Friday Favourites: Flowers, Fruit, and Books

 

The slant of morning light confirms that we are at the end of August. Here it casts shadows on the wall and illumines the vase of dahlias. I had to be quick to catch it before it moved on. Days are shorter, mornings darker. I'm savouring the many lovely moments of late summer. Here are a few of them. 

One: Summer Fruit

Summer began with strawberries, then cherries, apricots, raspberries, blueberries, and finally peaches and blackberries. I don't count apples as summer fruit; they belong to autumn. I made a Peach Platz to share with friends. Platz is a dish from my Mennonite background and is wonderfully adaptable with any kind of fruit. It's very similar to German Kuchen. 

We picked blackberries, enough for just a few small containers in the freezer. They are wonderful added to crumbles and crisps. We replaced our raspberries this year, and pulled out the old canes to replace them with starters from our son's berry patch. I didn't think they would produce anything this first year, but we are enjoying enough for our breakfast every couple of days. And my strawberries are producing again, fat and red and so sweet. 

Two: Garden Exuberance

The Cosmos continue to bloom exuberantly. They have sprawled out of control, and I'm reluctant to cut them too much for they still provide food for the bees. And how pretty they look in the sunshine. 

I fussed about my tomato plants not setting fruit and wondered if I would have any tomatoes at all this year. I needn't have worried. There are so many! Every day I go out and pick one or more heavy red tomatoes to finish ripening indoors to prevent critters from getting at them. I made a double batch of salsa with some of them, and will be making tomato sauce with more. They are full of sweet flavour that no hothouse tomato can ever match. 

We're consuming green beans, zucchini, and carrots at a steady pace, and soon late-planted kale and chard will be available. I do love going out with my basket and clipping delicious things to eat. It feels like so luxurious.  

Three: Music and More Flowers

I'm not much of a fan of country music, but Dolly Parton's recent death had me listening to a few of her songs. Tributes have poured in from around the globe. She was a very special person, and I don't think any scandal was attached to her character. I love these words of hers: 

I make it a point to appreciate all the little things in my life. I go out and 

smell the air after a good hard rain. I re-read passages from my 

favourite books. I hold the little treasures that somebody special gave me.

These small actions help remind me that there are so many great, glorious

pieces of good in the world.

A good reminder to take notice of the little things that enrich life. 

My garden is a tangle of colour these days. I'm letting things go a bit wild. There will be time enough to tidy it later. For now I enjoy seeing it all through the kitchen window when I'm working or from the patio when I relax. 

Four: Reading

I learned about Persephone Books through Miranda Mills, an English author. The company republishes older novels and collections of short stories and social commentary, many by women. They are not commonly found here in Canada and I was surprised to see a Persephone book in the used bookstore, and I recognized the distinctive grey cover immediately. The covers are all the same with beautiful and varied end papers. 

The book I picked up was They Were Sisters by Dorothy Whipple. It was a fascinating glimpse into the lives of three women, sisters, who married very different men, and how their lives evolved. I enjoyed it very much, and it made me think a lot about how our choices determine life's trajectory. 

Other books read recently:

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen

The Key to Creativity by Pam Vale

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

(this is a prequel to Jane Eyre and paints Rochester and his first wife in a whole new light)

Anne of Windy Poplars by L. M. Montgomery

A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin

Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier

Surprisingly, nary a mystery among them. Some are re-reads. I have several mysteries out from the library that I'll be tackling next. 

Five: Time with Grands

There have been dinners together, time on the boat, driving children to various activities, and I've loved it! When school begins, the grandchildren are busier and we don't see them as often. 

Our youngest daughter has completed her Masters in Counseling (hooray!). All summer I've been enjoying the company of her two young daughters one day each week while she worked at her internship. 

This past week I sewed linen foraging bags for the girls for them to use when out and about. They love collecting bits of nature - pine cones, leaves, stones, sticks, etc. They also discovered that the bags could hold their water bottles. The girls decorated their bags themselves with markers. Iris made a pattern and took great care with colouring it. Cora's isn't so visible but she drew a girl, herself, with a basket and all sorts of eggs, from a large ostrich egg to a tiny hummingbird egg. 

As summer wanes, I look forward to autumn, but I'm in no hurry for it. September frequently holds warm and sunny days and I'll enjoy each one. 

Wishing you a beautiful closing to August. 

Friday Favourites: Parties, Flowers, and Tastes of Summer

 

For my mother's 90th birthday party, 60 of her friends and family gathered. We set the tables with china plates and teacups - hers, mine, my sister's and sister-in-law's. My sister and I bought various plates to make the three-tiered stands and Tim drilled the holes. The hardware is available online. They made the tables look very elegant when they were filled with all the party treats. 

After the party hullabaloo this has been a much more relaxed week at home. Beautiful warm temperatures. My roses are having another bloom of flowers although the foliage is looking a bit tired. Above is Boscobel, fragrant and pretty. 

I've been filling vases throughout the house with flowers from the garden. Such a delightful occupation in the cool mornings. I've also been walking before breakfast and enjoy seeing everyone's front gardens. Dahlias are having their moment - many of the plants are taller than I am with blooms of all shapes and colours. 

I'm always fascinated by the changes in hydrangea blooms. One bush has changed completely from deep blue to green. Still very pretty. Another is blue now and changing to pink. 

All summer I wait for the tomatoes to ripen. They are coming on fast now. One meal I enjoy is freshly baked focaccia bread with basil pesto and tomatoes. It's the perfect summer feast, simple and so tasty. I took this photo after the meal and only one teaspoon of pesto remained. A slice of fresh mozzarella cheese is also a nice addition. The tomatoes are so sweet and meaty. Yum! 

As the lowering sun shone through the window this evening, I caught it illuminating a bouquet of roses. The light is fading so much more quickly these days, and early mornings are darker longer. Our province has decided to no longer make the change in time, so we will be staying on Daylight Saving Time come autumn. We'll see what happens. Mornings will be dark for a long while. 

A rather quick post today. I wrote another post on Substack earlier this week entitled "Writing to Know What I Think," a more reflective piece. 

Wishing you a weekend filled with loveliness. 

Friday Favourites: Out at Sea, Home Pursuits

 

On a sunny Saturday morning, we launched the boat and set our course to Portland Island. Five of us walked the trail around the western portion of the island before having a picnic lunch and returning to the dock. The trip takes just over an hour. The sea was calm and reflected the beautiful blue of the sky, but the brown grass tells the tale of too little rain. Our soil is not deep, just a thin layer on top of rock that doesn't hold moisture. 

Across the water, snowcapped Mount Baker, in the country to the south of us, shimmers in the light. We've had a few smoky days, but the winds push much of the smoke out to sea. Another terrible fire began in the interior and leapt from tree to tree with astonishing speed. 

I listened to an interview with a man with a wife and two young children who told of seeing the fire grow as he drove home from work to find his family packing what they could. They left within 15 or 20 minutes and he said that by the time he left the house, flames were at the back door. Their house, along with many others, lies now in ashes. We are so thankful for firefighters from Mexico, New Zealand, and Australia who have come to help, along with teams from other parts of Canada. 

On the way home from our boating/hiking excursion, our daughter and her family sat on the bow enjoying the lovely day. 

On another day I took Iris and Cora to the beach for a walk. There was much to explore as the tide was very low. Stranded crabs, pretty seashells, bull kelp, and more. I love their enthusiasm. 

I spent a bit of time in the bookstore choosing cards for various occasions. I also found a book of Cottage-themed stickers that popped itself into my basket and will be fun to use on envelopes and cards. 

You might notice the watercolour of pink flowers in a jug at the centre of the picture. While we were in Alberta in July, we had the delight of meeting for breakfast with Brenda Leyland of It's A Beautiful Life blog, and her husband. Our visit was all too short. Brenda is warm and lovely, just as you might gather from her blog. The card is from Brenda, along with a gift bag of just the sort of treasures I love. 

Here's a photo of the two of us just before we said goodbye. Brenda and I are both members of the same Canadian writers group, as well. And we discovered some time ago that we attended the same college and lived on the same floor in the dormitory. I was one year ahead of her, and we don't have any clear recollections of each other. But how fun! I hope we can meet again.

After our picnic lunch on Portland Island last Saturday, I filled a container with a few blackberries and made a batch of Peach-Blackberry Jam this week. The scent of hot fruit cooking is definitely a summer scent. I have six half-pints and four quarter-pints tucked away for the months to come. I don't eat a lot of jam, but Tim enjoys it. Sometimes in the evening I'll have a small bowl of yogurt with a teaspoon or two of jam stirred in. 

Our weekend will be a busy one with my mother's party. It will be good to see lots of family - aunts and uncles, cousins, and friends. It's good to celebrate life!

Wishing you a beautiful weekend.

Friday Favourites: Garden, Looking to the Skies, and Baking

 

In August the garden becomes unruly. Tomato plants sprawl, zucchini crawls into bed with the pole beans, and winter squash plants climb up any nearby plant, most recently, a rose bush. I've been busy with other things this week and am feeling helpless when I look at the garden. But we're picking a few raspberries from canes planted just a few months ago, and the last of the blueberries. I clip flowers regularly. Today Cosmos fill the vase on the dining room table - pink and green and airy. 

Earlier this week we joined about 30,000 other people on a long stretch of waterfront. We went early and staked out a spot with a picnic blanket and two portable chairs as a few others were joining us later. It's good that we went when we did. Books and people-watching kept us occupied until it was time for the show. 

The Snowbirds are the official aerobatic team of the Canadian Armed Forces and perform at various events across the country, and internationally. It gives me thrills to see the team fly with precision and do some daring moves. In some formations the planes are just four feet apart. Yikes! This is one of the final shows for these aircraft which are soon to be retired. The show was about 45 minutes long, and there were plenty of oohs and aahs from the crowd.

Bees keep busy among the garden. They really like the oregano flowers and the dahlias. 

Rosamunde Pilcher is a favourite author of mine. She wrote four large novels and more smaller ones. Winter Solstice is one I dip into every December; the others are Coming Home, The Shell Seekers, and September. Coming Home was purchased as a hardcover many years ago, but the others are paperbacks and showing signs of wear. It was a bit of serendipity for me to find hard covers of Winter Solstice and September in a used bookstore. I was very pleased with my finds. Now to watch for The Shell Seekers. 

My two young granddaughters spent time with their other grandmother and helped polish her silver. They had a grand time and asked if I had some silver to polish. I said I had a few pieces, but I didn't have any polish. 

Young Cora told me, "Nana, you go to the store and you look for the Silvo brand. Silvo is the one you want." 

She was so earnest and serious that I've laughed every time I think about it. 

Rats have been terrible this year. Many people are complaining. I had one nicely ripening tomato and found it half chewed this morning. We've installed a camera and see the creature come into the garden at night, avoiding the baited trap (although we've caught a few others). In an attempt to save some tomatoes, I slipped sheer gift bags over them. I don't have enough bags for all, and I'm hoping to pick tomatoes when they are just turning red and let them ripen indoors to avoid letting the rats at them. 

Peaches from the Okanagan are something I wait for every August, and here they are! Juicy and sweet. I like them with my overnight oats for breakfast, and any time of day for a snack. Delectable! If I get out to pick some wild blackberries there will be Peach Blackberry Jam. 

What's been keeping me busy this week is lots of baking. Next weekend we're celebrating my mother's 90th birthday with a tea. I've made madeleines, tart shells to fill with fruit and lemon curd, chocolate truffles, and mini cupcakes, plus mini quiches and cheese scones. Everything is tucked away in the freezer for now. My sister is also baking the gluten free items for family with celiac disease. 

Tomorrow we're going for a hike with our eldest daughter and her family. Hopefully the smoke isn't too bad. It's been hazy with a faint scent for a few days. 

Wishing you moments of beauty and grace. 

Six Places on Saturday

 

It seems that the longer I go without blogging, the harder it is to get back into the rhythm. But finally, here I am. 

1. We took a trip that began with a family camping trip on the Island. There was some swimming, a little walking, and a whole lot of sitting around the campfire (the fire ban had been lifted - it's now in effect again), and eating. One day we made doughnuts. It's become tradition and our grandson says it's the only reason to go camping. I prepare and cut out the dough, the guys get the fryer going to cook the doughnuts, and the grandchildren glaze and decorate them with lots of guidance from Auntie Katie. My favourite are always the ones with the red raspberry glaze made vibrant by just natural juice and so tart and flavourful. 

After a few days we all packed up. The majority of our crew of 13 returned home while Tim and I caught a ferry and began driving. Once through the Fraser Valley (Vancouver area) with all its busy traffic, we went up and across the Coastal Mountain range into the interior plateau and then wound our way north following the North Thompson River. It's a beautiful drive with scenery that changes frequently. 

2. My heart is always gladdened by the sight of Mount Robson, above. We arrived in the evening as the light was fading, but the mountain rose up in front of us on the highway against a clear sky. We stopped and camped there in the park.

The only bear seen on our trip was feeding alongside the road and headed off into the forest as we approached. 

When Tim and I were much younger, and before we went to Ecuador, we sponsored our church youth group. Twice we took the group to Mount Robson for a multi-day hike up to Berg Lake at the foot of the glacier. It was a lot of fun with gorgeous scenery along the way. 

3. While we were certainly not prepared for a multi-day hike, we decided to go as far as Kinney Lake, about 4.5 kilometres. The lake is glacier fed, hence the beautiful milky green colour. And it's COLD! No swimming for us. I think this lake is equally as lovely as the more famed Lake Louise. And the benefit of this lake is that it is not crowded with tourists. 

After descending the 4.5 km return, we hopped into our SUV and pulled our little camping trailer through the Icefields Parkway (glaciers and mountains and waterfalls) to the prairie lands of Alberta. Canola fields are in bloom and make a lovely sight undulating across the landscape. 

4. We spent five days at Tim's brother's place, attending a wedding and catching up with family. And oh the mosquitoes! They were TERRIBLE! Add those pesky critters to the intense heat and humidity - I was thinking with longing about my island home with its cool breezes. The last day or two the heat broke and made things much more pleasant. 

5. Heading south once more we stopped at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. There is an excellent interpretive site explaining how the indigenous peoples used to hunt and preserve buffalo for survival. 

6. We looped back into the mountains for a few days of camping at Fort Steele. Swimming, kayaking, and exploring some of our province's history filled our days. 

The Fort Steele heritage site contains an old print shop with a very enthusiastic and informed interpreter. I was taken by the words on the above mini-poster printed in the shop. Books are a great way to travel back in time, or to the future, or indeed anywhere. I read 8 books during our vacation. Ah, bliss!

Finally, it was time to return home. Up again through the Rocky Mountains, across the plateau, and through the coastal range. Wildfire smoke was intermittent throughout our trip and dulled the landscape. The layered landscape still drew my eye and filled my heart and mind. I do love mountains. 

We stopped overnight for dinner with my parents before catching a very early morning ferry home. After pulling into the driveway, I filled my arms with stuff to go inside and dropped it on the kitchen countertop before immediately heading to the garden. It was a jungle! Later in the day I clipped a few bouquets for the house. 

And that was July! I have a few more stories to share from our trip later, including meeting up with one very special fellow blogger. That will have to wait! 

I look forward to catching up with your blogs in the next few days. 

Friday Favourites: Garden Delights and Blue and White

 

It's Friday evening and it's good to relax after a busy day. I did laundry, a little gardening, and preparations for a short trip we're taking. The morning was cloudy and dull, but the sun broke through in patches in the afternoon. Clouds have moved in once again and the twilight is darker than on a sunnier day. 

The daisies and hydrangeas are having a party in my garden. I think the cooler temperatures we've been having are making things grow very well. The daisies are almost as tall as I am. All of the hydrangeas have intense colour this year. I can't help thinking of many blogging friends in other parts of the world who are suffering under such dreadful heat. 

One of the little luxuries of summer is creating meals from what's ripe in the garden. A salad of lettuce, fresh peas, a few radishes, and some sliced strawberries all sprinkled with a few nasturtium petals was a treat for the eyes and the taste buds. 

On another day I was surprised to see this perfectly formed cauliflower just begging to be cut. None of the other plants are showing such promise. I steamed the cauliflower whole, sauteed some freshly picked zucchini, lightly steamed fresh peas, and drizzled garlic butter over them all. Delicious! 

I've always been a fan of blue and white. The design on these teacups, given to me by a friend, is so pleasing to my eye. There's a lot of blue in my home. A few months ago one of my neighbours asked me, "What will you do when you tire of blue?" I don't think that will ever happen - it's been my favourite colour since childhood. 

Blue and white in the garden, too, although I have lots of other colours as well. Roses and dahlias in many shades, and all the green to add life and freshness. 

This week while out shopping I walked by a store selling phones, and was surprised to see a Foosball game set up in the centre of the store. Two employees were playing. Usually, if there are no customers, people are on their own phones, reading or scrolling. So it was a pleasant surprise to see these two engaged in a friendly competition and not engaged with technology. 

I've been reading about more people wanting an "analogue" life rather than a digital one. There is certainly much richness in the physical aspects of life - gardening, cooking, sewing, etc., that I would not want to give up just to spend time on my computer or my phone, and perhaps others are discovering that richness for themselves. 

One last blue hydrangea to wish you a beautiful weekend. I hope the heat waves soon end for those enduring them in Europe and eastern North America. 

I'll leave you with a short poem I read on Gretchen Joanna's blog and copied into my journal. 

How did the rose

Ever open its heart

And give to the world

all its beauty?

It felt the encouragement of light

Against its being.

Otherwise, we all remain

too frightened.

Hafiz (c1320-1389)

Friday Favourites: Here and There with Rain and Sun

 

Our front garden is awash with colour these days. Driving or walking up to the house makes me smile inside. Hydrangeas are at their best, and the roses are flourishing (and need to be dead-headed). There's lavender and daisies in the opposite corner. 

This morning is cool and damp after yesterday's almost steady drizzle. Oh where, oh where is summer? I don't want to complain too much because I know that some of my readers are suffering with intense heat. Such strange weather across the globe. 

We took the boat out for two nights this week, to Mayne Island, one of the Gulf Islands the ferry boats pass en route from the mainland to Vancouver Island. There are a couple of small villages and several marinas. 

We anchored in Horton Bay and took the dinghy to shore for a long walk across the island. Eight kilometres there and eight kilometres back.

There were fun and lovely sights to see along the way. The Briary sells gourmet preserves, made locally, from the cutest little stand full of whimsy. It looked like a fairy house in the forest. 

There are a number of farms on the island with golden fields recently cut. One farmer passed us in his tractor with a bale of silage stuck to the front. We joked that it looked like a marshmallow on a giant stick, ready for roasting. 

Cattle grazed peacefully in fields of dappled sunlight and shade. I always enjoy seeing a zig zag split rail fence and there are many throughout our province. 

Along our walk we caught glimpses of the water, here a bay with light filtering through the trees. 

At last we reached the goal of our long walk - Mayne Island Lighthouse. Here is where boats enter Active Pass a narrow-ish passage of water with lots of treacherous currents, and one of the busiest waterways of Canada's West Coast. A lighthouse here has guided ships since 1885. The light is now automated and the house closed up. 

We purchased sandwiches in the village store at Miners Bay and ate them while enjoying the expansive view. Bald Eagles, Kingfishers, Starlings and more entertained us along with the waves lapping the rocky shore. 

Another view of Active Pass, with two large ferries passing each other, and one smaller ferry ahead. A lovely sight on Canada Day. 

We walked back across the island to our little boat and I was happy to take off my shoes and wriggle my toes. Thankfully it was a cool day. That night we moved our boat to another island to be closer to home for the next day in order to catch the proper tide for taking the boat out of the water. 

It was an unsettled night with the boat sloshing about in the waves and neither of us slept well, so we got up at 5 am and headed home. I'm glad we left earlier than planned for the wind picked up and it was a rocky trip home, with the wind increasing throughout the day, and rain beginning mid-morning. 

The Boscobel Rose by David Austin is one of my favourites, a steady bloomer with a deliciously sweet scent. 

This morning is a wee bit brighter with no rain, but lots of puffy clouds allow for only small patches of blue. Hopefully the blue will prevail as the day goes on. 

I plan to sew this morning, pick blueberries once they dry a little, and generally putter here at home. Deadheading the roses is also on my mental list. And I hope to send out the invitations for my mother's 90th birthday party in August.