The red ball - and some green relaxation

Shortly after opening time on Saturday, the "ball of life connection" was getting a layer of the names of people I knew at my first university, Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, BC - 

As I chose at random and laid them next to each other, I wondered if they had actually known each other - and if not, would they have become friends?

At the end of the day the ball had also received the names of people from Durham, where hubby was doing a masters and I worked in the library; the gap year living cheaply in Menorca while hubby applied for scholarships for further study; Cambridge, where he did his PhD. That seemed a good point for adding a solid layer - next comes "the Yorkshire years", during which the son was born, followed by yet more university towns...

The book received a lot more visitors' names for the final layer, and I had some great conversations, including several about new-to-me artists and galleries. One little boy asked, "What are you doing" - and when I explained, said "I don't get it"; I tried again: "The ball will hold the names of all the people I've known during my life", but to no avail: "I still don't get it." Perhaps he will when he's older?

Four more days to get all the names into the ball; I'm not halfway yet. Will there be enough yarn....

On my day away from the show, some rest & relaxation - gardening, and pruning to be exact -

Apparently pyracantha bushes have quite weak stems and can topple. In the case of our pyracantha, that would take down the fence with it. As I love pruning, our side of the fence has been getting regular treatment, and some time ago I offered to do the same on the other side, to which the neighbours agreed - but college work (and bad weather) got in the way. Today was the day, though - and the green bin is stuffed full of pyracantha clippings. Four hours later can you see a difference?

Hard to tell, with the change in lighting conditions.... The branches had grown very long and were very flexible, so I spent some time in the shade making the sort of bracelets that people surely made in the stone age -