Tuesday 23 August 2011

Anticipating fall

Can you feel it yet? The change in the air? I'm certainly feeling it here now. Our days are cooler and less humid and the night temperatures are going down to 13-17C (58-62F). We went from a cold, rainy spring straight into hot, humid summer and now the temperatures have changed drastically again. It's already dark at 7:30 pm so it's a good thing that our new gazebo now has electricity so I can stitch outside well after dark. 

For the past week my sister Laurie, who lives in Michigan, has been visiting us. It's been around 12 yrs since she's been up our way so there have been a lot of changes at the house. We spent her first day here just catching up and had coffee with my son Daniel so that he could visit with his Aunt. On the Tuesday we headed off to the village of Merrickville which is about a 40-45 min drive. This is a lovely Victorian style village situated on the Rideau Canal. Many of its buildings showcase 19th century architecture and it's home to numerous shops and dining spots.
We had a great time checking out the shops, many of which contain crafts and antiques.  This photo of Laurie was taken outside one of those lovely shops we spent time at. There were so  many pretty flower baskets outside each of the shops too.  We had lunch at a lovely pub, The Goose & Gridiron, to break up the afternoon.  Below are a few photos I took of the area.

One of the may shops we stepped into


Lots of summer decor on sale



The Goose & Gridiron Pub
My find of the day was a lamp. I'd been looking for a small lamp for our new gazebo, nothing too large and something unique. I found exactly what I'd been searching for..... a small lamp which looks like a teapot. I love it and it looks perfect in my outdoor retreat.  I just may return for another for the other table!



Wednesday we spent another shopping day, this time at the Rideau Centre in downtown Ottawa which is right in the heart of the market area. After a quick run through the mall ( most of the shops are pretty expensive), we spent the rest of the afternoon browsing through the stalls in the market area. We stopped for a glass of iced tea midafternoon in a quaint courtyard. I  actually took this picture of the area last year when I visited the market. I didn't have my camera with me this time around since my DH had taken it to work with him. There were far less crowds on this visit. The iced tea we were served was red in colour and was fantastic! When we inquired as to what type of tea was used, the shop owner told us it was a Rooibos tea with apple and sweetened with honey. Really quite nice!

 Later in the afternoon, Bob met us for supper in the market. My sister treated us as a thank you for hosting her visit.



After two days of walking and shopping, we decided to sit out the day on Thursday. It turned out to be a wise choice since there was a pretty wicked storm that passed through our area. Funnel clouds were seen in the nearby village of Mountain and we received some pretty heavy rains and high wind. My entranceway flooded from the rain whipping at the back door. We also had some small hail. The gazebo held up well with only some wet floors due to water running under the sliding doors. All the furnishings remained dry.

Friday was Laurie's last day of her visit. While we had been in Ottawa in the market, she had spotted a boat cruise that took you down the Rideau Canal through the city. There hadn't been enough time that day so when I got up on Friday and saw what a beautiful day it was, I decided we'd take in the boat cruise before her plane left at suppertime. I have done this cruise with Bob before and knew that it was a really relaxing way to spend an afternoon and this time was no exception. Below are some pictures of the sights we saw.


Our Parliament buildings in Ottawa viewed from the boat



The Chateau Laurier Hotel seen in the distance



The original train station in Ottawa, now used as a government conference center.



The view looking down the canal

The Canal Ritz restaurant


Laurie spotted this restaurant on the canal when we passed it on the boat. I asked if she thought she'd like to have a light supper there before our trip to the airport so after the cruise was finished, we picked up Bob so he could join us. It's actually a favourite spot for Bob and me. We love to go there for brunch after church on Sunday and sit out on the patio along the canal. In the winter months, we sit indoors and watch all the skaters on the canal.
It was the perfect ending to a fabulous week! I hated to see her go home, but she promised that the next visit will be much sooner than the last and she'll bring her hubby with her next time.

On the stitching front, I've made a bit more progress on LHN America. I decided to go with the blue roof on the house to add some more colour. Here's where I'm at now.

I'm starting to like the vine on this better now that I've got more of it stitched in.
I've also got a new Halloween start but I don't have enough done yet to show you.  It's BBD Trix or Treat taken from their booklet of the same name. I'll only be able to get so far on it and then I'll have to wait until the arrival of the rest of the floss in the mail. I put an order in to my ONS when I found out I was missing half of the floss. That's what I miss about not having a local store any longer. I have to order all of my supplies online and it's anywhere from one to two weeks before they arrive.

I also got my Wedding Sampler packaged up and mailed out to my cousin's daughter for her wedding which took place this past Saturday. She lives in northern Ontario and only family were travelling for the wedding. When I picked this piece up at the framers I couldn't believe how good it looked. The frame was really gorgeous and I have to thank Kelly at my framer for her help in choosing it.


Now I have to get moving. I'm heading into Ottawa for my Tuesday night SAL. I had hoped that I would be able to attend the open house at Knowledge and Needles in Brighton this past Saturday but I'd been on my feet too much in the past week and my hip (athritis) was screaming at me. I knew I just couldn't do the 3 hour drive. Ottawa is an hour's drive from me so let's just see if it's any better now. I'll keep my fingers crossed!
I hope you are all enjoying some much cooler weather and that the humidity and high heat of the past several weeks has past. Happy stitching!

13 comments:

  1. Sounds like you and your sister had a great time and i enjoyed looking at your photos!
    Love the framed finish, matches really well:-)

    I will let you keep the cooler weather a while longer, we are still supposed to be in summer here in the UK, although some days our day time temps are like you night time temps, lol - although we have not had any rain to speak of for a while, so that's something i suppose.

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  2. thanks for sharing your lovely pics, what a wonderful time you all had :)

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  3. Glad you had such a great time with your sister - fun and relaxation!

    Your Wedding Sampler turned out fantastic! That frame is absolutely perfect!

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  4. Gorgeous pics Lynn! It looks like you had a great time with your sister in Merreckville. I really like your little lamp. It is very unique. :)

    I hope you have a good time stitching with your stitching group tonight!

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  5. Yes, fall is definitely in the air, Lynn! Even the light coming through the windows takes on a different look this time of year. I love it :)

    What a great visit it looks like you had with Laurie...So glad she was able to visit your neck of the woods for a bit...

    Your little lamp is delightful--perfect for your gazebo. Love how your LHN Canada is turning out--the blue roof is perfect. And I know the bride and groom will be so pleased with the wedding sampler!

    Enjoy your week and this cooler weather!

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  6. You're right Lynn, its like a switch has been flipped and I'm certainly enjoying this cooler weather and the nights have been just perfect for sleeping... noticing its making the cats more friendly over night too, I often wake up with two cats!

    What a fantastic visit you had with your sister and I'm not surprised you were exhausted after all of that.

    Wow that frame is amazing! Just perfect for the wedding sampler.

    Hope your hip was feeling good enough for you to go stitching yesterday.

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  7. Weather in England switches every couple of days! I'm looking forward to Autumn though, it's my favourite season.
    It looks like you had a wonderful time on your sister's visit. That lamp is truly unique, I love it!
    Great progress on your stitching too, can't wait to see the new project you've got lined up. Best wishes.

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  8. Looks like you had a great time with your sister! Ottawa is so pretty, loved going there when we lived in Montreal. The wedding sampler turned out beautiful!!

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  9. Looks like she had a lovely visit! I love that quaint lil' Victorian town! I should definitely try and travel to Eastern Canada (I've only made it so far as Saskatoon where my husband's from!) I'm really liking your LHN O Canada!! Yahoo for patriotism!! I'm so glad the designer allowed you to change the flag and the letters. Maybe she will make some Canadian themed patterns in the future!

    Also that Wedding Sampler is BEAUTIFUL! They will cherish it forever! The frame is absolutely divine and just makes the whole piece glimmer!

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  10. Looks like you had a great time with your sister. Our days are changing too and I LOVE it! Fall is my favorite time of the year.

    Your stitching is beautiful and I love the Canada Flag in your LHN piece.

    The wedding sampler came out beautiful and the frame was a perfect choice.

    Hope you enjoyed your SAL night.

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  11. Finally getting a bit caught up with blogging friends....sounds like you and your sis had a great visit. I loved the photos of your band reunion, what a great idea! Your wedding stitchery turned out fabulously; I'm sure the lucky couple will love it.

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  12. It sounds like you and your sister had such a fun time! I enjoyed going along for the sight seeing. One day I hope to see it all in person.

    The wedding sampler turned out SO nice--I'm sure the couple will be thrilled with it.

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  13. Looks and sounds like you had a wonderful time with your sister. Love the photos Lynn.
    Great frame choice for the wedding sampler, it will be cherished for years to come.

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