Hot Fun in the Summer Time!

Well I don't know about where you are in Canada, but it has been pretty warm here for the past 5 or 6 days. Temperatures in the high twenties (I know, gasp!) and it looks like it peaked at just over 30 this afternoon at the school down the hill from us and it is going to be even warmer tomorrow - yikes!

Us transplanted Ontarians really can't take this heat you know. In Victoria you get so used to carrying a sweater around, 'just in case' the Pacific chilled breeze might pick up and give you a chill, that when the heat hits and there is no breeze for relief you start to wilt. It sounds like we are in for another day or two of this and that this is a repeat of the weather pattern that brought us snow this winter. Seems like the pesky interior of the province, with it's regular 30 degree summer temperatures has sent this warm air our way and the ocean is acting like a vacuum just sucking it all up so that it continually passes over us here on the Island.

I for one hope it passes soon. Though, I have to say I am enjoying the warm evenings which remind me of home - now I just need a beat up old car a few crickets and a grassy country road to drive down late at night for full effect!

Well, with the high temperatures that means my office at work is cookin' and the temperatures are hovering around the high twenties - not terribly conducive to work though yesterday I sat there steaming away for 7 hours straight. So, with that in mind and after a morning and afternoon sweatin' it out through the interviews for my replacement, I headed home at 3pm to sew another blanket or two in preparation for my first stint at the Fernwood Tuesday Night Market.

My friend Bryony kindly joined me for our inaugural appearance and we did a repeat performance of the 'Brandy & Bryony Baby Boutique' - we rented a table at a MFRC (Military Family Resource Centre) Christmas sale this past winter - where we enjoyed sitting and chatting, but didn't sell a thing. [Actually Bryony sold something during the Christmas sale so ...]

Anyway it was our first night and I'm convinced things will pick up eventually - it's just that flannel baby blankets and knitted baby hats are not hot sellers on the hottest night of the year I guess. Anyway here's a shot of us at our table:

Recognize the table cloth Nana? I think that used to be on the table in the downstairs bathroom that held the towels for the pool ; )

And a lovely shot of our wares:

Ruffled baby blankets, baby hats and a felted bag - oh my!

The waning evening light in the square - my business cards/price tags in my favourite turquoise Melmac tea cup ($0.10 steal at Keady Market!)

And another shot to give you a sense of this little market and the very cool square it is set up in. We live in a fairly old 'suburban' (in its day) neighbourhood in what would now be considered downtown Victoria. The square used to be the terminal where one of the street car tracks used to end and where the car would turn around to do its run between downtown and Fernwood. Now it is a very small pedestrian way with shops along one side (one of which is owned by our new neighbour) and a converted church turned theatre on the other. It is admittedly a pretty cool spot and while the market is only in its second year it was a pretty happening spot tonight.

In other news, little Emma Kingston (the daughter of my friend Wyatt who I went to high school with and shared many a car ride back and forth between Peterborough and home and many other place), who just turned 1 year old on April 23, 2007, needs daily blood transfusions because of a blood disorder which is affecting her immune system. I've set up a challenge on Facebook to see just how much blood we can all donate in just one month (if anyone has any ideas of how to actually track that I'd be interested to hear). Visit www.blood.ca or call 1 888 2 DONATE to set up an appointment. Lots of positive thoughts going out to Wyatt and Kerrie.

Also, this morning we received a very exciting phone call from Mark to let us know Amy had given birth to another, by all reports, adorable boy named Issac David at 7:15 am this morning. Mark called and was leaving a phone message on our answering machince just as I was running back into the house to grab my watch and I excitedly picked up the phone and caught him in time to hear all the details! Amazingly, the whole family was home and resting nicely by this afternoon - guess the hospital didn't have air conditioning and things were much cooler at home - I bet having Aunt Jane, mid wife in training, there helped too! Congrats guys! Can't wait to meet him ; )