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. 

Friday Favourites: Gardens, Bees, and Jam

 

A Rose from Government House - no names were provided

I love summer at home. Every day I wander through my garden to see what's blooming, where buds are forming, and how much everything is growing. I pull a few weeds, clip dead flowers, and encourage the vegetables to grow well. A few blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries find their way into my mouth. 

For me, the sensation of standing barefoot in the grass, bathed in warm sunlight while savouring the sweetness of a fresh-picked berry is the height of summer luxury. 

We've had some really lovely warm summer days, but today the clouds moved in. The temperature is 10 degrees cooler today than yesterday, not quite 20 degrees. A bit of rain has fallen and the ground welcomes it. I am glad for a sweater and socks.  

Yesterday I met with a cousin visiting from afar and we strolled through the gardens at Government House, home to our Lieutenant Governor, the King's representative here in British Columbia. The gardens are open to the public. There are ponds, vistas across the Strait, two formal rose gardens, and several areas with more casual plantings. 

Tim has taken up beekeeping and the bees arrived a few weeks ago. He's taken courses and belongs to the local beekeeping association, while I absorb tidbits here and there. The bees will live on our daughter's property and her two little ones have named the hives - if you look closely at the photo you'll see one is Dandy and the other is Lion. Clever girls. 

Tim set them up in one spot, but has since decided that they need more sun, so he will move them. I didn't realize that moving bee hives is a big deal. The bees adapt better if they are moved a greater distance than just 20 or 50 feet, unless he moves them just a foot or two over time. So he brought the bees to our garden this week. He sealed the hive at night and set them on the grass, then unsealed the hives early in the morning so the bees could orient themselves. When they first come out in a new location, they orient themselves by flying in loops and circles not too far from the hives before they zoom off looking for food. In a week or so, he'll do the reverse and take them back to the farm where they will re-orient themselves there.

We're replacing our raspberry canes this year, so we don't have many berries of our own. I bought a few to make raspberry jam. Oh, the sweet fruity fragrance of jam cooking! I don't remove the seeds as I prefer them on my toast, but my mother likes to make jelly and removes them all. 

Granddaughter Sadie turned 14 a few weeks ago and she had requested watercolour paints, which we gave to her. Now that school is done, she came over this morning and we played with paints, learning how to mix colours, and use the correct amount of water. We had fun together and the above projects are hers.

Last week was very busy with the book launch and company. Preparing food ahead is something I like to do, and I made this tart/sweet Frozen Lemon Dessert that we all enjoyed. You can find the recipe by clicking on the link. 

There was a Book Launch!

 

On Saturday good friends hosted a Book Launch in their lovely garden. The book Life is Short but Wide has been available for about a month, but this was the official launch. I confess to rather dreading all the fuss as I'm more the person who likes to stay in the background rather than be a guest of honour. 

However, It was a beautiful occasion and I felt very honoured, and had a lot of fun, too. Other friends brought the vase of pink roses and yellow snapdragons. They are lasting a long time, and I think of the book launch when I see them.

Having never been to a book launch, I didn't know what to expect. However, my friend, who has been to at least one launch, said that someone needed to introduce me. So I asked my three children to each say something. They were all born in Ecuador and grew up there; we returned to Canada when the youngest was 15. The older two had started university in Canada. 

One spoke of all the moves we made and how we created homes wherever we lived. Another spoke of how we shared our home with so many people over the years - for meals, as houseguests, and so on. And the last spoke of home being an ambiguous term. For them home was Ecuador. For me, home was Canada, yet I made a home for my family wherever I was. It was interesting to listen to their well-expressed thoughts.

There was a fabulous spread of appetizers to enjoy, and a gorgeous cake, decorated very thoughtfully by my daughter-in-law who researched the flora of Ecuador and created a cake with elements such as eucalyptus, roses, vines, and orchids. It was also delicious!

Our friend Jules paints as a hobby and he created this thoughtful piece as a gift to inspire me to keep on writing. How gorgeous it is. I love the colours. There are little fireflies around the lamp post. I'll treasure this gift.

The weekend passed in a flurry of activity. My parents and sister and brother-in-law left on the Sunday afternoon ferry. Yesterday was spent puttering. A little laundry, a sewing project completed, and a few small garden chores including clipping more sweet peas. I have a variety of colours, but felt like creating a softer bouquet this time, with soft blue and palest pink blossoms. The photo is taken outdoors on the patio, but the flowers now sit on my bedside table where the scent wafts over me as I sleep. 

Today, Tuesday, I've been out and about. A physio appointment and grocery shopping. This evening I'm going to a farewell party for my school principal who is moving on to other things. I'm looking forward to chatting with my former colleagues. 

Friday Favourites: Roses and Visitors

 

Spring being a tough act to follow, God invented June.

Al Bernstein

June is such a beautiful month. Roses, Sweet Peas, Lavender, even Dahlias grow almost visibly. We've enjoyed pleasant temperatures, not too hot, and clear evenings where the light lingers until well after 10 pm. The garden is a tangle of leafy growth and bright blooms that hide most of the weeds. 

Lichfield Angel, a David Austin rose, is showing off just now with large creamy blossoms. I see it from my kitchen window and admire the plethora of flowers. It's a large shrub, and I've removed other plants I had nearby to give it space. Working in the garden is such a joy and I come in with scratches and dirty hands and clothes, but oh, so happy. 

I read about berry cages in English books and wondered exactly what they were. Did people really build cages around their raspberries? It seems so, and I now know why. We've had a couple of very pesky robins eyeing the blueberries and strawberries and pecking at many of them. So much so that we built our very own berry cage! It's just tall poles with cross supports over which we've draped netting. It has kept the birds out. How funny it was to watch the robins shortly after we installed it. 

They swooped down from the sky and pulled up abruptly when the sight of the net registered. They marched about on the ground all around the cage looking for an entry point looking very cross. As Tim said to them, "There are plenty of worms in the garden, go eat those!" 

Sweet peas fill the air with such fragrance and colour. And I love the fact that they need to be clipped to keep blooming. I snip away, making bouquets for various rooms in the house. 

This weekend my sister and brother-in-law, and my parents are visiting so I'll put fresh flowers in their rooms. They are coming for my book launch party, hosted by a friend. I've never been to a book launch party, but my friend has, and has arranged everything. 

Hydrangeas are another summer favourite that are looking well these days. There is so much choice for cutting and filling vases. 

Molineux is my newest rose, purchased late last summer and settling in well. 

We've had a busy week. My brother and sister-in-law were in town earlier in the week and we took a trip to Botanical Beach to see the tide pools, and also to Butchart Gardens on another day. 

As well, last night was the graduation ceremony for our youngest daughter who has completed her Masters of Counseling degree. It's been a long three and a half years for her, being a mom to her two young daughters, as well as working with her husband on setting up a new business. We're very proud of Ashley. 

What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, 

the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet

no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade.

Gertrude Jekyll

For fans of Anne of Green Gables and similar stories, I discovered a collection of L. M. Montgomery's stories online which are free to read. There are many I've never read. L. M. Montgomery short stories at Online Literature. 

My own reading these days is a biography of Jo van Gogh-Bonger, Vincent Van Gogh's sister-in-law, who, after his death and the death of her husband, dedicated her life to making Van Gogh's paintings known to the world. 

I'm off to finish the laundry and do some last minute things before the company arrives. Wishing you all a most beautiful weekend!

Friday Favourites: By the Shore

 

The sun shone this morning and it was a good day to do something different. We visited two spots on the water, Sandcut Beach and Fishboat Bay. Two places not very far apart on the shore of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, but they couldn't be more different.

Walking through the forest was a wee bit chilly, but full of fresh woodsy smells. A choir of birdsong floated down through the tree canopy as we walked. I used the Merlin app to find out just which birds were singing. Pacific Wren, Brown Creeper, Western Flycatcher, Golden-Crowned Kinglet, Varied Thrush, and the ubiquitous American Robin. The birds were high above us and we didn't see one of them. 

We rounded a corner on the trail and met this fellow, created with a bit of charcoal and two white rocks in old springboard notches. The notches were created long ago to hold a piece of wood out from the trunk to stand on while cutting the tree. I learned today that often the bottom of a tree is where the knots are, so loggers would cut the stumps quite high, hence the need for a springboard. 

Soon we heard the sound of waves rolling up onto the shore, but the sun was hidden by patches of fog obscuring most of the view. A Belted Kingfisher stood on a rock in the water, perhaps waiting for the sun to come out so he could go fishing. They are such quick birds and rarely in one spot for any length of time but this particular bird sat for a long time. 

Sandcut Creek winds its way to the ocean on a shelf 12-15 feet (4-5 metres) above the shoreline and then falls onto the tumbled rocks below. The flow varies with much more water in winter and just a trickle by late summer. 

This beach is a rocky one with curves and hills formed by the water. The smoothly rounded loose rock takes some effort to walk on, and there was little sand. 

We clambered up above the falls and walked upstream along the creek bed. Round pools and channels have been carved out by the water over time. We were startled by a dog who came from the woods barking loudly at us. A trail led to the creek and we could see the roof of a building in the woods, so I assume someone was living there. The dog was watchful, but not threatening. Still, we decided not to venture any further. 

Just down the road at Fishboat Bay the water looked almost tropical in the sunshine.  

A few patches of fog hung over the water, but the beach was clear. In contrast to the rocks at Sandcut Beach, here was beautiful smooth sand. It would be perfect for lounging on a warm day, or bringing children to enjoy the sand and sea. 

The tall pilings are the remnants of a dock where fishing boats came ashore, hence the name of the Bay. 

In sunny patches along the roads daisies bloom along with blackberry bushes and orange poppies. Summer weather seems to be settling in now, and for that I am very happy. 

I'm looking forward to -

* evenings on the patio

* bouquets of roses and sweet peas and dahlias

* summer food - watermelon, hearty salad dinners, and fresh fruit

* not wearing a sweater

What are you anticipating in the next months, be it summer or winter?