Yorkshire Rose

 

One of my knitting projects during the winter was this beautiful Yorkshire Rose.  As soon as I saw the pattern (which I found on Ravelry), I knew that I had to knit it.

The gorgeous yarn is from baa ram ewe (I love that name!) and the colours have Yorkshire names.  There is a real link between these yarns and home, which makes them very special.  Not only that, but this yarn shop has a Harrogate location, which I long to visit. 

I'm now on their mailing list for emails and I've seen two adverts for a knitter to work for them ~ how I would love a job working in a yarn shop!  Now, there's an idea.......

Did Somebody Mention Spring?

 

The calendar may suggest that spring has arrived, but the reality here is somewhat different.  We have just had yet another winter storm and it is still snowing!  With strong winds and drifting snow, it is hard work clearing it. 

 

My photos are not of the greatest quality, but they were taken with my phone, in very poor light conditions due to the weather and not long before dusk.  Anyway, they give you an idea of just what we are coping with as we head into April.  Will spring ever arrive?

Going Vintage

Time seems to have got the better of me lately.  It is many weeks since my last blog post and although I have thought about updating, I have lacked the motivation to do so.  I think that this has been due to a combination of factors: the never-ending winter weather, the dark mornings and the stress of my current work situation.

I've had many weeks of sleepless nights and in an effort to restore a sense of harmony to my life, one of the changes that I've made is buying a vintage Westclox Baby Ben alarm clock on eBay.  There is something very soothing to jangled nerves in hearing the ticking of a clock and I've restored the darkness to the room by removing our digital alarm clock.  I'm no longer constantly checking that digital display and I now fall asleep much sooner.

One thing that is beyond my control is the weather.  Last Wednesday saw the arrival of yet another winter storm; by far the worst of the season.  We had hurricane-force winds and driving snow, which reduced visibility to zero.  This is not an excuse for a day off work, however, and as I was on-call, I stayed overnight.  By lunchtime on Thursday, it was still so windy that I was almost blown off my feet when I finally headed for home.

Our clocks went forward three weeks ago, so that saw the return of dark mornings again.  How I hate getting up for work in the dark!

I'm longing for spring and hope that it won't be too much longer in arriving ~ maybe after this week's predicted winter storm.......

Winter Sky

I had not intended to be gone for five weeks, but life has been very stressful of late.  The weather has not helped much, with at least one storm every week and sometimes more.  We have had blizzards, ice, freezing rain and extremely cold temperatures.  It is a long, hard winter.

The winter skies have seen some beautiful sunsets on the evenings when it has been clear enough to see the sun.  When not at work, I've been stuck indoors most of the time, only managing to get out for one walk on a day when the wind was still cold enough to cut through me, but at least the sun was shining.

 

 

All Is Calm, All Is Bright

Calm returned yesterday morning after Friday's blizzard.  The day dawned bright, frosty and clear. 

 

I got dressed in waterproof clothing to go out and start clearing the snow and took these photographs.  A couple of minutes without gloves and I couldn't feel my fingers ~ not a good sign.

 

I had to go back indoors to add more layers.  The sunshine was deceptive, as the air temperature was in the minus 20s. 

 

The snow clearance operation in our street was a big one.  The main question: where to put all that snow?  The road is getting narrower as more and more snow is ploughed off the driveways and pushed out there.  The gardens are already piled so high with the stuff that it is becoming almost impossible to shovel yet more onto the piles.   It is beginning to look like a long winter and it is only early January.

The Big Dig

 

The snow started before dawn yesterday.  It continued throughout the day with white-out conditions during the blizzard.  I was stuck at work when the road closed and I was unable to get home.  Some hours later, a good Samaritan gave me a lift to the end of my street....no sign of the plough and it was long after dark.  In places, the snow was more than knee-deep.

 

This morning, the big dig began.  The plough came through before dawn and dumped about four feet of compacted snow on the end of our driveway.  My car is buried at the back, where it is likely to remain until the weather improves.

 

Our back garden is under feet of snow.  A thick layer of snow lays on the roof of the house and the shed.

 

The first job was to dig out the shed, where our ATV with plough attachment is kept.  We are so grateful for the fact that we got this old but useful piece of winter equipment during the summer.  Without it, we had to rely on the kind help of our neighbours after huge storms.

 

More later after we have had a chance to get on with the digging....

New Year 2014

 

Welcoming in the New Year was definitely very low-key in our household last night.  As I was on-call for work, I went to bed long before any chimes of midnight.  In a little over half an hour, I go off-call and then I can sit back, relax and enjoy the day ~ or maybe get the New Year off to a good start and do some exercise.

 

For now, it is good to be indoors and keeping warm.  This morning's temperature is -16 C and the wind chill is -32 C.  I don't have any intention of spending time outdoors!  Winter is far from finished here and there is yet more snow in the forecast for the next couple of days.

 

However you chose to welcome 2014, I hope that the year is full of promise for good health, happiness and precious moments for you and all of your family.  Happy New Year!