the days are certainly getting shorter quickly...night time falls and its black and cold. so far no snow in clearwater yet, but we are having very hard frosts.. it feels a lot like winter. but despite that the days are crisp and beautiful! we are taking lots of walks down the leafy streets, checking out the river and beach in all of its autumny glory. its my most favorite part of the year. i love the smell in the air especially. i love wearing mittens and hats and scarves and cozy sweaters. i like my leg warmers too!

we just got back from a trip to a forming eco-village about 5 hours north of here in and abouts the kakwa provincial park.. its a stunning part of BC.. the fraser river surrounds the property making it almost an island.. we hiked around the whole perimeter, close to 500 acres i think. it was pretty beautiful. wild and foresty. there is a herd?flock?murder? of alpacas and llamas on the land too. they are SO CUTE! im so mad at myself for not taking pictures. i was going to go find the sunday morning before we left, but the rain was falling in big fat drops and my camera isnt a fan of precipitation. a friend did take a bunch of pictures thoiugh, so when he sends them to me ill post some. they are really like faerie tale creatures. so graceful and... fluffy! on our way home we ended up breaking down, our veggie oil system failed us for the first time since february, when installed. timothy got it sorted out, but it was pretty worrisome for a few minutes. being stranded in the cold and rain on the side of an almost dead highway, in the middle of pretty much nowhere. not a great feeling. especially since i had stayed up till 2am talking with some of the most rad folks ive met for a long time. .i felt rather hung over and headachey, and kids stuck in cars..well, im sure most of you know how that is. but we got home.. no moose sightings to speak of (boohoo) rain and fog and snow didn't deter us. it was a trip to remember for sure. this map shows the vision for the eco-village.. so far there are just a few cabins and a farm house, a barn and pastures, a garden (certified organic) but this is what it will one day look like.,.

today was a beautious day.. here are a few pictures of our walk in the leaves.
in the pictures are..ngaio, rue and our sweet friend milo!

not working..will add pictures later..

5th october.

Autumn has fallen hard and fast here.. the rain has come, the mist and the falling leaves and sweet heavy smell of change in the air. i Love this time of year...the farmers market is overflowing with a rainbow of yummy things.. & the trees!.. i think that i missed out on photographing a lot of it this time around..we go on so many walks, and i forget my camera, and every day things are a bit different, different hues of orange, yellow and brown..less green, more leaves scattered on the grey concrete.

i especially love cooking at this time of year..its that comfort food thing. squash and beets and yams and potatoes, fresh meat & herbs! everything is so fresh and abundant in october! but there is this looming knowledge that soon enough the snow will fall and ill be left wishing for and missing the days of salad greens and kale and corn on the cob..but we make do, and spring is just around the next few corners, right?

on the homefront..my sister, and room mate has been gone for the last few weeks..we have inally adjusted to it and she arrives home tuesday.

ngaio has started her preschool program at the local elementary school. i didn't quite know what to expect but i'm totally blown away. the teacher "amy" is just wonderful. she isn't trained at a Waldorf teacher, but she is.. she is just lovely. the room is full of draped fabrics and there are fabulous wooden toys, and beautiful pictures and plants..nature tables and water tables and wheat berry play stations. i couldn't hope for anything more, honestly..and its free and close to home..5 days a week for 3 hours a day. and rue can also come with us, since its a parent partisipation group. im going to do some felting crafts with the kids which im so looking forward to, but so far, i'm just having fun exploring the new space and people with ngaio. they are making an "im precious" book these days with hand and foot prints and artwork about who they are. its really perfect.. they have outside time everyday around this big old willow tree on the side of the school.. bubbles and stories and jumping and playing...Oh, and the school is starting construction on ajn artificial wetlands project on the grounds..which all of the children will be a part of creating and maintaining. they got a grant from a wetlands conservation group. its just so cool! im thrilled with this town!

rue is crawling & fast these days.she is into everything. its fun to watch her explore the world..but she is a bit under the weather, and so a bit sad these days too.