I'm broken

Two years back home & my tolerance of the heat is back to a Canadian 'normal'. I was sweating buckets on my walk back up the hill from the library. I was rather surprised because there's a lovely breeze- but I do still love the  heat- sweating or not- I can't get enough. On the other hand now that I'm re-adjusted to Edmonton weather perhaps winter will be a breeze for me this year*grin*.
I haven't been good about posting this month...& I keep meaning to- I've been so busy having fun that making some computer time takes a lot of effort.
What's new?
- I'm hooked on the Olympics. Alvin & I started watching Friday's opening ceremonies & now they are on constantly. I love checking out new sports & cheering for the underdog*grin*
- Alvin & I went to a fabulous comedy show- if you have the opportunity to see Kevin Hart live I'd highly recommend it (though his homepage is not the best). His show was hilarious.
- Did I already mention that we hit one of our favourite festivals? A Taste of Edmonton was grand- Al & I went with the folks & enjoyed lots of lovely food, good weather, and lots of stories.
- My  balcony flowers are once more the talk of the neighbours. The gorgeous cana lilies have started blooming!

- I hijacked Candra's birthday plans & hosted a Thai supper for 6. Carly brought the best dessert ever & we thought of Clara (rhubarb sour cream pie)- deeelicous. And thank you Car- even if you've closed your baby blues for the photo.

- Look at this giant bag of fresh home made white buns! Pop had to use up some milk & I am enjoying every bite of fresh tasty bread. And no it is not good for the waistline. I know I know.

Happy Birthday Madiba

Today I was reminded to be thankful. I find that it is so easy in Canadian culture to be caught up in the negative, to get annoyed by the small things, to be selfish. Like how come there was no Google doodle to commemorate Nelson Mandela's 94th birthday today? In my humble opinion Mandela is one of the most influential living leaders- a true hero...so today I will focus on how fortunate we are to have people in the world as remarkable as Mandela. Let's celebrate!

Floating

I couldn't have had a more perfect Saturday. If you live in the Edmonton area & have never been floating down the Pembina river I highly recommend you give it a try. My dear girlfriends decided we would try out the shuttle which allows for a 2-hour float- what fun! We learnt a thing or two about the process (slow) but would certainly know how to make the most of our time on the next excursion.

Apart from loving every moment of summer I have continued to experiment with my knitting. I will admit that it's not going very well. I've tried 3 new patterns & none have turned out quite as I had hoped. I thought the one knitting book I have includes patterns for giants so have since tried a pattern in another book...something must have gone wrong with the little baby booties. I've committed to one more pattern to make a baby cardigan but if it doesn't work out I think I'll go back to the baby blanket & scarves. (I make it sound bad- but really, I've learned some new stitches & techniques and have actually loved pulling out some yarn that I inherited from my Gran. There's something nice about working yarn that she selected and had plans for...too bad I haven't been able to knit the perfect pattern. Yet!)
For your viewing pleasure...a couple failures:-)

This cardigan was getting so big & awkward I couldn't figure out what to do next- so it's been pulled apart.

 The following pattern is supposed to be a baby's first hat...Tom figured he couldn't got his melon in there (he was exaggerating...a little girl could wear it, but it is certainly way too big for a baby)*sigh*

 I did all the pieces for this 'slipper'...& aborted mission when I realized how big it was compared to the picture*sigh*

However, there have been some successes to note:
a) Alvin has landed a position in IT- we are thrilled, and
b) I passed the dreaded HR exam I wrote in May- I am now considered to be a "CHRP candidate" and am one step closer to being a designated HR professional*yay*!

A Quiet Canada Day

When out on my morning jog I decided that I may have just seen it all. I was re-adjusting to looking forward (after admiring two beautiful cranes in the river- they are so lovely to watch taking flight) - and two cyclists were heading my way. I had to double take as the couple, I would say mid-fifties, had two little dogs in carrying baskets attached to their front handlebars. Really? I am a dog lover from way back...but isn't that a bit ridiculous? These two little suburban dogs were enjoying the breeze while the owners were getting all the exercise. Bizarre.

But to prove I'm not a dog-hater I've attached some photos of my fave pups out at Alaina & Marc's (& of course Tom & Dev's Edgar). I've also attached photos to show how well my balcony flowers are doing- I've been harvesting basil & cilantro regularly so I'm awfully happy.




Canada Day has passed fairly quietly as Alvin worked all day & I didn't stay up for the fireworks...but the weather has been glorious & we were all distracted by Euro 2012 finals:-)

I must also separately include a photo of Madeline (the recipient of my first ever baby blanket)- Marty & Pat very thoughtfully sent some photos of their baby girl in her blanket- I'm so happy it's a useful gift! And isn't she gorgeous?