Before the Party

Dust is banished. China and crystal gleam, waiting to be used. The fridge is bursting. An air of expectancy fills the house as all that's left is to wait. 

How do you feel before a party? Up until Wednesday, two days before the party, my mind whirled, my hand wrote lists, and I woke up at night thinking of something I didn't want to forget (even if it was on the list). 

By Wednesday I realized that everything that needed to be done, had been done, and the rest didn't matter. Last night I did a final dusting and vacuuming. We're ready. I like this stage of hosting big get-togethers.  

I was thinking that this time is a parallel, on a much smaller and insignificant scale, to Advent. We prepare, we count the days, we anticipate, and finally, we just wait until our guests come through the door. Joy fills our being as we welcome each one. Advent, of course, celebrates the coming of just one, so eagerly longed for that the party is held again and again each year.  

This morning I set out the dishes: a station for cold drinks, another for hot, the dining room table for the savouries, and the dry sink for the sweets. Hopefully this will keep people moving. Those little pink post-it notes on the platters? They are to remind me what's going on each one. I sorted that all out earlier this week. 

In the darkness between 8 and 8:30, the mantel lights glow and the fire throws cheerful warmth. Cushions are plumped and all is ready. 

Do I feel like going to teach classes today? Nope. I cope by compartmentalizing - once I'm out the door my mind focuses on school and home thoughts are left behind. 

Just one more thing - this sweetheart is 7 years old today! Happy Birthday, darling girl. Where did the years go?

The Blue Hour - L'Heure Bleue

Rain pelted down much of Friday. Late in the afternoon, it ceased, just in time for a fast walk along the Selkirk waterway before going out for a casual birthday dinner with my husband. 

L'heure Bleue - the time of day when, because of the sun's angle, red light passes straight through into space and blue light is diffused. It's forty-five moments of uncertainty - is it day, or is it night?

During our walk the lights came on, twinkling across the water.  

Last night, these two cuties showed up on the doorstep, asking for treats. Who could resist? Not this Nana. They were very excited and I had to be quick to capture a photo. Don't you love the reflection of the lamp in the marble? 

After the Red Fish, and Sky from Paw Patrol (a show I'm just learning about) left for another party, we hopped in the car and headed over to the Woodland Fairy's house for a light dinner and trick or treating. Don't you think her wand is appropriate for the woods? 

Her mother created the costume and sparkles are everywhere in the house. Little Miss S calls them "Farkles" and the word has caught on. Getting her to smile and look at Nana was also difficult. There was CANDY to collect! 

I love October. Thanksgiving, my birthday, and then our daughter's birthday on November 1 (which I tack on to October) makes for lots of celebration. Add Halloween into the mix for even more fun. Tonight we're all (adults) going out for dinner to an Italian restaurant. 

How was your weekend?

Linking to Mosaic Monday, hosted by Judith of Lavender Cottage.  

Back to the Jungle

from top left: Brown Clipper (Parthenos sylvia), Giant Owl Butterfly (Caligo memnon), Sky Clock Vine (Thunbergia grandiflora), White Tree Nymph (Idea leuconoe), Bougainvillea

Humid. Warm. Damp. Lush. Trickling water. Harsh cry of a macaw. A thousand shades of green. Butterfly World. An indoor garden for tropical creatures. The only thing missing is the musty jungle smell of decomposing plant life.  
 

Tortoises, flamingos, koi fish, and geckos live happily alongside the hundreds of butterflies that glide from flower to flower. Above is Little E, (Eclectus). He tilts his head this way and that and eyes Miss A with interest.
 

Golden Helicon (Heliconius hecale), Scarlet Mormon (Papilio rumanzovia), Pink Cattleheart (parides iphidamas)

Beautifully coloured butterflies. The Lantana in the top right photo above is something we called the Fruit Loop Bush because of its multicolored blossoms. 
 

The only butterfly I recognize is the Blue Morpho (Morpho peleides), seen above. When the wings are closed, the spots are distinctive, but it's the iridescent blue on the inside of the wings from which it gets its name. Truly beautiful but hard to capture with the camera. I'm thrilled when one lands on my shoulder and stays there for 5-10 minutes while we wander around. Miss A snaps the photo of the open wings. She is very careful not to touch any of the butterflies.
  

Shadow is the resident blue and gold macaw. Less friendly than Little E, he appears to be the king of this particular jungle.

A fun outing with a fun little girl. 

Linking with Mosaic Monday, hosted by Judith of Lavender Cottage Garden. 

Five on Friday and an Anniversary

1. Happiest of Anniversaries to my parents, married May 29, 1955. 60 years of marriage is something to celebrate! We had dinner with them at the beginning of the month and today (Friday) they are going out again, this time with friends, some of whom attended their wedding. They will laugh uproariously and have a wonderful time!
 

2. The Little Misses each received the book Miss Rumphius for Christmas. Little Miss A decided that lupins were her favorite flower (for the time being). I noticed the lupins in bloom here, just one plant too close to the hedge. Miss A and I ventured in behind the plants to see it. When I asked her to pose close to the lupin, she hugged it. Adorable.
 

3. Siberian Iris - I like them much better than the bearded variety. They are not quite so messy. Pretty in a cluster.
 

4. Little Miss S stopped by this week. "Nana, can I draw on the tablet?" she asked. 
Since the tablet is new and belongs to Grandpa, Nana doesn't even know how to turn it on. So we resorted to drawing the old fashioned way. She was very agreeable to the alternate plan and got almost as much marker on her hands as onto the paper.
 

5. Peonies are in full bloom, gorgeous in their ruffled elegance. Transient beauties that must enjoyed in the moment, for they will not linger.

Thanks for the reading suggestions offered in response to my earlier post. I'll be writing them down and exploring possibilities.

To See the Flowers

 

Young Miss S and her mother came by this morning. One of my goals for spring break is to spend some time with the grands. Our sunshine is hit and miss these days, but no rain fell, so we set off for a little walk to see the flowers. 
  

The naturalized lawn we pass is now scattered with blue Scilla, also known as Siberian Squill. It's visible in the background above. There are just a few Henderson's Shooting Stars in bloom: the pink flower in sharp focus above.
 

A close up of the Shooting Star, aptly named, don't you think? 

A cluster of Scilla grows between the rock wall and the sidewalk in a perfect bouquet form.
 

A collage of our Little Miss with her coordinated hat, boots, jacket and glasses. I love how closely she inspected the grape hyacinths growing beside the sidewalk. She squatted down, stroked the flower, turned it this way and that, all without pulling it up.

Late morning we picked up cousin Miss A from preschool and had a special lunch together at McDonald's. I won't need to return there any time soon. Then off went Miss S homeward for her afternoon nap, while Miss A and I visited Butchart Gardens. That will be the subject of tomorrow's post.
 

Christmas in the Village

 

On Friday night four of us, two grandparents and two little misses, set out for a Christmas adventure. The Saanich Historical Artifacts Society (last seen here for an outdoor wedding reception) is all decked out for Christmas with lights, static displays of times past, .... and a small scale train.

there are no photos of us on the train

We all straddled the train (padded seat!) and each little girl snuggled against a grandparent. An engineer handed out peppermint candies. Then slowly the train inched forward, faster now, but not too fast. Round the park - twice! Through the tunnel, past Minnie Mouse and Pooh Bear, "oh look Nana, stars on the barn!," across a bridge lighted on either side. Chug, chug, chug. The whistle blew at the crossing and we waved to the people standing alongside the tracks. Choo! Choo!  

The moon danced between the clouds and trees, reminding me of a line from a very UnChristmassy poem "the moon was a ghostly galleon tossed among cloudy seas."

Home again for stories and pajamas and the making of marshmallow snowmen - not really a success as far as product goes, but lots of fun in the process. Then two little misses snuggled in their beds and Nana and Grandpa sagged onto the couch, thankful once more that parenting is for the young.

Linking to Mosaic Monday, hosted by Judith of Lavender Cottage. 

Five on Friday

1. Several people have asked about the zucchini soup base I mentioned in a recent post. I wrote up a rough recipe from my memory and posted it on my recipe blog here. Don't forget to remove the bay leaf - bay leaves don't puree very well. Ask me how I know.

2.  We welcomed rain this week. Rain + clouds + shortening days = I don't want to think about fall. So yesterday one Little Miss came over and played in the little pool until she came in shivering. I wrapped her up ("in this soft blanket, Nana") and we cozied up together on the couch reading stories.
  

3. Garden produce. There's something everyday - kale, tomatoes, cucumbers. I harvested the potatoes from the two plants I put it. Delicious! My green beans are terribly slow this year but I hope to pick enough for dinner one day soon.
 

4.  Another Little Miss, this one just two, said something this week that still makes me laugh. Her mother and I were chatting via Skype (just across town) and Miss S came running by saying "My website is gone." Miss S is barely exposed to technology - she doesn't watch television or play electronic games. Skype is about the extent of it. But somehow, she's captured the idea of websites and creates them at her little desk, on paper, with markers, crayons and stickers.  Not all drawings are websites, though. Little minds are amazing.

5. I'm still savouring the memory of our lovely, relaxing days out on the water. Tim jumped right back into work on Monday but I've been having a more difficult time getting back into a productive mode. Today there's a house to clean if I would only get to it. 

I used to get more done in a day, even with three children. My goal was always to accomplish the household tasks in the morning, then take a little lie-down after lunch (the children either napped or played on their own in their rooms), and then spend the afternoon sewing, going for walks, shopping, etc. I'd like to get back into that routine. Do keep some sort of schedule at your place?

Bon week-end, everyone! 

Strawberries Make Life Sweeter

It seems like there's a lot of frustration with Blogger and Google these days from the comments received on my last post. It seems that some internet places won't play nicely with others (aol and yahoo), and Google Plus is just plain confusing. Comments lost, comments disabled, comments hard to post, comments impossible. Thanks for all your input. It's nice to know I'm not alone in the blogging maze.

I'm so grateful for the free blogging platform that Google provides with Blogger, but I'm not interested in having my entire life connected to my Google plus profile, which seems to be their goal. An ad for Google plus says "connect with friends and family, explore your interests and see how all of Google gets better." Um. I don't think it's working. Exclusivity is not connection. But that's another discussion. Let's move on to something sweeter!

It's summer! Sort of. Cooler temperatures around here lately, but still very pleasant with a sweater. Strawberry season arrived a couple of weeks earlier than normal due to a warm May and early June. 

One little miss and I headed out to the strawberry patch yesterday. She's so good at understanding rules. When I gave her her hat to put on she said, "oh yes, summer rules." Another rule was not eating the berries until we'd paid for them. She followed that one without any problem. She's also very good at choosing which berries to pick and which to leave to "ripen just a little bit longer, Nana."

I filled my bigger bucket and she filled her smaller one, mostly by taking berries from Nana's bucket. Sweet times in the berry patch.
 

We ate lots of them freshly rinsed, juicy and sweet. After she went home, I made a Strawberry Tart for Grandpa who had meetings scheduled until 8 pm and was happy to sit down and have a big piece when he got home.

What's fresh at your place?

At the Beach

For one reason or another the boat trip planned for Sunday was cancelled. Plans were adapted to a picnic at the beach. A rain shower on the drive out had us all wondering if the picnic would be moved to Nana and Grandpa's house. However, as hardy Canadians (cough), we persevered and enjoyed ourselves in spite of cloudy skies, chilly breezes and the occasional spatter of rain.

A kite left at the beach provided fun entertainment for Miss A and her father. 
 

Can you guess the theme of these three photos? Fathers and daughters. One daughter (and her husband) was missed.  And it would have been nice if my own father could have been there, too, but he lives on the mainland. I'm so grateful for the men in my life who respect me, love me, and encourage me - and make me laugh.
 

Little Mister F spent most of the picnic sleeping against his mother. I managed one decent photo, although his eyes are mostly closed. The Little Misses didn't mind the weather at all. They dug, they poured, they drove, they poked - the beach has infinite play value.

All that fresh air had a most soporific effect; we came home and napped, then slept wonderfully last night. I hope the families with little ones enjoyed the same results. 

Another week begins - what's on your list?

 

Five on Friday

1.  A recent project - linen coasters with hexagons for a gift. These were fun to make. Hexies can be addicting. I have a growing basket of them that will one day, I hope, turn into a quilt or coverlet. The handwork is good for evenings, and I thought that they would be good to take on the boat, should I feel like doing something other than gazing at the scenery. 

2. Little Miss S celebrated her second birthday last weekend. Grandpa had fun blowing bubbles with her. Eagles eyes might note the life jacket sitting on the chair behind her. 

3. In preparation for future boat trips, Grandpa wanted the Little Misses to try on their life jackets. Miss A agreed with alacrity and then wouldn't take it off. She wore it throughout the party. Miss S on the other hand, wouldn't hear of trying it on. Perhaps she didn't want to cover up her party dress. 

4.  My last post referred to school and hospital. On Thursday I assisted other teachers in chaperoning Grade 10 students to the P.A.R.T.Y. program at Victoria General. PARTY stands for Prevent Alcohol and Risk-related Trauma in Youth. In small groups we made the rounds through the hospital, from a crashed car from a real incident to the ER trauma room where a fellow classmate with simulated injuries lay on a bed, blood and bandages on the floor, tubes everywhere, to the morgue and former autopsy room, to rehabilitation where several brain injured victims told their stories, and more. It was graphic and rather hard-hitting. We hope it saves lives and health as students think now about how to handle risky behaviour.

 

5.  My bedside posy. A white Bolero rose with a few sprigs of lavender and some lemon balm. Subtly fragrant, it will surely be a great inducement to sweet dreams. The idea came from Jooles of Sew Sweet Violet who is sharing a monthly bedside posy. I do love flowers in the bedroom. And the living room and kitchen and dining room. But I don't want to denude my rosebushes entirely. 

Plans for the weekend? We hope to take the family boating on Sunday for Father's Day, so I'm planning a picnic. How about you?

Five on Friday

These Friday posts are a good way for me to gather a few of the threads that float through my brain during the week. Thank you for coming by to read and comment. I always enjoy hearing what you have to say.

1.  Some time ago I mentioned a yogurt cake and promised the recipe. Click on the link to take you there. Just writing about it now makes me want to make another one. 
 

2. The roses are getting ready to burst into flower. I can hardly wait. I thought, at first, that this red bug was a ladybug, something beneficial. But it didn't have any spots. Then someone on a blog somewhere mentioned a lily beetle. I did an internet search and it's not one of those either. Maybe she's just a ladybug who left her spots at home for the day. She didn't seem to be eating the roses.
 

3. On Thursday Little Miss A and I strolled around Butchart Gardens. One sees things differently with another person. "What that flower, Nana?" "What's that?" "Why?" "How come?" The questions don't cease. Such interesting conversations. My favorite takeaway, "When I have a garden, Nana, I'm going to have a big red begonia." I'm thinking she might get her own begonia sooner rather than later, don't you think?
 

4.  Bees were a little scary until we talked about how they are good for the plants and that they also make honey. Then we "hunted" for bees, looking for them wherever they might be found and cheered them on with their work. 

5.  Summer means it's time to make popsicles once again. These old Tupperware molds came from my mother's kitchen to mine. Today's popsicle variety is Coconut Peach - a can of coconut milk blended with last summer's frozen peaches. The freezer is emptying rapidly and it will soon be time to fill it once again with fresh berries and vegetables.

For the weekend ahead, there's a birthday party for Little Miss S who is two years old today. Some gardening. House fluffing. Time with family. Relaxation. What are you looking forward to this weekend?

Five on Friday

Days tumble upon each other, filled with activity. A drive to the ferry on Monday morning. Wednesday at the pool with Miss A. Boating class. Errands and grocery shopping. Planning. Cooking. The moments end up in a heap of time at the end of the week. Sorting through them is an exercise in thoughtfulness that brings to mind the Psalmist's prayer, "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." (Psalm 90:12) 
 

A Monday walk on the beach counts as my first favorite thing this week. 

Second is the time spent at the pool with Miss A. Oh, the energy! She delighted in pouring bucket after bucket of water on this Nana's head. Then she tilted her own head, looked at me and said, "Nana, your hair doesn't look normal." I guess not. More like a drowned rat.

Third, the book I'm reading, seen above. Travel. History. France. Three of my favorite things combined. It's not a book to dash through. Instead, I find myself setting the book down and I dig out other references to add to the delight of learning new things.

 

Fourth. Also to do with France, indirectly. I have a set of coasters, picked up several years ago in Paris. Each displays an image of a monument. Little Miss S called the Eiffel Tower a boat for the longest time. I kept gently correcting her, saying "It's the Eiffel Tower." Last week, she was at home and built a block tower. When her mother complimented her on her tower, Little Miss A said, "Eiffel Tower," clear as a bell. All towers are apparently Eiffel Towers. While here over the weekend she named the monument on the coaster correctly. It tickles me every time I think of her saying it. L'Arc de Triomphe might be a bit more difficult. 

Fifth. These brighter days. I pause to look outside as I write. Frosty grass. Birds chirping. Sunlight. Blue sky with a few clouds. Pink ranunculus. Yellow forsythia. Brown dirt waiting.

How has your week been? What are you looking forward to this weekend? 

 

Sweet and Fresh

 There's a sweet new little man in my life. Felix Alexander, born on Feb 11 to our daughter-in-law and son. 8 lbs, 3 oz. So perfectly new - a blessing from God. I love this photo, taken in the hospital when we took Little Miss A up to meet her baby brother. The focus of this photo is his darling face, but look on the outskirts - all the hands. Sister hands, cousin hands, mommy hands. Hands of love, big and little. Hands to help. Hands to share. Hands to play. Little Felix, you are so welcome in our world.

Yesterday, Little Miss A and I waited at her house so she could welcome him home from the hospital. Here she is holding him for the first time - an Iphone photo taken by an emotional Nana.

Heart full.