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| crocuses along the Songhees walkway, from several years ago |
First of all, blogging woes, not mine. A friend of mine, Diane, lives in Florida and writes a blog about her life there. Lavender Dreams Too is a delightful place to visit. Diane walks a lot and shows us the sights she sees along the way; she shares what she's reading and her other activities, such as sewing and crafting. She writes with plenty of humour.
Google is a great platform and I'm happy to have my blog hosted by Google. However, this week Diane's blog disappeared - POOF - and she can't get it back. If you go to her new blog Lavender Dreams New, you'll get the full story, and be able to sign up for her future posts.
All of us who blog have poured so much time and effort into our posts and we hate the thought of losing them. I determined to back my blog up to my computer yesterday, but was told I need some kind of special app or program, so I need to do a little more research.
Please go to Diane's blog and give her some love and encouragement. She and Mr. Lavender Dreams are working hard to see about getting her blog back from Mr. Google's bots.
edited to add: Diane's blog is back - hooray - after they made contact with a real person!
I have a book out from the library "The Armchair Book of Gardens - a miscellany" by Jane Billinghurst. The book itself is a beauty, not huge in size, but filled with wonderful illustrations and sketches, alongside excerpts from garden writers throughout time.
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| crocuses from several years ago at Government House |
This week I placed my seed order from West Coast Seeds. I avidly read their newsletters for they are full of information about gardening. I confess that last summer, and the one before, I've not felt much like devoting much time to my garden. I feel, in my bones, that this year might be different.
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| early prunus (cherry tree) blossoms somewhere in Victoria several years ago |
I'll definitely be growing vegetables, but I'm going to find space for a small cutting garden, as well. I've been reading Floret Flowers' posts and am inspired by the armfuls of cut flowers she features. Both of the sites I've linked to focus on what grows best in our Pacific Coastal climate.
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| Historic Gardens in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, June 2015 |
Wherever we visit, we always find a garden or two to stroll in. Several years ago, on our trip to the Maritimes, we visited the Historic Gardens in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, the site of the first permanent European settlement in North America, in 1605. Looking at the photos takes me back to that day, and the warm wind that blew across the water into the garden, creating lovely movement in the foliage.
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| Anne of Green Gables Site - Prince Edward Island, June 2015 |
Later, on that same trip, I visited the Anne of Green Gables site where the lilacs bloomed in profusion.
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| Blue Poppies dancing in Butchart Gardens, Victoria, BC several years ago in June or July |
As far as getting out into my own garden this year, it's been too cold and the snow is very slow at disappearing. There's been some damage - a broken young magnolia tree, a smashed rose bush, and our tall hedge is rather splayed in spots. Tim tied up the hedge yesterday and we hope it recovers.
Is gardening on your mind these days? Linking with Mosaic Monday, hosted by Angie of Letting Go of the Bay Leaf.
Don't forget to visit Lavender Dreams New!
I love the West Coast Seed catalogues! I am going to miss my daffodils blooming this year and may not get home to do much spring garden planting. Maybe this will be a good year to travel in the summer since I won't have so many crops to tend. At least that is what I'm telling myself. That is so sad about Lavender Dreams. I just backed up my blogs today. It's a practice I often forget to do. I've been blogging since 2007 and would be devastated to lose everything, all the memories and work. - Margy
ReplyDeletePoor Diane, I too, like Powell River Books, would be devastated if my blog disappeared. I have a separate backup that I hope keeps me safe, but now I am wondering if I am.
ReplyDeleteIn this post I loved seeing the photos of Annapolis Royal. It is a place that we visited many years ago, and where we met up with my brother and his wife who live in Toronto. We had a holiday together travelling around Nova Scotia. I also loved seeing the Himalayan blue Meconopsis poppy. These I have tried to grow several times, but I have always been disappointed. They do not survive with me as I sadly have the wrong soil.
Floret Flowers is a beautiful site to follow. Ugh about Lavender Dreams losing her blog. I'll visit and offer a word of encouragement. Beautiful mosaics!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Lorrie for letting everyone know what has happened to me this week! I will miss taking part in Mosaic Monday this week! But I hope I'll be ready to 'party' soon! I love all of the purple and lavender colored flowers! Have a wonderful week! Sweet hugs...and lots of them, Diane
ReplyDeleteYou are turning my thoughts toward spring! It's time to start planning. I am so sorry to hear about Diane's blog disappearing into thin air. I too would be devastated if that happened to me, since I have been blogging since 2007...and and it is not backed up in any way, shape or form.
ReplyDeleteSpring is coming and that is the season where I have to fight my flower envy. Payback for not experiencing winter is that we get none of the usual spring flowers. Of course, I know youve lived in tropical climes and remember that. (I really love seeing your pictures ...for the memories and the beauty.)
ReplyDeleteIndeed gardening is on my mind,I am blessed to live where we have a fairly long growing season. It has been so rainy and cold lately that I don't get out to often. But this week promises to be a sunny warm week, and my gardens will be a welcome delight.
ReplyDeleteI was so sorry to hear of Dianne's woes, and realize it could happen to any of us, I too need to find a backup, let us know what you find, please.
Your photos are beautiful, thank you for sharing.
Blessings,
Sue
Such a shock to hear about what happened to Diane's blog. I had no idea something like that could happen. Have just paid her a visit after reading about it on Vee's blog.
ReplyDeleteYou have put together such pretty collages. They have made me even more anxious for Spring's arrival.
I'm sick about Diane's blog.
ReplyDeleteI follow Floret's Flowers on Instagram and just love what their doing. I love having a cutting garden and I am thinking of trying some new to me flowers this year because of them!
Beautiful flowers! I would be upset if my blog disappeared. At least I have a blog book from each year. I use Blog2print.
ReplyDeleteLorrie - so glad we are all banding together to support Diane! To back up my blog, I used the method shown at https://georgialoustudios.com/how-to-backup-save-blogger-blog/
ReplyDeleteYes, spring is just around the corner, and your mosaics are terrific inspiration for all of us. I love the collages with a picture "inserted" into it. What program do you use for those?
I just scrolled through them again, and I can't decide between the Historic Gardens and the blue poppies - gorgeous! Enjoy your week ahead.
Spring is certainly on my mind of late, we have made some plans of what we want to achieve in our garden this year. I must start sorting out backing up my blog, I would be sad to lose it.
ReplyDeleteMy garden is in the planning stage, and we are having very warm weather for February, so it is easy to go out and tidy, pull a few weeds, and do a bit of cutting back twiggy roses.
ReplyDeleteHow sad to lose a blog. I do not undestand how it happens.
Lorrie, thank you information about the disaster on the blogsite of Diane... it’s terrible. Yes, I will visit her next.
ReplyDelete...our Garden is in a rather sorry state. Wintertime has left heavy scars
Happy MosaicMonday!
I feel bad for Diana! I have signed up to follow her new blog. I hope she gets her old one back. I am planning on a small cutting garden here this year too!
ReplyDeleteWe are enjoying mild, sunny weather at the moment and I am itching to get into the garden and tidy it up. It looks so sad and scruffy at the moment. I've hopped over to visit Diane, shocking behaviour on Google's part. Grr! x
ReplyDeleteNot at all. Not one thought of gardening until I read your post and a tiny wee spark was felt at the mention of a cutting garden. Otherwise, I am more thinking what to do to keep out the deer. That was a sweet lavender collage for a sweet Lavender Gal. I sure hope that gets worked out.
ReplyDeleteYes I knew about Diane's dilemma via Vee (we are a lovely group to share news aren't we). I met Diane, who is sweet, several years ago when Penny (Enjoying Simple Things) did a fabulous blogging get together at her home). It is a shame that Google is able to do that and I hope she gets her original back.
ReplyDeleteAt this point I'm not sure if just backing up one's blog on an external hard drive helps in saving your actual entire blog. As I use only Macs I have Time Machine and supposedly everything is backed up via my external drives and the iCloud etc. (the latter being a total mystery to me). It's all so technical though and I'm still not certain all my blog would come back if something happens. Of course if Google actually removes our blogs I suppose we'd be in the same situation as Diane - at their mercy!
Here's a good article on back ups which might help.
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/how-to-back-up-your-computer/
Lovely flowers Lorrie - yes a lot of garden work ahead for us all. I could spend hours reading garden books - maybe I should just get out there more often but I fear thoughts of long back breaking, painful shoulder days are holding me back now, whereas I used to love them.
Have a good week Lorrie - with no more snow - like us I'm sad to hear your garden took a beating in the recent snowfall.
Thank you for this post. It’s given me a timely reminder that I’ve never ever backed up my blog. I keep putting it off thinking it would takes ages. This morning I clicked on the link given by Angie and followed the easy instructions. It was simple and only took a few minutes. Much quicker than I imagined.
ReplyDeleteThe seed packets are out here and with all the recent sunshine I will be sewing them very soon. Good luck with yours. B x
Yes i read of Diane's plight. Such a pity i enjoyed her stories and photos.
ReplyDeleteThat happenex tl me with a website i had called 'Patchwork' a while back.
I do hope she starts a ne blog soon
Have a nice week
Much🌻love
I'm sorry to hear about Diane's blog. Please share if you find an easy (and hopefully, free!) way to back-up blogs.
ReplyDeleteI'm not much of a gardener, but do enjoy seeing your pretty floral images.
Lorrie, I love the blue poppies.
ReplyDeleteI see that the blog has returned - to lose all that history would be distressing.
Have a great week. Sylvia D.
This is horrible. I'm immediately going to back up my blog and then I'll go and support Diane.
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
Oh my. Lilacs, blue poppies, gorgeous crocuses, they all make me long for spring. I love the quotation on the second photo. I think I need to get some gardening books from the library. I did order one, Straw Bale Gardening, but flowers. We all need flowers!!. I so enjoyed this post and the thought of visiting Nova Scotia. PS I'm glad Diane's blog is back. Have a nice Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about Lavender Dreams! I have heard of folks losing their blogs and so I back mine up each month to my computer. I hope you can get yours backed up. Not thinking about spring yet. Too soon for me. So I am still reveling in all the new snow we got. Your photos are just lovely! :) Kit
ReplyDeleteYour blog disappearing is a horrible nightmare
ReplyDeleteI will look forward to seeing pics of your cutting flowers!
ReplyDeleteLorrie, it seems there are always changes being made to the blogging world and it is so unfortunate. Many of us are getting discouraged and wonder "what's next?" Lavender Dreams must have been ready to pull her hair out over her situation. It is a shame but I'm glad she has it back! Blogging was supposed to be fun and for me, a creative outlet. I would love to turn back the hands of time to ten years ago when I first started.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed looking at your photos; they're beautiful! I especially enjoyed Green Gables.
I'm sorry about the snow damage in your garden. We are used to mountains of snow here so we expect a bit of damage every year. Can't for springtime and the grass appears once again.
I bought the blue poppy seeds at Butchart Gardens some years ago, but we never had blue poppies. Sad! They have some wonderful seeds there.
ReplyDeleteOh the woes of blogging. I had a blogger friend that lost her blog twice. I would be so stressful. She finally got them back each time she contacted a real person too, but the hoops and stress is no fun in the meantime. I love, love all the flowers you have shared in this post. My heart is seeking flowers so much lately. Eventhough I have a bouquet in my house I had to buy some tulips today and make a second bouquet.
Lorrie, I was happy to discover this morning that Diane's problem was resolved. The beautiful photos in this post just might be enough to get me out of my gardening doldrums and do some planting in the next couple months. I just couldn't manage it these past few years. Thanks for the motivation/inspiration!
ReplyDelete