Late in the evening a gentle breeze began to fill this overheated house with coolness. Such relief. We slept in our bedroom last night and I even pulled up a light blanket towards morning. Ahhhh. Rose Gertrude Jekyll this morning, seen with a few water droplets from the watering system, looks very happy. I will have to do some hard pruning today or tomorrow - I read that will encourage more blooms to appear over the summer. Here's Monty Don's advice on this.
Some have asked about how hot it actually was. Here we reached 39 degrees (102 F). In the interior of British Columbia 46.6C (116F) was the record shattering high.
I should have been picking blueberries and raspberries, but I couldn't face much time out in the heat. They are holding their own, though, with many berries still ripening.
Yesterday I had Iris picking blueberries for a few minutes. She is very careful about getting only the purple ones, and they go straight into her mouth. She LOVES blueberries.
The cosmos are putting on a show in their corner. The heat didn't seem to bother them too much. We have an automatic watering system and most of the plants did well. In the front garden the heat is more intense and the hydrangeas didn't like that.
This hydrangea is more shaded and is just beginning to open. Such lovely creamy whites and blues. Today is hair cut day. I thought my appointment was yesterday, so I showed up at 10 AM, only to discover that perhaps the heat had addled my brain. I took the opportunity to walk in the cool mall, since I was there anyway. As of tomorrow most of our Covid19 restrictions will end. Masks are no longer mandatory in indoor spaces, although they are recommended for those who are not yet fully vaccinated. Social gatherings are back to normal. Church services, too, I believe. And we will celebrate Canada Day!
It will be a quiet celebration everywhere this year as we reflect not only on the very good things that define Canada, but also the very bad things such as the residential schools and the children taken from their homes, many of whom died there. We feel sorrow for those who suffered so, and look forward to a more understanding way of going forward in this wonderful land in which we live.
As of tomorrow the email option on my blog is going away due to Feedburner discontinuing the service. I don't know how many of my readers used the service. I won't be signing up for another one, so you have a couple of options to continue reading here (and I hope you do). One is to visit my blog directly (you can bookmark it). Another is to use a subscription service such as Bloglovin or Feedly. I use the latter and have found it very useful.
It really is crazy to see how hot it is so far North. It's 79 here right now but the humidity is high. Not bad though! It's great that you'll get to shed the masks. We still carry ours with us but haven't needed them lately. Enjoy your afternoon! Stay cool!
ReplyDeleteWe have read about the extraordinary temperatures in Vancouver, and thought of our friends around the area. I am glad it is cooling down a little now.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you are getting some relief from the heat! Glad to hear that the Covid restrictions are ending for you. Your flowers are looking lovely despite the heat!
ReplyDeleteI am pleased that your garden and yourselves all coped with your record breaking heat.
ReplyDeleteI have read other comments re: Feedburner discontinuing its service, does that mean all blogspots blogs are discontinue? I do tend to use Bloglovin but I do not pay a subscription.
Glad you could feel that cool breeze and sleep more comfortably. Also nice to see your plants and berries survived. Happy Canada Day to you!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Peonies and Hydrangea blossoms. Mine are finally blooming in blue, rather than just pink for my Hydrangea. I had to change the mix of the soil. Blueberries, I had some for lunch today...yummy~
ReplyDeleteI don't use the email_ for my favorite writers. I come right here
ReplyDeleteOh and the Rose Tips:perfect. I need them
ReplyDeleteYour flowers look lovely . Cosmos bloom forever and seem to thrive in heat. I think that this will be an unusual Canada Day.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you are a bit cooler there. Your blooms look beautiful.
ReplyDeleteIt is good too hear that the heat is letting up some. we are now having some of that heat, although not as hot as you had it.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it wonderful to have cooler temperatures!!! Your Hydrangea is very lovely. I had to cover mine with sheets to protect them. Good thing there wasn't a wind or the sheets would have blown away!
ReplyDeleteHave an enjoyable Canada Day. We always have a family BBQ to celebrate and this year is no exception.
So glad you are getting a little relief from the heat, sounds like quite the heatwave. We are still quite cool averaging about 14 degrees so still quite cool. Enjoy your celebration.
ReplyDeleteHappy Canada Day!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSo happy you will be able to more easily celebrate it!!!
Oh I need to deadhead roses too! But the weather is not cooperating. First terrible heat. Now lots of rain storms. So obviously, I can not follow the... Prune in June suggestion. But maybe, our roses will be confused, as to the month, right at the beginning anyway. -smile-
Gorgeous flowers! And you were hotter than we were down here! Upper NE...
Nope, I do not use emails to see new posts. I use my Blogger Gadget, for my Blog List, at the bottom of my blog, which shows new posts, on the blogs I follow. -smile- And I will not be adding anything to my blog either.
🎀 🌺 🎀
That is crazy hot! Glad it’s cooling down now.
ReplyDeleteYour garden looks good, glad it’s done well through the heat.
It’s heartbreaking to read about the residential schools and the children. I think there has been a lot of that all over the world sadly.
It looks like your blooms quite liked the heat! Unbelievably hot and such devastation with the fires now. Lytton reached 49.6 yesterday! How can that even be? Our son decided to drive home from Whistler through Lytton yesterday (to avoid the holiday traffic in Vancouver) and arrived at Lytton the same time as it exploded. It was a fireball...no warning. It was a scary inferno!
ReplyDeleteLorrie - as I type this, it is raining and the heat wave has finally broken. Oof. I can hear my plants sighing with relief. Even the drought tolerant ones were stressed with these 100 degree temps. Glad to hear your COVID restrictions are ending. I wonder when the border will open? Happy Canada Day to you!
ReplyDeleteBet you are loving your cooler weather. That first rose is stunning and I can imagine it’s fragrance. I can just see Iris happily picking and eating those blueberries. Have a good weekend. B x
ReplyDeleteThe heat has been horrid! The plants are happy, however. I really ought to dead head, but the bugs are so bad!
ReplyDeleteGood morning, Lorrie. Your garden is beautiful and it does look as though it has survived the heat. It is cooler here this morning, although our high's were in the 90's during the heat wave. So, we won't complain. So glad to hear your restrictions are lifting and life will once again be easier and sweeter. Happy belated Canada Day to you and yours. I hope you enjoyed a lovely day of celebration.
ReplyDeleteGlad you found a cool place to walk around. The blueberries look fantastic, a good time for a meal picking.
ReplyDeleteOh the hydrangea particularly sings to my heart. How beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThat Feedburner going away was quite a hassle, I need to add that announcement to my blog. Hopefully I have done all I can do to switch people over to MailChimp.
I picked blueberries at our daughter and sil's last week and did a little better than your sweet helper did -- probably only half of what I picked when straight into my mouth. (Good thing you -- and my daughter -- are better about landing some in the bucket))). I too am SO very glad that the temperature has dropped to a reasonable PNW summer.
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