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.

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Cheerful photos from those hot summer days.. to enjoy on this rainy day!

Sometimes .. there is a period when time seems to stand still .. and then it speeds up and before you know it .. a season is over and another one has begun!

Spring and Summer are like that for me.  One moment I’m all excited, planting flower & veggie seeds.  Watching them all sprout and grow.  Enjoying the enchantment of each living thing becoming what is what meant to be.  This is magic.  The long hot sunny days blur into each other, becoming an endless series of wonder.

Then the seeds, having grown into their potential, give us a plentiful supply of food, nutritious and delicious.   I’m still excited but becoming more grateful and appreciative.

Here is a spring photo of a Swallowtail Butterflying sipping at the nectar of the Budleia.  This plant I hadn’t pruned for years so it was massive.  After the flowers had finished, I cut it back thoroughly.  I know that it will again grow tall with many flowers for the butterflies next Spring.  These plants are amazingly resilient!

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Darling little JaneE Kat .. enjoying a peaceful siesta in the sun ..thurs01

A very hardy Clematis flowers over a little arbour in the garden .. the butterfly is enjoying taking a little rest on a flower .. how  beautiful and delicate this all is.   This Nature.  thurs-20

The first batch of peas ready to pick .. they were delicious!thurs-07

Dainty pea flower growing away … I hadn’t noticed before the graceful designs in the flower and now I see how gentle and magnificent this is.thurs-06

About 4 or 5 years ago, I’d planted some bamboo .. and had encircled the root system with heavy grade garden plastic.  Happy to see that this barrier worked to keep the bamboo well within this wrap and didn’t spread along the fenceline.  It was very easy to just lift the plant from where it was and then I divided it into sections and replanted them in large pots – to be replanted another day.  And I believe that this is the “clumping” type of bamboo, not the runner type.thurs-03

During the summer I participated in a few craft markets and here are some wine charms that I made for a customer.   I have many interests, thus many types of crafts, too many, perhaps.   I need a store!!thurs-05

A Spotted Towhee perches atop the wild and crazy tree.  Later he sang a lovely song ….here is a link where you can find all details of this sweet  Towhee  thurs-11-2

Hot pink geraniums in the yard …thurs-11

Hey .. more treats for me??? (of course, sweetie, all you want!)  My darling Garden Kat.thurs-08

The robust  bees love the Budleia too!  thurs-12

Wildflowers in a field … thurs-13

Translucent rainbow spheres of mystical delicacy waft towards the mountains .. are these tiny transportation orbs for the fae that dwell nearby?

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Majestic mountains .. I look forward to flying up there next spring!  My DH will be at the controls of the PW-6U and I’ll be all comfy, settled in .. happy to be soaring skywards!!thurs-14

The B-17 Bomber that visited the Victoria Flying Club in June of this year!thurs-09

During the lovely warm days of spring and the hot times in the summer, I love taking the photos of things that I love and never have enough time to stop and enjoy thoroughly.

Now is the time when I can relax, spend some time going through the photos, rediscovering all the beauty that flourishes everywhere.

And planning for next year.

Enjoying today.

Feeling a tremendous sense of satisfaction in my life and surroundings.

A great deal of appreciation, gratitude and joy.

Now .. time to go and check out my latest supply of apples, carefully prepared early this morning and distributed in the 6 trays of the dehydrator!    Treats for snacking and for sharing!

I feel like the little ant who worked so hard preparing for the winter and enjoying the process!

🙂


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Having fun at a garden centre and now I have a proper English tea caddy!

I love shopping for plants at Cannor Nursery .. and they always have something funny at the front counter.  This made me laugh on Saturday .. if you can see through the glare!  What we think is a peaceful little garden scenario:

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And they always have the most interesting items in this beautiful trickling water feature .. oh wouldn’t it be nice to have this one!

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I wonder if this scares the real herons away?

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Lots of colourful fish swimming around ..

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Bugs in your yard bothering you?  These plants may be just the answer to solve that problem?

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Overhead … sky art …

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And .. as there is never enough sky art .. here is more …tues-02

There are a number of family owned business throughout the city …I like shopping at these places.  More personality than big box stores and I like to support them.  The helpful and hard working employees always make it a pleasure to shop.   Cannor’s has the most interesting plants and, I must confess, I quite often find special deals on plants that I simply Must Have!  🙂

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The rains had stopped and the raindrops adorned the leaves of this Rue so gracefully …

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How pretty are these succulent plantings …dare I try something like this at home?   Perhaps .. it would be fun to try.

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And finally!!!   A good friend recently went back to Jolly Old and brought us some fantastic souveniers!  Now I have a proper tea caddy for my Yorkshire Tea!  And very special shopping bags.  Love these!!!!

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Now I am crazy into dehydrating apples and so I must run to the kitchen and spend some time preparing more for the winter.   I plan to make dainty phylo apple pies and so many other things that can be created with these lovely slices.

🙂


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Happy photos taken during the sunny spring …..great memories and more to come! Yippee …

I was going through some photos that I’d taken during the year and the sweet memories started popping up .. my visual diary of happy days and things seen during my daily life!

Saw this sign posted at a garden shop and it pretty well sums up my gardening life when I’m out in the world, away from my garden!    I’m a magnet for perennial plant sales.

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From last spring .. beauty in all things ..frid-05

Cannors Nursery at the Sears Mall .. loving the decadence of their whimsical decorations.  Course I would never ever do that to my violin!!  🙂  This one looks like it has had a lot of adventures, wonder where it was played, by whom and what lovely music has been made when it was being used for its true purpose?  Did it go travelling or just stay in town?  Did the owners love it to death and practice every day?  So many questions.  Still, I like that it is a focus of the garden area.

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Last spring, Gold Crown Sparrow resting near a blue Camus flower – at Fort Rodd Hill.

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Miners Lettuce at Fort Rodd … lush and beautiful.  Great for snacking on .. .or make a salad .. lots of natural nutrition ..frid-03

Darling JaneE Kat .. sitting on the back stairs, her favourite catnip plant right beside her, ready for nibbling on ..frid-06

Salmonberry blooming away .. these plants are easy to propagate, grow quite tall and are very resilient.  The orange berries are tasteless and I think the birds love them as I rarely find any to munch on when I go searching.  That’s all right by me!   More food for them.   I do love the flowers though.frid-07

Sweet little baby Bewick Wren .. elusive little bird and happy to be able to get a quick photo.  They are nesting somewhere in the yard.frid-08

A few seconds later, he was perching on a branch of the apple tree .. listening to his parents calling and soon flew away.  Love these precious moments in the garden.frid-09

Delicate Rock Rose flowers …frid-10

Diminutive little flower growing along the ground ..frid-12

.. and a tiny little winged creature is dining out on an early Saturday morning in the sun ..frid-13

Magnificent Beaufort Mountain Range  and the stately clouds adorn it like a crown, how very fitting!frid-11

And so DH sweeps us away up to the clouds in the dear blue skies above … flying in the PW6-U …frid-23

Woo Hoo .. this is living …. miss this and looking forward to the spring when we can go flying up there again .. and again .. and again …frid-20

Travelling in the air is so magical .. it is truly another world and I am so very happy that DH takes me away to this special place .. Let’s see .. garden .. sky .. garden .. sky .. oh I have the best of both mystical and magical worlds I am so lucky!frid-20-2

Here is a great explanatory interview of the  PW6-U   The Pawnee is the tow plane, they were used for crop dusting years ago.

And this is truly .. truly .. so beautiful … enjoy this beautiful flying video, it captures the essence of ..sailplane flight up in Port Alberni … my most favourite video ever ..so perhaps you can see how magical this flying is and why I love it so much.

Anyone can go on a Scenic flight and have a taste of what it is like to glide high in the skies at the Beaufort Mountains ..

Sigh …

The fall winds have started and the leaves have started to rain down to the ground.  A change in scenery, wild and free.

I’m looking forward to going outside to see how the bean forest is doing .. and today will start leaving out a little bit more seed and suet for the birds who visit.  Yesterday I saw my first Junco so I’ll start leaving out the flax seed that they love.

The baby birds hatched this past spring will soon be experiencing their first winter.  I know that they are wild birds and will survive.  However, I can’t resist a little picture in my mind, of knitting them the tiniest of little scarves and sweaters from silky spider webs to keep them warm!

They will survive.  And I will support them by ensuring that I keep their feeders clean, give them good seed mixes and make sure there is a steady supply of water, even when the temperature goes down.

Well … time to go and start this day!!!

🙂


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Foggy morning equals sunny afternoon!

A week or so ago, my pal D and I travelled to Sooke for one of our infrequent trips to this lovely little town not far from Victoria.  Our aim is to enjoy the relaxing ocean atmosphere, gather a little bit of the raggedy seaweed (not too much and only that which is not home to living creatures).  Breathe in the invigorating salt air.  Drink in the sight of such beauty.  And just chill out.  Each with our own thoughts and each wandering about the beach in our own little walks.   A time for relaxing.  A treat.

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I’m not a boater but I do enjoy watching the vessels, sailboats etc., that journey across the waters.  The air and the ground are my elements.   The water is beautiful, though.thurs-09

In the distance, the remaining fog resembled earthbound clouds, struggling to get back up high (that is what it seemed to me!)thurs-08

Very peaceful indeed … tranquil, restful, all that and more …thurs-03

Here the fog looks like gauzy waves dreamily forming against the mountains .. sigh.thurs-02

The seagull has some tasty treasure to feast on ..thurs-05

Feeding over, time to just rest among the seaweed ..thurs-04

The comforting solid density of the rock … warm to the touch .. interesting in the textures formed by the years of pressure, travel and the sort of thing that happens to rocks over the years.thurs-07

How beautiful is this ….thurs-06

I love personal touches such as this … a respite for a little bird, how sweet.

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Beach time over with .. we head to our favourite Cafe ..

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Time for a decaf mocha Americana .. yum ..thurs-18

Such a restful and tranquil garden at the back of the cafe ..love the hedge of boxwood around the fountain.thurs-15

Pretty flowers, eye candy for gardeners ..thurs-19

With the noise cancelling sounds of the fountain and the lush plantings, it is difficult to remember that there is heavy traffic on the other side of the bushes and plants.  Nice!

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And there is my little red car .. my trusty little vehicle .. so practical and so fun to take on little holidays and daytrips such as this!  🙂thurs-16

How sweet is this .. colourful and fun …thurs-14

And at the front of the cafe are little tables for people to sit at, sip their drinks and ponder the world.thurs-13

So we had just a most relaxing and fun filled day.  Afterwards we went to the one thrift shop that remains in the town.  There used to be another one which was quite fun to shop at .. but for some reason, it is shut down.  So now there is a mad rush for everyone to go to the one place that exists.  Still fun and we do find some treasures.

It is fun to zip away for the day with a friend and just do some exploring .. at the ocean .. at a cafe .. at a thrift shop.

We never know what we will see or discover and we always have such a great time.

Well .. the day is speeding along .. so on with this most beautiful and sunny day.

🙂


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The Gold Crowned Sparrows have returned. The bees are busy .. and the rains have arrived.

A few days ago we had really artistic skies .. like this one ..

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and this one ..

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Yesterday .. these were a memory as the weather was changing, getting ready for the rain that started falling yesterday evening.  sigh.

So I wandered around the yard, looking for interesting happenings that I hadn’t seen before .. this spider’s web had a lovely sheen of rainbow haze which I couldn’t quite catch .. nonetheless .. quite beautiful.

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I had scattered some French Marigold seeds throughout the bean forest and had completely forgotten about them until, searching for beans on the Blue Lake bush beans plants, I noticed this Marigold!  Ready to flower so that will be pretty to see and more nectar for the  bees!

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One of the sunflower feeding stations which evidently is being visited by an assortment of little winged friends who visit.

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I love the weathered look of this sunflower .. seeds nearly completely gone ..

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Diminutive sunflower shyly peeking out ..

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Looks like the leafcutter bees are still active .. they are good pollinators ..

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The Gold Crowned Sparrows arrived in the yard on Monday … fresh from their long trek from Alaska.  I find their loving bird-song very comforting and was so happy to hear them.  Here is a link with more information and sound tracks of their songs:  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Golden-crowned_Sparrow/sounds

When they first return it is challenging to find them, but they soon overcome their shyness and are more evident as they look for food in the yard.  Because it is still technically summer, I don’t put out much food – but I knew it was going to rain so distributed small chunks of suet and birdseed in the feeders for them.

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Loving the light playing through the bean leaves …

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This patch of beans was planted very late but peeking through the vines I was happy to discover these beans.  More will grow ..some for juicing .. some for saving seeds for next year.

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Another surprise Nasturtium growing away at the base of the bean plants.

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And another one ..

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Simple beauty .. bounty from the bean forest …thank you my garden ..

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Loving the surprises that are tucked away!!   Exciting to see how long this little squash will grow .. it is mid-September now.  I’ve just checked several online sources for the fall frost date and it seems that Nov 5 is the start, here in Victoria, BC.  So, there is still a month of growing to happen.  Lovely mix of EM/llama manure and lots of rain with sun dropping by will result in magical transformations!

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Yet another surprise squash healthily growing away, tendrils reaching out for support – there is a lot of that in the bean forest!friday-20

Bees are busy .. glad the flowers are there for them

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Time to leave and find another source of nectar ..

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As quickly as the bee buzzed in … it was gone.  Life is busy for the bees.

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A line-up is happening over at this squash flower.  Normally I notice, when there is a bee in a flower, another bee just leaves to find another one.  Perhaps this little guy was just tired and taking a break or perhaps it sensed that there was more nectar than the first bee could handle?

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So satisfying to see such a myriad of happenings throughout the yard.  There are still other areas of the yard to finish organizing and to observe what is going on.  For now, though, it is the growing portion of the yard that attracts my attention so I will stay with that.

Rain and sun for the next few days.   I’ll take advantage of the rain to do some indoor things today!!!  Soon I  will be entering my creative world of artistic endeavours – crafting away some bracelets of beads and wire … that the sunshine and outdoors drew me away from.

🙂

 


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The Place Where My Spirit Breathes

I like the energy of this blog ..

Joi T. Arcand's avatartea&bannock

maskéko-sákahikanihk.

This summer, I took a four day intensive néhiyawéwin class. I’m learning my language, slowly. This class was the beginning of a commitment to push myself further towards this goal.

I live in Ottawa now, but I’m a prairie girl through and through. Going back home is a necessity in staying grounded and connected to what calms my soul. The language is in the land, in the vast prairie skies, the water. nipiy. my veins.

Don’t bother writing the words down. Just listen. You’ll remember.

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péyak. níso. nisto.

I’m in kindergarten, my favourite class is Cree class. We learn numbers, greetings, animals. Those words come flooding back in my memory.

I’m grateful to the educators that provided us with the opportunity to be exposed to our language and culture.

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Thirty years later, the class is full of eager students willing to learn néhiyawéwin. The instructors are passionate about passing on the…

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Maybe if the trees had a tutor they wouldn’t have failed!

a photo a day by me :)'s avatarA photo a day by me 🙂

failed trees.jpg

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Istanbul 70 – Turkish Psycho-Disco

How do I say “wow” in Turkish? Beautiful everything here … I would like to purchase this music and will go to I-Tunes to see if it is available. It would be wonderful to listen to this in my garden!!!

jeremysimms's avatarsteppingintotomorrow

Istanbul 70 - Turkish Psycho-Disco

You might have seen this fantastic series selling out quick in your local record store. If, like me, you weren’t quite quick or canny enough to grab one of the limited vinyl copies in person, fear not, a CD has been issued and can be got online at the ever-reliable giant sell-everything stores (not plugging any particular one here!). The picture here is of a record sleeve because, honestly, I love the vinyl and always want it, but the CD features a photo of a van on the front.

These are old Turkish nuggets edited and pushed around with the more leftfield 21stC clubs in mind by a digger nut named Baris K who clearly knows what he is doing. From three 12″s there are a variety of tunes which will appeal in different times and places. Personal favorites of mine, for their sheer trippiness, are Derdiyoklar’s “Yaz Gazeteci” which…

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Open letter to voters in Saanich, Victoria, Esquimalt and Colwood

Open letter to voters in Saanich, Victoria, Esquimalt and Colwood.


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A visit to a Japanese Garden …

I belong to an exercise group and we meet 3 times a week.  We go to the most amazing places around Victoria … hidden treasures that are so beautiful.

So I’d like to share one of these treasures .. which has been here for many years and I had no idea!  It is the Japanese Gardens located in the Esquimalt/Gorge park area and here is a link for more information

.http://www.esquimalt.ca/parksrecreation/donations/esquimaltgorgepark.aspx

710There were a number of meandering paths and beautiful stone structures to see.

711There is such a feeling of calmness, peace and tranquility here.

 

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712Lovely bamboo fencing, gentle and not intrusive to the surrounding nature.

708The sight and sound of this delicate water feature was again, very calming.

707Tranquil setting .. a place to stop and reflect or just enjoy the beauty.

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705A bridge over the stream .. a place to pause, watch the water gently swirling by.

704A solid stone bench to rest awhile … again .. to enjoy the surrounding beauty.

703More photos of the water feature .. and the bridge ..

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713Finally .. back at home .. a sleepy little bird dozing in the sunshine.

714What a lovely treat this was, to see the beauty of this Japanese Garden, which has been in existence for many years and I was so happy to have visited this most beautiful place.

There are so many beautiful places everywhere .. we just need to explore our surroundings and discover them.  It is so much fun to have mini-adventures in our days.

Time to go out exploring and find them.

I’m so excited, tomorrow is Seedy Saturday and I’m so looking to volunteering there!  I’ll bring my camera along to share this event.

Time to prepare my organic, non-GMO seeds that I will share at the seed swapping table and gather up some gardening books to donate.  I have so very many amazing books and each year I go through them, choosing which ones don’t belong in my collection any more, time to share them.

Some books are terribly challenging to part with .. like my Bob Flowerdew book which I picked up at a library book sale.  I was looking through that one last night and decided it needs to stay with me for a bit longer.

One of my dreams is for DH & I to have property and this will have some extra buildings there .. one of which I shall claim for my gardening house.  Shelves for my books. Table for working on.  Music to listen to.  Windows to look out of.  So on a rainy day I can be there, a mountain of gardening books spread out on the able.. me looking through them, making copious notes of what to grow where. Sigh.  Oh and many mugs of Yorkshire Tea!

Well, time to get on with this lovely Friday!

🙂