Rain and Sunshine

 

When the rain stopped late yesterday morning, I pulled on my jacket and shoes for a walk. We are so privileged to live in a town where there are many trails and parks for walking and/or hiking. I mentioned Camas Lilies in my last post, and here they are en masse - a lovely swath of blue among mossy rocks. 

Pacific Dogwoods (cornus nuttallii) are currently in bloom. Raindrops still cling to these flowers. I'm noticing dogwoods more this year - is it an exceptional year for their blooms or am I just more aware of them? 

Here's a tree full of them. I also saw a fat American Robin pulling a worm from the grass and taking his time eating it bit by bit. How funny he looked with the worm dangling on either side of his beak. My presence didn't bother him in the least. 

Along a fence this lovely apple blossom clematis is opening. I stopped to take a sniff, but couldn't smell anything. Since my bout with Covid over a year ago my sense of smell is greatly diminished. Very sad. I keep hoping it will return. Nearby a crow flew overhead with a stick in his beak to land in a tree - nest building? 

I love the acid green of early spring leaves, maples here. Such lovely contrast with the dark branches that will soon be mostly hidden. 

Closer to home, a gentleman planted a variety of tulips, in a variety of pink shades. They are so pretty just now. 

Days are full of happy things. I try to spend a couple of hours writing each morning, followed by home-keeping and sewing or gardening. The gardening is taking the back seat these days as it's been quite cold. My tomatoes are doing well - I started them over a month ago - and I've been putting them outside during the warmer days. One night recently I awoke at 4 am realizing that they were still outside. I got up and brought them in right away. Often it's in the early hours of the morning that we get a touch of frost. I'm happy to say that the tomatoes are still thriving. 

How is Spring coming along in your corner? I wish you days full of happy things. 

Friday Favourites: Of Books and Flowers

 

Outside my window this afternoon all sorts of things are happening. The apple tree is getting ready to burst into blooms. Clematis armandii, seen above, couldn't wait, and a few pink buds have opened to the sun. The camellia bush, planted a year or two ago, is covered with pink flowers. Daffodils, pansies, bellis daisies, and a few tulips bloom in profusion along my walking route. And the ornamental cherry trees - pink clouds everywhere!

My current reading selection is eclectic, ranging from gardens to food and from Paris to England. Seasons at Highclere is a book to dip in and out of and I'll be sorry to return it to the library. 

Hidden Gardens of Paris is much the same - it's fun to look at the map, find a garden, and read about it. The book reminds me of finding the Anne Frank Garden in the Marais District in Paris a few years ago, and of a delicious lunch of falafel in a nearby restaurant. 

I've just begun What She Ate, an exploration of the kitchen lore and food preferences of six of women including Dorothy Wordsworth, sister of the poet, Eleanor Roosevelt, and surprisingly, Eva Braun, Hitler's mistress. I'm looking forward to finding out more about these women.

And then the Miss Marple Stories. These stories are written by current mystery writers with Miss Marple as her usual perceptive self. I've enjoyed the ones I've read so far, although I sometimes think, "Agatha Christie wouldn't have said it quite like that." 

Easter dinner was not at our place this year. My kitchen is a hollow, empty room where I manage to scrounge together enough to feed the two of us. Instead, we all met at Ashley and Owen's place on a rainy Sunday afternoon and enjoyed a delicious meal, a slightly wet egg hunt, and a wonderful time. Young Iris helped decorate the tables with cheerful bowls of floating dandelions. Both Iris and Cora were thrilled to be seated at the children's table in an adjoining room this year. They do love their older cousins, who love them and take good care of them in return. 

Weekend plans are loose - gardening, perhaps, or maybe a little outing. The new cabinets will be installed next week and until they are done Tim is not quite so busy. Wishing you all a weekend filled with satisfying things. 

Spring Delights

 

The morning sun streams in, casting strong shadows across the room. A small vase of tete-a-tete daffodils, grape hyacinths, and delicate hellebores, picked yesterday, smiles at me from the coffee table. In the garden creamy primroses nestle in their leaf nests. I am filled with contentment.

Yes, my house is still a mess, but it's now a livable mess, unlike last week. The plasterer left two and a half hours before my parents arrived and with the help of our eldest daughter and her 10-year-old (both on spring break), we scrubbed and dusted and rearranged the furniture to a semblance of normality. There are no curtains on the windows, and the blinds have splotches of plaster on them and there is plenty of dust, but the situation is going to worsen, so I'm just ignoring things as best I can, and cleaning the bits that need it most.

I went for a walk with the daughter and granddaughter mentioned above and can say with certainty that spring is here. The wind, so sharp just the day before, had softened, and real warmth comes from the sun. In the garden, peonies reach upwards with surprising speed. 

Our family party on the weekend went well. We set up a simple photo booth with silly props and everyone was tasked with having their photo taken throughout the evening. These are my five grand darlings - four girlies and one sweet boy. There was a quick height comparison at the end - my eldest granddaughter is now taller than I am. It was inevitable, but happened much more quickly than I imagined.

edited to add: The party did not take place at our home, but at one of our daughters'. Our house is so topsy turvy that a party would be impossible. My kitchen is barely functioning!

We celebrated Tim's birthday with lots of fun and laughter. Daughter-in-law Katie made the cake - a sparkly blue ocean with jelly bean waves and a paper boat. 

The sun continues to shine and I'd love to sit here in the warm light, but there are errands to run on this beautiful spring morning. 

Spring or autumn, I hope that you delight in the season today. 

A Spring Tonic

 

Tonic: a medicinal substance taken to give a feeling of vigor or well-being.

In spite of the continuing cooler-than-normal temperatures, spring is bursting out in gardens and parks across town. All the plants are in a mad dash to leaf and bloom and grow wildly. In January it was the lonely hellebores on display, followed by daffodils, cherry blossoms, and croci. Now it's a wealth of tulips, apple blossom, bluebells, daisies, and rhododendrons. The sight of all this beauty is a tonic in itself, and hardly medicinal. 

The birds are not very pleased with us lately. We are using up a bag of mixed bird seed given to us by someone who no longer needed it, and it doesn't appear to be as tasty as the one we usually put out. The sparrows continue to come, but not the finches or chickadees. If you'd like to put the word out to the flocks, the less-delicious birdseed is finished now, and tomorrow there will be the usual delectable fare. 

In days gone by, rhubarb was a favourite spring tonic, good for the blood and the digestion according to Victorian folklore. I can imagine how delicious fresh food would be after a winter of preserved vegetables and stodgy fare. I doubt that there is much medicinal benefit in a Rhubarb Streusel Muffin, other than being so satisfying and delicious - surely good for emotional health, if nothing else. One tasted very good with my morning tea. 

When I was a child, my mother would say, "Blue and green should never be seen, except in a washing machine." It wasn't considered fashionable to wear those two colours. I think they go together perfectly, as illustrated above with pale green hellebores, dark green leaves, and stems of bright bluebells. Alas, they are not the famed English Bluebells, but the Spanish variety that lacks scent. They are still pretty, and all we've got here, so I enjoy them fully. 

Spring itself is a tonic, full of life and colour. Now, if only the temperatures would warm up a little.

A number of readers have mentioned that they are unable to leave comments on my blog. I changed the comment format once again - this time to a pop-up box - and I'd love to know if that's better for anyone. I know of one blogger for whom it worked. 

I hope your weekend acts like a tonic to perk you up, whether you live in the northern half of the globe where spring is arriving, or in the southern half where autumn is making an appearance. 

Five on Friday

Fawn lilies shine like stars in the green woods where we walk in the evening. To see the yellow stamens one must bend low for they tuck their heads down and never look up. 

The light stays longer and longer and is so very welcome. We are in a stretch of warm sunny weather that feels almost like summer. My garden is thriving; snap peas, carrots, and radishes are growing well. I just planted beets, onion sets, and spinach. Strawberry plants are beginning to blossom. 

I am busy with teaching online. It is much less satisfying than the classroom. I miss my students, even the challenging ones. While I have a dedicated sewing room with a desk and a table upstairs, I wanted to be downstairs where there is more light and I'm closer to the centre of things. So we brought in an old table that we use outside and I scrubbed it up. At school I use a desk top to create my handouts, but at home I use a Surface Pro. We found an old keyboard and mouse that I enjoy using much more than the small keyboard that came with the Surface; it's much easier to use for typing the accents in Spanish. I need just the right height for videos and use some of my larger books to prop things up. The whole set up has been moved several times as I look for just the right light for video conferences and creating teaching videos for my students. This seems to work, in a corner of the dining room. I use that rice bag a lot as I spend a lot of time sitting and my back doesn't like it at all. 

In the woods the bluebells open, vibrant blue against green. The ones in my garden are a little slower. 

I've had a hard time settling into reading very much these days. My thoughts are scattered and I am easily distracted. I find that old books are comforting this is a selection of what I'm dipping into. The Quiet Center is a collection of essays published in Victoria magazine during its first 20 years or so, and there are many that I enjoy. 

Here is an excerpt from Meditations of a Beekeeper by Faith Andrews Bedford:

"In years past, as the crocus pushed eagerly through the soft earth, my honeybees greeted the arrival of the year's first flowers with excitement, diving into the deep cups of the blooms and covering their furry bodies with bright yellow pollen. Their buzzing echoed happily inside the purple chambers, and the blossoms shook. Each April, when the Andromeda bush by the back door was covered with delicate rosy panicles, the sound of the bees' quiet hum would greet our comings and goings. And as I snipped the tender new growth of thyme and rosemary, I would always find a honeybee or two already busy at work gathering nectar from her side of the herb."

In the woods an old apple tree blooms. Someone has cleared away the brambles and undergrowth that choked the tree, and now it's showing signs of life. It will be interesting to see if any apples grow from these blooms. 

These days roll on one by one. They feel odd in many ways, yet the garden grows as it always does, birds come to the feeder, and fawn lilies shine in the green woods. These things ground me. "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven" said wise King Solomon. These days have their rhythm. The strangeness will end. 

Finding Beauty in the Everyday

"This is a wonderful day. I have never seen this one before."
Maya Angelou

 Outside my window this morning two trees, one blooming in pink, other other in white, toss in the wind, and the occasional petal flies through the air. 

Friday morning. I have an unexpected day off. Spring Break was to begin today after school, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the decision was made to close school a day early. It was done out of an abundance of caution. 

And so, today is wide open, and I wonder how I shall spend it? I began by making a pot of Paris Breakfast Tea, delicately flavoured with lavender. 

Throughout this week, as the news of the pandemic continued, the anxiety level of our students increased. Some were worried for themselves, but most were concerned about parents and grandparents, or those with chronic illness. Helping students navigate this very real and new threat is exhausting. In addition, illness hit several staff members hard - colds, not the virus - and I was called in to cover classes in addition to teaching my own. More exhaustion. So this extra day is a gift, a time to breathe and relax.

"Cooking and baking is both mental and physical therapy."
Mary Berry

Attempting the classic French Madeleine has been on my mental list of things to try for some time. I purchased a pan, but the time was never right to make the little cakes. Until this morning. 
First, I made granola and while that baked, made the batter for the Madeleines. Click on the link to go to the recipe I used. I followed Sally's advice to do everything slowly, with delicacy. While the dough rested in the fridge, I spoke with my mom on the telephone. 
The Madeleines turned out very well, tender little cakes with a hint of lemon and a buttery crisp edge. Perfect with a cup of tea. I ate a few. 

As we in Canada, and in other places throughout the world, are encouraged to limit social contact, I find myself quite content to stay at home. I have plenty of projects, reading material, even housekeeping, to keep me busy for a long while. I'm thankful for modern communication - in addition to speaking with my mom, I Skyped with my daughter and little Iris. When Iris hears the skype call, she looks at the computer and when she hears Nana's voice she hoots and waves her arms like a windmill, and smiles such lovely toothless wide grins.

"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable,
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things."
Philippians 4:8

Those blossoms are so, so beautiful. I took that photo with my phone while playing with my grandchildren on Wednesday afternoon in their back yard. 

There is plenty of advice out there these days on how to stay healthy and how to practice "social distancing". I think we also need strategies on staying calm. Here are some things that I'm doing or not doing.

* I'm not watching the news constantly. Once or twice a day is plenty. 

* When I do feel anxious or stressed (like when I come home from school) I make a cup of tea and sit and read a book for a few minutes. I call it escape therapy and it works wonders for me. 

* Find the beauty. Anne Frank says, "I don't think of all the misery, but of the beauty that remains." Clouds scudding across the sky, a single flower, a smile on the face of someone you love, artfully crafted phrases in a book - beauty exists in a thousand places.

*As a person of faith, I pray, and I entrust my day to God. 

* Treat myself just a little - take time for a face mask or a self-manicure, make a cup of tea and eat a cookie (or a Madeleine), use some of that precious fabric I've been saving, plan my spring wardrobe, watch a good movie.

* Practice kindness. Write a note to a friend and walk to the mailbox to post it. Check on neighbours who may be less mobile to ensure they have what they need. 

*Eat well, get enough sleep, go for walks or just get fresh air my garden. 

Stay well, my friends. 

Five Things Friday

We're gaining about 25 minutes more precious light each week just now as our earth tilts ever so gently towards the sun. On my walks I see burgeoning shoots and blossoms springing upwards and outwards. The photo above was taken a week or more ago, and most of the snowdrop blooms have ended. Taking their place are crocuses and daffodils. Life is irrepressible.

Even the trees are eager to show off. These creamy blossoms are on a tree outside the school and I couldn't resist snapping them while walking from one building to the other. 

Spring restlessness is setting in. I'm a little tired of my winter clothes, but still need the warmth and layers, so I'm being creative and finding new ways to wear them. I don't need new things, and I'm becoming ever more conscious of the effects of fast fashion on individual lives and on the environment. I'm shopping my closet rather than the mall. If I get organized and brave enough, I'll do a post about that. 

There is restlessness in the kitchen, too, with a desire for fresh flavours. I've been roaming through my cookbooks in search of inspiration there, too. Laura Calder is a Canadian cook/author whose recipes I find very appealing and doable. She used to be on television, but now I see her on Instagram. 

We're joining friends for dinner this weekend, and I've been asked to bring dessert. Tim voted for Chocolate Mousse, so that's what it will be. 

Last night for dinner I made a sort of stew with ground beef, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes. It was rather blah. To accompany it I found this Skillet Cornbread recipe. It's a yummy one, with a mildly crunchy texture and a buttery flavour. The cornbread made up for the stew!

There is more than half of the cornbread remaining, so for tonight's dinner I'm planning to roast a large tray of vegetables - zucchini, onions, peppers, maybe eggplant or cabbage - then toss them all with feta cheese and olives. The bread will finish it off well. Simple and just the thing for a Friday night. 

Finally, I bought some tulips that are opening in exuberant free form style. They sit in the entrance hall and cheer my comings and goings.

The weekend is supposed to be sunny and I'm hoping to get out into the garden for a bit. There is clean up to do, and a few early seeds to plant. Dinner with friends on Saturday, and on Sunday I'm cooking dinner for 45 at church. I hope to do a little sewing and reading, as well. As always, we'll see what actually gets done! 

Springing into April

"Today has been a day dropped out of June into April."

Anne in Anne of Windy Poplars (L.M. Montgomery)

The sun streams in through the living room window, lulling me into idleness in spite of the streaks and dust I see there. Cherry tree petals float through the air and drift into soft pink heaps along the curbs. In my garden the hyacinths are at their peak, sweetly fragrant. Bees busy themselves in the muscari, curling their bodies around the blue um-shaped flowers in order to extract every bit of nectar. 

This weather is too lovely to last. This evening clouds will roll in bringing much needed rain. Out in the garden the soil is dry and pulling weeds difficult. 

Our daughter and her husband visited Japan in February and brought back this cute owl bell for our garden. Tim hung it on Saturday, on a corner of the garden shed where we'll be able to see and hear it. 

The garden beds are mostly bare. I set out strawberry plants, chosen from among all the runners that clog the mulch paths between the garden beds. It's hard to keep the strawberries contained. My cousin is a part owner of a local fair trade coffee business and he recently advertised burlap sacks, for free, to use as mulch on vegetable beds. He's used them with success, so I went by and picked up a trunk full. I hope they help keep the weeds down for they have been ferocious here the last couple of years. I plan to put in carrots, radishes, and lettuce this week.  

Our grandson turned 5 in February and we promised him a ride at the go-cart track when it opened. On Saturday he and Grandpa set out together. His father drove another go-cart by himself. Such a big helmet on such a little neck. It's too bad that the protective hair net fell over Felix's eyes.

Another successful sheet pan dinner. Sausages in chunks, with carrots and asparagus. I added the asparagus for the last 15 minutes of roasting. The seasonal change is inspiring, don't you find? The flavours of lemon, fresh green things, and tart rhubarb are what I'm anticipating these days. 
  

Spring break is over and I'm back to teaching. I have a few sewing projects on the go - a shirt for myself, a table runner to complete, and a collection of produce bags that I want to make. 
The evenings are so full of light and loveliness just now and when I walk after dinner the sky slowly streaks to watercolour washes of yellow and pink. I come home and light a candle, not for light, but for coziness. 

How is April springing (or falling if you live in the southern hemisphere) in your corner? 

Blossoms and Thoughts on Friday

This has been a lovely spring break. One week away and one week at home. I confess to having made a fairly long list of things to do during this second week, but few of them have been accomplished. 

There's been a little gardening, some sewing, a lot of reading, and definitely more daydreaming than usual. Tim was gone for a couple of days and when he's not around I tend to stay up too late reading and then drag around the next day.

Wandering around one of the many gardens in our city was on the list. Government House, where the Lieutenant Governor lives has beautiful gardens open to the public. (The LG is an appointed position as the provincial representative of our Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.)

It was a glorious day, full of sunshine with wispy clouds in the distance, the chirp of birds, and lots of blossoms to admire. I wandered along the pathways, stopping to watch squirrels play peekaboo with me, and smiling at a few other walkers. 

Off to one side of the property the fence is broken by one wall of a wooden building adjoining the grounds. Although I wanted to take a good look into the windows, I thought better of it, but from a distance it looks to be a gardening shed. The gnarled tree just beginning to bloom, an apple variety, perhaps, certainly looks well there. 

I tried a new recipe one night. Chicken breast halves, sliced cross-ways not quite through, with alternating slices of mozzarella cheese and fresh tomatoes inserted, then pesto spooned and spread over top. I baked those at 375 for about 20 minutes, then added broccoli drizzled with olive oil and salt, along with the leftover tomato slices to the pan and continued baking for another 15-20 minutes. It was easy and very good. I based the recipe off of this one from Eating Well.  Theirs looks better than mine...

Here in my own garden the pear tree is in bloom. I've seen few pollinators around, though, so I hope they are there when I'm not looking. Daffodils nod happily in the sunshine. Muscari stand sturdy. Hyacinths, blue, pink, and white waft their sweetness in the air. Tulips are mere leaves as yet. Green leaves sprout all over the hydrangeas and lilacs. It's a riot of life out there. 

Today there's laundry to do and a little cleaning. A regular physio appointment at noon, and sadly, a memorial service for a church friend, then a birthday celebration for Tim with family. 

I took the picture of Tim and our three children and put it up on Facebook. A few people wondered about the photographer behind the photo, so I added my own face in there, too, as a bit of a joke. 

A couple of weeks ago our Vancouver family was over and we had dinner together. It was just before spring break began and Tim and I were leaving the next day, so I told everyone we would just order pizza and I'd make a salad. 

Well, I got to thinking about other options and ended up making Greek meatballs, rice, a big salad, and lots of roasted vegetables, along with a raspberry cheesecake for dessert. 

The change of menu plan did not come as a surprise to my children, who know me all too well. One couple said they had placed bets on whether or not the pizza would actually happen; another said they wondered how long I had held out, and so on. They teased me unmercifully. What can I say? I like to cook. Besides, there were things in the fridge that needed to be used up before we went away. 

So for tonight, there will DEFINITELY be pizza!

Circling Spring Break

Some of the names and geography of the west coast of Canada can be confusing. For example, we live on Vancouver Island, but the City of Vancouver is on the mainland. The mainland coast is a tangled line that curls around deeply cut fjords and rocky islands of all sizes. The area known as the Sunshine Coast, on the mainland, is accessible only by ferry. 

Last weekend, Tim and I drove north on our island (Vancouver Island) to catch a ferry back to the Sunshine Coast. We spent a few days in Powell River, then took another ferry to Earl's Cove for some more vacation time, then a ferry to Vancouver. We drove through the city to catch yet another ferry, our usual one, back to Victoria. We made a circle. Ferry, car, ferry, car, ferry, car, and so on.

What can I say - it was a spectacular trip! Cloudless blue skies, calm seas, comfortable lodgings, good food, and lots of walking. 

Lakes versus ocean. It's a hard choice. I grew up with lakes - our family went camping and fishing, but I've come to love the ocean, as well. I don't have to make a choice, do I? 

The catkins are forming on the trees, but we didn't see many new leaves until we returned home. 

On one of our ferry rides, from Saltery Bay to Earl's Cove, I just couldn't stay inside. I went out on deck and found a sweet spot where I was mostly sheltered from the wind caused by the ferry movement and I drank in the beauty all around me.

Mountains pierced the blue sky while small rocky islands drowsed in the morning sun. White gulls caught the light as they flew against the backdrop of fir and pine forests. It was achingly beautiful.

One day we hiked to Skookumchuck Narrows, famous for its rapids and whirlpools caused by the twice-daily tide change where the difference in height between one side of the rapids and the other can sometimes equal 9 feet. The Narrows draws thrill-seekers from around the globe to kayak and dive here.

The only divers were saw were a large raft of Barrow's Goldeneye sea ducks riding the currents, bobbing, ducking, splashing, having great fun.

We visited Gibsons Landing, where the 1970-80s CBC production The Beachcombers was filmed. That series brought many people to the area, and the town pays homage to the show with displays of the boat, photos of the actors, and a restaurant named Molly's Reach, modeled after the one in the show.  
  

Another day we walked into Smuggler Cove, a place we visited by boat in the summer of 2016. This was our last full day and pale wisps of cloud streaked the sky, signaling the end of the clear blue.

Now we're home. This morning I went out for groceries and I'm catching up on laundry. Several trees on our street burst into bloom while we were away and I look out my window to see clouds of pink and white blossoms. So pretty. I'm itching to get out into the garden and that's where I'm headed this afternoon. 

Linking with Mosaic Monday, hosted by Angie of Letting Go of the Bay Leaf.

Note: I'm working on my blog layout and am having a terrible time with the sidebar gadgets overlapping the text. I've removed them for now - anyone know how to fix this? I've tried the CSS code available online, but that doesn't seem to be working.