Well, it’s been an interesting couple of months on the west coast.  We had some big snowfalls in early December.  Thankfully it didn’t really affect us as it was during the time that Blake and I escaped to London.  It made for great skiing on the local mountains over the Christmas break and into January.

January was cold, but mostly sunny and bright.  You must understand that cold in Vancouver is relative.  Having lived on the prairies and in Ontario for 20 years I’ve experienced frigid temperatures.  How about minus 45C with blowing snow?  Brrr…  Still, when it drops to zero on the coast, it somehow feels bitter.  Ah yes, it’s a ‘damp cold’!  Have a look at these two photos.  They were taken at the same time of day, just two days apart.

For almost a week, over late January and early February, there was so much snow in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island.  Schools were cancelled, buses got stuck, garbage didn’t get collected.  We had planned to spend Family Day weekend at our friends’ cottage on Shawnigan Lake, but had to cancel as it was impossible to get in to the cottage.

Thankfully, my plans were flexible and I wasn’t bothered about spending time at home.  The chore list came out and a few things got done.   I brought out my old sewing machine,  (newer one was in for service), and made a second  Sew Together Bag.  These little bags are such fun to make and they hold a ton of supplies.

I kept the black/green one for myself and did a random gifting of the blue one.  It went to my friend Jean, who has filled it with knitting notions.

In advance of my trip to QuiltCon next week, I finished a mini quilt.  This is for a mystery swap.  Everyone who registers for the swap completes a questionnaire that asks about most/least favourite colours, hobbies and skills etc.  Every registrant is matched with a partner and the idea is to make something that you think your partner will like.  It’s all top-secret until we meet on February 25 and exchange our mini-quilts.  Here’s the mini quilt that I made for  ??????? who lives in ?????.

The black is not part of the quilt.  The blocks are from Patchwork City by Elizabeth Hartman.    The grey is Essex Blend by Robert Kaufman.  It’s a blend of 55% linen and 45% cotton.  I quilted it with Superior King Tut thread.  Overall I’m happy with how this turned out and I hope that ????? from ????? likes it too.

Finally, I’ve been continuing my five online games of Scrabble and am either having really bad luck, or my brain needs more exercise.  Who knew that there were so many single-point letters available?  They all find their way into my rack.  Several times I’ve felt like Old MacDonald because I can play “E I E I O”!

Today it’s pouring rain and very windy.  It’s almost impossible to think that we were in the midst of a blizzard less than a week ago.  And, a week from now, I’ll be in Savannah, Georgia.  The forecast is for sun and 25C!

Wherever you are, I hope you’re warm and cozy and I thank you for reading.