Changing seasons

The weekend before last, our clocks "fell back" with Daylight Savings, and the weather decided to do the same. Now, it is officially heaven here. The days are still sunny and warm and wonderful, and the nights and mornings are blessedly cool and crisp. I begin to understand why the locals are so fiercely protective of their bubble. While they get a bit overzealous (it is, after all, quite far away from EVERYWHERE), this is a beautiful place! I'm starting to be convinced that there could be no more ideal climate for outdoor living. We have the beach, we have the river, we have a big backyard...what else is needed? The isolation keeps the population relatively low, which means the beach and river aren't usually too crowded. Our favorite spots remain our favorite spots; no one else has claimed them yet. And now they are better than ever, because the sun isn't barbeque-ing us in our skins. Okay, it does if you are in it directly, but it's lower in the afternoons now. This weekend was the first time I went for a decent paddle in the kayak, because I was able to do most of it in the shade...and it's still warm enough outside that Ellie can hose the kayak off in the buff when we come home. How I would love to post a picture of that (it's too cute and funny!), but there are freaky people out there who do not need access to such an image (alas, the perils of sharing with family and friends and the whole world at the same time!).

It's funny how the change in weather has revealed my internal programming. I stepped outside on Saturday morning to head to my knitting group, and it was so cool and lovely that I found myself thinking of designing our Christmas cards. IN APRIL. Yes, I am a Northern Hemisphere person in a Southern Hemisphere life. It's very odd to think that it is the start of cooler weather in what I know as the springtime, but so it is. At least I can hope this will motivate me to knit up a storm and have homemade gifts for loved ones completed by Christmastime. Usually that motivation kicks in at the start of autumn in October or so, and I run out of time. I've got several more months to play with this time, so we'll see how it goes.
I am having so much fun with my knitting group, by the way. I am the youngest person there by about 20 years, and most of the women have been knitting since before I was born (many have been knitting since before my mom was born). My knitting is very slow, but I do enjoy it a great deal! It is so fun to create something beautiful with my hands, even when it comes together more slowly than I would like.