COVID Careful Canada Day

My husband and I are celebrating a COVID Careful Canada Day this year. We spent the day together just the two of us. We enjoyed a mid-day bike ride together just the two of us driving our bikes to Hyde Park Road and 9 Mile Road to avoid city traffic. The wind and heat made for a challenging, but fun ride. I was happy to get back in the car after 50 km. My husband added more distance biking home on his own.

The rest of our day was spent recovering from our ride, eating, swimming, gardening and taking a few photos in our garden.

When I jumped in the pool this afternoon, I was pleased to find one of the young owls hanging out in our small maple tree down by the pool. I rushed to get my husband to take more photos of this adorable little owl posing so perfectly for Canada Day.

My husband also snapped a photo of Sadie keeping a close eye on me in the pool.

He caught me enjoying a refreshing dip in the pool on this hot and humid Canada Day.

Our Butterfly Weed is budding and almost ready to bloom.

My husband is doing a great job with our new vegetable garden inspired by our friend Fernando's garden in Cuba. He planted beans, carrots and tomatoes plus a few zucchini plants in pots. Thanks to our son for taking out the old overgrown juniper bushes last fall. It's a perfect spot for a garden.

I practiced taking a couple shots of our potted pink begonias using manual focus. I think I'm finally getting the hang of this new camera - my birthday gift from last year. 

Happy Canada Day to all our friends and family near and far. I hope you too are enjoying a COVID Careful Canada Day 2020 😊

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Our Parliament of Owls

I wrote about Our Backyard Screech Owls earlier this month. This family loves to hang out in our backyard maple tree. Owls are shy plus it is difficult to get decent photos among the branches. 

Did you know that owls are generally solitary, but when seen together the group is called a “parliament” as they have long been thought to be of wise disposition?

Surprised to find all four owls together this afternoon, I rushed to get my camera and managed to capture a few decent shots of Our Parliament of Owls. 

Mom and Dad rest quietly in the background while their two babies keep a close eye on me with my camera. 

I am so happy with Our Parliament of Owls this summer ... such a fun distraction from all things COVID. 

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Ten Owls Total

I finally finished the last of my Bernat Handicrafter cotton yarn stash. My stash was bigger than I thought. I had enough to make dish cloths and coasters all summer long. Enough that I was running out of enthusiasm way before running out of yarn.

Seeking a change, I decided to make a few Cat Bum Coasters. Even though my main goal with crochet this year has been to make things from yarn I have on hand, I did buy a bit extra in 'cat' colours. It was totally worth the splurge. I was able to make eight Cat Bum Coasters which is plenty, plus add more colours to my stash for my next project - Crochet Owls. It was so much fun making owls, I decided to keep on until I ran out of yarn.

In the end, I made Ten Owls Total. I only have four left to show because four went to my daughter in Boulder, one to Mississauga and one to Woodstock. These sweet little owls make great gifts.

When they are not lining up for photos, they like to hang out in our decorative branches by the window. It's a perfect perch for owls.

If you would like to make one too, check out my Fall Crochet post for the pattern link and instructions.

As you can see, there was very little yarn left in the end. Now I can return to making more versions of my Boo Bear and work on using up my acrylic yarn stash. There is plenty to carry me through the rest of this year and well into next. I wonder how long it will be before I purchase more yarn?

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Six Owls and Counting

This week, I added two more owls to the group for a total of five. Our daughter thinks the owl on the left looks a little stoned. I have to agree. 

I asked our daughter to pick her favourites for me to take to Boulder when we visit. Counting from the left, she selected 2, 3 and 5 with 5 being her most favourite. I guessed she would like the pale pink one.

Since I still have cotton yarn left and it was a long weekend, I managed to finish one more owl for a total of six so far. I think our daughter will like this one too. I'll take all six and let her choose from the bunch.

Six Owls and Counting ... I wonder how many more owls I can make using my cotton yarn stash? I'm guessing two or three tops.  

If you would like to make one too, check out my Fall Crochet post for the pattern link and instructions.

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Parliament of Owls

This weekend I crocheted two more owls. With a total of three, you could say I have a parliament of owls. I bet you didn't know a group of owls is called a "parliament of owls". 

I found this explanation online: "Owls are generally solitary, but when seen together the group is called a “parliament” as they have long been considered to be of a wise disposition. In Greek mythology, the owl is the symbol for Athena, the goddess of wisdom." 

I am steadily working through my cotton yarn stash. I would guess I have enough to make at least three more owls. Each owl is unique as I choose colours based on what I have left in my basket. 

Do you have a favourite? I can't decide. I like all the colour combinations. 

My parliament of owls poses on the railing for photos before finding a comfy spot amongst the branches. These owls must rest for their long cross country trip. In just two weeks, they will be driving with us to their new perch in Boulder. It's so exciting, we are counting our sleeps until we leave ... 11 more to go.

 

If you would like to make your own parliament of owls, you can find the pattern link and instructions in my last post titled Fall Crochet.

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