Title : Friday Five, With February Snow on the Way
link : Friday Five, With February Snow on the Way
Friday Five, With February Snow on the Way
We're expecting some "at times heavy" snow today -- up to 10 centimetres, and then another 5 to 10 tonight. . . And, unfortunately, I have to make my way downtown for a tooth-cleaning appointment at the dentist's this afternoon. So glad I can do that all via Shank's Mare (my grandpa's term for walking -- anyone else ever heard this? used the term?) and public transit -- the roads are going to be a mess. . .
Anyway, a quick Friday Five before I make sure my traction-soled boots are ready.
1. If you follow me on Instagram, you've already seen this photo, along with a few others picturing our condo terrace garden, under a layer of snow and ice. I'm so grateful that I deliberately added some joy-in-winter plants -- the fragrant Daphne odora pictured here and the sweetly scented Sarcococca (Sweet box), and also the Dogwood shrub, Cornus sanguinea, Midwinter fire, with its brilliantly coloured stems, the peeling bark on the Physocarpus (Ninebark). Leaves unfurling on clematis and hydrangea and roses. Furry buds fattening on the magnolia. . . There's already so much to enjoy right outside the door. . .
2. But when I head outside for any longer than a quick garden stroll, I bundle up. Here's a What I Wore to illustrate. . .
I've lost my favourite black leather gloves --- bought in Bordeaux two falls ago, the cuffs folded back to reveal leopard-printed calf-hair trim. Only two places I could have left them, and we checked back the next day, but someone else who fits a 7.5 must have guiltily warm hands these days. I've been making my cherry-red leather ones work with all outfits -- sometimes that's a stretch. But I do like them with this Ganni coat I bought on sale, end of last winter. The colour -- something between teddybear and mustard -- is one I never used to think I could wear but always admired. And now I think it's okay on me. You can see that besides my M0851 cross-body, I'm also outfitted with a (very light, scrunches into a tiny pack, so handy when travelling) backpack -- I leave the house with it empty, come back with it full of library books, groceries, new shoes, a set of dishes. . . okay, kidding on the last two, but it's good to be prepared, right?
Also wearing my ever-practical Blundstones, which are very de rigueur around here. All the cool kids wear them ;-) But today, I'm going to need something a bit warmer. . . and with a bit higher leg coverage.
3. No photo for this one, but my son-in-law has been making some truly beautiful sourdough loaves, and he brought me some starter last weekend. I've been "feeding" it a bit nervously, and reading up on how to "build" a dough from it. I think I'm ready to give it a try -- I'll document as I go and report back, if you're at all interested. Anyone out there making a wild-yeast bread? Apparently, the longer, slower process allows the bacteria to break down the phytic acid which can cause digestive problems. I just love the taste -- and the texture! the crumb on this bread is superb!
4. If your weather is keeping you inside this weekend as well, and you don't mind a bit of Gruesome in your Netflix, we watched La Mante when we were in Italy over the holidays. A serial-killer crime drama with an interesting twist. We were able to watch it in French, with French subtitles, so we had the excuse of "practising our language skills" -- not sure, but it's available here with English subtitles as well. Well-acted, France/Paris as setting, but yeah, lots of gruesome. . .
5. Finally, I'm really hoping to finish my sweater this weekend, although given that I have both sleeves yet to knit, that might be ambitious. You may have seen this photo of it already, on Instagram. I'm still a bit leery of the bright, of the "high contrast" of the yoke -- that is, although I love the way the colours work together, I'm not sure it might not be too much for my lower-contrast colouring. . . But the rest of the sweater is that deep, deep brown (yarnmaker's Jameson & Smith call this colour "black" -- and it's actually undyed, so this is a Black Sheep sweater!), and I'm liking the way the strong dark background balances the yoke's bright necklace. . . Hope to be able to show you the whole, even model it for you, next week.
And that's it, Five on Friday. Didn't even sneak in a whiny number about the second crown the dentist has me scheduled for, replacing one that's being undermined. . . (see what I just did there? Tricky, eh?)
Could have mentioned how much I enjoyed a sweet little memoir I finished last night -- Isabel Vincent's Dinner with Edward. I'll save that for a future post over on my Reading Blog.
But I really should say something about the fun conversation building up around my last post, the one on Dining Alone, part of a Solo Travel series. A very desultory series, I must admit -- if you're looking for something much more focused and comprehensive on travelling solo, you really want to check out Solo Traveler, a really useful site written (and curated) by two Women of a Certain Age. Meanwhile, I'm going to respond to all your comments there, but it might take another day or two.
That's it, then. Happy Friday! And the mic is yours. . .
Anyway, a quick Friday Five before I make sure my traction-soled boots are ready.
1. If you follow me on Instagram, you've already seen this photo, along with a few others picturing our condo terrace garden, under a layer of snow and ice. I'm so grateful that I deliberately added some joy-in-winter plants -- the fragrant Daphne odora pictured here and the sweetly scented Sarcococca (Sweet box), and also the Dogwood shrub, Cornus sanguinea, Midwinter fire, with its brilliantly coloured stems, the peeling bark on the Physocarpus (Ninebark). Leaves unfurling on clematis and hydrangea and roses. Furry buds fattening on the magnolia. . . There's already so much to enjoy right outside the door. . .
Also wearing my ever-practical Blundstones, which are very de rigueur around here. All the cool kids wear them ;-) But today, I'm going to need something a bit warmer. . . and with a bit higher leg coverage.
3. No photo for this one, but my son-in-law has been making some truly beautiful sourdough loaves, and he brought me some starter last weekend. I've been "feeding" it a bit nervously, and reading up on how to "build" a dough from it. I think I'm ready to give it a try -- I'll document as I go and report back, if you're at all interested. Anyone out there making a wild-yeast bread? Apparently, the longer, slower process allows the bacteria to break down the phytic acid which can cause digestive problems. I just love the taste -- and the texture! the crumb on this bread is superb!
4. If your weather is keeping you inside this weekend as well, and you don't mind a bit of Gruesome in your Netflix, we watched La Mante when we were in Italy over the holidays. A serial-killer crime drama with an interesting twist. We were able to watch it in French, with French subtitles, so we had the excuse of "practising our language skills" -- not sure, but it's available here with English subtitles as well. Well-acted, France/Paris as setting, but yeah, lots of gruesome. . .
5. Finally, I'm really hoping to finish my sweater this weekend, although given that I have both sleeves yet to knit, that might be ambitious. You may have seen this photo of it already, on Instagram. I'm still a bit leery of the bright, of the "high contrast" of the yoke -- that is, although I love the way the colours work together, I'm not sure it might not be too much for my lower-contrast colouring. . . But the rest of the sweater is that deep, deep brown (yarnmaker's Jameson & Smith call this colour "black" -- and it's actually undyed, so this is a Black Sheep sweater!), and I'm liking the way the strong dark background balances the yoke's bright necklace. . . Hope to be able to show you the whole, even model it for you, next week.
Could have mentioned how much I enjoyed a sweet little memoir I finished last night -- Isabel Vincent's Dinner with Edward. I'll save that for a future post over on my Reading Blog.
But I really should say something about the fun conversation building up around my last post, the one on Dining Alone, part of a Solo Travel series. A very desultory series, I must admit -- if you're looking for something much more focused and comprehensive on travelling solo, you really want to check out Solo Traveler, a really useful site written (and curated) by two Women of a Certain Age. Meanwhile, I'm going to respond to all your comments there, but it might take another day or two.
That's it, then. Happy Friday! And the mic is yours. . .
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