Wednesday, February 7, 2018

I spent the morning getting my reports ready for the Cranberry Hall Board meeting tonight. Even though I kept pretty much up to date on the accounting during January there was still a lot of reconciling to do before I wrote my reports. It seems it was a busy month for “things” at the Hall – problems and other issues – and I wanted to be prepared for what I wanted to say on the matters. If I didn’t write it down I’d remember I had something to say but forget exactly what it was.

I made a quick trip to the post office after lunch and picked up a few things at the grocery store. When I got home I finished up a small quilting project (except for the hand stitching).

With what time I have left in the afternoon I’m going to start on a couple of test blocks for the quilt I’m planning to make with all the strips I won at the Texada Retreat last fall. It’s my #9 project (in the monthly Challenge) and I’m anxious to see how it turns out. I found enough neutral colour in my stash so I don’t need to shop for anything.

I finished another knitting project last night – a toque – but after it was done I realized I put a pom-pom on it and that won’t go through the mail very well. I’ll take the pom-pom off, go back and do a bit more decreasing before finishing it again.

I downloaded a number of books over the years for the Kindle app on my iPad. I read a few of those books while on vacations, but it certainly wasn’t my favourite way to read. The iPad, because it is a first edition, is heavy and not easily read in bed at the end of the day. My preference was always a “real” book.

I received a Kindle for Christmas, along with a generous gift card, and I am loving the convenience of it. It is so light which makes it much easier to carry in my bag and pick up while waiting for appointments or events. It is lovely to read in bed – no need for even a bedside light which is also a bonus if I’m reading during a sleepless night.

I mostly read at the end of the day after I go to bed and I think, with the Kindle, I probably read more than if I were holding a real book. With a real book I set goals (read 25 or 50 pages a night, depending on the length of the book) and with the Kindle I often find myself saying, “I’ll just read until I’m at 25% or 50%” which means I’m reading a quarter of the book a night. I’ll get through the books much faster.

The only time I miss a “real” book is when I’ve finished a book. There is something about closing the cover on a book, setting it aside, and then anticipating the next book (because the next book is generally picked before I’ve finished the current book). Closing the cover on the Kindle doesn’t give me the same sense of closure and I never scroll through my list of books to see what might come next – I just start reading whatever My Library says is next. So far I haven’t run into this on my Kindle but with a “real” book I never finish one book and start a new one on the same day; that would be so easily done with the Kindle.

I still have a number of “real” books on my shelf that I will get to. As I learn more about the eBooks that are available I hope to make better choices. I guess you get what you pay for and so far the Kindle freebies and very cheap eBooks haven’t been all that satisfying.

Saturday, February 3, 2018

I told Pat yesterday that if it was pouring rain I wasn’t going to walk down to the terminal to catch the morning ferry across. As it turned out there was no rain and, although it wasn’t sunny, it was a nice jaunt. While I waited for the ferry I watched two eagles chase a couple of cormorants off the pilings so they could take roost. There were a couple of loons in the water and when I had given up on seeing any mammals a big sea lion swam past.

We went for a walk before heading out for lunch. After lunch we took a drive around town; I really hadn’t seen anything of the town since we got our place. There are more houses than I realized from our trips in and out, some new and some very old.

The rain has started in earnest now, Pat is lighting a fire, and I’m going to get out some stitching.

Friday, February 2, 2018

Since Christmas I have been very careful not to join any online groups or sew-alongs. But my favourite sampler shop (Temecula Quilt Company) came out with a new one today and I couldn’t resist joining. It is call the the Quirky 1880 Sampler and I plan to use the scraps of my 1930’s fabric for it. It sounds simple enough – one 4-inch square every Friday. What I don’t know is how long it lasts. My Circa 2016 is one of theirs and one of my Christmas miniatures was from their company; I have another of their sew-alongs started (Wild Goose Wednesday) but its a long way from being finished. I have saved all the clues on another one (Patchwork Olympics) but it isn’t started yet. I may regret it further down the road but these on-line sew-alongs keep things interesting.

I got most of my last Valentine project pieced this morning before heading out to do some errands. I am more or less packed up for my trip across to the studio tomorrow; I tend to have a bag “going” all the time so there is less last minute packing. It helps that I have enough clothes over there and I just need to pack the fun stuff that I want to do while I’m there. I’m looking forward to getting back to my cross stitching.

I’m off to a concert tonight – performers I enjoy, an early start, and absolutely no responsibilities!

I may try to finish piecing my Valentine before getting a bit of knitting in before supper.