My Garden – Mon Jardin – Mi Jardin – Mein Garten – Daily Adventures & Thoughts

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: pathways


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A Lovely Walk Along the Galloping Goose Trail

Ah, Sunday is but a memory and it is a good one.  It was an overcast morning so DH & I went for a bit of a walk along the Galloping Goose Trail … we made our way towards the Burnside area.

We are so lucky to have this series of interlocking trails.   The names change according to the area but I am lazy and just call them all the Galloping Goose!  Here is a link to the official trail guide:  www.gallopinggoosetrail.com/pdf/lochside_trail_guide.pdf

There had been a few oil tank leaks during the last year and remediation was still taking place.   Crews and volunteers have been working very hard to keep the oil from entering the Creek:

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Hard working volunteers are restoring native plant habitat along the way:

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Now, this is a most amazing piece of work .. see how the woven sections of branches have been installed on the far bank …to stop the erosion of soil and to provide habitat for growing plants (and of course, insects for birds to eat!)

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I just adore pathways, curving bridges … mysterious and inviting.  Not to mention, a safe way to cross a waterway!  This is spacious enough for walkers, bikes – for everyone to traverse with lots of space.

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The oil spill is nearly cleaned up and these are for delineating the area (I believe)06

The presence of the Mallards is a good sign that the water has been saved from the oil.

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The tree is majestically growing and see how the presence of the rock has not stopped the roots from taking over.   Trees are such gifts.  We must do our best to protect them.

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I love these stepping stones.  There were quite a few along the trail.  I wondered if they were the result of a school group .. they were quite pretty and brightened up the trail quite a lot.

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Tempting to cross over on these stepping stones .. but the moss would make it a slippery adventure.

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More clever trees hugging the soil, growing despite the challenges.   A good example of tenacity. Nature continuously teaches us if we can only see the lessons hidden in plain view!

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Another interesting section along the Creek ..

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Lovely ferns and moss decorate the rockery .. Nature’s gardening.  Effortless and beautiful.

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Another portal tucked away … to a distant, mystical world?

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And what a treat it was to meet this lovely dog!  Her second name was Marie, so of course, I was doubly enchanted!  She gets to go to work with her doggy-daddy all the time!  What a lucky dog .. And this was at the end of our walk so it was a nice treat to meet her.

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Shortly after we came home .. the sun came out .. so I ran outside and played in the garden.  Another gift!

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Saturday, January 24, 2014

Our Friday workout involved .. surprise surprise!  .. more steep stairways.  This was our second set and believe you me .. both stairways were workouts.  I went up and down only once for these and there were others who made multiple trips.   I bow to them.   A goal for the future for me.

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And as always we made our journey through pathways that I doubt very much I can find on my own.

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Some young deer making their way through the neighbourhood.  Someone commented that they belong in the wild.  Well, this was their wild till homes were carved out of this forested area.

08The morning had started out overcast .. and slowly we could see some blue skies.

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Some crows were having a grooming session .. taking time out of their day to just relax and watch the world go by.

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I am thankful again for this opportunity to explore the many beautiful places in our city.   Always new places .. always more tranquil settings.

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There was mesh fencing along the way .. and I’m sure there were pathways down to the ocean.  Perhaps another time.06

Couldn’t you just sit here someplace comfy and just gaze into these clear waters for a while?

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Then it’s back home .. and what do I see in the bird feeder!  A chubby little squirrel.  “get out of there” I said, rapping repeatedly on the glass.

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This one listened to me and swiftly ran away.  See his little back feet gripping onto the wood?  They are pointed backwards for speedy getaways such as this one.

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I’d purchased some burlap coffee bean bags from a local organic coffee roasting company.   The burlap is wonderful for all sorts of uses in the garden.  I always like to get the maximum use out of things, multi-purpose, you know.  So I was opening out the bags so I could get double the surface material to use.  Only problem was .. this material is as tough as nails to cut through, even with my large shears.  So, my sewing brain remembered my wonderful Olfa rolling cutters .. I chose my largest one.   Absolutely stunning!   I quickly cut through 10 bags.  So now I’m all set to be creative with this material in the yard.  And that will be for another day.

13I so enjoyed the time spent working away on this project.  For the sun had come out and I could feel the lovely warmth on my face as I cut away.  The birds were singing.  The massive construction noise  in the neighbourhood was dimly heard through my temporary water fixture (a sump pump in a big wash tin) .. this works wonders at drowning out superfluous noise!  Plus my little i-pod, playing Ravi Shankar.   It was bliss.

I noticed these notices on the coffee bags and thought I would share them .. as not everyone would have the opportunity to view these!

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See .. organic .. ethical …and I thought about all those people involved in the process of tending and harvesting the bean crops.   The persons who manufactured the burlap bags.  The machines that filled the bags and weighed them.  The office personnel who created these papers, after much research and documentation ..kept in files somewhere … the persons who stitched same to the bags.  Those who loaded the bags onto trucks and moved them to ships for transportation here.  If those bags could talk.  Well, they can’t so I’m left with my wild imagination of the steps involved.    And as I played with cutting the material I couldn’t help but think of those hard-working individuals who were involved.    All that energy in this material.  And I respect that energy and embrace that material which will help my yard in so many ways.15

See .. here is that lovely blue sky I was talking about …

10I had forgotten about this little Hellebore .. growing away in the shady part of the yard .. happily growing away, I should say!

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And, since I had a few extra 2 Litre empty milk jugs, it was time to plant some more seeds in that lovely “winter sowing of summer seeds”   Notice that one shows “Coffee”18 17

Well .. amongst some seams in those burlap bags .. I found some coffee beans.  Now, I have no idea if they will ever grow, but I thought … what is the harm in putting them in one of the containers to see if they grow.  So I will wait and see!

16Well, that was pretty much my day.  Aside from walking around the yard .. observing some tree branches which need to be clipped.   And sundry other things to be done.

Another day.

🙂