Spring forward

I slept in this morning. On top of that, the clocks had gone forward which meant I got up incredibly late.

The Girl has become the lucky owner of a pair of rollerblades which her friend has outgrown. We went out and bought her knee and elbow pads today, before heading down to the park. So here she is, in the gear...



...and in action.

Scent to try us

After a week of fair weather, clouds and rain have rolled in for the weekend and there's a nasty damp chill in the air.

Man and Girl went off on a father/daughter shopping and cafe outing this morning. Then while the Girl and I had our skating lessons after lunch there was a chance for some father/son bonding on the running track, the basketball court and in the swimming pool. After that the Girl went to a friend's house and tried out in-line roller skating, which she took to very well by all accounts.

Here's the Girl with one of the latest must-haves among her peers: a scented pen. Can you guess the smell?

...and a piece of Pi

I started the day up at school, where Pi Day was being celebrated with a special whole school assembly. There were songs, fun facts and sketches with a mathematical flavour, performed with varying levels of skill but plenty of enthusiasm. Inevitably there were also lots of punning pie references - the Girl put in an appearance as a silent apple pie in one mystifying skit. I was pleased to notice that three middle schoolers who yesterday invited themselves to hang out in my sewing class (apparently sewing is the new cool) were all sporting hand-stitched felt pie badges.

This evening I've been out at another school, touting my fair trade message (and having my accent appreciated). I was there along with other local pillar-of-the-community types as a sort of side-event to a talent show going on in the main hall. I was asking kids to add comments to a poster which posed the question "How can we make a fairer world?" They managed to cover most of the big issues, being keen to stop poverty, hunger, pollution and cruelty to animals. One young teenager hovered for ages trying to remember what it was she wanted to put an end to: "Global....global...what's it called? Umm, oh yes! Global warming!"

A pizza cake

You'll no doubt remember that last Thursday the kids in the sewing class asked me to design them a piece of cake. Well, I did, but it turned out to be a trickier project than some of them will be able to manage yet so I'm going to hold it back for a few weeks.

Meanwhile I presented them with this savoury alternative, which looks quite fiddly but in terms of sewing skills actually is... a piece of cake.

Yarning on

It has been another beautifully sunny day, and even warmer than yesterday. I drove over to Altamont where my favourite yarn shop, The Spinning Room, is having a sale - hooray! I enjoy yarn and fabric shops like foodies enjoy a good deli, so I was in there quite a while inspecting all the wares (the colours! the textures! the lovely woolliness!) and came away very pleased with a small bag of bargains.

Wander Woman

I went a-roaming today. I was looking at a map of our area, and for the first time noticed Schodack Island State Park which is not far away at all - a little bit south of Albany, on the east side of the Hudson. I decided to check it out.

Schodack Island isn't really an island, though I think it used to be. Now it's more of a peninsular jutting into the river. Going by all the warning notices at the head of the trail, it can be a hazardous place:




And as if ticks, terrorists and tidal waves weren't enough, a third of a mile down the trail I found this:


Undaunted, I continued along the path and met with nothing more disastrous than muddy feet.

It wasn't exactly a peaceful walk - sounds of traffic and industry were always audible (though come spring and summer a few leaves on the trees might help with that) - but it was pretty, and I was happy to be visiting somewhere new. On my way out I read another notice explaining that the park is a preservation area for several bird species - then I looked up and right on cue saw a bald eagle flying overhead.

Melting momentum

Here are some pictures from our sortie to Five Rivers yesterday. As you can see, snow and ice are melting away fast. The torrent gushing under the piece of boardwalk we're standing on is usually a mild-mannered little creek.



It seems incredible now that the Man took these photos just a few weeks ago.