In my garden on this first day of September, golden Rudbeckia dominate one bed. I never used to allow yellow into my garden, but one year I planted these, and oh my, have they ever flourished! I will be dividing them in hopes of curtailing their dominance. The purple Echinacea that I had hoped would take over are not as aggressive as the Rudbeckia, but I plan to give them more space. The yellow does add lots of brightness.
One afternoon I took two of the grand girls to Butchart Gardens. It was hot and sunny and not very good for taking photos. But we had a fun time together. Many tourists continue to visit and I enjoyed hearing the cacophony of languages as we wandered the paths.
On another day Sadie (whose mother is in teaching preparation mode this week), and I accompanied Ashley and her two littles to a nearby lake for the morning. Digging in the sand appealed much more than swimming in the lake.
Okanagan peaches are in season at the moment and Sadie helped me can 12 pints of them. I peeled and halved them, she put them into jars and poured the syrup over them. The work was done in very little time. How delicious they will be in the darker, colder days to come.
This morning I noticed how the rich fragrance of ripe fruit rose to my nose as I held a round peach and peeled it with a paring knife, the velvet skin pulling away from the golden flesh in long strips. Then the soft plop, plop, plop as the chunks fell into my bowl. I added raspberries and strawberries from the garden, plus yogurt and nuts, and enjoyed a most delicious breakfast, along with a cup of tea.
I had thought to eat on the patio, but after going outside, I quickly changed my mind. Mornings are cooler, and damp, a harbinger of days to come. Still, the days are pleasantly warm, and summer lingers in spite of the quickly shortening days. Already by 8:30 it's now getting dark. I plan on enjoying every bit of summer I can.
Your breakfast sounds delicious and very summery. Yes autumn days are heading our way rapidly but it sounds like you have had an amazing summer. I’m very envious of all those bottled peaches :) B x
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautifully scrumptious looking breakfast and the description was terrific.
ReplyDeleteYour two eldest granddaughters are getting so tall and growing up. Enjoyed the beach scene, which was a reminder
of one I recently enjoyed.
Yes, grab all the golden summer that you can.
I remember the Okanagan fruit lorries coming to Smithers, and my daughter and I buying peaches to can!
ReplyDeleteLike you, yellow is not a welcome colour in my garden, I'm not sure why. But I do have some beautiful yellow roses which somehow seem different.
It seems you have been keeping busy since you got home from vacation. Finding lovely ways to enjoy the waning days of summer. We have had a similar experience with the rudbeckia. It is on the list to be divided this fall. We enjoyed many months of it's blooms. Your granddaughters are getting so tall. Your breakfast looks so colorful and scrumptious. Especially nice that you were able to use your homegrown berries.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful weekend.
Your breakfast looks and sounds wonderful!
ReplyDeleteAnother beautiful set of word pictures.
ReplyDeleteAnd lovely photos too.
"....... autumn! A time of hot chocolatey mornings,
and toasty marshmallow evenings, and, best of all,
leaping into leaves!" ~Winnie the Pooh
🍁🌼💛🌼🍁
We’ve eaten outside all summer but the wasps have driven us inside now. It will be too cold by the time the wasps are finished for the year.
ReplyDeleteTime with the children is precious!. Yummy peaches!
Love that photo of your golden Rudbeckia! They are taking up a lot of space this year in my beds and we will need to divide, but they sure brighten up the yard and last a long time!
ReplyDeleteThat breakfast looks good. I bet your grands enjoyed time with you again now that you are back. I guess we technically have about 3 weeks of summer yet. We have noticed the shortening of the light...
ReplyDeleteWonderful to have such a great helper for canning (I remember it as being a job much better done by two working together). And those peaches look wonderful. The delicious taste and the companionship of that special person will be lovely memories (especially if Sadie can join you for the meal!). Your breakfast looks absolutely perfect. It's nice that your strawberries are still producing! We missed them here in Oregon.... they don't seem to do anything after the first of July, when we got here.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you. Let's squeeze as much as we can out of summer! We are still eating our fresh fruit and yogurt on the patio every morning. One of the delights of this season!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the grands were thrilled to have you back home. Happy September to you!
Your peaches in jars make such a pretty picture. It's a great time of the year to enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables. I bought a Butternut squash today that I have plans for. Maybe I should have bought 2.
ReplyDeleteThe breakfast looks really lovely! Yellow flowers...well, I like them more and more :) A sunny colour that brightens a grey day!
ReplyDeleteLove from Titti
I always love seeing what you are doing with your days. The grands grow up quickly, don’t they?
ReplyDeleteLorrie - the canned peaches look so yummy! And then I saw the fruit bowl with the yogurt and I REALLY started to salivate. While my husband was salmon fishing in Alaska a few weeks ago, I enjoyed that sort of breakfast every day and I felt so vibrant! I am also making the most of these final days of summer ...
ReplyDeleteWhen we first moved here I decided that we would a blue and yellow garden only - however, it never materalised as other colours arrived in the garden. Whenever I was visiting a plant nursery I would see so many tempting plants that I forgot about my original plan!
ReplyDeleteSuch wonderful & summer-like post Lorrie! I don’t have these yellow Rudbeckia either, but seeing you photos I think I should. I have been inactive on blogs due to sciatic pain. Just try to livethrough this.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely post, Lorrie! I think the happy and healthy grandchildren are one of the biggest blessings one can have in life.
ReplyDeleteYour photos are as beautiful as your words. Peaches and raspberries are a match made in heaven.
We have fun weather in these days, rain showers and brilliant sunshine alternating. Some leaves have already turned yellow.
Wishing you cheerful late-summer days. Happy September!
I love yellow, so those flowers and the peaches bring a smile to me :)
ReplyDeleteI love peaches. Lot of our garden flowers are dead because of too much heat. We went north to get freshness but even there it is too hot for me. Today we will have rain it may be cooler. Happy September
ReplyDeleteI'm also trying to savour the last days of summer. Last night, I noticed it had gotten dark by 7:30 pm!
ReplyDeleteYes, we must indeed saver "every bit of summer". Your peaches and breakfast are just that. I love that you walked in the garden at Butchart and spent time digging in the sand. And I agree, I wasn't sure about the yellow in the garden, but it definitely adds the happy factor.
ReplyDeleteOh my, your canned peaches do look delicious :)
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan