Friday Favourites: Sunny Days

 

On an afternoon walk one day this week a raucous honking of geese caused me to stand still and look up. An enormous skein, or perhaps several skeins trailed across the sky in wavering lines. Many geese stay here for the winter, but every autumn they still form their V-shape lines and cross the sky, heading who knows where. 

When I was a child, we lived in a small town with minimal shopping. For the clothing that my mother did not sew, she relied on the Sears catalogue. The volumes arrived several times each year and from it my parents made orders, mailing cheques and the order form to the company. In a week or two the phone rang and we went down to the small office to pick up our purchases. Then for many years we did not order anything, but purchased everything locally.

I was reminded of this one day this week when several boxes of varying sizes arrived at our door. A new phone for me, a Christmas present for a grandchild, some bedding, and an enormous box containing a new mattress. We have never purchased a mattress without trying it out. Have you? It's made in Canada and is a hybrid - part foam and part coils. Tim wrestled the box upstairs and we opened it in the guest room. It took a couple of hours to spring to its full form. Interesting. 

It seems that everyone is buying more and more things online, much like the old mail order we used to do. Buying locally is still preferable, but often I cannot find what I want in a store. I try to order directly from the company rather than from that online store beginning with A. 

We've enjoyed some sunny days between the rain. Both kinds of days hold their own delights, but my heart gives a little leap when I'm outside under blue skies, especially in November. I took myself to Island View Beach where puffy clouds ringed the horizon, but overhead was a great bowl of clear blue. 

On my way home I admired the view from the hill overlooking fields. I identified purple cabbage, brussels sprouts, and leeks as I drove by. This week I helped my daughter plant 300 garlic plants. And I've been sewing a rather fiddly project that I had hoped to show you today, but it will have to wait for next week. 

Last year I painted an Advent calendar along with Harriet de Winton on her YouTube channel. She's doing one again this year and I've prepared my blank calendar. They can be ordered from her, and are much prettier than my plain lines and numbers, but I can't print on watercolour paper on my printer, so I just drew my own. 

Here's the link if you're interested. Harriet de Winton Beginning on December 1 she posts a short video tutorial on her site for anyone to paint along. 

The days are speeding along towards Advent and Christmas, my favourite time of year. I'm making lists and checking them twice!