My Lovely Garden … Mon Joli Jardin

No matter the language, my garden is my paradise. To watch the lovely birds that nest in the trees and bushes. The bees, butterflies are such a joy to see.

Category Archives: Gardening


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More on Seedy Saturday ….that wonderful sunny day!

Continuing on with more photos from last Saturday’s Seedy Saturday.  Here are some honey bees …buzzing away, safely inside their container!
33Some racks for the beeswax and there is a smoker on the top left .. used to calm down the bees I believe, when the screens are removed so that they can be whirled and twirled to release the honey.  I know that isn’t the terminology but it seems to fit the activity!

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More bee paraphernalia .. I don’t know much about beekeeping but this all looked so interesting.  There is a little Mason Bee house beside the combs.

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I just love his artwork .. very happy and carefree.

32A local company .. and good to see the permaculture aspect of landscaping.

30I like the name of this company …. sweeeeeeet ….

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Olive trees for sale!  Oh,  I was tempted … how lovely it would be to have an olive tree.

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Hugelkulture .. the word caught my eye so I had to stop and look at this display.  Is this the best type of gardening ever?  I think so.

23My oh my .. someone has been very busy!

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21I’ve purchased seeds from this company … they have a diverse variety.  And of course, all organic!

24Now, this booth was quite interesting.

25Their packaging was quite unique and I liked the mix of fonts.

27But this is what quickly caught my attention.  I love wood and was curious about these screens.  Well, as it turns out, they are used in the process of seed winnowing!  I participated in a hands-on session and will post photos tomorrow.

26This is the winnowing machine.  The hand crank (lower right) is turned at a steady, slow pace and this gets the internal parts going so the seeds can be sorted and they exit the machine via the two openings down below.28Seeds of Diversity .. a seed bank.

36Important.

37And quite an interesting article about planting over 3,000 cloves of garlic.

 

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It was a very interesting day and I so loving being there!

So many new ideas of how to grow plants and new (to me) plants.  I’ll  also be looking at my wooden items at home, wondering how they can be repurposed to hold seeds or plants or maybe just paint them for display.

The atmosphere at Seedy Saturday is very nurturing .. a great place for all of us gardeners to be!

🙂


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It was another Seedy Saturday on a lovely sunny day

Last Saturday was Seedy Saturday in Victoria, BC.  This amazing event takes place at the Convention Centre, downtown.  It is a growing event, organized by the James Bay Market Society:  http://jamesbaymarket.com/

Like all great ventures, this one started off small years ago and with the proper drive behind it, has grown over the years.  We are so very lucky.  I’ve volunteered for 3 years and always look forward to be there.

Now here is a great idea to mark plants in the garden, utilizing plant pot pieces.  Everyone has them!  The pots used here are glazed, so they may be re-used over and over, with different labels.

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This table had lovely items used for showcasing their products.  Here is a type of wooden spoon, used as a bowl.

19This is a carved wooden cup from Finland.  I wasn’t able to get the background story, as the creative person behind the use of this and other items at the table .. was away for a bit.  She’d worked hard so deserved 5 minutes away!

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The table had a lovely earthy feel about it …

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Healthy looking artichokes ..

14I tasted a sample of this Japanese artichoke delicious.  One corm produces 7 lbs., I believe.

17And I love the idea of using this folding sewing box for holding seeds, etc.

20I always buy Brother Nature seeds .. last year my Kentucky Wonder Beans were marvellous!

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Oh lovely lovely greens .. tasty too.  I bought a packet of the Salad Mix.  Omega Blue arms, Heritage Food Conservation.  I like the packaging and will post a photo when I take one.

13And the wonderful seed exchange!

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The night before the event, I carefully packaged all of my surplus seeds!  Using my nifty new scalloped punch (from a thrift store!!) I made inserts of yellow lined paper.  There went all my saved squash, Kentucky Wonder beans, sage and lupin seeds.  Time to share them at the Seed exchange tables.  I didn’t take any seeds as I have enough, goodness knows!!

11There are quite a number of community gardens in Victoria .. this one is quite a big one I believe.

09Important.

08Beautiful looking mushrooms.  I’m just not brave enough to grow them.   I could have stopped to talk with the grower to ask some questions but I was just swirling along with the crowd.  If he is there next year, I will stop and ask away.

05Many years ago, I volunteered here .. when the “Friends” began.

07And they had these lovely Hellebores on the table!

06They always have the most interesting seeds.  Quite exotic.  I’d bought some a few years ago .. some were successful, some weren’t.  I think I was too impatient or something.

04I’ve bought seeds from Full Circle before and I recently met someone who works there and have been invited to visit.  Here is their website ..quite a very interesting place to visit:  http://www.fullcircleseeds.com/

03I bought a pound of Russian Banana heritage potatoes.  They are rooting already so I will be planting them soon.  As most of the yard is given up to garlic, I plan to grow them in burlap bags.  I’ve been reading up on potatoes and they really don’t need much water.  Every year I’m learning more.

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Ok .. I saw this section of seeds on sale and I had to make myself walk away.  I have way too many seeds.  Cannors Nursery had a sale on seeds, 5 for $2 .. and they are all non-gmo (I checked them online), so I chose a variety of flowers and gourds. And I already have a stash of seeds from Annapolis Seeds and Salt Spring Seeds, quite a variety of heritage peas and beans.  I seriously need more property.

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I have lots more photos to share but time is fleeting and I need to do some housework and then run outside.

On Saturday I quite enjoyed wandering around the booths, seeing the results of a years worth of hard work by industrious people.  All were proud of their products and were happy to share their knowledge to others.  That made for such a wonderful atmosphere.

And Christina Nikolic of the Organic Gardener’s Pantry was there!!!  http://www.gardenerspantry.ca/  Christina is my source for all things organic in the garden.  In particular, EM ..effective microorganisms .. yogurt for the soil.  Magic for the garden.

There were many interesting speakers .. and I particularly enjoyed the Seed Preparation seminar.  Photos on that tomorrow!

🙂


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JaneE my cat is such a sweetie .. and I’m curious about garlic ..and admiring the blue skies above

Here is our lovely little kitty – JaneE cat!   She is a Calico Manx and she was born during the “great snow storm” of ’96 (Victoria, BC) which makes her 19 years old!  Doesn’t she look lovely.  She came outside this afternoon to enjoy the sun. … check out the yard .. and visit with me.   I was so happy to have her outside with me.

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Here she is .. sniffing out the catnip plant .. and there is my shadow .. taking this photo of her.

107Something caught her attention .. her hearing has greatly diminished lately …so I think a movement caught her eye.   She can still hear when I tap a spoon against a glass, though.

106She still plays like a kitten!  I bought her a small knitted catnip mouse recently.  It was knitted by a 90 year’s “young” lady from Sidney, BC and these are sold to raise money for protecting cats.  I bought it at Elements Compounding Pharmacy, located nearby.  Anyway, JaneE was batting that little knitted mouse around and we were happy to see her behaving in such a fun, joyful manner!   So .. she still has this playful manner, as you can see in this photo.  I have an airplane windshield to act as a little greenhouse.  Lots of sedums propagated here.  JaneE saw the little opening and within seconds, she was inside, exploring.  What a Cat!

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Lovely skies … so cheerful.

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Ok .. I spent more time looking up ..

110And feeling overjoyed at the clean beauty of these skies.

109This garlic was shedding a covering .. strange .. I thought …not having noticed anything like this before.

102And  had to admire the sunlight showing through the strong leaves of the Elephant garlic  …such a sturdy plant.

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And then I started looking more closely at the garlic greens.  Although I’d planted them all the same, pointy ends up .. it appeared that some leaves were growing in a different direction than others.  Some leaves were facing one direction and some were facing a different direction.  Now .. why is that?

104I think winter is over .. it feels like spring is here.  Many of my “winter sown” seeds are ready to pot up.  Kale and Mizuna, fast growing .. are at the 2 leaf stage, it won’t be long before they’ll be big enough.  My assortments of wild flowers and grasses .. I just threw the seeds into the milk containers .. so when they are bigger, I will just lift out small square sections of them and pot them up in 4 ” containers and when ready, I’ll plant them here and there.

A few days ago I picked 3 young daffodil stems.  The flowering capsules were small .. they hadn’t bloomed yet and I thought that I would pick them and take inside to see if they would bloom.  So, the magic of plants has proven itself yet again .. these flowers are nearly ready to escape the tight confines and bloom.  Amazing.  Magic.  Plants. Nature.

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I want to update some boring plastic garden pots and have spent a fair bit of time researching ideas online.  I’ve come up with a few simple ideas and plan to test them out.  Just simple ideas, nothing fancy, mind you .. and plan to do this over the next few days.  I’ll post the results when they are done.

Well, it’s been a day!

🙂

 

 

 


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Mature trees in a park …. birds in my yard .. a blue-eyed Emu and it’s the end of a gardener’s day!

My exercise group travels all around the city and Central Saanich.  On this particular day, we’d travelled to Dominion Park on East Saanich Road.  Beautiful park .. I especially loved the beauty and grace of the mature trees that live there.  This venerable tree seems to be smiling, don’t you think?

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And there were many more like that!  Here are some .. growing in a happy little group.  The Blue Spruce is very diminutive and appears to be protected by the larger trees on either side.  That is my story, anyway!

 

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And this Spruce is leaning a little to the left, maybe it likes the Leaning Tower of Pisa and is emulating that?  🙂  Very arty, I think.

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Another happy grouping .. and I can see that the deer have been nibbling away on one of them.

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As we walked along, a set of stone stairs appeared .. it was a slightly foggy day out there and it did feel as if we were stepping back in time.

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More stonework and a cascading little waterfall added to the ambience.

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Further along, the water was guided along by the stone-banked walls.

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Meanwhile .. back at home… I was finally able to take a photo of a Junco!  There are quite a few of them and I usually see them when my camera is somewhere else.  Murphy!

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Oh, sweet little Chickadee!  Curious about the Hummingbird’s attraction to this feeder, he just has to take a try.  So cute.  He keeps trying, but no luck.

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Ah ha!  This is much better!  Sunflower seeds in this little feeder.  That is more like it

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This was from a week ago .. but the skies were like this today also!

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Tiny little Bush-tits … so very darling and cheerful.

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So happy to have the Bewick Wrens visit.  Very handsome birds they are.
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Time for some suet …511A few weeks ago, I went out to buy some Llama manure and there were Emus there also.  The owner has had 2 of them for many years, 15, I think.  Anyway, this female has one blue eye and thus was not able to lay eggs.   Every time she turned and I could see her blue eye, she would move away!

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Here you can see her blue eye …

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So today I was able to escape to my yard and, mug of Yorkshire Tea in hand .. I began to look at the chores I would need to do.  More about that next time.  But this photo is quite familiar to all gardeners, right?   Nothing speaks volumes like a shovel, dirty garden gloves and a wheelbarrow!    Of course, when I read what I have written, I’m thinking, if this was a mystery story, then this could be a nasty story!  But I’m not like that, so this is a nice story.  🙂

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What does a turtle on the runway, spider webs, tree frogs and sky art have in Common? They are just some of the many things I love!

Today is a rainy, overcast day.  The sun came out for a nano-second and the skies are grayed over.  Perfect time to look through some photos from September, 2013!

This is a morning picture of a web that a spider had worked industriously on during the night.  Such delicate strands, pattern by Nature, instinctive in the spider.  How could a human being create such beauty and delicacy?  Only with much study and hard work and certainly not in the time that it took the spider to create this.  Humbling? You bet.  Impressive.
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As I went to move our lounge chairs into the sun .. I noticed a tiny little tree frog had taken up residence.  So sweet and so confident, not afraid of my presence. Calmly resting on “his” chair.  I left him there to relax.

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We noticed this turtle wandering all over the runway and I tried to guide him on a straight path so he would reach the other side. Really, why was I worried, as he must have made this trip many times.  Travelling from a trickling stream nearby to the forest on the other side of the runway.  Let me mention (and this is important) .. the runway was not active at this time.

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However, I did breathe a sigh of relief when he was at the other side.

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And then the excitement was over, he’d reached the field and made his way to a destination that only he knew. Back to the wife and kids?  Out for lunch?

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Later on I spent some time watching some industrious bees foraging for nectar.  These plants are growing in very hot countryside and they are very tiny.  Nevertheless, there is sufficient nectar to attract the bees.

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Morning skies are filled with low clouds at Mt. Arrowsmith.   Later that summer, I flew up there as a passenger  in the front seat of the PW-U6 and we flew so close, I clicked away like mad and have lots of photos from up there.  I’ll post them at a later date.  I was filled with awe at the proximity of this most magnificent mountain.  And I felt truly grateful at having the opportunity to be up there.

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Later in the morning, the clouds begin to lift and the Beaufort Mountain Range is becoming more visible.  What a view.

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See what a difference a few hours make.  I’m enamoured of skies and clouds and have many hundreds of photos to look at.  This one is another spectacular sight.

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These photos don’t need words.  These priceless works of sky art are beyond words.  Their beauty is infinite.

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2006

2006

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While stopped in traffic, I noticed this licence plate .. a reminder of my lovely Muscovy Drake, Huggers, Hugs for short.  He was a great little duck.   I used to keep a silver tray at the kitchen window.  On it I had a little bowl of water, some grapes or strawberries.  He liked to sit at the window outside.  When I opened the window, he would eat and drink as if he was at a fast-food restaurant.  He was a character.  He grew up with our 2 dogs and he really thought he was one.   Anyway, this reminded me of him.

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Beauty is everywhere .. we are surrounded by it .. if we only look.  Here I like the shadow of nearby cedar boughs, outlined by the sun onto the dash of my car.

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And, while looking through my photos .. I found some terrific views of my squash plants growing away.  Awesome .. from a small seed we obtain this delicious food.  Miracles happening all the time.  In particular, non-GMO, no pesticides …. ever!

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I was outside, every single day, looking at my treasures, so proud!

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And this is a lovely sight!  A little pricey, but you get what you pay for and non-GMO is worth it.219I am so glad that I am able to take so many photos of things that I love .. for days like this, I can look through them and relive the joy of every day.  And they are also incentive for the next year of growing, watching sky art and finding beauty in everything I see!

 


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Sweet little visitors came to my yard …

Friday, February 13, 2015

As I typed today’s date .. I thought back to the last time that I blogged .. it has been months since I’ve done that.  And I just love blogging .. writing about things that happen in my yard, places I’ve visited around town and things like that.

And photos .. hundreds of photos of birds, nature, skies, ocean, beaches.  And visits to various places.

I do feel quite happy, creative and energized when I make the time to post some photos and express my thoughts, just letting them flow from my fingertips as they tap along the keyboard.  It is really a decadent pleasure, writing.  Having loved writing since I was a kid, I mostly wrote in my mind until I learned about blogging!

Having the discipline to write daily has opened up the dusty doors of my imagination and how exciting it is to let loose the treasure trove of thoughts that I’d kept hidden away.  My mind really feels like Aladdin’s Cave .. full of precious and sparkly thoughts.  What a delight it is, to read my thoughts at a later date.  I wonder sometimes, where the words come from.  And I do have to laugh sometimes at what I’ve written.

Anyway, I’ve decided to polish off that discipline and delve back into that treasure trove.  So today, I will show some photos of some lovely feathered friends that are in my yard.  Nesting in the tall trees that we planted over 30 years ago

Here is one of the Red-Breasted Nuthatches visiting a suet block.  They look like little bandits and they are often quite difficult to find because they are quick to fly away, preferring to stay hidden away.  So I’m quite happy when I see them and I don’t even breathe, while I click-click away with my camera.

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And there are quite a number of Chestnut-backed Chickadees.  They are clever little birds and chirp away when the feeders are empty, as a reminder that they need to be replenished

14There is a family of Downy Woodpeckers, this is the female, the male has a band of red at the back of his head.  They always announce their presence with their cheerful little chirps “here I am”.  The sound is similar to a Robin’s cheerful chirp, I think.

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Sweet little Bush-tits,  they are social little birds and always swirl their way into the yard.  A few months ago, I was outside, digging away in the garden and overhead flew the largest flock of them I had ever seen.  I was so enthralled by the sight that I didn’t even want to waste time getting my camera case open.  It seemed as if there were hundreds of these little Bush-tits flying over my head … straight through the yard and aiming for a tall tree in the front yard.

Yesterday, there were only a few and after they ate some suet, they took some time to groom themselves.

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I felt lucky to zoom in on some of them, they flit about so quickly it’s challenging to focus on them and take some photos!

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A healthy looking Robin was tucked away in the branches of an apple tree, seemingly content to just stay hidden away for a while.  He was there for quite a long time.

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He kept an eye on me while he sat there, surveying the yard.

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Just a few Bush-tits at a suet block.  The others were either perched nearby or in the midst of the tree, grooming themselves.  How very sweet they are.

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And I was so focused on getting a photo of the little Anna (upper middle area) that I completely did not see the Bewick Wren staring right at me!   What a surprise that was, when I looked at this photo!   Can you see it, almost in the middle of the photo .. tail feathers spread out in a fan shape.  There is a family nesting somewhere in our yard and I feel honoured to have them here.

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Some lovely skies a few days ago .. graceful sweeps of frothy clouds .. eye candy for the soul.
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Here is one of the Bewick’s .. lovely singer

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I was extremely fortunate to take more photos .. I think this one might be the baby, nearly grown now.  Their nest must be hidden away quite well .. these birds are very challenging to find.

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Little Anna, sipping away.  I must start making the nectar 4:1 soon, as the weather is quite balmy and they don’t need the 3:1 sugar right now.  Must do that tomorrow and clean and refill their feeders.

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A few weeks ago this hawk was settled into the wild and crazy tree.  Eventually he flew off.  Quite a beauty, isn’t he.

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Darling little Black-Crowned Sparrow.  Very distinctive.  I’ve heard a few Gold-Crowned Sparrows, but not many, yet.

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I don’t see this squirrel around much . .I think she is Squirrely’s daughter.  Love the white markings on her chest.

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Well… blogging is continuing.  I’ll share my Mason Bees adventures when they are put outside to hatch.  Right now they are snug in their container in the fridge’s crisper drawer.  Their house is all cleaned up.  And at the end of February or beginning of March (I am told) I can put the cocoons into the top drawer of their house and put them outside!

🙂


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Relaxing times and some things that bring me great joy .. throughout the year and every day, as a matter of fact!

Oh, doesn’t the time fly by sometimes, though!  I was taking a “few days” away from my blogging and how I have missed it.  This is my chance to write my daily thoughts, my dreams, my joy … and I love looking backwards throughout the year to see how my daily life unfolded.  My photos help me out a lot.  Sometimes life is so busy and so it is nice to look back and see what was happening.

Still having fun learning how to take photos with my Panasonic 30x camera … bringing little worlds up closer to look at:16And even closer … such tiny little flowers growing away ..

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While in the back yard …I think this is little Squirrely’s daughter …hungrily munching on a peanut …they have to survive.  Little Squirrely was a frequent visitor to our yard last year – we haven’t seen her for a long time.   This little one has lovely white markings .

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The new eco-friendly (aka bamboo) bird feeder is a welcome addition to the yard …  below is one of my impromptu “raised beds” planted with lots of garlic.  I was going to be more moderate in my plantings of Elephant (sigh, yes, a member of the leek family) and Kazakhstan garlic.  However, I ended up just going a little crazy and began planting like mad.  More photos in the next few months showing their progress.  Also, I’d learned in a garlic class that we shouldn’t plant sprouted garlic.  I was abiding by this wisdom until I saw the many sprouting garlic cloves.  And I remembered that last year I’d planted sprouted cloves in December that grew quite well so I succumbed and planted many more garlic cloves.13More eye candy .. a fallen oak leaf .. splendid in its natural beauty and natural surroundings.  I have a billion such leaves covering my garlic beds at home …..treasures, each and every one!

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And then .. DH & I went flying … thank goodness for digital cameras .. I click away as the beauty unfolds ..

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This was on Christmas Day … lovely skies …

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We flew over the old racetrack .. soon to be partial development, part common gardens, I believe .07

Low clouds, fluffy and soft …

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Sky art … lovely and fresh ..

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Such beauty …

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Time to land …after a number of circuits …

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Well .. that is where some of my time has gone over the past few days.

Time to get on with the day.  Things to do .. one of which is quite important and that is to make a listing of the oh so many Heritage seeds that I’ve purchased from Annapolis Seeds, Salt Spring Island Seeds and .. drum roll…. Richters Herbs.

I actually visited Richters Herbs in Ontario, during November.  Having ordered various seeds from them over the past 30 years, I was thrilled to actually visit this venerable seed company.   And …. yes .. I did take lots of photos.  That is for another day.

Speaking of another day .. another Seedy Saturday is coming up in February.  I am so looking forward to volunteering in this annual event.  This year I shall purchase more Heritage potatoes … i grew fingerlings last year in large pots and they did grow well.  I took photos of each pot’s harvest as I unearthed them.   That is for another day.

Today is here and I’m up up and away!!!

🙂


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What I have seen in the garden during the past few days!!

The birds are used to the new feeders!  Actually this was sold in a gardening center for placing air ferns inside.  I immediately saw “birdfeeder” and bought about 5 or 6!   One of my many dreams coming true .. seeing the little Chickadee perched there.  Dreams can be about absolutely anything .. I love dreaming and have joy in seeing them come true!

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And then I saw this darling little Anna … busily chatting away to another Anna in a nearby tree.

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 Another opportunity to play with my new Camera .. learning as I go, what the best settings are.  I’ll study the “how to” manual on a rainy day. For now I will just take lots of photos …

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These tiny birds are so lovely to watch .. but they are tough little birds.  My cat once caught one, many years ago.  I’d heard an unusual sound from the yard and on investigation, found a tiny Anna that she had somehow brought to the ground.  Carefully I picked up the stunned little bird, surprised at the solid little weight it made in my hand – They are so small I visualized them as being as light as a feather.  It was an adventure that ended well for her.  I carefully put her in a room, opened the window, shut the door and shortly after that I saw the little bird Anna quietly on the branch of a nearby tree.

I think this Anna is the baby, still learning from the parents …

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ok .. just one more photo .. I love them!

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Strawberries are still flowering, bearing fruit even though it is mid-October.  This is a wild strawberry, the tiny yellow type which will easily invade your yard if planted.  I discovered that this summer.  Thought it would be nice to have a few varieties of wild strawberries planted among the veggies.  I soon found out that they will send out runners “till the cows come home” and ended up putting some in pots and the rest in the compost.  Hmmmmm … I realize that I will be getting a few hundred of these plants next spring from the compost!    Well, I can always share them.

At last, what a treat .. I was able to see the baby Bewick Wren!!!!!  They must be nesting somewhere in the yard …We planted many trees over the years and they have become home to Bush-tits, Chickadees, Juncos, Downy Woodpeckers, Sparrows (House, Gold Crowned, White Crowned) Flickers, Nuthatches .. on and on ..

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This was a rare treat to see this baby and I was ecstatic!   I had heard the parents “talking” to the baby over the summer and didn’t dare hope to ever see it.  Yet another one of the million delights in a backyard garden.   Right now, he is looking at the suet block below.  I must have made a little noise because after this photo, he abruptly flew away.

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There are still a few tiny little squash growing along.  I haven’t the heart to dig them up and will just leave them for awhile longer.  They are cheerful looking and brighten up the garden.

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Speaking of beauty it is all around us .. the ever changing skies overhead.

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Another treat from the compost, a surprise squash.  It is only tiny and might just grow a little bit more.

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I so love this plant, everything about it . .. even the name is cheerful “Peppermint Stick”.  I’d acquired it a few years ago and planted in the shade.  This year I moved it into the sun and like magic .. it showed me how happy it was in the new location by growing and growing and growing!   I was admiring the appearance of the raindrops and sunshine scattered along one of the broad leaves.  And here is a most interesting link that I found when looking for the proper name of this grass, I guarantee that you will find this blog most interesting  :http://www.louistheplantgeek.com/a-gardening-journal/491-arundo-donax-peppermint-stick

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Although I’ve harvested and composted the majority of tomatoes in the yard .. this is one of the few remaining and you can see why I’ve left them in place.  They look like cascading jewels, adding yet more beauty to the yard.

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The same reasoning works for these squash plants.  I’ll deal with them after the frost visits the yard .. there are still a number of weeks before that happens.

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And another sky photo …

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It’s been a busy few weeks .. having lots of fun in the yard, getting it ready for winter.   Harvesting the Scarlet Runner Beans, the Cherokee Trail of Tears, the tri-colour bush beans.   Surprises every day.

Gardening is so magical, ever changing and satisfying.

🙂


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My Mason Bees were absolutely amazing … and I have concerns over Bees and Neonicotinoid Pesticides!!!!!!

Yesterday I finally cleaned up my lovely Mason Bee Cocoons!  I’d bought my little MB condo and about 16 cocoons at the North Saanich Market 2 years ago.

Last year was my first session of cleaning the cocoons for winter and my pal D and I sat out in the sunshine doing this!   We opened up the channels of the MB house, cleaned up the cocoons and put them away in a container for the winter.

The cocoons stayed put, in their clear container (from the Crown Bee  website) until March when I put the cocoons into the top tray of the Mason Bee house, and set them in a sunny area of the yard.

Oh the magic of seeing them hatch and fly away.  The industriousness of the 2 females (one  of the three females didn’t survive) who worked steadfastly through the warm summer months to lay eggs, leave pollen .. making many trips to do so, seal the space with clay and repeat this many times.

I was so excited .. how many cocoons would I get this year?  Well as it turns out … yesterday when  went through  the cleaning process .. I counted 57!!!! Yes!! 57 from 2 females from a total of only 16 cocoons that survived.  Happy am I??? YES!

So here is my little Mason Bee Condo .. see .. there are 8 channels filled:

02Here is the top layer, only one channel and you can see where a few eggs didn’t mature into cocoons, for whatever reason I don’t know .. and I didn’t take photos of the other trays but they had missing sections also.  Nature’s way? I need to research what could have gone wrong.  There seems to be a fair bit of pollen and, I’m guessing – mites in the empty sections so this must have been the reason.

03After 3 rinses in clear, cold water .. the cocoons are floating on the clean water.  This is a good thing, only cocoons which are alive float so I was very relieved to see this!

04I patted the cocoons dry on the paper towels and then put them all into the clear container (seen in the first photo) and now they are in the crisper in the fridge until spring.  Oh this is so exciting.

05I’ve been paying attention to pesticides and bees and have read that neonicotinoids (pesticide) have been the cause of bee deaths.   And I’ve read that some Ontario beekeepers have launched a lawsuit over this pesticide:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/canadian-beekeepers-sue-bayer-and-syngenta-over-neonicotinoid-pesticides-1.2754441

The chemical companies know full well the outcome of the pesticides which are not needed anyway.    Healthy organic farming practices negate the need of any chemicals.

I was so distraught when I finally bought some annuals (I normally don’t buy these) in the spring.   Feeling decadent and seeing these pretty flowers at two shops .. I decided to buy quite a number of flats.  Once planted .. I read about the chemical.   With a feeling of dread, I contacted the two shops and asked them to check with the growers to see if this chemical was used and I was assured that it wasn’t.  However, I do wonder if the seeds had been treated .. how would I know?  The flowers themselves look so pretty .. and I’ve watered them with EM (effective microorganisms) and this is why they are still flowering like this (plus the sunny October weather)!

06So perhaps I’m over-worrying .. but I want good plants in good soil.  The neonicotinoid pesticide lives on in the soil and when the bees visit the flowers, they are poisoned.  Oh I hope I can trust the growers who supplied the shops where I bought the plants.

07Well .. next year I plan to start my own annual flower seedlings .. I have purchased quite a few packets of organic flower seeds and so I will know for sure, without any doubt, that the beautiful flowers will be safe for the bees.

Recently I’ve been discovering the magic of my new (Panasonic 30 x zoom) camera and taking photos of the moon  … here is a shot from last night .. the moon seems like a close neighbour .. not as far away as I’d thought!  And we are going to be treated to a most wonderful red moon (I think) on Wednesday morning!!

08This tiny little squash is growing away in one of my containers .. thanks to EM and the warmth of the sun.    I wonder how big it will get to be?  There are quite a number of little baby squash growing now … I will have to keep a close eye on their growth, harvesting when the frost hits!  I think this is another volunteer from the compost soil .. how fun.

09Nasturtiums in the sun from this afternoon …

10And this little sunflower caught my attention .. with the swirling, ever-growing tendrils of a squash plant growing up the stem .. looking like one of those crazy English hats!  Quite a sight, don’t you think?

11There are so many things to do in the garden right now!  I’ve finally sorted out the Red Wigglers from the compost container.  What a job that was.  I’ve had the worm compost for three years and finally took the time to sort out the lovely rich worm castings from the wigglers.  After about a week .. I think … I’ve finally sorted them all out and now have a fresh compost containers .. and a container of rich castings for my plants .. plus a container of wigglers to give to a friend!

Finally, this was done, my Mason Bees were cleaned and put away in the fridge.  Now I can focus on other things to do in the garden.  One of these things is to figure out what plants I have and where to put them.  Imagine my surprise when I found this lovely Pussy Willow .. it needs sun, but managed to survive in the shade.  Oh lovely darling ..I moved you to the sun and tomorrow will treat you to a drink of EM ..
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Well .. it’s been a day .. and now JaneE and I are away to watch Coronation Street!

🙂


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Spiders and seaweed .. some of the things I have in my garden. Plus some photos of the moon .. how fun

This is one of 2 Silverberry plants that I bought many .. many years ago.   Tough as nails these plants are.  They survived neglect (kept in a plant pot out in the garden .. forgotten) and although they didn’t grow much, they didn’t give up.  Bless em.  4 years ago I finally planted them and last year they started to flower.  These plants are quite large now and I’ve begun pruning them.  The flowers are a positive sign that they are happy …and I’m loving them for hanging in!  This is just a small section to show the flowers up close .. there are hundreds of these tiny little beauties of joy.

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A few days ago I was removing plants that had come to the end of their growth .. trying to make some space for kale,spinach and mizuna plants.  I noticed this spider had settled in on the squash vine .. so, not wanting to disturb him … I left the removal of this spent vine for another day.

02Finally all the seaweed sacks were emptied, the seaweed either dug into the soil or put in the compost bins.  These were then rinsed thoroughly and draped on the conduit frame and bamboo, wherever there was space .. to dry and soak up the sunshine.  Ready for another trip sometime in the future.

03At the end of the day …. spider was still there … he looked settled in so I left him in peace.

04Part of an old window from our house and a little stained glass sunburst them I made years ago.  Just waiting for me to re-purpose them into something artsy for the garden.  For now they will just stay put .. pretty to look at and not in the way of anything.

 

05Last year my pal D and I went to the beach shores in Sidney, there is a small section which receives a lot of broken ceramics and bricks .. washed ashore from a nearby island.  Lots of treasures to be found .. I might sprinkle some into a fairy garden, they would be perfect.

06Each sunflower is different, some have broader petals, smaller faces .. each one is beautiful.

07The moon two nights ago .. I was playing with my camera to see how close I could aim with the 30 zoom (Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40) …. loving this camera .. here are some views that I took ..

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11The moon doesn’t really seem that far away .. shapes and craters can be seen ..

12And just as I finished my little tour around the garden .. I noticed that a potato had been growing away in bean container.  Fancy that .. I must have used some compost here .. it will be interesting to see if I harvest any little taters here!

10Well .. its’ a new day, lots to do .. .which includes a garlic workshop at the Victoria Compost Centre later on in the day.  I intend to learn a lot about this lovely crop!

🙂