Spring!

Last weekend we went to the Chinese New Year celebrations in Chinatown, not far from our neighbourhood. I forgot to post about it, but it was spectacular. The roads were blocked off, pedestrians were everywhere. Dragons were dancing in front of businesses, maybe as a blessing? There was something about lettuce, too - lettuce was strewn all over the streets. We ate some steam buns, moon cakes, and soaked it all in...





This week spring has sprung in our yard. The crocuses are up, the weather is gorgeous, and we were inspired to do a bunch of gardening. I can't believe our luck at inheriting such a fabulous garden, and am excited to see what else will come up.



In keeping with spring, several friends are due to have kids, so I've knitted up another batch of felted booties. They're quick and cute. Here they are before felting



And here they are after felting, steaming like little furry bread rolls, fresh from the washing machine. I finished them up after s&b at Kathleen's house this afternoon, hooray for s&b.

TED

The TED conference brings together fascinating people at the tops of their fields, and asks them to give the best talk of their lives, in 18 minutes. The original three themes of the conference were Technology, Entertainment, and Design, but the range has expanded to include deep-sea biology, poverty, history, and happiness. The talks are all online now, and they are fabulous 20-minute packets of pure inspiration. Check them out here.

We've been watching them one or two at a time (they really blow your hair back and I haven't been able to watch more than two in a row), bouncing from topic to topic. wheee

snippets

It's snowing outside, and Douglas has gone diving this afternoon. It's his second time - he's finished his volunteer training at the aquarium, and is getting set to dive in their tanks. He says it is COLD, but beautiful! He even saw a nudibranch on his Monday dive!

Saira's bandages have come off, and her foot is looking small and crooked - it reminds Douglas of a camelid's foot. Saira doesn't even seem to notice that she is missing a toe, though - she is just happy to be able to go for walks again now that the bandage is off! Pics of the odd-toed dog coming soon.

if it's good enough for the queen...

http://youtube.com/user/TheRoyalChannel

reprieve

Whew! The letter from the immigration office wasn't a work permit, after all. Just a notice that Douglas can now pay a lot of money and *apply* for a work permit. But since we can't find (after an hour of looking) the correct form on the website, and his passport is still off somewhere getting renewed and barcoded, it will likely be a good long while before he can apply for the permit. We couldn't find work permit processing times on the website, either, but we can safely assume that that will add another few weeks or months.

Thank goodness for the tremendous efficiency and transparency of the immigration offices!