A Little Bit of Everything

I've had an extremely busy weekend. So much so, that I'm not sure how many tags to use for this post. I'm feeling very well rounded as I've baked, done some kitting, played my bass guitar, done some gardening and some other handy tasks.

Here in Toronto the weather has been so warm that the garden just kept on going. Most of the trees still had their leaves until very recently. So I've been putting off my annual winterizing tasks. Then of course it snowed last week. Today I was out in the garden doing a bit of remedial winterizing. During the horrid rain of last week that quickly became snow, I did a couple of basic tasks like disconnecting the downspout attached to the rain barrel and turning off the outside tap. I didn't manage to drain the rain barrel or to drain the hose. So today I had to contend with an icy layer in the barrel and a practically frozen hose. The barrel is sorted but the fate of the hose won't be completely clear until next spring.

I've also embarked on an ambitious knitting project. I've got a number of friends expecting babies (YIKES!) and I've decided to knit something for two of them. I started on a little sweater for my friend who is expecting a boy in February. I bought the yarn at Lettuce Knit in Kensington. So far its going pretty well. Here's a photo of the navy cotton yarn I've chosen and a photo of my gauge swatch.



I did a lot this weekend so I'm pretty tired, that's enough for today.

An Arty Weekend

I'm feeling all hip and arty this weekend. Last night I went so see Shara Worden a.k.a. My Brightest Diamond at the Drake Hotel. She's a friend of a friend which almost makes me cool. I'd had brunch with Shara but had never heard her perform live. I really enjoyed it (ipod updating in progress). She put on a great show and had the audience laughing and nodding along, there was even a little bit of dancing (goodness!). Of course it was even more fun to watch my friend France watch the show. I got the occasional tidbit about the songs and set list.

This afternoon I went to the Tarragon Theatre to see Hannah Moscovitch's East of Berlin. I thought it was very good with a couple of caveats. Early on she describes one of the characters, Hermann, as someone who is worldly and as someone of whom his schoolmates are in awe. The chap portraying Hermann didn't seem worldly to me. He seemed shy and hesitant. The actor brought an interesting character but he just didn't jive with the earlier description. I also felt that the ending was a complete cop out. Perhaps I was the only one who found the ending dissatisfying; other theatre goers seemed impressed. To me it seemed as though the author couldn't figure a way out of the dilemma she'd written and chose the quickest solution. I'd definitely recommend seeing it, the actors do a good job and the staging is very clever. The objects arranged on the set increased in meaning as the play progressed (very interesting).

A brief synopsis (with some plot spoilers!!! WARNING):

Rudi grows up in Paraguay knowing that his German parents had been somehow involved in the war. His friend Heinrich tells him about the concentration camps and his father's involvement in gruesome experiments as a camp doctor. Rudi attempts to atone for the sins of his father in a number of self destructive and life affirming ways. In the end he can't reconcile the love he has for his father and the guilt he feels for loving a monster.

Birthday fun

I love my birthday, its a reason to have cake and enjoy time with friends. This year I decided that my cake must be a cube and orange (in colour, not flavour). I think I managed it (although its not a perfect cube).


A few weeks ago my mother decreed that my very ugly third generation hand-me-down chair had to go. I'm not terribly attached to the chair but it was very comfortable and Ogham the cat really enjoyed it.


My mother doesn't often comment on my home decor choices (except for the bike hanging on the wall) but seeing as she and Dad were willing to foot the bill for a new chair, I was willing to listen.

After a great deal of anxiety and self doubt I chose a new chair. I really like it but unfortunately much of its early time here in its new home was spent helping me recover from wrenching my ankle. Tip: Take care when rushing on the stairs with a vacuum cleaner in pre-party haste.