I feel virtuous this morning.

Since I've been working at the Kids Fest the past 2 weeks, I've been getting up early and going in to work for 9am every day. It's been a long time since I've done that. Consequently, I woke up at 8 this morning and couldn't go back to sleep, even though it's Saturday. But, since it's finally really spring and the weather is gorgeous, I got up and went out and ran me errands. All done and back home by 11:30am. Wow. That's so not my norm (ask my mom, who has spent my WHOLE LIFE trying to get me to get up early). But it was lovely, and it made me realize how much I like the spring and summer and just how much I HATE the winter. Getting up and going out when it's cold and dark just seems so very very wrong to me. I need to live in a warmer, sunnier climate. I think it would help me to be more productive and healthier.

Anyhow, I went on my favorite Saturday morning shopping run - The Farmer's Market, followed by Community Natural Foods and ending with Safeway. Fresh meat, cheese, bread, fruit and vegetables from the market first. I got lots of fresh blueberries, blackberries and strawberries for breakfasts this week and some lovely fresh corn and green beans. And fresh lamb burgers for dinner on the BBQ tonight. He mixed them up for me while I waited and they smell FANTASTIC! And some apple streudel from the Ukranian Bakery that Tim and I had with coffee when I got home. Yum.

After the market, I like to go to Community for a few things, like Liberte yogurt, which we're addicted to, a few grain products and canned things, and some Truffle Pig chocolate bars (maybe the best chocolate bars EVER), made by this little company in BC.

And last, Safeway, for the few little things I can't get at the market or Community. I love that I can get one little bag of stuff from Safeway these days. Some new Glad containers, cat food, some frozen fish (since we still haven't found a decent fish market to replace Billingsgate), some sliced smoked turkey for sandwiches, and that's about it.

Oh yeah, and I trip to Fair is Fair to resell some old books. I try to take a bag back about once every 2 months or so. And I love that they will buy back any books you originally bought from them. I'm trying so hard to whittle down the incredible pile of "books to read" piled on the bookcase, in front of the other books on the shelves there. There are, and I kid you not, about 80 books in that pile. And I'm a slow reader, so pretty much I shouldn't have to buy a new book for about 10 years. Not that means I won't ever buy another book. I bought one today with some of the store credit at Fair is Fair. But only one, not 5, so that's an improvement. It's much like my yarn stash - I have enough yarn to knit for the rest of my life without buying anything new, but I still buy more yarn from time to time.

I'm just trying really hard to make those times few and far between these days, instead of every other day.

There, I knew it would come around to knitting eventually. Speaking of which, I'm going to go and work on my Arabella now.

I wish I could figure out more about how to format this stupid blog. I feel like such an idiot when it comes to this. I can't get my pictures to line up right. And I know so very little about Html so I can't custom anything. Sigh.

Anyhow .... I'm working on yet another shawl, thing one a little more lacy. It's the pattern Arabella. And I'm knitting it out of the prettiest Sanguine Gryphon merino lace in a bright yellow/gold that makes me feel like I'm knitting with sunshine. I like the pattern a lot, although I wish that it was going a little faster at this point. I'm about half way through and I'm at the point where repeats are starting to take a long time.

I might have to cast on some socks sometime soon. I made so many pairs of socks last year and I kind of socked my self out. But it's been about 3 months since I've worked on a pair of socks and I'm starting to miss it. I think when this shawl is done it's time to finish my Bex and start a new pair of sock.