. . . the colour lavender . . .

a new project . . . in the colour shade lavender, knitted in cotton for our sunny summer . . .
. . . our gardens are filled with lavender blooming . . .
. . . all around lavender aroma fills the garden, even our dog reeks of lavender (sometimes) . . .

. . . while waiting . . .

Time spend well while I wait for Lize at the ballet and music lessons or any waiting session with time on my hands.

This is the Claude pattern by Anna Bell which I knitted in Sublime cashmere merino silk dk. It feels soft and warm on the skin. I particularly enjoy the swing in the shape and the loose fit - it gives a relaxed feeling. The twin buttons at the top are not part of the original pattern, but feature as cosmetic camouflage for an "out of line" buttonhole.

An old Celtic song . . .

We saw a stranger yesterday.

We put food in the eating place.

Drink in the drinking place.

Music in the listening place.

And with the sacred name of the triune God

He blessed our house,

our cattle and our dear ones.

And the lark says in her song:

Often, often, often goes the Christ

in the stranger's guise.

-- author unknown --

. . . joy and sorrow . . .

Joy and sorrow . . .

. . . are inseparable . . .

together they come and when

one sits alone with you . . .

remember that the other is

asleep upon your bed . . . - (author unknown) -

Father in law passed away on 26 September. He was a healthy 94 years, going on 95 on 10 October. He lived with us for 10 years. And now we experience a lingering emptiness in our hearts and in our home that never could be filled it seems.

He was very fond of a particular poem that Goethe wrote early in his life and revisited when he was an old man (roughly translated in English, it reads alongside) :

Ein gleiches -- The same old story

Über allen Gipfeln -- Over each mountain top

ist Ruh, -- a calm ranges,

in allen Wipfeln -- over every treetop

spürest du -- one is merely aware

kaum einen Hauch; -- of a breath of wind;

die Vögelein schweigen im Walde. -- in the wood the birds fall silent.

Warte nur, balde -- Just you wait, soon

ruhest du auch -- you too will come to rest