Five Favourites: A Taste of Summer

It happens each year. Each green shoot poking upwards is oohed and aahed over. When the first flower appears, perhaps a yellow crocus, my heart sings. Little by little more flowers show up and each one is admired. 

Then the first warm days arrive and the blooms rush one upon the other so that it's impossible to keep track of them all. I liken it to when my children were very young and I knew each word they could say. Then, from one day to the next, they began speaking words I hadn't taught them and couldn't possibly count. 

This morning, while putting my bags in the car, this flower-laden rhododendron smacked me with its showy beauty. Last year, it bloomed not at all. This year, it's making up for it by being covered with perfect blooms.  

I took a few pictures with my phone this morning, and went out again this evening for more with my camera. Pink rhodos are first on this post of five favourites. 

Second is cauliflower rice. I'd read about it and thought that it couldn't be very good. When we were in the Cotswolds two summers ago (can it be that long?) I picked up a BBC Easy Cook magazine with a recipe for Cauliflower Pilaf. I tried it last week and was very pleasantly surprised. Have you ever tried cauliflower rice? 

Third are the bleeding hearts. I think they need to be moved elsewhere in the garden because they aren't flourishing. There are just a couple of stems with blooms, but they dangle like charms.

We've had a delightful taste of summer this week, with above average temperatures. I've enjoyed every minute of it. The apple trees obviously like it, too, with pale pink blossoms opening to the sun.  

The stars of the garden just now, for me, are the bluebells. I pick them by fistfuls and plunk them into short vases in the house. I love their faint sweet fragrance, and of course, their colour. So pretty. 

Our little bit of summer is set to disappear over the weekend. I know it will return and I've enjoyed this appetizer of the season to come. It wasn't difficult to find five favourites to share with you today. I hope spring has arrived in your corner (or fall if you're below the equator), bringing with it all the delights of the changing seasons. 

Come Into the Garden

The sun streams through the windows this morning and I long to be outdoors. I have a few moments this morning; my class doesn't begin until 9:45, so I slip into my shoes and pick up my secateurs on the way out the door. 

I take a quick tour of the garden. The red tulips (and I thought I planted pink several years ago) blaze with life. I look more closely and sure enough, there's a pink rogue among the red. 

Over in the bluebells, the first pretty bells are open. I've noticed them in the woods where we walk, and have been impatiently waiting for ours. 

I snip a few stems. They look lovely on the tea cart, but the light in the corner windows will soon be their demise. I sip my mug of tea as I ponder where to put them. I like a mug for my morning tea, still thin bone china, rather than a tea cup. Which do you prefer? 

I plunk the flowers unceremoniously into a yogurt pot that I brought back from Paris last summer, and set it on the kitchen counter. 

As I wander back towards the fire (all that bright light does not equal warmth) to finish my tea, the play of shadow and light on this side table catches my eye and I reach once again for my camera. A plant, a book, and a coaster. I finished the book last night - Balancing Act, by Joanna Trollope.

Now it's time to head off. I'll walk to school today. Although I can't be in my garden, the sun will shine on my head and I'll breathe in the smells of earth. It's Friday and a weekend of possibility lies ahead.

Bluebell Days

Clumps of bluebells dot the woods these days. I have a growing patch of them in my garden. A few stems, an old book and some sea glass led to a fun session playing with my camera.

The book I used was Cross Creek by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. Later, I thought it would have been more apt to choose an English author - Jane Austen or one of the Bronte sisters. Ah well. Next time.

Rain drips down this afternoon and there's a cozy fire burning. A real change after a week of summery weather. Spring is capricious around here, blowing hot or cold with sudden change. Still, who can complain when bluebells are blooming?

Linking to Mosaic Monday hosted by Mary of the Little Red House.

Of Bluebells and Fools

Our evening walk takes us along streets to woodland pathways, narrow walkways between houses and alongside a nature preserve. We are blessed to live in a city where the natural world is valued. These days, the woods are full of blooms. Some of the prettiest are the bluebells.
 

Lucky for me, they also grow in our yard where I am free to pick them. Guests came for dinner last night, one of my many aunt and uncle pairings. There was no fussing over the meal since I taught all day, but I put a cluster of bluebells at each end of the table between two tea light candles. For vases I used crystal sherry glasses. Isn't it wonderful how a few blossoms and candlelight can elevate a meal?
 

For dessert I made a Rhubarb Fool. I do love that whimsical name. For a little reading about the name's history, click over to this article from The Guardian. This is the easiest, creamiest dessert ever. It's no more than rhubarb, cut into chunks, placed into a saucepan on low heat with sugar, then left to collapse slowly into a sauce strewn with soft pink chunks and threads of tangy deliciousness, cooled completely, then stirred gently into mounds of whipped cream. For another layer of flavor, I added finely chopped candied ginger to the rhubarb. For a more detailed recipe, follow the link to my recipe blog. 

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