Myrtille's sweater

Few things are worth not finishing my Aberlady sweater, but this definitely was. Two days of knitting time, grey skies and feeling unwell on sunday helped a lot to knit a warming sweater for Myrtille, just like the one I made for Flavie, a bit tighter. Perfect for going out to see her first snow. She doesn't mind wearing it as Flavie does, just keeps going on, appreciating the provided warmth around her.
here's Flavie wearing hers: http://hundgestrickt.blogspot.com/2009/12/wamth-for-princess-on-cold-winter.html

Thanks for coming over!
Tina

Still alive

Yes, I am still alive and I even am knitting now and then!
Had a cold that took me off running but that's nearly over. Changes at work at the sime time as the change to winter time restricts me to have fun with the doggies only in the dark during the week. I find it really hard to get used to this! But I can also sleep about an hour longer in the morning which makes me feel a lot better (if I don't wake up at the old usual time)!

Aberlady is nearly done, just two more pattern repeats and the cuff on sleeve #1 (sleeve #2 is done!), weaving in threads, getting a button and sewing it on, washing and blocking.

Next sweater on the needles will be Sylt from the current Verena magazine, see here on the left: http://www.verena-stricken.com/index.php?id=172 It was love on the first sight and I am curious how that construction will work! Hopefully this one will be ready to be worn this winter. Right now no more knitting on 1.75 mm needles. For the moment that is, I do want to have Cape Cod one day, that's for sure!!!

Thanks for coming over!
Tina

Running week 41

11,21 km total

Tuesday 3.17 km in 25 minutes,but this is only an estimate as I had to stop for a talk with another dogowner. Had Flavie and Myrtille but Flavie seems just not to enjoy running with me, no matter if off leash or on leash, carrying a toy or not, it always looks (and feels indeed) as if I have to drag her with me. Myrtille slowed down a bit, too.

Thursday 3.17 km in 20.5 minutes, 6:27 minutes per km.
Feeling good, but having really heavy legs afterwards, going upstairs wasn’t fun. With Myrtille only, doing great. Offleash sniffing here or there but coming along nicely. On leash I tried to hang the leash across my body to have my hands free and she did good, no pulling or crossing my path, so I might use the jogging belt I have from back when I ran with the big dogs now and then.

Sunday 4.87 km in 35 minutes. 7:11 minutes per km.
Wasn't always easy but felt great in the end! No dog, sorry, but wanted to concentrate on my own.

Thanks for coming over!

Tina

Running. Running? Running!

Wow, how long has it been that I haven't posted on my running. Haven’t recorded my runs. Haven't run.
I don’t care: Today is day one of my marathon training. Remember I set myself the goal of running 42 with 42. A marathon when I am 42 yo. So this will be next year. I am determined to really do this!

Today ran around the neighbourhood with Myrtille. Slowly, didn’t exaggerate anything. I felt great, Myrtille did good off leash and on leash also, stayed slightly behind me but didn’t run left or right or tried to sniff.

3,48 km in about 25 minutes, so 7:11 minutes per km.

Thanks for coming over!
Tina

Some pictures of today's walk

After a rainy august we can feel the transition to fall now...

A flock of parakeets:

Doggies are fine! (Can you find the difference to their last picture? ;-))

Thanks for coming over!

Tina

Doggies

Couple of pictures from the last weeks. Myrtille looks so grown up now, went from the cutest puppy to a handsome adolescent. We do love her and she fits perfectly into our little gang!

Happy about sunshine and a patch of grass... Life of an old dog is good, too!

Thanks for coming over!

Tina

La rose du petit prince

I knew I had to have this one when I read the name. I love the little book written by

Antoine de Saint Exupery!

The rose is a very special coulour, think pale lilac with shades of pale pink,

different to our usual colour scheme, so we made her her own rose bed.Together with a white one and lots of lavender she sits close to the patio and sends over her gorgeous scent.

Thanks for coming over!

Tina

New additons

Last saturday we were at the garden center. One of those that are called "tree school" over here, they raise the plants on their own, have a great variety and really good prices. Felt the need to get some more perenniels as the perenniel bed has quite some bare spots. Found nice plants and I can't wait to see how they fit in next year! We also got a buddleija for the terrace to replace the potted willow that just didn't make it. And we got another two - you guess - roses. Special ones as I think all of ours are. A green one. Have only seen pics of her so far, can't wait of her to open up. And a "wild" one. I love those out in the fields and finally have one of my own.
I would never have thought before gardening that I would love roses just so much. And yes, in German roses are "shes" and I think that is just appropriate!
Thanks for coming over!Tina

Rose-y Monday - Ashram

Here's another one of our roses, called Ashram

not growing very bit but with very beautiful big blossoms that sometimes look so unreal, like made from wax...

As always you can click on the pictures to enlarge them. Thanks for coming over!

Rose-y Monday - Nostalgie

Let's start this one with the lovely Nostalgie. It attracted us in catalogues because of the stunning colours, white at the base and a warm cherry red at the top of the petals. Were very disappointed last year becaus there was a lot of pink inbetween white and red. Not what we had expected nor wanted and even the scent isn't stunning, very subtle but nice. BUT this year we got what we want, see:

As always you can click on the pictures to enlarge them. Thanks for coming over!

Garden house

This is our view to the end of the garden with the our little garden house. Neighbours have bigger ones, made from wood, some really beautiful, but I just like our little one the best because with it's dark green colour it hides perfectly behind the plant combo we have put there just for that purpose:

Clematis with little yellow bell-like flowers, fruits so gorgeous.

Together with Clematis Warszaw Nike, great contrast of complemantary colours.
And the yellow rambler rose

As always you can click on the pictures to enlarge them. Thanks for coming over!

July 1.

Wow, how come that the year is half over already? Seems like it was last month when we welcomed the new year and like it was last week when we had all that snow.

But good thing is, summer has just started, with heat over here, more than I need, and half the year is still in front of us. The garden is doing fine, I love it!

The dogs are fine, Dingo suffers a bit from the heat , Flavie has learned to get out toys from the little pool even if they are completely in the water, and Myrtille is just doing great , has grown a lot and weighing 7 kgs now, at 7 months, she is such a beautiful dog, so fits perfectly in our little pack - and has put her little face right from the beginning under the water to get the toys out.

Not much news on the knitting front, just trying to get some more progress done now and then. Must finish that Aberlady sweater as soon as possible, am about an inch into the second sleeve. Not good to knit in the heat with a nearly completed sweater in the heat. Am dreaming of some granny square corchet planket made with cotton, that would be perfect.

Got some great yarns and fiber to spin from Shetland and Island . But more about that in a seperate post.

Thanks for coming over!

Garden and doggies

The last tulips, apricot in the back yard and changing from yellow to pink in the front yard:

Princess Flavie watching her land from the back door:

The Whities watching a dog passing by/ the neighbours's cat/ the other neighbours' rabbits - they were all there, I just don't know who it was when I took this picture :-) And you dee the little one is still distracted so easily.
The boy in his own world:

Tomato-babies and herbs and herb seedlings on the patio:

The cold frame full with radish, salad, peas and dill:

The cold tent, also full with salad and radish:And my herb pots:

As always you can click on the pictures to enlarge them. Thanks for coming over!

Knitting progress

A little Baktus scarf, a mindless knitting in garter stitch for sitting and watching birds and gerbils.

My lavender socks, they are called that because of the pattern not the colour :-)

And the ribbed socks for Sweetheart, who had to try them on at that stage and was very surprised that the foot was knit rather fast - but that's a sock yarn that is a bit thicker than usual.

Aberlady progressed, too, last weekend, as I was really exhausted from the week and allowed myself some time on the couch. First sleeve nearly done!

As always you can click on the pictures to enlarge them. Thanks for coming over!

Spring German-French farmers' market

After the warm and sunny end of April, May has started cold, windy and wet. Well, I do see that the water is good for the plants - as long as it is not too cold.

Last Sunday morning I was at a farmers' market in Neustadt, a town with a nice old city center half an hour's drive from here - a very special market as there are farmers from Palatine as well as from Alsace and Lorraine. Have been there a few times, also in fall, during the last years and knew and got what I wanted - herb and tomato plants (vintage varieties), and goat cheese of course. And a lavender soap. And I always take the chance to talk a bit of French. And this time I didn't even forget to take my camera!

When I got home I had a quick lunch and then took the dogs for a walk as the sky was so dark that I knew when it would start raining we would be soaked in minutes. Not funny with the temperatures and the wind we had... But we were lucky enough to get home dry and only then it started pouring :-)

As always you can click on the pictures to enlarge them. Thanks for coming over!

Sunday morning

What a beautiful morning again! Cloudless sky, sun shining, I was out at half past six for a short walk, no wind at all, warmer than yesterday, grass wet, with sparkling water drops on the tips. I saw some hares across the field, several different birds including one of the parakeets living near by.
When I came home I had my first cup of tea in the warm morning sun in front of the house, where we have our own private "Bistro Kerbihan" and watched the bees visiting the geraniums and the birds fly over the fields:

This is the socks I have started knitting, for myself, lace-y, right for summer:

As always you can click on the pictures to enlarge them.
Thanks for passing by!

And the doggies of course

Scattered all around the lawn as every bit of sun has to be soaked in while I was taking pictures :-)



As always you can click on the pictures to enlarge them.
Thanks for passing by!

Spring garden again

It is this lovely spring day today- sun, extremely blue sky due to the volcano ashes cloud, warm, no wind and I had time to take some pictures.

Impressions from the front yard: lilac, the "Côte Bretonne" part, the first rose of the year (just bought last week, a David Austin rose "English Garden"), narcissus

Then out to the back yard: cherry and pear blossoms, blueberry bush, blackcurrant "tree", white and orange tulips

As always you can click on the pictures to enlarge them.
Thanks for passing by!