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: plants


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Wednesday was a sunny day .. perfect for playing in the yard. Watching birds, helicopter, the skies …

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Wednesday (like today!) … lots of sun and blue skies overhead, yea!!

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Spent some time playing with my newest garden treasure .. my yard cart .. it is so very useful, how did I manage without it!  It holds so much material and also handy for easily moving tools around the yard.  I really feel like a spoiled gardener!

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This looks like a low flying helicopter, but no worries, I’d just zoomed in.  Looks kind of cool, seen through the branches of the wild and crazy tree (aka, pear rootstock)

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During some quiet times I simply stood motionless and watched the Anna’s fly to the hummingbird feeder …23 - Copy

And watched the Bushtit hop over to the feeder … to check out this interesting feeder … the perch is just the right size for his little claws to cling to.22 - Copy

He seems a bit puzzled now … where is the food ..21 - Copy

Ahem .. the little Anna seems to say … pardon me ..but this is not for you …20 - Copy

See .. it’s built just right for me ..19 - Copy

The Bushtit wasn’t convinced .. so he just had to study the feeder more closely 18 - Copy

Perhaps you are right .. this one is perfect for me!17 - Copy

Sigh ….16 - Copy

Soon, all was right with the world as the Anna returned to the feeder .. no other birds visited here again .. they’ll stick with the suet15 - Copy

I saw 3 Downy woodpeckers in the yard .. wondered, are some of them the babies from last year?   They visited all of the suet blocks in the yard.  I’ve placed 5 of them throughout … and this one is the special, made in BC item that D noticed on the side of the road, a few weeks ago.  It’s once again fulfilling its purpose .. to hold food to feed the birds!14 - Copy

And .. I did not see this rainbow till I downloaded the photos …. how perfect is this …is this positive energy from the feeder  … happy again, feeding the birds ???13 - Copy

And those roses .. are still blooming .. how very pretty they are12 - Copy

2 years ago … I couldn’t see many robins in the yard at all.  Yet this year there are quite a few.  And they are all robust.  This one is pecking away at a fallen apple.

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The little Fox sparrow .. patiently waiting, again!08 - Copy

Hi Mr. Robin …..07 - Copy

Jet overhead … someone going somewhere exotic?   I like to think so.06 - Copy

Sweet-pea seed pod ….I’ve left some on the plants .. maybe they will sprout and grow more beautiful flowers.05 - Copy

Still can’t bear to pull the sweet-peas up .. I’ll let them go on their own time.

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Sweet little Bushtits …. chirping away .. happy sounds in the yard03 - Copy

Beauty ..02 - Copy

Like a visual poem in the skies above…

01 - CopySurprise treasures in the yard!  I’d just finished planting some garlic cloves (found a good head of garlic from Salt Spring Island and wanted to grow some of that type).  When, surprise, I found these bulbs had rooted in a pot.  No soil.  Well, bulbs are hardy, that is for sure.  So I carefully separated them and covered them with some mulch, ready for planting today.  There are also some other bulbs with them, I think they might be tulips.  Will plant them in a pot and wait for Spring to see if I am right!

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So .. time to put on my lovely gardening outfit .. my trusty Carhart bibs .. how very elegant!  🙂 and outside to plant these lovely garlic cloves .. there is still time for them to grow.  In the spring (not far away) I will commence with the application of EM .. on everything!!!  Magic.

Twas a great day and I expect more of the same today!

🙂


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These are a few of my favourite things ….

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Haven’t spent much time out in the yard and today was just a totally luxuriantly lazy day .. so I thought I would share some of my favourite things!

First on the list is this most wonderful yard cart that DH gave to me on Christmas Day.   Not sure what I love more .. the fact that he gave me something that is such a labour-saving device in the garden .. or the fact that he spent so much time on Christmas Day assembling it for me.  I think the two facts are part and parcel … really, a gift of love, priceless!

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Next on my list is the amazingly beautiful vista overhead .. the ever-changing sky landscape.  I must admit that I really don’t get a lot of gardening done on beautiful days like this!   Spend a lot of time looking up at the sky!  Really, can you blame me, though?13

 

This was a soft … gentle sky … wispy clouds11

 

And these were all taken on the same day, can you believe it!  10

 

Moody .. in a happy way …09

 

Lovely cumulus clouds .. they resembled a stack of fluffy pancakes .. 08

Ok .. these really struck a chord in me .. so beautiful ..06

 

and my other favourite things ( on a very long list ) are .. birds.    Here is a little Chestnut-Backed Chickadee at one of the suet holders.05

Mustn’t forget my latest plant purchase .. for our next home … there is one more at the store .. and .. I … must … resist … purchasing … that one!04

 

Sweet little Bushtits … they are so very darling ..03

 

They are also very polite .. waiting patiently for their turn at the suet block02

 

Ok .. I like them a lot …01

and .. look how easy this is . .no more shovelling the contents of the cart .. just pull on the tipping handle and all the contents are on the garden bed .. saves me so much shovelling. (this is after)

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and this is during … such ease .. I am feeling quite pampered now!

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At first I thought that the cart wouldn’t hold much material .. but as I continued shoveling the fine mulch into the cart .. I was really amazed .. it holds a lot!19

 

Well .. there you have it .. a pictorial display of (some) favourite things .. there are many others, of which I am quite grateful.

Sigh.

And for the New Year .. .I’m not one for making resolutions, “but” I will continue on my decluttering activities.  Since I’ve already started that this year … guess I’ll just continue on.

About procrastination .. I’ve been working on that this year and actually making some headway .. yea to me.  However, I’ve recently found that the phrase “I’ll start that in the New Year” quite appropriate and have been using that mantra during the past few days. As I look at areas that I fully intend to organize/recycle/finish!!!  Just as I start to feel that I “should” get started, but really don’t feel like doing …right now!

As soon as I say the magic words “next year” I feel as if a tremendous weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

It’s a fait accompli, or something like that.

So .. if I am not inspired to blog tomorrow .. although I think that I will ..  for right now – I’ll hoist a glass of dry white and wish everyone a very very Happy New Year .. 2013 .. wow!  All the best and all that! (sip … sip ..)  ha ha

🙂

 


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Thursday … time spent looking at the birds in the backyard .. and.. yea .. my new garden cart!!!

Friday, December 27, 2012

Yesterday, Thursday, slightly overcast with lots of sun shining through.  The kind of day that teased with promises of sun till the rains came down, sun still shining through.

Lots of visitors to the yard, though.   Heard the steady chirping between Mr & Mrs Downy Woodpecker.   They were chatting away, flitting among the branches and then each settled down on separate suet feeders .. quietly nibbling away.

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Skies overhead …. mostly like this:

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I’d filled up the hummingbird feeder .. it was quite empty .. lots of little Anna’s flitting about.  Funny, last week I’d noticed two of the young ones flying around.  It was obviously schooling time for them.  The parents, much slimmer .. sat on branches nearby, issuing orders.   The two youngsters perched nearby.  Heads constantly on alert status, looking quickly to the left, right, left, right – never still.  Then they would zoom overhead, tiny wings touching as they did so … resulting in little thwap-thwap sounds.  I couldn’t help but laugh at these antics, which they repeated over and over.

Really, this is deadly serious life training for them … however, this is the first time I was privy to such schooling and I was totally unprepared for the their activities.  I felt honoured to be there, quite frankly.

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Then I happened to look over at the Downy on the suet .. he seemed to be king of the suet, the way he stood so proudly on the top!  Quite a noble pose.11

Wandered over to the garlic beds and happy to see the sweet-peas have continued growing.  I’m not one to pluck everything out of the ground once summer is over.10

The birds are still daintily nibbling away at the fallen apples .. they are very thorough in their pecking away .. leaving a graceful outline of the apple base.  Garden art at its best!

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and the darling little Bushtits .. yesterday they were everywhere, it seemed.  Groups of them visited 3 of the suet blocks.   Many of them awaited their turn … sitting patiently above the blocks.

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And of course squirrels have to eat.   This one is a resident, I believe .. having seen him (or is it a her?) throughout the yard at the front, sides and back.05

Oh .. a beautiful Spotted Towhee.   Not sure if this one is nesting nearby.  There have been a few tall trees cut down in the neighbourhood.  Not in our yard, though.  Lots of perching room for everyone.  I’ve seen the Towhees at the bird feeder, nice surprise.  This one is resting in the old plum-tree by the kitchen window.  Nearby (but not in the photo) were some Junco‘s, a golden-crowned sparrow and a house sparrow.04

The roses are still blooming at the side of the house …03

Some ducks enjoying the quiet tidal waters by Spinnakers Pub …

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The log created a breakwater for them .. a place to calmly settle in for the morning.01

I must share this with you .. DH surprised me with this most wonderful, tilting wagon!  And he spent hours on Christmas morning, putting it together for me!  I could hardly wait to take it outside to use in the garden.  Here is my first trip yesterday .. time to take the geranium filled pots to the back yard, to rest in a frost-free zone for the balance of the winter!

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Next it was time to test a load of the Miracle Mulch .. so I loaded up the wagon .. it holds quite a bit.  And see those tires?  No more do I have to worry about being careful going from point A to B in the yard .. these sturdy tires just roll everywhere.  And they turn on a tight radius also!  yea!!!

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Another bonus to this lovely cart!  I can easily dump the contents by simply pulling on the handle at the back of the base and .. voila .. no more shovelling!  I love this!  Then I just pop back the box and it locks in place!

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That just took a few minutes and now the mulch covers this area of the yard.  Well done and with little effort.  Now I’ll have time to do more things in the yard!

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And as I wandered around the yard .. .looking up .. .seeing these glorious rays of the light at the end of the day …

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So beautiful

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Peaceful15

 

Restful14

And thus ended another lovely little visit to the backyard .. more today!

🙂

 


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Time for tea .. blue skies .. another plant purchase .. a lovely period of time

Monday, December 24, 2012

A few days ago … I decided it was time to go shopping downtown .. time for a quick coffee visit with a friend and also to visit the Mediterranean shop on Pandora.  Hadn’t been there for quite a few years .. how time flies and all that.

On the way there … I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to look up at the beautiful sunny skies and snap some photos.  Interesting clouds.

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The white fluffy clouds tumbled and twirled .. changing shapes smoothly and quickly.  Always beautiful, though.

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Lucky to find a parking space not far from the shop … looking forward to visiting it again.  My pal J and I used to visit this lovely treasure at lunch-time, years ago.  Bought the most delicious middle-eastern foods for lunch.  Spices.  Tea.  All sorts of lovely things.  Same proprietor … working from 7 am till 10 at night … rent is high in this district.  I understand that he sells the free-range eggs for the same price that he pays for them .. so no profit from them.  I bought 2 dozen (delicious) eggs and a supply of foods for the pantry.

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Among my purchases was this delicious tea .. .. loose leaf, the best.

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Next .. I went to Penelope’s (sorry, no pic) to meet with J for a quick cup of tea.  We both have places to go, people to see .. but important to fit in a quick visit.   Lovely cafe … we enjoyed large cups of English Breakfast Tea .. and the lovely counter-guy brought us a little pitcher of milk to our table (we’d forgotten that!) …. he was so very thoughtful.

Afterwards, I drove down to the shopping area by the water .. looking forward to visiting some stores there.   Spent some time looking at the lovely old brick buildings still intact.  Below is one building used for Hydro … I’ll bet the offices there are funky!

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Another fine old building … didn’t notice the business name ..just admired the beauty.05

And … the skies were still amazing ….06

Rustic .. and protected by fencing …

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Window coverings, serving as security for the building and decorative ironwork .. liking that.

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For just a brief moment, as I walked along ….I stopped for a few seconds .. there was no traffic noise, sun warming the street .. I felt transported back to my hometown of my younger days, a little place with lots of brick buildings, no crowds .. it was a nostalgic moment and I savoured it

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Always love this mural painted on the back of a building which faces the parking lot of Capital Iron … doesn’t it seem as if the young cub is looking right at you?

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I think these are passion flowers gone to seed .. the birds were happily feasting away on the seed-heads .. cheerful sounds ..11

Ahhhhh …..12

Lovely old windows, warm butter-hued paint against the rustic brick …

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Stopped to admire the beauty of this delivery bike .. and chatted with the owner.  She and her DH worked hard to keep this sprout business going.  She bikes from the nearby Fernwood neighbourhood (about 15 minutes away) and delivers the fresh organic product to homes and businesses.

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Heading back to my car .. I noticed several pairs of pigeons, nestled on the overhead wires, soaking up the warm rays of the sun.

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Oh, and one more thing .. after seeing this tree at Capital Iron .. for over a month now … every time I go shopping there .. and thinking and dreaming about this tree .. I finally broke down and bought it!  It is a weeping pussy willow tree.   Pendula Salix caprea.   And it was half price.  How could I possibly resist.  After paying for it (and another red flowering currant .. flowers for the hummingbirds in the spring) .. I spent about 10 minutes fitting it into my car.  All efforts were worth it though!  Here it is in the back yard.  I’ll pot it up into a bigger container .. as it will be planted in our next place!   Happy am I.

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Blue skies .. birdies flying around .. more plants for the garden .. and visiting with friends …treasures indeed!  🙂


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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!

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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!

🙂

 


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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

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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.

 

🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 


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

Monday, November 26, 2012

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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

 


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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!

🙂

 


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

Lovely fall days …

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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!

🙂

 

 

 


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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

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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!