This is getting rediculous.

After we finally got to some seasonal temperatures, I thought my days ... er... nights of bringing my planters in for the night were over. Instead, I've had to start bringing them in again, and we've had to turn our furnace back on because the house was getting too friggin' cold. Mind you, it could be worse. We haven't actually dipped below freezing, though we've been close, nor have we had snow, like in other areas not too far from us. Talking to my sister in Manitoba, she was telling me she's never had such a late start on her garden, nor has she ever seen conditions so poor. She's been living and gardening where she is for 30 years. That's saying a lot, considering how bad the summer of 2005 was, with almost constant rain, cold and flooding all over the province.

On the plus side, I believe I now have the last of the containers and soil I need for this year's balcony garden. Along with the herbs I'd planted before, my salad greens are in a pair of shallow storage bins. I've picked up another large, deep container for my carrots, and another rail planter, which I think I will use partly for a few more herbs that still haven't been transplanted (I can't bring myself to toss the extras) and successive sowing for my salad greens.

At this point, I don't want to add any more. Our balcony is going to be renovated, but I have no idea when. They're going to have to do a lot of work, and everything on our balcony will have to be moved out completely. Even the rail planters. I look forward to figuring out how to use the vertical space on our side walls, once they've been fixed up. Peas, for sure. Maybe some wax beans. I'd love to find a way to do some fruits or berries, too. All that is for next year, though.

Beyond that, things have been going well. Eldest decided she needed a new shoulder bag to replace the purse I'd made for her a few years back. She wanted something to fit a specific size of drawing pad, as well as have lots of pockets inside and out. She worked out all the dimensions and figured out the design she wanted, working completely without an actual pattern.


This is the final product, though it's not quite finished. She wants to add embellishments to the edge of the front flap for weight, as well as adding a closure for her Blackberry pocket. Yes, my daughter now has her own Blackberry. She inherited my husband's old one, as he had to upgrade his. We've been wanting to get another cell phone for the girls so that we can give them a bit more Independence, but they had no interest in actually having one (at this point, there's no need for Youngest to have her own phone, too).

Anyhow... back to the bag. In making it, I demonstrated how to attach the side and bottom panels around a corner, discussed a few details, then hand stitched the opening left for turning after the lining was attached. Other than that, Eldest did everything on her own. She did a fantastic job.

I've been lax with our library lists again. I'll done one soon, but not until after we've picked up the stuff that's waiting on hold at the moment. It's always "fun" to come home from a library trip, only to find an email waiting, saying more holds were ready. Funny thing was, I'd checked the holds area, just in case, and found one of my holds in a cart at the end of the shelf, sorted and waiting to be moved. Oh, well.

In a very short time - possibly next week, but more likely the week after, we will be reunited with our piano. It's going to be good to have it back. It's going to take up a lot of space and is really heavy, but it's got a lot of family history - not to mention gorgeous sound. It's a 200 or so yr old upright grand. Open up the top and take off the front panel, and the sound is just amazing. I do hope the neighbours under us don't mind a few sour notes, though, as I get used to working a keyboard again. I learned to play organ, not piano, but notes are notes, and the keys are the same. One thing's for sure. Once we've got this in, we'd better not have to move again for a very long time!! It costs an awful lot to have a piano moved, and this is something there's NO WAY we'd do on our own.