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!