Thursday, June 04, 2015

June!

June is a pleasant month!  Some weeks it is harder to focus on Five Faves, but this week the Friday Fave Fives just jumped out of the week for me.  My week included but was not limited to these faves.

1.  Berries and BYOD.  Friday afternoon, we drove out to our friends' blueberry ranch bringing with us dinner.  We had decided on a berry picking expotition with BYOD afterward. (BYOD:  Bring Your Own Dinner)  The blueberries have begun sharing some of the acreage with blackberries, so we were able to sample some ripe ones and pick a few handfuls which we have been enjoying on our breakfast cereal in the mornings this week.  As always, we loved the company of two our oldest friends as we shared news of children and what we have been learning of life.



Dessert included sherbet and sorbet with--of course--berries.



2.  We live in a part of Southern California which surprises people.  Although we are only about fifty miles from downtown Los Angeles, we live in a prime agricultural area.  One afternoon, we hiked up the hill at the edge of our neighborhood where we could see the large fields of produce being grown.  Yes, those are cacti adorning the hillsides.



Santa Monica Mountains in the background.


3.  June Gloom.  May Gray has given way to June Gloom.  We joke that this is the time when Southern California weathermen take their vacations and simply mail in their weather forecasts:  "Early morning coastal fog and low cloudiness, giving way to sunshine later in the day."  That's June for you here, and this week has been exactly that.  Those days always end with incredible sunsets.  I love our June weather!



4.  Arts Alive.  Our community artists who are part of this group of  galleries and studios had a weekend event.  Since some of them are members of our spinners and weavers guild, we were invited to participate and demonstrate our spinning and weaving.  A wonderful time was had by all, including me.

5.  Finally, I finished this shawl, Blossoms by the Brook.  I spun the fibers and knitted it last month.
Particulars, if you are interested.
Yarn:  one strand of natural white llama and silk blend, one strand of silk dyed with indigo
Needles:  size 8
Although the shawl is knit with silk and llama and is quite warm, because it is really a 'shawlette', it is perfect for wearing on foggy summer mornings and cool afternoons.


These are some of my favorite parts of Willow's Week.  Blessings are found in life as we live it.  Do share your best blessing of this week!

14 comments:

Faith said...

I showed my family during breakfast the lhotos of your area! we had NO idea that this area of CA was so much like my hometown area in central NYS( upstate NY) We always think of the LA area as being wall to wall cement and cars! thanks for the gorgeous walk through your neighborhood! and yay for fresh berries and dinner with friends. sounds like you had a blessed week!

Mereknits said...

The shawl is gorgoeus, and so is the area you live in.
Hugs,
Meredith

Dianna said...

Your pictures are beautiful. I love to see the cacti growing. The nature pictures are so inviting! You make me want to come live in CA! :) Your shawl is beautiful...especially knowing that you did from the VERY beginning to the end yourself! Have a great weekend!

Gattina said...

Beautiful landscapes and I love berries too !

Anonymous said...

Lovely photos. Also your shawl is beautiful. A great blessing for me this week: family and friends to help through the rough waters God allows. Those berries look yummy! Mary

Jerralea said...

You do live in a spectacular area for scenery!

I like the idea of berry picking and BYOD, especially the part about berries and ice cream afterwards!

I'm in awe of your talents - that shawl is gorgeous!

Barbara H. said...

Interesting that it is so lush and green so close to where cacti grow. Funny about the mailmen mailing in their forecasts. Your June weather does sound nice!

The berries look good! Your shawl is lovely and looks cozy. The arts weekend sounds fun!

ellen b said...

Beautiful shawl!
What a great deal...take dinner and enjoy berries! Love it.
It takes me back to think of the lovely walks we had around those blueberry fields.
I love good memories! We have a good stash of those memories for a few short years!
Have a great weekend!

Mia said...

I LOOOOOVE that shawl! Gorgeous!

And miss you and the blueberry folks. Give them hugs next time you BYOD. <3

Deb J. in Utah said...

I love fresh berries! Also, your shawl is beautiful. I admire your talent in knitting. You live in a beautiful part of So Cal. How are the water restriction affecting you? We lived about that far from LA but the other direction - right where Orange and Riverside counties meet. I really loved it there and still miss it from time to time - but not the freeway traffic. We also lived in the highly agricultural San Joaquin Valley. We were only 90 minutes away from Yosemite National Park. We loved it! Have a good weekend.

snoopydogknits said...

Your shawl is really lovely! I always love seeing your corner of the world in your great photos. Have a good week. Ros

Susanne said...

Oh your sherbet and sorbet is making my mouth water. Yum! Fresh picked berries are so delicious. Beautiful work on your shawl. The color is gorgeous!! Those sunsets are beautiful!

aspiritofsimplicity said...

Very pretty place. Our June weather here in New England is so crazy....cold, hot, warm, cool, rainy, foggy, dry, humid....it's even snowed in june, though not very often.

nikkipolani said...

Driving northward along the coast (and inland, in Google's latest direction), I do get a some sense of the diversity we have. Brown brown hills, then green ones with neat rows of grapevines.

Those berries look wonderful. They must be so sweet!