On Friday: Zinnias, Books, and Apricots

 

Zinnias are such cheerful flowers, so bright and pert. I cut a little bouquet for the patio table where I can see them from inside the house, as well as enjoy them outside. They last a lovely long time. 

A little visitor decided the flowers needed washing, so she pulled them out, one by one, poured water over them and stacked them more or less neatly on the table. You'll notice that the bird is getting a bath, too. Give a child access to water play and she entertains herself for long stretches of time. 

The other day when I was downtown having my car serviced, I wandered into Russell Books, one of our local stores. Books old and new fill two stories of inviting shelves with books that beg to be taken home. I'm not one to resist the siren call of books and picked up the little stack above. Thrush Green is an addition to my collection of Miss Read books. I never really got into reading the Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, and I thought I'd try again with this book. As for the Little French Kitchen, well, with its colourful photos that feature dishes from various regions of France, it fairly jumped into my hands. 

With all three children living in town, there is a LOT of interchange between our homes. Furniture is used here and then there, baby toys make their way around, as do items of clothing. Books are passed around. Recently a food dehydrator and a portable barbecue are being shared. One daughter had no further use for the bookcase above, so it arrived here in our guest room. It's larger than the bookcase previously there, which will likely be taken to the thrift store. I spent a pleasant time rearranging books, taking some to other bookshelves in the house and bringing other books here. I recently culled quite a few books and it's good to have some empty space on the shelves. 

The little painting above the bookshelf is a watercolour done by my sister-in-law of the farm where my mother-in-law grew up, and my husband and his siblings spent many happy days. 

When I went to the market earlier in the week, the sign by the apricots said "last of the season" so I knew I needed to do something to celebrate apricots. This apricot tart was the result, a variation of one in Will Torrent's Pâtisserie At Home. It was most delicious to share with friends. 

Late yesterday afternoon the trees began tossing in the wind blowing in from the Pacific, bringing cooler air and, hopefully, a bit of rain to slow down the wildfires. Not enough is forecast to make much of a difference to any outdoor weekend plans. We just might have to dash for a bit of cover for a few minutes. 

Have a wonderful weekend, and thank you for reading my blog.