A new venture ....

Now that it feels like I have all of this time on my hands .... I've decided to start a sourdough journey. 

Pumpkin and I took a course on Eastern Flatbreads at King Arthur Flour (Vermont) a few weeks ago, and I made the decision to buy a sourdough starter. I could have started my own, however I liked the idea that the starter is from New England and part of decades of nurturing. There's something about feeling like you are a part of something that I enjoy. ;) 

Once home, I did not activate the starter right away, but waited a week. I needed time to think about the commitment and whether I was willing to put the time and effort into it. Truth be known, I've struggled with my body image most of my life ... would bread be a good thing or did I want to continue to deprive myself? This body image thing is a work in progress .... F it! I activated the starter. After 24 hours, that's what it looked like ... smelled so good too.

I continued feeding it every 12 hours for a week. I even bought a new home of it ... Brod & Taylor Sourdough home. I still need to come up with a name .... Bob the blob comes to mind! lol

By this Sunday, I felt it had matured/aged well and I made my first recipe from the discard. The recipe is from King Arthur website, Buttery Sourdough Biscuits. OMG, they were to die for, almost ate the whole thing until the Troll came over and rescued me. 

I kidd you not, it was like eating a sourdough croissant ... so flaky, so flavorful. Yum ... the recipe is a keeper.

That evening, I made a sourdough discard pizza crust for dinner ... another keeper!

I only used half of the dough and froze the other half. 

This week I plan on baking a loaf of bread after which I will probably slow down the fermentation by decreasing the temperature. Don't want to be baking every day ... summer is coming.

Thanks for stopping by. Cheers1

I've graduated ....

 I have completed my new graduate degree, I am now a clinical mental health counselor. It's bittersweet ... a challenging three years .... working full-time, family responsibilities, stress of the world, the death of my mom .... I made it through. Patting myself on the back here .... it's important to remind oneself how resilient we are. Life is not always a piece of cake. Thank you for being on this life journey with me.

On another note, now that I have some free bandwidth, I started a new knitting project. The pattern is called Aristea by Evelyn Siatra. 

I purchased the yarn at Les Laines Biscotte in St Eustache. Love the hand dyed look. The yarn consist of 90% Merino SW and 10% Silk. It's so soft!

It took me forever, like three (3) days to figure out how to properly do a 2 x 2 Tubular cast-on. OMG, what a nightmare ... but persevered and finally got it to look right. I wouldn't get that continuous look from front to back.

It's been pushing my comfort zone ... slowly moving into more complex patterns. I'm enjoying creating new pieced for my wardrobe. 

Thanks for stopping by .... Peace to all! Namaste

Almost done ....

Hello, it's been a while. I'm still here. Just trying to button things up with school. I'm almost done! A bit about a knitting project. 

I started the, The Felix Cardigan, back in September 2023. I had to put it aside to finish my daughter's version for Christmas. Mine is in dark blue. I purchased the yarn at Three Bags full of Yarn Emporium in Moncton, NB on my first trip to Newfoundland. 

Voila!

It's almost a done deal. All I have left to do is sew some buttons on. I don't usually button my cardigan, which made me wonder why I knit a button band. I mean, I could finish it a different way. Oh well, I have the buttons, it's just a matter of doing it. The cardigan is a nice memory of my first trip to Atlantic Canada. 

Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!

Self-care ... immersed in nature

 While in St Luniere cricket, I relaxed ... I even let my hair down .... the vacation look! LOL

Bought some yarn and a book while in Newfoundland and did a lot of knitting. Finished two projects during my stay.

And this pattern ... a gift for my dad.

I was also able to enjoy a daily latte and my favourite treat at Cafe Nymphe - The Dark Tickle Company ... A carrot and partridge berry cake .... OMG .... Yummy! I'd go back just for a piece of cake! lol

My ride home ... what a beauty!

I would recommend visiting Newfoundland. It is such a beautiful and serene place. I will leave you with the sound of the Atlantic ocean ... Enjoy!

Take Care ... and thanks for stopping by. Cheers!

Self-care .... Immersed in Nature

 Once I had explored the intended area, I went back to a familiar place Gros Norme National Park, a place I could rest. I enjoyed long walks on the beach ... in the rain

There were quite enjoyable, but there's only so much walking one can do in the rain ... that is .... until the humidity gets in your bones. I thought perhaps I would catch the ferry and leisurely head back home. However, there was no room on the ferry. So I did the next best thing and headed to Newfoundland's most northern part, back to where the Vikings landed.

Leifur Eiriksson, a viking settler of Newfoundland.

Historical marker.

I landed in Luniere-Griquet, a place where I felt at peace. There was also an amazing restaurant there ... The Daily Catch ... delish!

I stayed at the Pistolet Bay Provincial Park.  I made myself at home ... it was quite cozy ... so peaceful.

Thanks for stopping by ....

Travel pause ....

As part of my degree requirement, I took a class on career, which mainly covered assessments and theories on career choices/life spans. For the last class, our lecturer had us watch a film called Idiocracy (2006), a film directed by Mike Judge.

Not sure if you've seen this film, but it is a Sci-fi comedy. Here is the link to the trailer. As I watched the film, some parts were funny but other parts frightened me. Let's face it, many of our recent accomplishments had their origin in science fiction.

The next day, I'm at a gas station filling up my car. I look across to the next pumping station and see this person, lit cigarette in their mouth, puffing away as they are filling up their vehicle with gas. It then dawned on me .... the movie I watched is not really just sci-fi but a possibility of our future. People lacking common sense and decency. 

I've been quite stressed, as of late, with the state of the world, which I'm sure many of you are also. I can't help but think about that movie and the direction the world is presently headed. It frightens me. Although I limit my social media access, the news still finds me, in my work and in my everyday experiences. Decency, respect, privacy and personal freedom is irroding. The cost of living has skyrocketed ... I fear for those who are already struggling financially. 

I'm not sure where we are headed, but ... from my perspective, it's not looking good. We need a miracle!

I believe in kindness .... and respect ... it's a part of who I am.

Thank you for being a reader of my blog. I appreciate you ... Namaste!

Self-care .... immersed in nature

 I left the Eastern region and headed towards the Central region.

As you can imagine ... I did a lot of driving. Newfoundland is huge .... but oh so beautiful.

I camped a few days at Terra Nova National Park. It was wonderful to sit and enjoy nature while knitting. I bought some Briggs & Little yarn that had been hand dyed and starting working on a hat ... a Newfoundland souvenir.

A girl could get used to this life. I wrote a bit on another post about my camping set up. I kind of like the simplicity of it. A good coffee in the morning is all I ask for! ;)

From Terra Nova National Park I visited the Long Point light house.

Quite a unique place. Unfortunately, the museum was closed.

The view from Crow Head was beautiful.

Exploring is such a treat for me. I'm not one to plan much ... I sort of like the surprise of finding unique places.  

I left Terra Nova National Park and headed for Dildo Run Provincial park. Yes, there is a town called Dildo.

 They have this amazing brewery ... Dildo Brewing Co. Had a wonderful meal there. Yes, I paid close attention to where I would eat. 

A fun activity I took on was to explore various local breweries, enjoying their cuisine and products. My favourite son in law enjoys a local beer, so it was a great way for me to collect samples from various breweries that he could enjoy with family and friends. On my first trip I only visited one .... on this trip my goal was to visit as many local breweries as possible as well as enjoy as many wonderful meals. 

To be continued ...

Thanks for stopping by ... Cheers!

Self-care ... immersed in nature .... continued

 Exploring Newfoundland was therapeutic for me. I miss my mom so much. Grieving is a funny thing ... one day you're fine and the next thing you know you're crying, missing a loved one so much. I am taking time to honour the healing journey.

I drove through Bay de Verde.

A typical Newfoundland village centered around the fishing industry.

Found this cute chicken coop - Small white building and on the side it says .... Cluckingham Palace ... How cute is that?! lol

I left Avalon and headed to the Eastern section of Newfoundland.

Stopped in Bonivista. As I walked on the boardwalk I spotted a Jelly fish. It was a gorgeous but windy day.

It's so graceful. I enjoyed exploring Bonavista and getting lost in its beauty. 

To be continued ...

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Self-care ... immersed in nature ... continued

I love Newfoundland! Because my goal was to be in nature, I did not stop in St John Newfoundland. I continued exploring nature, taking roads that led me to the shores. I find the ocean so therapeutic ... it has a healing property. On my way I did make stops at various yarn shops.

I had to stop in Stevenson Village in Harbor Grace to check out a monument decimated to Amelia Earhart. I couldn't believe it when I saw that she had made a stop here 

I remember doing a book report on her back in 7th grade. Brought back so many memories. Here is the log.

I do enjoy taking my time exploring. It's amazing how much you can learn.

To be continued ...

Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!

Self-care ... immerse in nature ...

 Last August I once again took a trip to Newfoundland. It was a time I scheduled for me to heal. I was grieving the death of my mom and with my busy schedule (full time work/school) had not had the time I needed to take it all in. So off to Newfoundland I went.

There is something about Newfoundland that speaks to me. This time I took the 16 hour long ferry to Argentia to begin exploring the Avalon section - Bottom yellow section.

I was so excited to finally arrive.

 I spent my first night in La Manche Provincial Park. What a gorgeous place. 

I have not been disappointed with any provincial or federal parks that I've stayed in. I cannot say the same for private camping sites, which I tend to stay away from as much as possible.

Had my first meal at the Riverside Restaurant & Lounge in Cape Boyle. OMG, the fresh mussels were to die for.

And I enjoyed my very first Iceberg beer from Quidi Vidi Brewery.

OMG, soooo good and refreshing. It's actually made with Iceberg water. I did buy a case of 12 to bring home. In hindsight ... I should have bought more to share. For the record, I still have two bottle left ... keeping them for a special occasion ;)

To be continued ....

Thanks for stopping by. Cheers!

One stitch at a time ....

Back in May 2024, I had started a gorgeous shawl pattern called, Skovbund by Fiber Tales. I had put it on hold for a bit because ... I could not get the stitch count to work out. Well, it turned out to be a knitter error! lol Off I went stitching away ....

I did almost complete it until the it came to the last 8 stitches. Yes, you read that right .... I stopped with 8 stitches on the needle. I could not wrapt my head around doing the Kitchener stitch on a shawl. Seriously?!

In June 2024, it was put on hold while I mulled this over. Truth be know, I did not want to frog it if it was a pattern mistake. I've lost count of how many times I frogged this project. Sigh!

Picked it back up early December and did the kitchener stitch, as per the pattern instructions, and voila ... it worked. I blocked it this January.

For the record, blocking a shawl is my least favourite ... weaving the wire on the edge takes sooooo much time! But ... blocking makes all the difference.

A close up of the stitch pattern.

The colour in the picture is not the true colour. It is more purple and not so much burgundy.

The yarn, which is a truer colour ... although much richer. 

Glad that I finished it. I love that I learned new stitches. A lesson learned here ... trust the pattern designer. 

Thanks for stopping by, Catch you all later! Cheers!

It's been a while ...

 It's not that I don't have anything to blog about .... it's just that life is requiring from me to make some adjustments. I've always been in introvert .... and quite enjoy being by myself ... and when life gets intense ... I just retreat and spend time evaluating and adjusting. I know this about myself, so I do make time to be with family and friends .... however some things fall in the neglect category, like this blog. 

I have not mentioned this, but I've been in school full-time for the past three (3) years. I'm presently working on another graduate degree ... a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. If full time grad school wasn't enough, until recently, I was also been working full time (40 hours a week). As you can imaging ... I've even busy. I am now a full time intern at the local hospital (37.5 hours a week), part time work (20 hours a week) and school work/class ... As I re-read the above ... I wonder how I am able to manage it all ... but not going to question it at the moment .... I'm doing it! lol Having said this ... I do enjoy blogging and plan on continuing. 

Now that's out of the way, I have not been quilting much ... as a matter of fact not at all. I do miss it but with my current schedule, picking up the knitting needles seems easier and more efficient than sitting at my sewing machine. 

On the knitting front, I have been attempting to finish some projects, one of which is Storm Sweater by Petite Knit, started in August 2023. 

It was knit with Australian yarn (Merino) sent to me by my dear Aussie friend Cheryl, back in 2015, when I was contemplating taking up knitting again. 

All that was needed to call it a "finish" was to knit the collar. Pumpkin has now claimed the sweater and it looks great on her. Pumpkin wore it when we attended the Rhinebeck Sheep & Wool festival last fall. She received so many compliments ...  I won't lie, it felt great .... I was beaming! lol

Well, that's it for now. I won't inundate you. Thanks for stopping by ... Cheers!