It would be remiss of me as one of the founding members of the Kensington Ladies Auxiliary (better known as the KLA), if I didn't post some updates of my craft endeavors! One of the things I really wanted to do whilst I was here was to attempt some more difficult knitting, and after a few attempts at the Elizabeth Zimmerman's Febuary Baby Jacket ( read crying and swearing and eventually ripping!), I booked myself in at the local wool shop for a six week workshop in making that exact cardigan but in a large size ( coincidence or what! ). I am well into it and it has become an obsession, even stopping me from reading Twilight which I confess I was also becoming a little too into for a forty something person! So I thought I had passed the difficult bits but this afternoon saw me heading down to the wool shop, five hot and tired kids in tow, in a panic because I couldn't work out what I had done wrong and after many attempts at fixing it, I yelled to the girls ( who were all happily playing a the park), "GET IN THE BLOODY CAR I'VE DROPPED A STITCH". They all knew what that could mean for the rest of the afternoon so all aboard and off we went. 

Much to my surprise (and embarrassment), it seemed, after close inspection, I had actually managed to fix it myself! Hmmm...well what do you know? I think the shop owner thinks I'm a freak. 

So anyway, my dear friend Ange is the only knitter I know clever enough to have finished this cardigan so if I can do this I will be very pleased. Pity about the poo brown wool I chose, it will be great at the farm!

It is Sunday afternoon. We had breakfast by the beach and a play in the sand but now Daryl has headed off to a conference in Palm Springs and I am faced with a couple of days here without him. I can't quite put my finger on why I find it harder here when he is away. I guess it is not having friends and family around and that feeling of being quite alone up here in the hills. it is also very windy today so I have closed up the house and we will probably hang out inside. The girls are watching Tarzan at the moment, giving me a little peace and quiet to blog. 

Discovered a great beach yesterday down behind the university. Must say though, the sea of buffed gorgeous youngsters was a little too Abercrombie Catalogue. Fortunately the woman in charge of keeping people and dogs away from the Plover colony was making sure everything remained PG, perched on her chair with her sandwich board lodged in the sand describing the plight of this sweet little coastal bird.

Went for a drive through the grounds of the University of Santa Barbara, had to take a photo of all these bikes! It is a huge campus and students just pedal around. 

Going to the park with a coffee and my knitting just isn't the same without some mates! I have Haze of course but even she isn't as keen without her buddies. 

On Friday morning we all headed to Goleta beach to celebrate the Michaelmas festival. Michaelmas is a celebration of the equinox, when as the colder seasons approach and the days become shorter, we recognize the need to gather our inner strength and resilience to face the winter ahead. It is about challenges and bravery and so the school began its morning with Saint Michaelmas slaying the dragon. As the children gather in a circle and begin singing to the deep loud beat of a drum, the dragon appears from behind the trees threatening to kill the princess. I remember last year how amazed I was that somehow they had managed to keep this dragon out of sight until the play began and the combination of the drumming and singing and then the appearance of the monster made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. And so Saint Michaelmas courageously slays the dragon and saves the princess. The end.

Following this, the whole school is broken up into teams of all ages and their own challenges begin. Last year each team had to build a giant dragon in the sand and the team who finished and lit a candle in its mouth won that challenge. This year the most amazing challenge was where the each team had to dig a giant trench and bury each other up to their shoulders. They had to be sitting cross legged with their arms by their sides and the supervising adult had to bury the last child once everyone was in the whole! Hmmm, not something I would suggest normally but the determination and team work that these kids demonstrated was amazing. Once the winning team was announced, everyone jumped out and ran into the ocean for the next challenge which was swimming around a kayak. At one point I looked out toward the ocean and saw this little blond girl swimming for her life way out in the ocean, then I realized it was Ailee the Brave!

The festival ended at 12 midday so it was nice to go home for an afternoon by the pool. In the end everyone except Phemie had a big afternoon nap. Finding one's inner strength can be exhausting!