Walking to school

The walk to school in the morning is getting darker each day....but the snow bounces any available light so that really helps!



As a complete contrast I'm sitting by a very warm wood stove , listening to Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie while working on a project for the youngest's class.



If you are ever asked to cut out 18 pairs of felt bears and then punch holes around the edges so the kids can sew them together ..just make sure you have something interesting to listen too (and don't forget to oil the punch!)



and this is what they are supposed to end up like when the children have a go!

New and future Stove

A Saturday, a U-Haul trailer and three strapping chaps later and it's in the living room ...lovely

(No Sis I know this isn't our living room it's when it was in it's previous home...can you tell it's never been used?...they say it was used once but noone believes them it's so pristine)

It's a Waterford Stanley Wood fueled cook stove from Ireland built in 1999 and we do aim to use it.

Roddy Doyle says...

Older D is deep in "Rover Saves Christmas" by Roddy Doyle. I turned round from reading the news to see this sight




...apparently Chapter 4 contains the following " warning... wear gloves and a hat when reading this chapter, because it takes place in Lapland, the North of Finland and it's very cold there"

which is very silly even more silly as she's reading it in Alaska and it's very cold here too (although it has warmed up to 12.3 degrees f this morning brrrrrrr)

There are many squeals and chortles from behind me so I think she's enjoying the book

Chickadees (or Tit's)

I was looking at some lovely pictures at Rattling On's blog and my interest was caught by he mention of seeing a Coal tit up close... her comment caught my interest so....

"We have tit's here too but they call them Chickadee's same family different name.

I just looked them up to check and now know... they roost by themselves in holes in birch trees,have a very dense plumage for birds their size, drop their body temperature at night so they need less energy to keep warm and that they have the ability to add 8% to their body weight each day... which gets burnt off each night...and the next day they have to fill up again...

I'm going to put fat for the birds on my shopping list..."

Info from here , here and here!



and the photographs are of Black-capped Chickadees from Wiki. We see these often and the cats hurl abuse at them through the windows...much chattering, grumbling and gnashing of teeth!

oh and this sites is unusual...you choose the bird from the left hand column click and it shows stamps illustrating the breed and a map showing extent of it's range ...well that's what it does for this fellow ! click here to see

Hare today...

Gosh darn it..sorry I couldn't help myself...(I know I should but I didn't)





Hares... why hares as a subject...

well "We three, Ginger cats Tales" posted this photograph
click here

and that made me think of a fascinating site I hadn't looked at for a long while ..
it's called

Three Hares

What is it about ?
well in their own words....

"The Three Hares

Three hares are chasing one another in an everlasting circle. They share between them only three ears which form a triangle in the center of the design, yet each animal has two ears. The earliest known appearance of this motif is in the Mogao caves near Dunhuang, China, which were created during the Sui to Tang dynasties (581-907 AD). Along the Silk Road other sightings of the three hares (and sometimes four hares) are found. The hares seem to have traveled in distance and time, adapting to different religions and taking on new meanings where they settled. Recently researchers have begun seeking to answer these questions:

• What is the meaning of the three hares motif?
  
  
• Where did the motif originate?
  
  
• How did it spread?

Together with other scholars and researchers, the Classical Chinese Puzzle Project and The Three Hares Project have been involved in studying the history, meaning and journey of the three hares motif. This website is dedicated to stimulating discussion and further research on the three hares."

and to see for yourself click here

it links to the Three Hares Project... (via Chris Chapman's web site he took the beautiful photographs) click here for Chris's site and here to go straight to the project


There is something quite fascinating about Hares..I once watched two hares madly cavorting about in a pasture field near a very quiet hamlet in Shropshire and I've never forgotten it.

I think the project quite fascinating and some of the images very beautiful... I think they could inspire quite a few art projects... a quilt with this design would be stunning..as would tapestry/needle point or painted wood projects!

well back to day to day life...it's white outside ...our snow came late this year but it's here now..so warm breakfasts and snow kit for the children to get to school warm...ttfn

Oh and to listen to a Radio program about the project click here nearly missed that one..

Year of the Horse

Where we walk

(Photo from the ADN by Marc Lester )

a nice slide show with commentary from the local paper
HERE
We walk there too...
it's our Summer 'beach'