The Things You Do

When you live here and everyone else lives way over there, there are crazy things you do to keep in touch.

You text your morning routine to your best friend (with pictoral evidence) to give them an idea of what it looks like.

You prepare for Christmas and birthdays months in advance to allow for mail time.

You learn how to convert time to multiple time zones within a second.

You spend your Saturday and Sunday mornings with the computer on waiting for the Skype phone to ring.

You accept ridiculously generous gifts so that you can do an across the ocean KAL together. Ridiculously generous gifts that make your week.

You make every effort possible to keep them all close even when they are not.

And it's worth it. Every minute spent is so worth it.

The Usual Excuses

I've been busy, I haven't had time, blah blah blah.

The usual.

I even have something finished to flaunt, but as of today, no pictures have been taken.

My parents arrived last week from Canada (well, California actually, but that's a long story, and if you had forgotten....I'm too busy to explain), and we are keeping them busy at a blistering pace. Beaches, and more beaches, and Cricket matches, and shopping, and eating out, and enjoying all that is Perth. Hence, little knitting.

I'm looking forward to February when life gets back to the normal, school-going, work-going, knitting-time friendly, routine, but I'm also not wishing away this time we have right now.

Gotta run....I'm busy.

Four

Four years ago, your dad and I woke up bright and early. We drove to the hospital and had a last minute discussion about your name choice.

Four years ago we found out what you looked like, but we didn't know you yet.

Four years ago we completed our little family.

Four years ago we wouldn't have predicted we would celebrate your birthday here.



Four years ago we would never have guessed you would turn out so amazing. You surprise us everyday with your will, your love and your charm. You are awes-mazing (your words kid, not mine).

Warm feet

I've heard that it can be "cold" in Australia during the winter. Whenever I've heard this before I've laughed and then said "have you ever lived in Edmonton?". Seriously - being a Canadian and living in one of the coldest cities in the world, you'd think it would have me prepared for any level of cold.

I was wrong.

I'm freezing here. Especially in the house at night. Freezing. There is no insulation and minimal heating. I haven't removed my socks since I arrived, and my Love is walking around the house at night in his coat. I am concerned my Canadian passport will be revoked by admitting this. FREEZING.

I'm a knitter though - so I can easily resolve this. I've cast on some Philosopher's House Socks (from Cat Bordhi) in a mohair blend. I started about 24hours ago and am making good headway (aran weight yarn socks are fast fast fast). I hope these do the trick - otherwise I'll have to layer them with some fuzzy slippers....this is what my world is coming to. Whatever it takes to stay warm.

The Move

I don't mention it here very often. It's still on and is imminently close. But I don't mention it here because I don't want it to permeate EVERY part of my life.

But it does. I can't fight it. It effects my choice of clothing for work (what do I have left in my closet), my grocery shopping trips (will we eat this all?) and my conversations. It is hard - it is exhausting and emotionally gruelling.

But that's ok. It is part of the deal and we knew that going in. I am trying to make it part of the experience - knowing that every experience has good parts, bad parts and unbelievable parts.

The best part of this past week was when four amazing girls - J., Andi, Cathy and Lauren - knit me a blanket to keep me warm on Austrlian winter nights. The blanket is gorgeous and knit with amazingly soft yarn, but the best part - it was made by them with love. So when I'm sitting in Perth trying not to get homesick, I can wrap this around me and think of them, and their laughter and how much they make me smile. And they will continue to do so. Computers will be warmed up and the net will be buzzing with us girls laughing online. It'll work, because we'll make it work.

Stalled

I feel like my knitting is stalled these days. I've (finally) cut the beast, and am working on the button band - but am stalled because I can't find the right buttons (nice wooden ones are the request). I'm stalled on my little green spring vest because I ran out of yarn and have to find something I'm happy with in colour, texture and sheen (to at least somewhat match the main yarn).

I am also stalled in life. My life currently consists of lists and boxes and sticky notes denoting staying, selling, packing, exporting. Every cupboard I open, every closet I pass - I ask those questions. I feel like I'm stalled between living here and living there.

Stalled. But yet time seems to be passing too fast.

It's back

The Beast.

Which is the size of a beast currently. Two arms were joined to the body just last night and produced a mass of yarn and cables and stitch markers.


I'm hoping to have this ready for an Australian winter. I'm under the assumption that we won't have central heat, and will be in need of a few warm woolies.