral from the beach that I am going to put in a jar on my desk I want to savour this holiday for a while yet.

The Women who came before......

Paul came across this picture while compiling photos for the DVD in honour of our Mom.
The young girl in the front, Mary Ann, would be my Great Aunt. The woman behind her is my Great Grand mother, Hannah, on the right my Great Great Grandmother, Sarah and on the left, my Great x3 Grandmother Catherine.
The only one with a hint of a smile is Granny Jones. She was obviously a widow hence the black ensemble.

The other two women are pretty stern. It must have been impossible to relax strapped into those corsets. Sarah, on the right, was a miserable woman who decided my grand mother , also named Sarah was going to come and live with her. There was no discussion. Pack your bag you are going and that's all there was to it. My grandmother was still in school at the time. Her grandmother was a tyrant. Mam had no social life and everyone was surprised when the tall quiet town "Bobby" began to "walk her out." My Grand mother was 5 years older than my Grandfather. This is their wedding picture: I see my mother in her face. Mam had a stroke and passed away 4 months after my mother's 16Th birthday.

My wonderful quiet grandpa looked the same his whole life. He was the youngest of 4 boys, his three older brothers all became clergymen. Grandpa didn't speak until he was 7 yrs old. He had a speech impediment and a Welsh accent. I never had any trouble understanding him.
This is my Mom. My mother had all these baby gowns and when I was a little girl she cut them all up and made slips for me. Makes me cringe to think of it. But that was my practical Mother. These gowns were all hand made.
This is my Mom at 3 yrs, she looks like her mother. I miss her so much........sigh
Three more sleeps and we are off on the plane to Pacific Mexico. I want to get away so badly.
I am worn out.

Not for the squeamish.........

Went to the doctor today for a follow up. It is as bad as it looks. Take my word for it.
When it happened it hurt dreadfully, the sight of it now is justification for the pain. It is so swollen my toes tingle. I can't put weight on it yet the sole of my foot is swollen as well. The black mark is the location of my femoral pulse. They used a magic marker that won't wash off. My wrists are sore and my armpits are too from using the crutches.
I just wrapped it again because is continues to swell without the bandage.
edit: Saw the Dr. it is a level 2-3 sprain.

A whole world of hurt

Here we are a week later. My world has been turned upside down and given a thorough shaking. I never did like a roller coaster ride. Time to pick up the threads and knit my life back together. Instead of looking at gaping holes I have to think of them as lace. We met so many of her friends and I learned things about my Mother I hadn't known before.


It was true, when I think about it, our mother never said good bye when we were talking on the phone. We joked about how one minute she would be there and then "click" she was gone. Turns out she did it with every one. Phrases like "Well I won't keep you any longer ...click" and "That's all for now ...click" were common place.


Last Saturday morning she wasn't well and the nurse asked if she would like someone to be called, "Oh no," she said and then she just went to sleep.


She used to tell us, that when her time came, if she went in her sleep we were not to mourn her but be glad she did not suffer. I will agree with that but I will still mourn her passing. My little brother ( lol) has posted about Mom over here.


And now......In the what in the world could happen next scenario.......


Carl went to the doctor yesterday and he has bronchitis. Not severe but in time to nip this in the bud as we will be in Mexico 2 weeks from today. Last night he ran a hot bath and had just settled in when........I fell in the side hall at the top of the basement stairs. It is a wonder I didn't pitch right down the stairs. I caught the railing just in time.


Evan came running. I thought I had broken my ankle. Poor Carl had to get out of the tub get dressed and start the car. I couldn't seem to get up on my good foot I was terrified on loosing my balance and A. falling down the stairs and taking Evan with me or B. loosing my balance and standing on my shrieking ankle. The ambulance was called. Four hours later, 6 X-rays ( do you know how many bones are in the foot?) and I was home. The Doctor in emergency said to me, "I am sorry it's not broken." I know sounds funny but he explained it to me. A break heals in a given time a sprain lingers on and on and on... So I have crutches now. I will probably need a cane by the time we leave for Mexico. I will have to be careful not to go over on my ankle in the next couple of months. Oh and the old house slippers. The ones with no tread on the bottom. They are now in the rubbish.


Oh gentle readers I am not finished with my tale of woe. They sent me home with a vial of tablets for pain. It appears I do not tolerate codeine any more. I was up at 3 am with stomach pain and the dry heaves. Oh joy oh bliss.


I am sporting a dandy bruise on my right wrist and I have wrenched the thigh muscle on the same leg as the damaged ankle. Could be worse I could have wrenched the other leg then I would be well and truly scuppered.


Here are Gran's Brood. She was so proud of them all:
Back row: L to R: Corinne (mine), Amanda (Paul), Matt ( David), Michael & Evan & Julia (all mine) Front row: L to R: Doug (David) & Stephanie (Paul)

They kept us laughing.
As David put it, "We are now the senior generation." Sobering thought, eh?
Paul and Debbie, Susan with Carl, Ghislaine and David

My Mummy

Hannah Davies Cottrell

May 20, 1925 - Jan 2, 2010
".... her children rise up and call her blessed."

The First Day

No resolutions here!
Just wanted to get that out of the way right off the bat.
Goals...yes!
New Header to start the year. Explanation is as follows:



Last Spring I purchased a lot of fleece with the intention of spending my summer days off work spinning in the garden. Well summer didn't lend itself to tranquil days and the whole plan fell through. This year I would like to take up spinning again. It would be nice if Mother Nature would co operate.
Looking at this sweet little Irish Granny's face reminds me I better up my RRSP deposits.






IN grade 9 I read War and Peace and loved it! It was my first introduction to an epic novel. One of my teacher's said to me,"You can't possibly follow that book. I whipped out my biography page. Every time a new character appeared in the story I added them to my list. It would be nice to read that again.



I have always thought that Gardenias are the most beautiful flower. The fragrance is very heady and although the petals are thick and waxy they are still very delicate. This year I would like to remind myself to take a moment to smell the flowers.

...especially gardenias.



With respect to Queen Victoria's memory this is my symbol for the Queen Susan Shawl from the Ravelry Heirloom group. My yarn has been ordered. I am studying the pattern and I have begun a swatch to get my fingers used to the fineness of the wool. More about this in the coming year on the knitting blog.




This year I would like to finish one of my books and send it to a publisher. It is a murder mystery. I have been held upon the identity of the murderer. Everyone I thought of seemed so obvious. This morning it struck me. It all seemed to fall into place. Motive and opportunity. Now I just have to force myself to re read what I have written and decide if it is a good as I think or if it is, as I suspect, unmitigated drivel... Progress on this front will be found on the writing blog.

Between my life with my dear man, knitting, writing and working full time I forsee a very busy year.