Happy Tuesday Folks!

Actually it's my Monday/Tuesday :) Back to work after an extra long weekend! 

As much as I like to complain about the weather here in Newfoundland (like today... rainnnnn, or the last two days of pea soup thick fogggggg), the beauty of this rugged land offers up some of the best scenery in the world. I know... cocky of me isn't it? ;) 

Despite having a miserable last few days weather wise, one day of stellar weather is enough to make you forget all about it! Saturday was this kind of day. 

Winds = negligible. This is huge deal considering they call this the "wind swept land". I won't deny it, trees along our coast not only grow in the most precarious of places (ie: on the side of cliffs) but they're also stumpily short and often grow sideways in the direction of the prevailing winds.

Temperature = ideal. Well ideal for a long walk/hike without dying from the heat. 20 degrees C is nearly unheard of this time of year, but it HAPPENED!

Climate = dry as a bone. No mucky puddles to be had!

So I took advantage of the wicked weather. Filled a bag with a couple bottles of water and a blanket, donned my old sneakers, hitched my dog up to her leash and off we went on a trip to Ferryland. 

As a child I can remember passing through this quaint community almost every weekend on the way to my Nan's cabin. Back then I knew it as "Fairy-land" and boy did that ever set my imagination to work. 

Newfoundland (NL) has many superstitions and the mythical fairies are just one of them.

I'm not talking about your run of the mill, whimsical, beautiful fairy here. More like your menacing, conniving, poltergeist type of fairy.  

When my mother was a child my Nan would give her breadcrumbs before she would go out over the barrens (the mossy-marshy-rocky mix you see above). The breadcrumbs were for the fairies so that if they ever wanted to "take her" (who knows were) she'd be able to give them to the fairies in exchange for her freedom. 

Now imagine telling that to a kid! I'd be scared out of my wits with fear! Perhaps this is why I'm such a homebody now ;) Who in their right mind would want to go outside with freaky fairies about????

Luckily, this perception of fairies in NL never coloured my liking for the community. It remains, as it ever was, a real life example of what NL is all about. The fishing heritage, the cultural heritage, and the iconic landscape NL has to offer. 

For whatever reason, I feel oddly connected to Ferryland. I can honestly say it's my favourite community in NL, and I have been to MANY. It's not special to me for any particular reason. It's not THE most beautiful place in the world or even the province, although it certainly has it's merits! I don't partake in the community. I don't attend church there. All I've ever done in Ferryland is take in a walk from time to time. I've probably made the trek back and forth to the lighthouse dozens of times. Each time is just as satisfying as the last no matter if it's in the thick of a fog, in the freezing ocean wind, or when the sun is splitting the rocks. 

It's just special. I can't give any other reason than that.

After getting my annual dose of Ferryland, I headed back to my family's cabin in a neighbouring community. 

Again, despite the weather for the remainder of the weekend, I had a blast. Relaxing, stitching, and making bread!!!! (Another favourite thing to do of mine).

This time it was rolls :) What's Sunday Turkey without dinner rolls!?!?

I love tying them up into neat little bundles of pure heaven! All you have to do is tear them open, toss in a little butter and there you have it... PERFECTION!

I'm always a little sad when it's time to leave. And who wouldn't be when this is right outside your door? 

You wouldn't know from this picture if it was spring or fall, but I can guarantee you, give it a couple of weeks and the juniper trees will have filled out, the birch will have sprouted a few leaves, and together with the pine, this will become a luscious landscape of green and blue.

Before I leave, I have to show you my stitchy progress! It was a productive weekend in more ways then one!

Before

After

Until next time,

Happy Stitching!

Melissa

Hello my lovelies!

My my how time flies when you are having fun. The second week of May is about to bite the dust! Not much in the way of stitching done this week, although I've put some effort into my summer exchange piece (too bad I can't share my progress...).  This entry is decicated to the adventures I've had this week, and shows the very reason why my stitchy-things have sat in their cupboard all this week.

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This week has just been filled with adventures. Sunday on the way back from the cabin myself and my friends popped of to South Brigus to explore. I have never been down the road that took us to South Brigus, despite it literally being around the corner from the turn off to my cabin. Were we EVER rewarded for this little detour! 

Like many a spring day in Newfoundland, the fog had been in since the early morning and the day had a generally overcast dreary feeling about it. After a feed of Eggs Benedict (YUM!) we headed out......... The road into South Brigus was nothing remarkable, through the stumped evergreen woods, past a small pond and some cabins... and then all of a sudden you crest a hill and there it is, a small picturesque fishing village that rural Newfoundland is characterized by. The whole of the village circles the small protected harbour, its neglected fishing buildings still standing atop wooden posts that have seemingly been infused with the ocean over time. Low-tide brings all the smells of the ocean out, and the ocean is literally in the air. It's an odd smell, somewhere between freshness and rot. The exposed seaweed that litters the rocky beach is most certainly the culprit for this, especially since there is no fish to be had in these parts in any real amount any more.  

We continue our walk to the break water and take our adventure to the massive rocks that keep the waters from flooding this little harbour.

 Again low-tide is our friend and allows us to make our way onto the rock ledges you see to the right of this picture.

My daring (and darling hehe) Boyfriend is already exploring...

We revert to our early childhood selves at this point and decide to climb up the rock onto the hill above... not recommended for the average tourist! I'd say growing up in Newfoundland allows one to obtain a certain skill set, rock climbing is just one of them ;) So up we go!

The fruit of our labour = awesome pic ;)

And this was the scene at the top of the hill that greeted us once we had made our way up the crevasses (and yes there was a much easier way to get there... we just wanted to do it the hard way hehe). The wind on this side was MUCH stronger than in the little protect harbour just on the other side. At times the ocean's swell was calm, as much as an ocean can be calm... and just as we were leaving huge waves began to arrive.

Now you see it ...

Now you don't!!! THE POWER OF THE OCEAN!

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Tuesday was my first pottery lesson! YEY. These are some of my creations.

For my first try, we simply stretched and moulded the clay on to a mould. That's the plate you see. 

But by far my favourite part of getting to try the wheel! Oh so fun, and far more challenging than you might think! Trying to control the clay and make it what you want it to do is A LOT harder than it looks. But still, despite it being a bit thick, I think the final product thus far looks great. I still need to paint/glaze it but I'll learn about that next week ;)

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As for my stitchy stuff here's my lone update pic for this week.

The first part of my papillon SAL is officially completed! Now I'm anxiously awaiting the second instalment. 1/24 done :)

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Before I go I want to express my sincere thanks for all the lovely comments on my last post. Thanks so much, you guys certainly know how to make a girl feel good ;)

I'll leave you with this magnificent picture of the Quidi Vidi (sounds like Kitty Vidy) gut that I took yesterday. This hunk of ice was a massive iceberg not that long ago and has been beached in the Quidi Vidi gut for more than a month. As time goes on the ice gets bluer and bluer! Just amazing - this has been the year of the iceberg for sure!!!

CIAO!

Melissa