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.

Tag Archives: nature


by Leave a comment

Revisiting the beach .. time for soup at Mom’s Cafe .. and enjoying some relaxing time!

Monday, December 17, 2012

Brrrrr … no snow (yet)  and we are very lucky so far.  At least, for those of us who don’t leap at the thought of cross-country skiing or downhill or other winter sports!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I’ve spent a few hours here and there out in the back yard.  Using the weed eater to chop up some of the many bags of oak leaves that I’d collected over the past month.  I think I had about 30 bags and so far have about 15 or so to chop up.  Using the weed eater certainly speeds up the process for the leaves to compost.   At first I put some leaves in an empty garbage container (only used for the garden, though).  Eventually the cords on the weed eater would become entangled so I changed my method.

Now I just empty a bag of leaves in one area of the garden and then proceed to break them up.  Works like a charm.  And no worries if the occasional bits of leaves tumble onto the lawn .. this only serves to feed the soil.  That wonderful ecosystem that I’ve learned to pay more attention to.  All that busy microbial universe that, until I took my Organic Master Gardening course this year .. I was (sadly) totally unaware of.  Now that my awareness has been raised .. I pay more attention to how I treat my garden.   And so happy with the results.

Anyway, just wanted to share some photos of a trip to the beach a week ago.  D & I collected some lovely chopped up seaweed!  The kelp was lovely, sliced into perfect circles .. perfect for the garden.   If the weather permits, we’ll make another trip there this week to gather some of this lovely broken seaweed!

On this trip, we went to Mom’s Cafe!  Lovely place .. has been under various ownerships in the past few years, but the food is still delicious, even if the tea was a tad on the costly side!  We each had a bowl of the salmon & corn chowder (wild salmon of course!) and it was delicious to the last drop.

I’ve been a little busy in the past few weeks .. making soaps and spending zillions of hours in packaging them.   Quite enjoying this and rediscovering the joy I used to have, many years ago, in concocting various recipes.  Sort of like revisiting the past, with a modern perspective.

So I’ve allowed myself to be a little lazy (that is, not going 18 hours a day) over the past few days .. and quite enjoying this, for a change.  Realize that I’m not the kind of person not to be involved in 2 or 3 projects simultaneously … I think that this is normal for me.   Boredom hits me when I don’t have deadlines.

sigh.

Anyway .. just wanted to share my photos .. and so now I’m going about my day .. in my most lovely life!

🙂

 


by Leave a comment

Enjoying the creative journey to my soaps .. watching the birds in the yard .. and dreaming of the sailplane flights at Port Aberni. Sigh

14 December, 2012

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

So here we are … mid-December … celebrations going on all over the place .. and I’m happy just playing in our back yard.  Oh, and making soap of course.  Can’t say that this isn’t a clean hobby, hee hee hee.

The hours disappear as I carefully mix up various concoctions .. such as Calendula & Citrus, Citrus, Parsley & Poppy seed and Poppy seed.

Hours spent meticulously cutting up the tulle to enfold the soaps.  Making labels, labouriously cutting them out and posting the type of soap on the back of the cards.  A ridiculous amount of time really, but I find myself terribly happy as I spend all these days in my creative little world.

And as I’m doing all this I’m dreaming of a variety of other herbal mixtures I will make, in the new year.  I’ll play around with shapes and colours.   Various ways of wrapping them.  All the wonderful new ideas that keep popping up.

Yesterday I was excited to find a treasure of clear oblong containers … only a supply of about 20 . .. so I took them home.  Lined them with colourful wrapping paper.  Arranged that pretend mossy material on the bottom.  Carefully nestled in some small shaped soaps and was so happy with the result.

Have decided that I’m not going to go into a snit if I can only find a limited number of containers to use for my soaps.  Whatever I find interesting .. I will use.  And venture further along the creative process.

As an example (and I”ll post pictures tomorrow) I have a lovely little collection of little wine glasses, including aperitif, liqueur, etc.  I nestled in some gold sparkly fabric in the bottom of the glasses and then arranged some sliced soaps in the top.  And I find myself adding more sparkly things for interest.  Sparkly flat marbles, that sort of thing.  The result is sweet and I’ll be selling them tomorrow at a 3 hour craft sale.  If they all sell, well, I’ll simply continue on my search for more unusual items to showcase my little soaps.

It’s interesting how the creative energy happens.  At first, when I bought these glasses .. I was all excited about using them for my soaps .. it’s what I’d originally wanted, before my packaging took another route.  So yesterday, I’m thinking .. ok .. now I have the glasses that I wanted .. now .. how to use them!  No ideas popping up .. oh no!

I let the question sit for awhile.   Then last night I started playing around with the materials at hand.  Started cutting the sheer gold fabric (oh how I love sparkly fabric!)  then played around with how to use on the glass .. wrap it around .. or use for a base in the glass and that won out.  Next I started arranging the little soap squares and circles .. liked that.  Finally, placed a flat marble against the front round of soap .. perfect!  Today I’ll play around with the fabric wrapping and a bow .. fabric or raffia?  I’ll find out later.

The weather here has been mixed .. right now it is sunny and I am so tempted to run outside and play in the yard for a bit.   At the beginning of the week .. I did just that.  And spent a very enjoyable few hours outside .. chopping up more oak leaves & spreading them on the garden, in particular, the garlic beds.

Next I unloaded the magnificent chopped seaweed that D & I collected on Monday .. some onto the garlic beds, some onto the area where the kale is growing.   If there isn’t any snow next week, we’ll be away for more shopping adventures and collect a bit more of the seaweed.

After I’d spent some time actually working away .. it was time to just savour the sight of the birds playing in the yard.

They have discovered the suet in that I’ve placed in that lovely “made in BC” suet holder that D found last week!

Happy to see the little Anna’s flitting about.

The Fox Sparrows .. I don’t believe that I’ve ever seen so many in our back yard before .. I love their speckled plumage.

The Downy Woodpecker struck the most wonderful pose and I was so happy to get a good picture of that.

The Juncos .. well .. they are a delight to watch.

And again .. time to look upwards at the ever-changing beauty of the sky up above.  And dream of next spring .. when we return to Port Alberni and the overwhelming beauty of another sailplane ride(s).    For now I will just dream of them (and watch my videos!!)

My favourite video is from the early morning flight .. flying above the valley .. fluffy clouds beneath us as we flew and flew and flew.  I was the passenger and so didn’t have to think about a thing, just enjoyed the magic of soaring the skies ….sigh.

Well…on with this day .. I think I will escape to the outside for a bit .. before I return to my craft rooms .. to continue preparations for the craft sale tomorrow.

 

🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 


by Leave a comment

More plants on sale .. oh, I am so lucky!

Monday, November 26, 2012

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

There has been a mix of weather here lately .. a mix of sunny crisp days … rain .. frost (today).  Lovely time of the year to sort of slow down from the busyness of the year.

My landscaping course has been progressing .. learning lots .. looking at yards differently now.  Even though I’m finding the measurements, the math .. a bit rigid .. this too is progressing.  I much prefer the creative flow of looking at a landscape and visualizing the beauty of plantings, I do realize that structure is important.   So only 3 classes left in the course.   There is a part 2 of the course and at this point I am not sure if I will continue on to the second section.

There are a few months left to make this decision and so I will let that slide for now.

Anyway .. I couldn’t pass up some recent plant purchases.   I now have four of the Eucryphia – Leatherwood  for our next property.  http://www.botany.com/eucryphia.html

D has seen this magnificent tree at Beacon Hill Park … so I must go there to see it .. and it flowers in spring .. thousands of tiny white flowers.  The sales person at Capital Iron (the lovely place where I bought these trees) was a little wistful at seeing the tree leave, as she’d not  seen the flowers.  Perhaps next spring I’ll take some pictures and show them to her.

Ok, I couldn’t refuse some bargains at a local supermarket.  A flat of roses for only $5!!  And a flat of sage for $5!  Includes a purple sage.  I have lots of sage seeds (purple and white flowers)  but these little guys will make a lovely hedge.

Sigh.

D & I went for a quick shopping trip last week .. to Capital Iron …. and this time I brought my camera so that I could take some pictures of the wonderful antiques that are still there, in the lower section, tucked away in the garden area, by the Christmas decorations.

Years ago, this complete area was full of lovely antiques of all kinds, including marvellous magazines from the 40’s.  Piles of them.  Wonder where they have all gone?  Hopefully to a collector who treasures them .. and perhaps scanned them for sharing?

And vessel engine parts of all sorts.  Great memorabilia.  Nowadays, there are only a few of these antiques left and they are all for sale.

We wandered through parts of this venerable old store.  And then time to visit the local health food store.  Where we had the most delicious lunch.  I tried the spelt pizza .. very thin crust, delicious assortment of toppings .  D had the wonderful broccoli soup, with cocoanut milk base.

Shopping done for the day .. I went home to continue making soap and packaging them up.

More later .. must run …

🙂

p.s.  coincidentally, further to the photo that I posted, showing a car bumper sticker to stop testing on animals… I received a request from the Humane Society to stop cruelty for:  street dogs;  lab animals;  all animals.

Please visit:

http://www.e-activist.com/ea-campaign/action.handleViewInBrowser.do?ea.campaigner.email=jl7Tqi3wUXUFee613BZUnfgjrAliulAmNMfSQeK7kek=&broadcastId=22030&templateId=15271

 


by 2 Comments

Gnarley beauty of trees. Stoney landscaping. Beautiful leaves .. and .. painted windows!

Monday, November 12, 2012

Ha ha .. I was visiting a local dollar store and saw a display of foldable flower vases, and just couldn’t resist this one.  Thought it was going to be like the type you find at Ikea .. where you just add warm water and the vase can be shape shifted .. kind of fun.  Turns out this one is a little different.  The vase is heavy plastic, and can indeed be folded (when empty!)  There is a little packet of green crystals that are added .. and voila!  These marble type formations result.   So rather cool, I thought!

Had to stop and look at the gnarled beauty of this venerable old tree.  Loved the rugged dignity of the gnarled bark, this tree has seen a lot of the world .. and then there is the delicate beauty of the little tree growing beside it.   Will the intelligence of the older tree be shared with the younger one?   Sharing knowledge from one species to another, one era to another.

Loving the randomness of nature’s beauty .. windblown leaves resting on the branches of this California Lilac.

 

Now .. this here .. is your industrial “non-maintenence” type of landscaping.  Only very brave plants could grow through these stony layers!  Alas.  Oh .. and “shudder” …

Yum … lots of oak leaves for mulching in the garden!!  I’ve been gathering lots of them for the winter protection of my garlic and potted plants.

Don’t know if you can tell .. but those little dots are actually seagulls, soaring in a little thermal that was developing.  Scenes from “Jonathan Livingston Seagull”    If you ever want to watch one of the most wonderful films in the world, I highly recommend this one.  And .. to hear Neil Diamond singing throughout .. is just too magnificent for mere words to describe.  I can only watch this film in little bits . .there is so much beauty therein.

This window is from the little strip mall that I visited a few days ago ..love this!

 

And . .an old-fashioned type of ice-cream parlour is there also!

Sometimes it’s good not to have a viewfinder .. in order to discover unexpected sky shots like this one.   Almost looks like a little “glory” to the right and I love the translucent layered look of the clouds.  And of course, the brilliant sun .. sending rays of light in all directions.  Quite a happy little picture, hey???

The cherry tree is tenaciously clinging to the leaves .. but it’s a losing battle.  Already, the ground is covered with the lovely yellow vegetation .. which I shall rake up today!  And place them ..like a blanket .. on my perennial gardens.

Took advantage of a recent sunny day .. to clip more roses.  Which I dried to add to my soaps.

A little sparrow is nibbling away at the suet.  Even the starlings are welcome.  There are only a few of them. I admire their plumage .. and like their gentle cooing sounds that they use to communicate with each other.  Quite the little singers, these birds are.  And I look forward to a  few glimpses of the Flickers when they appear.  Magnificent birds.

Just a short little post today …lots to do …including more studying of the landscape materials for my very intensive course.  The doors of knowledge are opening and I need to continue on!

So away I go on this lovely rainy day!

🙂

 


by Leave a comment

Went on a lovely little walk, sort of got lost and then found my way! Lots of fun!

Saturday, November 10, 2012
A few days ago .. I treated myself to a long long walk outside in the sun.  It had been quite awhile since I’d indulged in this type of activity and so I was quite looking forward to what I would see, what types of dogs and how many times I could just stop awhile and enjoy the scenery.

A lovely long walk with a few intended stops along the way and the rest … well, I was just going to “wing it” as it were.

Well .. to start off with .. not too long into my walk –  I got lost!  One of my intended stops along the way was going to be a local shopping mall.  Normally I would drive there or follow the long and winding walkway that was on the other  side of the highway.

I’d stopped off at a building supply warehouse to inquire about some building materials.  Enjoyed a good chat with one of the sales reps.  Told him that I was taking a new route to the mall .. so  – to save me about 20 minutes, he unlocked  the back gates of the large service area so that I could take advantage of a short cut.

And here my little adventure began.  Amazing how different the city appears when suddenly a new street appears out of the blue.   I ventured along a peaceful quiet  neighbourhood.
In a few minutes – I happened upon this lovely little dog, named Dougal .. so gentle and kind:

Gentle little Dougal

and then, continuing along  .. I noticed a playground nearby …

Funky little red car in a local playground

I kept looking up skywards …  lots of cloud formations, birds flying … such a beautiful expanse of blue and white ..

Blue skies .. nothing but blue skies

And then I came upon the most delightful home and yard, loved the whimsical artwork & everything looked so creative and carefree .. a very happy place to be!

Creativity knows no bounds on this house

Lizards abounded in various places and they were a myriad of colours!

I stopped to gaze at these two magnificent totems …

And I will return for another walk on a sunny morning so that I can capture the top of this totem … this is where a viewfinder would greatly help me.

And now I realized that I wasn’t really lost after all!  My sense of direction had righted itself and I knew where I was.  And very happy that I’d discovered a new route to the mall.  A very relaxing and pretty route.

I finally reached the mall …and stopped for a few minutes to look at the brightly painted furniture for sale .. how cheerful these are ..

I began my walk back home … stopping at a local little strip mall.  Which contains some very lovely shops, cafes and this most accommodating laundromat:

I then ventured into a little cafe…. and took come photos of the signage .. yum yum!  If you look closely, you can see a reflection of me taking the photo .. I’m still wearing my summer straw hat .. this is Victoria, you know!  We don’t conform to seasonal dressing .. anything goes here.  Even (shiver) shorts ..

I’d ordered lunch to go, for DH and myself .. so I really enjoyed looking at these very colourful posters, all well framed:

I’d always wanted to try one of these Naanwiches .. so decided now was the time .. one for DH & me … lunchtime was approaching & I was hungry.

And tonight is Diwali, the Festival of Light  …and there will be a big show at UVic!  The young server in the cafe is going to dance in the show .. she is so happy!!

I tucked the delicious, warm, freshly made & well wrapped  Naanwiches (packed in colourful little cardboard boxes)  into my carry bag and headed for home!  Looking forward to surprising my DH with this scrumptious meal.

Well .. I hope that you enjoyed my walk which included getting lost!  These walks are always treasures that I love.  New places, new streets, new adventures!


by Leave a comment

Enjoying the sights and sounds of flowers, birds in our lovely backyard as Autumn takes over..

Thursday, November 8, 2012

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

  Well .. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again .. where does the time go?  Time doth fly on winged feet …

Monday loomed bright and sunny .. so I spent a lot of time outside.  How could I not.

Drinking in the lovely autumn perfume of the fallen leaves .. mixed in with the scent of the apples decorating the lawn .. still lots hanging from the branches.

Happy birds chirping throughout the yard.   So happy that DH & I planted so many trees in our yard .. all those years ago.

Such a variety of birds hide amongst their branches.  I’m sure there must be a variety of tiny little nests tucked away for little families to grow in the spring.

Ours is quite a happy yard.  Activity all day long.

The birds know that there is a source of food for them here.

Not just the bird seed and the suet blocks.  They feast on flower seeds, the lichen on the branches.  Tiny bugs that travel the highways of the branches and leaves.

They sip from the raindrops that cling to the leaves after the rains.

And they provide us with an ongoing visual feast of delight in seeing them perch throughout the yard.   On the garden hoops that encircle the garlic beds, on the handles of my gardening tools.   They perch on the edge of the little water dishes that I’ve put out for them …

Their happy chirping sounds and songs enrich the air with their joy.

What a lovely little world this is .. our back yard!

So much to enjoy.

So today, I’m just tapping away a few words .. sharing some photos taken a few days ago.

And now I must go and work away on my landscaping course.  Numbers to crunch. Drawings to make.  Shapes to practice on blank paper, transforming marks into squares and circles.  Using mostly a Sharpie .. and sometimes pencils.

Lots to learn .. lots to do .. an intensive number of weeks remain before the course is done.

I’m quite enjoying this challenge to unleash my inner artist as I travel along this new pathway.

🙂

 

 


by 3 Comments

Enjoying watching the eagle activities high up in the sky .. and seeing the Juncos dining on the Joe Pye flowers!

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Quite a downpour of rain today .. the yin and the yang of weather here .. as yesterday we were treated to a lovely sunny day!  Which I spent outside, potting up lots of plants.

Lots of time spent looking up at the skies.   Saw 2 eagles soaring in a thermal ..then a 3rd, and by the time I saw the 4th, I ran into the house, grabbed my binoculars and was soon out on the sundeck, gazing skyward.

I didn’t take any photos, as I would only see dots in the sky … with my binoculars I was able to get a much closer view.

At one point, there was one eagle fast approaching the other .. so close I could see the white feathers blazing against the sky.  I know, white feathers don’t really blaze, but I wanted to put some action there!

I remember the last time I saw this behaviour, it was courting time and the eagles had locked talons together and tumbled through the sky.

But, this is November .. so I was puzzled.   They soon were out of sight, so I scrambled down the stairs, along the sidewalk, through the gate, out to the road and down to the large empty lot down the street.

Here I stood for a long time, looking at the eagles soaring majestically (ok, they always soar majestically, it’s a given!) overhead.   All of a sudden I saw some frantic activity and noticed a seagull dipping and diving .. at this point, they were flying around some tall trees and I couldn’t exactly see what was happening, but guessed that the eagles were looking for lunch and the gull was handy.  The time was in the late morning .. and this is the usual time that I’ve seen the eagles out looking for food.

Along came a flock of crows .. and I’m not sure at this point if they had any influence on the eagles flying away, but I lost sight of them.  The long line of crows continued .. there were hundreds.

Oh I just love these moments.

Anyway, back to the yard.  And what did I see there!

Juncos in the Joe Pye Weed (aka Eupatorium maculatum)

There were some lovely Juncos .. sitting quietly atop the Joe Pye Weed, happy as could be.   This plant is supposed to top at 6 feet, but my plants are much higher than that!

There is a line up already

They vied for space … preferring the top of the flower heads.  See, there was even a lineup!!

Can you see the little Junco in flight, left side?

I was trying to get some action shots .. and I like the flow of the wings as this Junco determined where he was going to fly.

This was the “height” of fine dining!

They look so happy, all nestled in place.  I’m glad that there are quite a few seeds for them to eat.  And so, there is lots of food for the birds to eat, all throughout the yard.

Here is a close up of the seeds that the Juncos loved

Here is a closeup of the fine little seeds …. along with the fluff that helps transport the seeds through the air .. ready to be planted elsewhere in the yard.  Perhaps I’ll be lucky enough to have more of these beautiful, tall flowers.  Butterflies love them.

My circle of treasured beach stones encircling the cherry tree

I stopped for a few minutes .. to admire the Calendula plants seeds strewn a few months ago … slow-growing, usually I’d have lots of bright orange flowers by now.  Notice the circle of potted plants behind .. well, I do have a lot of plants, don’t I!!

And here is the “peace sign” ..

Ok, I got this idea of a “peace” symbol from another blog site:

http://debsdiscoveries.wordpress.com/

She has a great site!  Go visit .. go on!!

Such lovely times to be had in the garden ….so many magical moments!

Always  … remembering .. to look up on the sky …for special surprises!

It’s been a lovely day!  Despite the rain .. I like the cozy feelings of being inside while the rain pelts down.

And I also love walking in the rain . . with my cheerful, blue skies & puffy white clouds lining the inside of my umbrella.  Happy walks.

🙂


by Leave a comment

Enjoying the lovely fall days, colourful leaves, happy chirping birds .. and all that!

Lovely fall days …

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Just sharing some colourful photos of beautiful fall scenery around here.

I love watching the brightly hued leaves swirling about .. carpeting the ground, adorning the bare branches of trees.

Birds chirping about .. happy to visit the suet block and flit about the yard.

This is truly a time of the year to wind down the outdoor chores and spend relaxing time enjoying the activities that are happening all around us.

I’ve been spending a lot of time potting up my plants … using the rich crumbly soil from composted areas to fill up the pots.  Nice fat earthworms have toiled in the soil, making it easy to work with.

My lovely kale plants are doing well and I’ve slowly been moving them to the side of the yard, to mingle in with the regular perennials that are already in place.   Adding lots of the lovely composted soil so they will grow big and strong.   My gardening neighbour tells me that kale loves this rainy chilly fall weather and so I expect we will have enough kale to last us through to the spring.

We’ve enjoyed a wonderful sunny day and this brought back memories of our short but hot and sunny summer.   Lovely memories.

And the time change .. fall back one hour .. made this day seem like a very long and productive one.

I finally started potting up those sprouted garlic seeds and I must say that the garlic odour is quite intensive.  More so than the cloves.  I started putting these sprouts into propagating cells, but realized that, since the greens are growing now, it would be best to just pot these into a planter and then just clip the greens.  The balance of the seeds that have not yet sprouted .. well, there are about a million of them.  And I don’t look forward to potting them all up . .so .. I might just scatter them in the background of the perennials.  And wait to see what happens.

Is there such a thing as too much garlic?  I wonder.

I’ve been collecting oak leaves .. have amassed quite a collection .. and tomorrow I’ll see if I can run my little lawn mower over some of them ..just to see if I can break them down a bit.  Fingers crossed.

Walking around the yard, I can see roses still blooming, tiny sunflowers continuing to flower.  Lots of apples to pick.  Lettuce still growing in their pots.  Rosemary is still flowering.  Lots of beautiful activity in the garden.

Oh happy days.  I do love this time of the year!

🙂

 

 

 


by Leave a comment

Out for a walk … and I saw some lovely dogs!

Sunday, November 4, 2012

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

It’s been a busy and fun time in my life during the past few days.

Besides focusing on decluttering, I’ve gone for a lovely walk to the Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary.   Participated in our first field trip in the Ecological Landscaping course.  Enjoyed seeing (and talking with!) some sweet dogs.  And other daily things.

I had decided to go shopping and combine this with a walk a few days ago.  Made up a list and even remembered to bring it with me!  Enjoyed the calming beauty and tranquility of the Sanctuary.   Not many Mallards out .. nor seagulls .. guessed that might translate into the close proximity of the local eagles .. even if I couldn’t see them.

Continued on to the shops .. chose my purchases .. reached into my bag and .. oh, no wallet.  Great time to remember that I’d changed purses the day before and neglected to transfer my wallet into this bag!  Oh well .. I returned home, to fetch that and enjoyed the long walk anyway.

Noticed a flock of Canada Geese visiting our neighborhood .. this was a first.   They have been displaced from their usual field across the street.  That place that is becoming a mini-city block of ugly highrises that none of us wanted.   So now they have to find a new area to rest up before they begin their long flight south for the winter.

I know many people don’t want the geese in their golf courses and fields.   I admire their beautiful markings, their proud stance and their innocent lives.  They are nature.   I wish them well on their long flight and knowing that they mate for life, I also wish them good safe flights.

I’ve been lucky enough to meet with dogs as I go my way walking in the neighbourhood and along the beaches.  There was Hunter, the big gold lab that I saw yesterday .. I approached him gently, after asking his doggie mom if I could pet him .. and so I gently stroked his head and down his back and added that special little massage at his back, above the tail.  He really liked that.  And his owner sincerely expressed surprise that he allowed me to do that, as he really didn’t let people approach him.  She was serious about that .. so I felt honoured and mentioned that I really miss my dogs .. and she said that Hunter must have sensed that.

Then there was little Misha, sweet with her little pink collar and leash.  She looked up at me so trustingly and smiled …. what a darling.

And Rocky and Alex .. the handsome English Bulldogs that I met in our neighbourhood … very gentle and patient dogs!
Lucky me to have met these wonderful happy beings!


by Leave a comment

Shopping in the Fisgard Street district, kind comments .. and I’ve started my Ecological Landscaping Course .. new doors are opening for me.

Friday, November 2, 2012

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

So here are a few more pictures from Monday .. the day that D &  I wandered around the Fisgard Street shopping district in Victoria .. along the waterfront.  We rediscovered old shops, new shops, alleyways nicely inhabited by funky little stores.  And then, Capital Iron.  I love this store … you can buy everything (except the kitchen sink .. but .. perhaps they do and I missed that).

The rustic atmosphere is not contrived ..it’s real!  No pseudo antiquing of the exterior walls .. how wonderful this is.

After spending some fun time purchasing plants, cramming them into the car, it was time to visit a local health food store.  It opened up last year, I think.  The dream of 2 very hard-working young women … here is their website for lots of information on their story:

http://ingredientshealthfood.com/

I wish them every success … as it was such a fun experience shopping there.   The bright colourful signage and paintings on the walls were very cheerful.  I don’t know what occupied the building previous, this is the first time that I’d been inside.   Slight slopes led shoppers to areas that held dried spices and herbs, lovingly contained in large jars .. no plastic here.

And there was an upper cafe seating also I noticed .. .quite ample seating.  While below there was a smaller version of this.  It was my first visit here .. and the atmosphere was quite relaxing so I plan to shop here again.  Plus, parking is available outside, so that is a plus!

Anyway .. that was a fun day.

I’ve taken all the plants to the back yard.  The same plants that I bought 50% off at Capital Iron, then stuffed (carefully) into my little Echo .. taken home and now awaiting potting up into large containers!

Well, I’ve actively started on that chore .. began yesterday afternoon .. when there was a moment in time when the rains stopped .. the sun shone through.  And .. wonder of wonders .. the cessation of construction noise.

Gardening bliss.

I’ve started my Ecological Landscaping course (Gaia College course .. held at Royal Roads University)  and our first 3 hour session dealt with the history of garden design through the ages.  Very interesting .. lots to learn.  I’ll be creating another series of hole-punched lined index cards, to begin my little library of terminology and plant design ideas.

Tomorrow we go on our first field trip .. to wander around the Fairfield area …. and find out more information on what to do and what to look out for in garden design.  We are all bringing our cameras so as to capture these ideas for discussion.

The class is a nice size, 11 of us.  So happy to see some familiar faces!  Two young ladies from the Spring session of the Organic Master Gardening course!

And you know … how little things are the most precious gifts beyond measure when they are sincere?

Well, our instructor asked us to introduce ourselves and to say something that made us happy that day!

One of these young ladies said something that made me happy!

She told that class that when she walked in the doorway of the classroom and saw me sitting there .. that made her happy!   Wow.    I am glad that I decided to take this course now!

It is so lovely to be appreciated, I cannot tell you.

Maybe that is what is missing in our day-to-day lives … a few words of acknowledgement to each other.  Random acts of kindness.

Long may they reign.

PS   If we pass these acts along – I just know that we will add joy to the lives of others.  They might not acknowledge this on the surface, but inside, I know it will make a huge difference.

Go on … do it!!    See what happens!

Tomorrow I’ll share with you my newly purchased landscaping design tools.

I think that having to make drawings, in ink … will push me through that creative door that has been cemented shut in my mind all my life.  All my life I’ve been gathering art books – how to draw, how to paint … with acrylics and watercolours.  Special papers. I’ve even taken a few art classes.   But still, that door won’t budge open.

I think that this Ecological Landscaping course will blow that cement away.  And I’m scared and excited at what I will find through that doorway.  I have a feeling that this will unleash my Inner Artist .. where no books or art classes have succeeded.

Up … Up .. And … Away!