I'm Back

So.  I didn't mean to be away for so long but my planned vacation to Winnipeg for my cousin's wedding ended up being a technology vacation as well. Apart from my phone, which was usually turned off to avoid being gouged by roaming fees, I had no tech toys with me at all. No computer, no tablet, nothing. Not even an MP3 player.  OK - I had an e-Reader too but I treated that as just a book.

And you know what? By removing all the time-wasters such as Facebook, Pinterest and a few other choice sites that I spend far too much time on, I had a few extra hours. Every day. Time to spend with my family, friends and people I don't see often. It was a revelation, to realize just how much time I spend staring at a screen so I might try to get away on a more regular basis.

But anyway, Winnipeg. My father's family comes from there so there is considerable family history in a few areas. It's been almost twenty years since I was there last and there have been some major changes to the city. We all (in Canada anyway) hear about the crime and racial tension issues, but its become a very attractive city - more so than I remember - with some extraordinary architecture and wonderful public spaces.

This is the new Canadian Museum for Human Rights in a walking district called 'The Forks' which is where the Red River meets the Assiniboine River.  This area is notorious for flooding in the spring so I confess to being surprised that it was built in this district.

This is standing on the shores of Lake Manitoba at Twin Beaches Lake, about an hour from Winnipeg.  The family had a cottage here until just recently and I spent many summers swimming here.

Meindl park surprised me.  I am Herr Meindl's great-granddaughter which makes Ian his great-great-grandson. I had no idea that he had a park named after him. It isn't much as parks go - a parking area with public access to the beach but I made Chuck stop so we could get a picture.  Why the shotgun?  The cottage was originally built as a hunting lodge and I've been told that he put the original road in.  I've also heard that he won the land in a poker game!

And while I was there, I even managed to squeeze in some knitting.  This is Flutter.  The body is now done and I've started working on the sleeves.  And yes, it has a layer of dog hair.  Apparently my Lab didn't like that I was gone so he took this and slept with it.

And this is the current sock made with the mystery yarn I found in the stash.  You'll also notice the fantastic varigated colouring...something I have been trying to achieve for years.  

Pity I have no idea what yarn this is.