Hello, I’m back! You may not even have noticed that I’ve been away, but we’ve just spent a couple of weeks in the Moselle region in Germany again. It’s one of our favourite holiday destinations, not too far from home, and also conveniently close to where my brother lives.
The region has fairy-tale like qualities, with its half-timbered houses…
…and castles around every corner,
but it has kept up with the times – I mean… a drive-thru castle!?!
We received a very warm welcome from our hosts and felt safe and secure in our little cottage guarded by a fierce-looking cock.
He was actually friendly enough and allowed his hens to give us some of their eggs now and then.
I had planned to tell you about a yarn shop I was going to visit, but, well, I think you’ll understand why I’ve decided not to when you’ve looked at a picture of its interior.
I felt shocked at the time,
but now it only makes me giggle – I’ve never seen anything like it. There were some gems buried in those mountains of yarn, though. I only wish I could have waved a magic wand and created an inspiring space out of the chaos.
I brought some knitting with me on our trip, of course. I’d knit some swatches beforehand.
And while we were there I sketched, measured, calculated, improvised, frogged and knit again until I was happy with the result.
I can’t tell you anything about it yet, as it is for the gift basket for our second grandchild (expected this summer) and I want it to stay a surprise. There is something knitting-related I’ve seen that I think will be interesting, but I need a little more time to sift through my photos and organize my thoughts. I hope to get round to it next week.
Now, on to something that gave me incredible joy – wildflowers. The sweetbriar roses and fragrant herbs along the hiking trails were delightful, and there was also flowering woad here and there.
Since I tried growing woad in our garden as part of a community project (see this, this, this and this post), it’s like meeting an old friend. A friend that gives beautiful shades of blue when used as a dye plant.
And then there were the wildflower meadows, in full bloom in May. They take my breath away every time.
I’ve taken tons of flower photographs and am tempted to inundate you with them. But often less is more, so I’ll just share one here, hoping it’ll give you the same jolt of happiness it gave me.
Beautiful flowers, and that last photo is amazing! Do you know the name of the flower and the insect?
Your knitting project looks lovely, but that knitting store needs a Caution sign outside!
Beautiful wildflowers.
Beautiful flowers, and that last photo is amazing! Do you know the name of the flower and the insect?
Your knitting project looks lovely, but that knitting store needs a Caution sign outside!