Look at that sea, girls,
all silver and shadow and visions of things not seen.
We couldn't enjoy its loveliness any more
if we had millions of dollars and ropes of diamonds.
L. M. Montgomery
Walking along the shoreline on Saturday evening after a quiet dinner out with my husband was lovely. Chilly, but filled with the quiet sea and pale skies. Cormorants perched on tall pilings and gulls soared over the water.
We celebrated Tim's birthday on Friday with a family party - pizza, salad, and cake. There were balloons and banners, and lots of laughter. I had fun making the cake: four layers, two chocolate and two vanilla, covered with chocolate mousse, a chocolate ganache, and lots of fun decorations. The children and grandchildren all wrote special notes to express their appreciation to their father and grandfather.
Sunday was oh, so wet and rainy. And cold! This morning heavy frost covered lawns, cars, and rooftops. I've had my nasturtium plants outdoors for a couple of weeks and we've had minor frosts that haven't hurt them at all. Last night's freeze has left them limp and dead. Sigh. I'll have to begin again.
Sunshine warmed things up somewhat in the afternoon, and the sun felt warm on my back when I checked the onion and spinach seedlings in the unheated greenhouse. Grape hyacinths (muscari) are blooming in patches here and there throughout the garden.
More narcissi are opening. They seem to self-populate for I don't remember planting this particular variety. How cheery they look with their bright yellow trumpets and pale ruffled skirts.
I've been thinking about past Easters. My mother always sewed dresses for my sister and me - new ones for Easter and for Christmas. She sewed at the kitchen table in the evenings as my father was often away delivering semi-truck loads of fuel throughout the province. The sound of the machine whirring, her scissors snip snipping, and the smell of a hot iron to fabric linger in my memory. White socks, gloves, and sometimes hats completed our outfits along with shiny black patent shoes. I miss having a new dress for Easter to wear throughout Spring and Summer. Everyone dresses very casually these days, even for church. (That's me in the blue, above.)
April is just around the corner! I always find April is truly Spring. There will still be chilly days, but the sunshine and warmth gradually outnumber the wet cold days. Hooray!
Wow! What a great explosion on top of that cake! Fun. Ahh yes, new dresses and patent leather shoes. Those are my memories, too, with our mom sewing late into the night to finish our dresses. We are having that frost and freezing mornings here, too. Hope you have a wonderful Easter!
ReplyDeleteI like the view on the first picture the light is beautiful. I also had a new dress for Easter and Christmas my mother sewed. I had white socks, white shoes and gloves too. No hat but a special hair style like a doughnut on my head 😂 I think it’s called a bun now.
ReplyDeleteWhat a delightful photo. You are right, everyone seems to be so casual these days. I always wore a hat to church with a smart suit....now it's jeans!
ReplyDeleteGoodness, that cake looks pretty enough to be in a magazine! I’m sure it was delicious too.
ReplyDeleteI envied my cousin's Sunday dresses; their mother sewed them for them, and they wore them for church. My family weren't church goers, so Sunday clothes were the same as Saturday clothes. We had party clothes, but they were for parties!
ReplyDeleteThat cake! WOW! At first glance I thought it was decorated with sea shells.
ReplyDeleteMy mom used to make dresses for us. I tried sewing when I was in high school but gave it up. My daughter is the seamstress now. In fact just saw the dresses she sewed for her daughters. They selected the fabric. She sews one for their birthday too and sometimes for first day of school.
Lovely memories of past times. Happy Birthday to your husband, that cake looks delicious. I bet it didn’t last long. B x
ReplyDeleteThat is quite an amazing cake!!! The weather has been somewhat unpredictable. I'm hope April will bring consistency. Sorry about your nasturtiums. It seems such a shame to nurture them along then have them decimated by a hard frost.
ReplyDeleteLovely memories and photograph, I seem to remember having a new outfit for Easter too. I'm glad your husband had a good birthday, the cake looks wonderful:)
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing cake! I don't even much like chocolate and I would tear into that with great abandon (if I had the nerve -- it's too beautiful to destroy by merely eating it!). You are a baking wizard! Loved that water scene and long for a beach walk. Happy Easter week. What fun memories.
ReplyDelete