So, you know how I was rhapsodising about the glorious weather we were having in May? Well, forget it. May came in with a burst of warmth and sunshine and disintegrated into our usual rain and rain. Every few years we get these nonexistent summers where it never quite turns into summer. Last summer was one of those, so I thought for sure we’d have a hot summer this year. I may have been wrong. Our local meteorological guy said on the radio today that we can’t expect any real sun until July 5th (there is a joke in Seattle that summer doesn’t start until after July 4th). So, maybe we’re stuck.
Anywho, this means that my garden will once again be wet and sluggy and jungle-like. As you may know from my other website, I am in love with roses. I have many in my garden, and I like nothing better than to cut and bring them into the house to enjoy. Scented roses are my favorite. And, I especially like antique roses. One of my antique roses, Mme. Alfred Carriere, a Noisette rose introduced in 1879, has taken over one of the beds in the back yard and has climbed up the hawthorn tree next door (this picture is from our second floor window)
Those white splotches are roses that have climbed the tree.
One of my favorite roses is Trier. It is a Hybrid Musk rose that was introduced in 1904. It’s a delicate white rose with a yellow center. It’s the parent of lots of other roses. Here’s my attempt at “art photo” starring Trier:
My daughter has been attending Fairy School this spring (I’m serious) and is now convinced that fairies live in the garden. She leaves notes and present in the graden for the fairies and waits to see if they disappear (indicating that the fairies got them). To make sure they have shelter from the rain, she painted the Toad Abode she got for her birthday and put it in the garden. She swears that she sees fairy furniture inside:
In other news, we went to Indiana in mid-May for my husband’s grandparents’ 80th birthday celebration. It was kind of a family reunion with lots of cousins and grandkids. It was a lot of fun and our daughter had a wonderful time. It was perfect weather–70s with a cool breeze. Apparently we hit the one week where it wasn’t stormy or hot and humid.
Of course, I brought knitting. I figured it would be a lot of sitting around talking with relatives, as well as lots of time on the plane and in the airport. I brought my latest sock, as well as another pattern and more yarn to start another sock, thinking I might even need another pattern and more yarn if I finished that (we were gone for 7 days). Then I apparently fell into one of those weird knitting space-time continuum pockets where I knit for hours and only seemed to finish a few rows. I came home knitting the same sock at apparently the same place. I did manage to finish it when I got home (and out of the time-warp):
The pattern is Waving Lace by Evelyn A. Clark from the Spring 2004 Interweave Knits. The yarn is Koigu KPPPM in colorway #P107B334 (I think–the label is hard to read). I figured out how to turn off the flash on my camera, and you can actually see the pattern this time!
