The Queen's Birthday

Traditionally, in Canada, the Queen's birthday is celebrated on May 24, which was Queen Victoria's official birthday. In my part of Canada, it marks the unofficial start of summer. These days it is celebrated the Monday before May 24 so we get a long weekend.

Last Monday, we got a day off to celebrate. My neighbourhood had a parade, with pipers, flags and kids on decorated bicycles.

Dolly loved the parade.

Doug was not so sure, it was his first parade.

It was a lovely day, with a high temperature of 25 C. We followed the parade visit with a barbeque of burgers, traditional food for this holiday.

Because the weather this time of the year is fickle, last night we had frost warnings, and a low of 2 C.

We covered the plants and today, everything looks very spring like.

They will look better when they have filled in a bit, but my patio has herbs and flowers. I no longer have much in the way of gardens, because the trees make my yard too shady. The pots can be moved.

I got bored of knitting the lace border on my Earth shawl, so I did something different for a change. So, today's Department of Redundancy Department picture:

Yes, it's a bear, wearing a hat with bear ears. Babies aren't cute enough, so now I am making them hats with bear ears, because that is even cuter. Here is the pattern.  The yarn is Cascade 220 Superwash. I think I will try cat ears on my next one.

I was looking through my stash and found these two balls of yarn, asking to become a project together (doesn't everyone's yarn talk to them?)

I am not quite sure what they will become but they seem to need to go together. I haven't knit anything purple in a very long time.

The End Is In Sight

I was starting to think of my mystery shawl as the shawl that never ends, but I have finally started the last clue.

It is getting quite large and detailed. The 300 rows of the 9 stitch narrow border was the part that seemed endless.

It is a dull day, so it is hard to get good pictures. However, you can see the narrow cabled border at the top of the picture.

My Ravelry Project page says I started April 11, so I guess it hasn't been that long. I just want to see it finished, so I know what it looks like.

I am now at work on a 25 stitch lace border. I have 306 stitches to work into the border so it is going to take awhile! ( about 612 rows)

My Ravelry Project Page.

Guerilla Gardening?

Guerrilla gardening is a term used to describe the unauthorized cultivation of plants or crops on vacant public or private land.

Today, we discovered that some of that had happened in our yard.

Under the pine tree, in the side yard, we found this.

Next to the composter, we found this.

We quickly checked the neighbours' gardens, looking for more, but no one nearby has anything like this.

They do seem to be the same type.

I am pretty sure they came from the local squirrel "Bulb Relocation Project" which occurs around here in the fall. A delightful surprise, in unexpected places. The tulips in my garden don't look nearly as nice.

Yesterday, a local chapter of the Stephen Lewis Foundation Grannies Helping Grannies held their annual garden sale. The Grannies (as they call themselves) raise money to help grandmothers in Africa who are raising their grandchildren orphaned by AIDS.

I bought a new teacup birdbath, for my garden.

The cup and saucer reminded of my mother, so it seemed like an appropriate gift to myself, for Mother's Day.

Happy Mother's Day.

A Bit of Knitting

A local school is collecting baby things for a Mother's Day shower, for a home for teen moms. I decided to make another Twisted Cuff Baby Hat.

Lacking a baby to model, I made a call for volunteers.

I think this model is perfect.

A better view of the hat.

I also finished the second clue in my MKAL shawl "Earth"

The wingspan is getting quite wide.

The final shape and design is still a mystery, to me. Clue 4, the final clue, is was released on Friday, so I am officially one week behind now.