Crafty Gardener

Wintery Weather

2012-01-30T10:50:00.000-05:00

Last Friday and Saturday we had some wintery weather. I love to get outside just after a storm to take photos. I used some of the icy photos to create the new header.

From the deck I took this photo of the honeysuckle bush and blue spruce tree in the back corner of the garden. I also included this photo in the mosaic image below.

In the midst of a dull looking day the cardinal appeared with its brilliant red feathers.

He is usually a ground feeder but will frequent this feeder from time to time. January is coming to a close, which means two more months of winter (according to the calendar).

Have a great Mosaic Monday. Visit Mary's blog and see some other wonderful mosaic creations. I'm also linking with Tuesday Tweets.

Thanks for visiting.

Shadows in the Kitchen

2012-01-29T09:03:00.000-05:00

We haven't had much sun for a few days. On Friday we had an ice rain storm which coated everything and made driving very slow going. Yesterday we had snow. The big flakes that were swirling and twirling around just like we were inside a snow globe. So getting some up to date sun and shadow photos has been a challenge. So I'm using some photos that I took about a week ago when the sun was streaming through the windows and doors.

There were some wonderful shadows in the kitchen. I already shared the ones of the snowmen and birds. On the other side of the doorway the sun was creating lovely shadows of the spider plant and also the curtain from the kitchen window.

I love the twists and curls of the telephone wire and they appear so much bigger in the shadow on the wall. Yes we still have a landline that is actually fastened to the kitchen wall, hence the extra long cord so I can still continue working if a call comes in. There are also phones in other parts of the house that are cordless. I'm actually thinking of getting rid of all those phones and just going with an iphone so I can keep up with the rest of the world.

It looks like it will be a sunlit Sunday after all. After a cloudy start to the day the clouds have vanished and the sun is out, filling the rooms with glorious sunlight. I'm linking with Shadow Shot Sunday and Sunlit Sunday

I hope it is sunny in your part of the world.

Squirrel Appreciation Day

2012-01-28T11:05:00.003-05:00

Who knew there was a squirrel appreciation day? I for one certainly didn't. But I was reading over at Garden Walk, Garden Talk and saw a post about it. Darn I missed it ... it was January 21. But better late than not at all.

I know that many gardeners don't like squirrels but we get great amusement and enjoyment watching their antics.

Yes, I curse them sometimes, but overall I enjoy them. They are wonderful lens friends.

Want to see more critter photos, then visit Camera Critters.

Cathedral Grove

2012-01-27T07:08:00.001-05:00

An absolutely amazing place to visit on Vancouver Island, British Columbia is Cathedral Grove. This provincial park preserves a section of the old growth trees in the western rainforest. There are massive Douglas Fir and Red Cedar trees, some as much as 800 years old. We were fortunate to pay a visit to Cathedral Grove on our trip to Vancouver Island in November 2011.

And looking up was an amazing experience.

One of the many things that fascinated me the most was the moss covering all the trees, rocks, and fences.

The fence appears dwarfed by the gigantic trees.

But it was real size. But I think the best fence photo is this one.

There is a local tradition of putting pumpkins along the fences at the entrance to Cathedral Grove at Hallowe'en. We were there in mid November so all the pumpkins were still out in full force. What a great site. There were pumpkins at various places along the road leading up to Cathedral Grove as well. No one seems to know how this tradition started and you can find a few versions on the Internet, but I hope it continues for a long time to come.

It's time for Friday Fences, so hop over and see some other great fence photos.

W4W Reflections

2012-01-25T07:59:00.000-05:00

It's time for Word for Wednesday or W4W. The word for this week is reflection. This word can have different meanings but I chose to share today some photos that I've taken. Nothing philosophical, just some reflection photos.

The first is the reflection of the buses as they go over the bridge on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa.

The mallard ducks down by the bay are a favourite feathered lens friend to photograph, and when a reflection is captured it is a bonus.

The gorgeous swan, also taken down by the bay.

Some colourful cosmos reflected in the mirror.

A wonderful tree reflection in the waters of the bay.

Trees reflecting in the Moira River.

The reflections of two common mergansers in the waters at Whiffen Spit.

The reflection of the heron in the water at the Esquimalt Lagoon.

Stop by Word for Wednesday to see how other bloggers have interpreted the word reflection.

Red Shafted Flicker

2012-01-24T11:11:00.001-05:00

On our trip to British Columbia in November 2011 we were fascinated to see many different species of birds.Here are some photos of the red shafted flicker that frequently visited our daughter's garden.

We first spotted the flicker sitting on a fence post at the back of the garden. Just look at all those spots on its belly. He looked very much like the flickers we have here in Ontario, but a bit of searching in the bird books told me that the red shafted ones live in Western Canada and the yellow shafted flickers are the ones we see in Ontario.

It came in closer and onto the feeder pole and then I could see the red on its tail and rump.
There is also a tinge of red on the wing edges. Usually we see flickers in ones or twos but out there they came in a farily large flock to eat off the ground and attempt to eat out of the feeders.

In case you missed them, here are some other lens friends from British Columbia that I've posted about - the Stellar Jays, the black oystercatcher and the common mergansers.

I came across a new link party last week called Tuesday Tweets. It is a chance to see some wonderful bird photos. If you love to take photos of feathered lens friends perhaps you should check it out and join in the fun.

Thanks for visiting. Have a great day.

Granny Shawl

2012-01-23T07:29:00.000-05:00

On wintery days it is wonderful to have the option to stay inside. The Crafty Side of me started a new shawl last week on a couple of stormy days.

I'm calling it a Granny shawl because it is made using half a granny square. It isn't really an original pattern but bits I've borrowed from other patterns. You can find directions for the half squares if you Google it. I'm doing 2 rows in each colour. The colours with the smallest amounts left over are being used first, as with each row it gets a bit bigger and requires more yarn. I don't want to change colour mid row, so I imagine it will get a bit trickier to find stash colours as the rows get bigger.

Here is the finished shawl. I really liked how it turned out using mostly earth tone colours. I love wearing shawls, especially in the evening when I watch tv and do my crochet or knitting. I've got a favourtie one that I made ages ago. But it is time for a more colourful one.

It was a lovely sunny day when I took the photos that I braved the cold and took some of the photos on the deck. It measures 34 inches or about 87 cm. from the center to the tip and 68, about 174 cm. inches from tip to tip.

I'm sharing this post with Make Something Mondays and Mosaic Monday.

Thanks for visiting. Have a great day.

Fence Shadow

2012-01-21T06:48:00.000-05:00

On a lovely sunny day a little while ago I took this fence shadow photo. January has brought us such a variety of weather ... mild, dreary, foggy, icy, sunny, dull, snowy and cold.

The sun cast the pointy shadow of the fence onto the newly fallen snow. I even managed to capture the doves shadow as he sat under the bird feeder. There are lots of other shadows there too.Now this isn't just a piece of fence that sits in the garden. It has many purposes. Three compost bins sit behind this fence and get plenty of sun to 'cook' the compost over the summer. I also use this fence to display all the old and broken garden tools that I have a hard time parting with. In front of the fence is a garden that grows various perennials and biennials ... hollyhocks, day lilies, bee balm, Jerusalem artichokes, Egyptian Walking Onions, chives. The fence gives some much needed shade to those plants. The edges of the garden are trimmed with old cement blocks that have trailing sedum planted in the holes. The fence is also a spot for birds. They perch on the fence while waiting a turn at the feeders in the nearby trees. During the spring, summer and fall months there is a bird bath in the center of the garden The bird house that sits on the post is usually home to a wren, and of course I call her Jenny. The fence is in full view from the kitchen and deck so it gives us hours of entertainment and viewing pleasure.

I'm joining in with Friday Fences, Sunlit Sunday, and Shadow Shot Sunday.

Thanks for visiting. Have a great weekend.

Sunrise

2012-01-20T10:49:00.000-05:00

On January 16, 2012 we had our eye on the sky in the morning.

Looking to the east from the back deck we could see this beautiful sunrise.

Was the sky sending us a message?

Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning!

I'm sure it was. The next day was shrouded in heavy fog and pouring rain. And then we had really cold weather and snow for a day or so. It pays to keep your eye on the sky for predicting the weather.

I'm linking with Sky Watch.

Down by the Bay in January

2012-01-18T13:20:00.000-05:00

One day last week on a lovely, sunny, windless day we went for a walk down by the bay. This was a day or so before winter arrived and covered us in ice and snow.

This is one of our favourite spots to watch the herons, cormorants, swans and ducks in the nice weather. But on this day the rocks had no one fighting over them for a perch. The water on the bay was frozen over, but not thick enough for the ice fishing huts.

There was still a bit of open water around the rocks. But I imagine after the cold spell and wintery weather it is all frozen in now.

The brave ducks that stay for the winter are all huddled into a bit of a sheltered bay where there is some open water but also places to scurry into for protection.

The ducks calmly float around on the open water or stand on the icy layers. It was a wonderful day for a walk to enjoy the beauty of Nature. You could hear the constant quack of these ducks, certainly different from the summery quacks we hear.
I'm linking with Tuesday Tweets and Watery Wednesday.
Thanks for visiting. Have a great day.

Knitted Booties

2012-01-16T08:57:00.000-05:00

Here is a quick little project that I finished on a couple of wintery days at the end of last week.
The pattern came from the blog Pickles and it was simple to follow and make.The first pair I made last September turned out like this.

They kept little feet warm on walks, in the stroller or on a chilly day.

But a bit bigger size was needed as those little feet are growing. I chose two shades of blue this time.

The booties are knit in one piece, and it is hard to imagine that the knitted shape in the top right turn into little booties when stitched at the toe, along the bottom and up the back.
I'm linking up with Make Something Mondays, Mosaic Monday and Blue Monday.

Thanks for visiting. Have a great Monday.

PS - Blogger is doing updates and one feature is adding threaded comments. However the text is really small and I can't change it. Hopefully this glitch will sort itself out. Some have let me know that they can't add a comment either, guess that is another glitch.

Sunny Shadows

2012-01-14T21:06:00.000-05:00

Even though winter arrived on Thursday and Friday, we have a gorgeous sunny day today. The sun streamed into the house this morning and created wonderful shadows.

The little shelf in the kitchen is right by the door. The top holds a collection of watering cans (which can't be seen) and during January I have snowman decorations hanging on the pegs. These are the only winter themed decorations I have up. There are also three cardinal bird ornaments that I keep up all year round, as cardinals are my favourite bird. The sun created wonderful shadows of the snowman decorations. Just to the right of the cardinal shadow is actually a shadow of a dragonfly that is suctioned onto the door window. It was the bonus shadow in the photo as really didn't notice it when taking the photo.

Can shadows be sunny? Well you do need the sun to create the shadows. You certainly can see evidence of the sun in my photo. You just can't have one without the other. I'm linking in with two places, one that looks at the shadows and one that relies on the sun - Shadow Shot Sunday and Sunlit Sunday.

We have had dull and dreary days for the past two days due to the winter storm that was in our area. Today that storm system has moved out towards the Maritimes and the sun is shining. I hope you are having a sunny day where you are.

Winter Finally Arrived

2012-01-12T11:33:00.000-05:00

After the temperatures going up and down, up and down, and mostly rain falling from the sky, winter finally arrived overnight.

Ice rain blanketed our area overnight and turned the trees sparkly creations. It's a day when I'm glad to be retired and not have had to chip ice from vehicles and drive on very slick roads.

I've been able to just enjoy the weather by going outside with the camera and taking lots of photos.

The ice rain continued this morning before changing over to a bit of snow.

The lilac buds are encased in ice. As I walked around the garden I could hear the cracking of the ice as the trees moved a bit in the breeze. The icicles are beginning to melt as the temperature warms up a bit.

I could hear the birds chirping, but there is no way they were coming to the feeders. The sun isn't coming out so I think I'll have to go back out and chip away the ice and icicles from the feeders. Our lens friends have to be able to get their food, else they won't be posing for any more photos for me. Thanks for stopping by today.

2sDay Mergansers

2012-01-10T06:46:00.001-05:00

Today is 2sDay, the day to show a photo with 2 of the same thing in it. While enjoying a walk along Whiffen Spit in Sooke,Vancouver Island in November 2011 we saw this pair of common merganser ducks. They fit right into my 2sDay theme.

It was a lovely sunny day and the ducks were just enjoying floating around on the water and occasionally preening themselves.

They were on the inner side of the spit so the water was more calm. You can see the reflections of them in the water.
I'm also sharing these lens friends with Watery Wednesday.

Little Pink Hat

2012-01-09T07:26:00.000-05:00

It's been cold here for a few days and of course nothing is going on in the garden in January in my part of the world so I have been busy knitting and crocheting different projects ... mittens, socks and a scrap afghan. I just finished a cute little pink hat to go with those two pair of pink mittens I made for our 2 year old granddaughter who just loves hats.

The pattern for this hat was adapted from a couple of patterns. Using 5 mm dpns I cast on 72 stitches and knitted a ribbing of K2 P2 for about 8 rounds. Then I switched to stocking stitch and because I was knitting in the round I only had to do the knit rows. When the hat was about 15 cm I started to shape the top. Knit a round of K2 K2tog, a knit round, a K1 K2tog, a knit round and a round of K2tog. Cut yarn with a longish tail and thread onto a needle. Thread through all remaining stitches as you remove them from the needles, pull tight and do a couple of stitches to secure the opening. I used the corkscrew edging from this book to finish it off.

I can never resist creating a mosaic or collage image to share with Mosaic Monday.
The Crafty Side of me is happy to have found a crafty link party at Make Something Mondays to share my crafty creations with.

Thanks for visiting. Have a great Monday.

Spread a Little Sun

2012-01-08T06:34:00.000-05:00

My LIttle Home and Garden has started a new link party on Sundays called Sunlit Sunday, a chance to spread a little sun into these grey winter days.
It is amazing how a little sun can change the whole day.

Here is the sun shining through the bare trees on Saturday. The sun streamed into the house and changed the whole atmosphere, plus it showed up all the dust! But who does housework on a sunny day?

Here is the backyard in front of those big, bare trees. The sun created shadows across the lawn. You can see we only have a little bit of snow as the past two days have seen temperatures around +5 Celsius.

Here is the field across the road from us basked in sun. A few days ago it was shrouded in fog. I'm not sure what today will be like, it is still too early and dark outside. I do think it will be a little colder but is that sun comes out we won't mind one little bit.

So get out on a sunny day, snap some photos and share them at Sunlit Sunday.

Whiffen Spit Reflections

2012-01-07T06:40:00.000-05:00

Today I'm sharing a couple of reflection photos that I took while we were walking along Whiffen Spit in Sooke on our trip to Vancouver Island last November 2011.

It was a gorgeous sunny day perfect for capturing reflection photos in the water. This long jetty or pier extended right out into the water. It was low tide when we were there and I was able to get the whole reflection of the pier in the water.

A close up of the end of the pier really shows the angle of the down ramp to where the boats were moored. The water also captured the reflections of the boats, the poles, and the trees. This pier was at the beginning of our walk along Whiffen Spit, about 30 minutes in each direction.. We were lucky to see the black oystercatcher, many ducks and a seal on our walk. No whales that day. I'm sure to be posting more of the photos we took soon. If you are interested in finding out more about Whiffen Spit, be sure to check out this site.

I'm sharing with Weekend Reflections

Temperature Rising

2012-01-06T08:55:00.000-05:00

We have certainly had the ups and downs of weather over the past several days. At the beginning of the week it was -15 Celsius with even colder windchills. We've had rain, drizzle, sleet, and a bit of snow.

Overnight there was another sprinkle of snow. This morning the sun is rising and so is the temperature. It is predicted to reach around +5 Celsius for today and tomorrow, which will mean an end to the snow. This view was taken from the front window. The bottom of the photo is hay that is stacked at least 5 bales high. If I go outside all I see is the hay and can't get the lovely photo of the fog rising off the fields.

The skies are a little foggy but the fog hanging over the fields is really a pretty site to see. We face north so the rising sun isn't visible there yet.

But from the back deck, looking east, the sun is rising above the horizon. It looks like it will be a lovely day. These eye on the sky photos are being shared with Sky Watch
I hope you are having a wonderful day where you are.

Views on a Sunny Day

2012-01-03T21:05:00.001-05:00

It was freezing around here today, with temperatures of -15 Celsius and wind chills making it feel like -25 Celsius. But the plus side was it was lovely and sunny. But it was a day to stay inside. I spent some time looking through the hundreds, and yes I do mean hundreds, of photos we took on our trip out west to Vancouver Island in November 2011.

The day we left was a gorgeous sunny day with calm water. We crossed from Victoria to Vancouver on the Coastal Renaissance ferry. The scenery was amazing. Just the day before some of the ferry crossings has been cancelled due to high winds. Rather like the winds we've had for the past couple of days.

We were able to spend a lot of time on the deck taking in the scenery. Who wouldn't be fascinated by the water that bubbled and frothed up at the back of the ferry? We had our eyes peeled for whales but unfortunately didn't see any. We did see lots of gulls and and an eagle flying overhead.

The clear sky enabled us to have fantastic views of the Olympic Mountains and Mount Baker.
So I'm glad for cold, wintery days now so that I can relive our holidays experiences.

I'm sharing these views of a sunny day with Watery Wednesday.

What do you do when it is too cold to go outside?

Critter Shadows

2011-12-31T10:01:00.000-05:00

One of the days we were visiting Vancouver Island we visited Fisherman's Wharf. This is a delightful place to visit. The last time we visited was in the summer of 2008 and the Wharf was bustling with tourists. This time it was a very sunny, but chilly day in November 2011. You can walk the docks and view the float homes and see the seals and ducks.

Here is my shadow trying to capture some photos of these lens friends.

We came across this sord of ducks. A sord is a group of ducks on the ground. A flock is a group of ducks in the air. I think the water was too cold for them and they were enjoying the warmth in the sun on the dock. The male mallards have gorgeous colouring.

The female has lovely markings and patterns on her feathers.

These lens friends are perfect to share with Camera Critters and Shadow Shot Sunday.

It isn't very sunny here today and it is rather chilly. The temperatures are supposed to rise to +5 Celsius which will help melt the ice rain we had overnight. Christmas is being packed away in boxes for another year so that everything will be clean, fresh and tidy for 2012. We are not revellers for New Years but enjoy a quiet, peaceful evening at home.
Have a great weekend.

Freezy Friday

2011-12-30T10:25:00.000-05:00

Today we are getting our first taste of a snowy winter day. We've had sprinkles of snow since just before Christmas, but overnight the white fluffy stuff arrived and it is supposed to continue coming down most of the day. There is a bit of freezing drizzle coming down right now with freezing rain in the forecast for this evening.

It looks like it will be time to get out the snow shovels and clear off the driveway, walks and deck. Well, not right now, but maybe later on. One of the wonderful advantages of being retired is that we can do things when we want to, not because the clock says it is almost time to be at work.

It's a perfect day for watching the world through the windows, relaxing, some reading and some crafting.

I recently checked out some gardening books just for a day like today - Get Growing by Frankie Flowers and Grow Great Grub by Gayla Trail. So the gardener side of me is going to curl up with a cozy afghan and dream about gardening. It's time to get some ideas for gardening season. I'm looking forward to getting more done in the garden this year as I was curtailed by knee surgery last spring.

Today is also the perfect day to get some hooky time in. The crafty side of me is working on an afghan trying to use up some of my stash yarn. That is why the stripes are all different sizes, it just depends how much yarn I have of each colour.

It's a simple pattern of one row of double crochet, followed by one row of 2 double crochet, chain one, skip one dc and repeat. I already made a stash busting afghan out of the blues left over from little boy knitting and crochet. This one is pinks and co-ordinating colours from little girl knitting and crochet.

Let's see, what else can I do on a freezy Friday? I will go for a walk, but not outside, but on the treadmill. I can watch the world through the window while I walk in comfort. And I think a mug of hot chocolate after that walk will be perfect. Who knows, perhaps even a nap might be taken.

What do you do on a snowy day?

The 12 Birds of Christmas

2011-12-26T12:12:00.000-05:00

The 12 Days of Christmas - my rendition with birds.

On the first day of Christmas my camera snapped for me ... a cardinal in a bare tree and then continuing on ...

2 swans a swimming

3 robins feeding

4 ducks a swimming

5 cowbirds snacking

6 turkeys gobbling

7 geese a lined up

8 sparrows feeding

9 doves a resting

10 geese a flying

11 ducks a sitting

and
On the twelfth day of Christmas my camera snapped for me ... 12 geese a honking

I'm looking forward to taking more photos of feathered lens friends next year.

The Night Before Christmas - Gardening Style

2011-12-24T06:56:00.000-05:00

I've been posting this fun verse for many years now on my blog.
A Gardener's Night Before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the yard,
Not a vegetable was growing, not even Swiss chard.
The hoses were stored in the cellar with care
And I, rest assured, knew they wouldn't freeze there.
The perennials were mulched, all snug in their beds,
While vision of springtime danced in their heads.
The new planted shrubs had been soaked by the hose,
To settle their roots for the long, winter's doze.
And out on the lawn, the new fallen snow
Protected the roots of the grasses below.
When out in the drive there arose such a clatter,
I ran with my hoe to see what was the matter.
And what to my wondering eyes should appear
But a truck full of useful gardening gear.
Saint Nick, the driver, so plump and so jolly
Jumped out of his truck with a sackful of holly.
"I've bought trimmers and clippers and tubers and seeds
And landscape fabric to eliminate weeds,
Well aged manure, strained finely for spreading,
Just what you need for your annual flower bedding,
And for birds and bird watchers, a feeder and bath.
I've an insect pest guide to help you to know
Which of the bugs will cause plants to grow slow,
A new sprayer to fill with safe soap and oil,
A floating row cover, there are insects to foil!
For gardening with ease, I've a new rototiller,
Pads for your knees and organic bug killer.
for pH detecting, here's a soil testing kit
For soil preparation that's sure to be a hit,
A new mulching mower for grass blade clipping,
And a long soaker hose that saves water by dripping."
With jolly Saint Nick's gift-giving complete,
He started his truck and took off down the street.
And I heard him exclaim through the motor's loud hum,
"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a green thumb!"

unknown source

From My Home to Your Home

2011-12-20T15:27:00.000-05:00

The Christmas village is all set up on the china cupboard.
This is a collection that I started quite a few years ago and added a house or two each year.

It all started with these little houses that are actually candles that have never been lit.

Along came the candy land houses.

One year I found some lighthouses decked out for winter.

The mountain chalets sit high above the lighthouses

There are 2 little houses that I stitched on 14 count plastic canvas using embroidery thread.

And here are 2 more and a little garage all stitched the same way.

There is even a village with a station, a grocer and an inn.
There are multi story houses and apartment buildings.

From my home to your home I wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

An Unexpected Sprinkle of Snow

2011-12-19T07:10:00.000-05:00

We woke up to a very heavy frost on Sunday morning and it was certainly a lot colder than it had been. Then it started to cloud over and an unexpected sprinkle of snow started falling.

I had been doing laundry and dusting the cube shelf unit in the kitchen. That is a job I tend to put off and put off, but I decided it was time to tackle it yesterday. During a break in dusting and moving items I went out onto the deck and then out onto the front path to snap a few pictures to create into a mosaic/collage to share with Mosaic Monday.

The snow didn't last long and with temperatures reaching +5 Celsius today what tiny traces are left will quickly disappear. There is also rain in the forecast for today. It doesn't look like it will be a white Christmas in my part of Ontario.
How about where you are? What sort of weather is anticipated for Christmas?

Pink Mittens

2011-12-16T07:33:00.000-05:00

It was pink flowers yesterday and now it's pink mittens today.

I finished off these mittens in a couple of days. I usually knit in the evenings when I'm watching my favourite British soap, Coronation Street. I used the same pattern as I did for our grandson's mittens but with a couple of changes. I used 3.5 mm needles instead of 4.5 mm and I used a Bernat Softee Baby yarn instead of worsted weight. I wanted the mittens to be smaller as our granddaughter is only 2 while our grandson is 4.5

Look at the size difference and the best thing of all is both pairs fit perfectly. I'm going to do them another pair each. Thank goodness Coronation Street is on for an hour now, that means more knitting time.
It was a rainy day yesterday with temperatures about 11 Celsius. I'm glad it wasn't colder else all the rain would of been ice and snow. It's getting closer to the first day of winter, but so far it doesn't feel like it. I also spent some time online entering all my seed stash at Folia. The job is only about a third done but I know there will be more days like today when the weather keeps me inside.

What do you do on days when you just don't want to go outside?

GBBD December

2011-12-15T07:06:00.000-05:00

There certainly isn't anything blooming outside in December in my part of Ontario. But thank goodness for indoor plants that bloom and let me participate in Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.
The Christmas cactus has been putting on a wonderful show since we arrived home from our month long trip out west at the end of November. Then there were just buds.But now the buds are fully open.

Here are a few of the blooms, and you can just see lots more little pink buds appearing at the end of the stems.

I just can't resist taking photos of the blooms, first in clumps of 3 or more ...
... then in pairs ...

... and finally one all by itself.

I'm looking forward to viewing the other posts for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day from participants around the globe as I know there will be some wonderful blooms both inside and outside.

Do you have any houseplants in bloom?
Thanks for visiting. Have a great day.

Seeds for Spring

2011-12-13T08:41:00.000-05:00

Awhile back I mentioned a seed swap that was going on with a group of people from Folia. I received my package in the mail at the end of November and I'm finally getting around to sorting through the seeds.

The seeds include yellow calendula, 4 o'clocks, orange cosmos, blue morning glories, french marigolds, purple lupines, yellow hollyhocks, false sunflower, malva, red spider zinnias, peony poppy, dames rocket and pink cleome.

Folia is an online site where you can enter info about your gardens, keep track of your seed stash, track your plants, keep track of your harvests, trade seeds with others, and meet lots of wonderful gardeners in numerous groups. I'll be entering all the seeds I just received over the next little while and then come spring can track when I planted them, when they sprouted, and hopefully when they bloom.

I was also really lucky to get some scarlet runner bean seeds from our daughter's neighbour in British Columbia. I love growing these beans, not only because they attract hummingbirds but because the beans remind me of England. My uncle always grew these beans in his garden and I have wonderful memories of picking the beans with my girls when they were little.

How long is it till spring?
I can't wait to get busy planting all these seeds.

Oh wait a minute, winter hasn't even started yet!!!

Are you thinking spring already?

Busy Hands

2011-12-12T15:35:00.000-05:00

I've been keeping my hands busy with some crochet and some knitting.I made a little crochet blanket and pillow for our granddaughter to use with her doll which she calls Baby.

This isn't her doll but belonged to her aunt. It lives at our house and granddaughter plays with it when she visits. It was just a simple pattern I created out of some left over yarn.

Then I made a pair of mittens out of some stash yarn for our grandson. I did the ribbing a bit longer so that it can stayed tucked inside the coat sleeves. I'll probably be making more of these in the next few weeks as we all know how little boys can go through mittens. The pattern is from Bev's Country Cottage and it's called 2 needle knit mittens for kids.

Both projects were simple do do and were finished in a couple of days. I've added them to my Ravelry site. I've also got a pair of socks on the go, in fact I started them on the train ride home from out west.
I'm sharing the collage/mosaic image with Mosaic Monday.What are you doing to keep busy now that the colder weather is setting in?

Steller Jays

2011-12-10T13:41:00.000-05:00

We were fasciated to see many different varieties of birds on our recent trip to British Columbia.

The Steller Jay was a new siting for us, as we don't get them here in Ontario.

The noisy lens friends were captured from the balcony of the cottage where we stayed in Ucluelet on the west coast of Vancouver Island. It was a bit of a rainy day and you can see a few water droplets on the feathers.

These inquisitive birds came right to the balcony, perhaps hoping we would leave them a morsel of food.

This was another bird we were able to check off our list, along with the Black Oystercatcher. It is also a great bird to share with Camera Critters and a new link party I discovered called, Tuesday Tweets.
Do you maintain a list of birds you have spotted?

December Blooms

2011-12-09T12:37:00.000-05:00

The Christmas cactus has started to bloom.
At the end of November, when we got home from out trip out west, the buds were all formed.

Since taking these photos the buds have started to open. I'll be posting some more photos soon.
I've got lots of posts about this plant, and if you wish to view them just click the label Christmas Cactus at the bottom of this post.Even though this is a plant that I rarely fertilize I'm still sharing it with Fertilizer Friday.

It is a dull and dreary Friday here in my part of Ontario. The bright blooms on the Christmas cactus are the bright spot of the day. There is a wet snow and rain mix coming down. It really isn't settling on the ground yet. But who knows when that will change.
Hope you are enjoying Friday.

Learning Something New

2011-12-08T15:17:00.000-05:00

I'm learning how to add video footage to my blog posts. If I had figured this out yesterday I would of added it to the post about the wild Pacific Ocean. Oh well, better late than never.
You can hear the pouring of the rain in this video, taken under the protection of my umbrella.

I've had video/movie options on my camera but don't use it to the fullest. Watch out, as now I've learned how to do this, it could become my latest obsession.

Here is how I did it.
Go to YouTube and set up an account if you don't already have one.Click the upload button to upload a video from your computer. Of course, first you have to take the video/movie on your camera and upload it to your computer Once uploaded, your video had to be processed on YouTube. When it is ready, click the share button that is underneath it. You get a couple of choices, choose embeded.Copy the code and add it to your blog post, and presto there it is.

Have you learned how to do something new lately?

The Wild Pacific Ocean

2011-12-07T06:23:00.000-05:00

On a windy, wet and stormy day we visited Long Beach by Tofino, British Columbia. The wild Pacific Ocean was at its best during the storm.

The waves were crashing onto the beach.

Along with lots of driftwood there was a huge tree that had washed up on shore.

This is the type of weather the surfers love and there were lots of them in the ocean braving the weather to get that perfect ride.

These photos look like they were taken in black and white but they weren't. It was such and overcast day. I'll share some other photos in another post where the colour is evident.

I'm sharing these wild Pacific Ocean photos with Watery Wednesday.

Thanks for visiting. Enjoy the day.

Melianthus Major

2011-12-06T08:34:00.001-05:00

Thank you to all my blog friends that helped identify my Monday Mystery plant. You can always count on bloggers to help you out.

This plant is Melianthus Major in the honeybush family. I Googled it and found out all sorts of information. This plant is a native to South Africa where it gets wonderful red spiky blooms on it. Our daughter has said that it has not bloomed for her yet. I also found out it can be called the peanut butter plant, so I told her to go out and rub the leaves between her fingers and smell the leaves :) This plant can be grown from seed, but I'm not sure if it will grow in my Canadian garden zone of 5b. Her garden is Canadian zone 8.I definitely have plant envy!!
Thanks once again to those that gave me a positive identification.

Thanks for visiting. Have a great day.

Monday Mystery Plant

2011-12-05T07:33:00.000-05:00

I'm hoping some of my blog friends, probably those from the west coast, can help me identify this mystery plant.

This is a huge plant that grows in our daughter's garden in Sooke, British Columbia. It was in the garden when she moved in and there was no plant identification marker with it. She tells me the leaves die off in the winter and grow bigger and better the following spring.

Here is a close up of the leaves with those fascinating edges.

Here is the plant again covered in the first snowfall of the season for them. The leaves got very droopy with the heavy, wet snow but once the snow melted they stood up again.

Naturally I couldn't resist creating a mosaic/collage of the photos to share with Mosaic Monday.
If you think you know the name of my Monday mystery plant, please leave me a comment. I'll be checking out all your replies in hopes of a positive identification.

Black Oystercatcher

2011-12-03T06:39:00.000-05:00

One of the many things we did while on vacation in BC was look for new

They have many different species of birds than we get in Ontario, and of course many are the same. One bird we spotted while walking along Whiffin Spit in Sooke was the Black Oystercatcher, certainly one we had not seen before, even on our previous trip to BC.

They belong to a group of wading birds and are about the size of the crow.
But that seems to be where the similarities stop. Look at those long pinkish legs and feet and just look at that long reddish beak. And what about those eyes!
We only saw one making its way along the stony shore of the Pacific Ocean, and every now and then he would stop and peck down into the rocks. We have no idea if it was catching oysters but it did seem to like what it found. We were thrilled be able to check this off our birding list. It is also a great bird to share with Camera Critters and Tuesday Tweets.

Thanks for visiting.

Last November Skies

2011-12-02T07:55:00.000-05:00

The day we arrived home from our vacation out west it was pouring and pouring of rain. That rain continued into the next day which happened to be the last day of November.
I've had my

In the afternoon, just for a few minutes, we saw some snowflakes coming down. I guess the weather was letting us know that winter is getting closer and this is just a tiny sample of what is to come.
But after those 2 very wet days the clouds cleared away and there was a gorgeous sunset.

While cooking dinner I popped out onto the back deck to admire the skies and snap some photos.

The colours in the sky were changing quickly.

And before I knew it they were fading away.

Later in the evening I took this photo of the moon. I still haven't mastered the technique of taking night photos. That is something for me to keep working on. Why not stop by Sky Watch and see more photos of bloggers that keep their eye on the sky.

I've been playing around with my blog template too. I'm going to try not having a side bar so that the post window can be bigger and show off my photos better. Just about everything that was in the side bar is now at the very bottom of the blog.
Don't forget to check out my Canada blog hop at the top of the blog. There are so many wonderful Canadian blogs to visit.

Have a great Friday.

Thursday Thoughts on Travelling

2011-12-01T07:41:00.000-05:00

A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.quote by Tim Cahill
We were travelling for the month of November ... out to British Columbia and back to Ontario. I've been on blogging holiday too. Even though a few posts appeared during the month they were ones I wrote and had Blogger publish throughout the month. It seemed to work out quite well.
The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.quote by St. Augustine
We travelled by car, train, bus, ferry and foot. We had amazing views of our great land and experienced all types of weather ... from sun, rain, wind, snow. We met so many amazing people from around the world. Naturally the best part was seeing our family once again and meeting our new grandson.

(snowy trees in the mountains approaching Jasper)We were lucky enough to be ahead or behind of the big storms. One wind storm cancelled the ferry schedule the day before we were to leave Vancouver Island and an ice/snow storm arrived in Northern Ontario as we passed through.
How wonderful it is to travel on vacation but it is equally as wonderful to arrive back home. I haven't tackled the mounds of laundry yet and so far we have only bought the necessary groceries. The fridge and cupboards will need stocking up. And then there are the preparation of the Christmas season.
No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.quote by Lin Yutang
I took so many photos it will be like re-living the vacation as I sort through them. Of course I'll be sharing lots and lots of them in future blog posts.
A traveller without observation is a bird without wings.quote by Moslih Eddin Saadi
I've missed visiting my favourite blogs and I've missed participating in various blog activities but with the approaching winter I'll have lots of time to catch up. I'm looking forward to connecting with my blog friends again.
December arrived on this frosty morning. But that is okay, because we don't have to go out and scrape the windows and leave for work. That is one of the advantages of being retired. The grandkids that live close by are coming for a visit this morning so we can catch up on all the things they have been doing while we were away.It's going to be a great day. Hope yours is too.

Downy at the new peanut feeder

2011-11-19T13:02:00.000-05:00

We recently purchased a new peanut feeder from our favourite bird store, A Place to Perch. It looks like a cat tail and you poke it into the ground or pot.

I poked it into one of the large metal tubs that had a tomato plant in it over the summer.

I'm hoping to attract the birds closer to the house so I can get better photos of them.

The top screws off and you fill it with peanuts. So far the downy woodpecker and chickadee have been to the feeder. I'm really happy with the photos of our lens friends that I've captured. I'm sure I'll get lots more photos over the winter.

Another Potting Experiment

2011-11-17T10:43:00.000-05:00

Another potting experiment is happening over the winter in my garden. I had a lot of extra tulip bulbs, some of which got planted in the front gardens. But I wanted some spring blooms for the deck so decided to pot them up.

Like the allium bulbs I potted up these tulips bulbs were fairly small.

So I arranged them in a pot, pushed them way down and covered them with dirt.

And then sank the pot into the ground. So hopefully in the spring I can just lift it out of the ground and display it on the deck. There are some other potted plants that are in the ground for the winter. These are different trailing sedums. I did this last year with them and they survived just fine. If left in the pots on the deck they probably wouldn't survive due to the freeze/thaw cycle that happens. The roots need to be protected in the ground.

What have you been doing in the garden to prepare for the arrival of winter?

A Potting Experiment

2011-11-13T15:11:00.000-05:00

The last few jobs in the garden are being completed. Earlier in the summer I had to move some drumstick allium and I found lots and lots of little bulbs growing around the main ones.

What do do with them? I still find it a challenge to kneel down to work in the garden after my knee surgery last May, so I decided on a potting experiment.

Working at my garden bench, I potted the little allium bulbs up in 2 good sized flower pots.

And then I dug a big hole and sank the pots into it and filled it with dirt. Now I will now wait till spring to see if they grow. I don't see why they shouldn't grow. And next year I'll be able to transplant the pots into a permanent place in the garden.

Are you trying any potting experiments in your garden?

Cover Up

2011-11-09T14:28:00.000-05:00

To keep the ipad save when not in use I made an ipad pouch. It just required a small amount of material, cut to the width of the ipad plus a tiny bit for seams.

I folded up the material so it made a pouch or an envelope, seamed it up, included enough for a flap and added velcro for a closure.

When the ipad is tucked inside it closes together to keep it safe. I take it with me when I have an appointment and I can play games or read the latest downloaded book from the library. And naturally it will be going on our cross Canada trip with us.

One of my favourite apps is the OverDrive Media Consul which connect me to the Ontario library service. And from there I can download books, just like signing them out from the library, except they are easier to carry around. I can download up to 5 books at a time. You have the option to sign them out for 7 or 14 days. And the best part is you never get an overdue fine, as the books are automatically returned on the due date. You also have to option to reserve up to 3 books for reading at a later date.

The ipad is on vacation with us.
Do you travel with your ipad?

Starting an Experiment

2011-11-04T11:37:00.000-04:00

I've had the Let's Streak Hosta growing in my garden for 2 years now.

It has gorgeous purple blooms trimmed with white edges and darker purple streaks on each petal.

This year I have let the flower spikes go to seed and snipped them off for drying.
Each little pod contains numerous seeds.

You can see the size of the pods in relation to the Canadian dime.

Here are some of the seeds. I've opened up 2 seedpods so you can see how many seeds I'll have when they are all open.I realized that you don't always get the same results on plants grown from seed. But it will be certainly worth the effort to see what grows from these seeds.I'll be looking forward to spring to see how this growing experiment turns out. And naturally I'll be blogging about it.

Do you save seeds for the garden?

Across Canada

2011-10-30T17:27:00.000-04:00

It is very exciting at our house. We will soon be heading out west to meet our new grandson and visit with his family. The trip is all organized and the packing is almost done.

We are going all the way on The Canadian. I call it a travelling hotel with Via Rail. We made the same trip 3 years ago and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. This time it is a different season of the year so the scenery across Canada will be different. What an amazing way to see our country.

Once we arrive in Vancouver we will be taking one of the BC Ferries across to Vancouver Island.

The photos I'm sharing with Mosaic Monday were taken on our last trip out west, but I'm sure I'll have oodles and oodles of new photos to share after our trip.

Boo-tiful When-sday

2011-10-26T09:11:00.000-04:00

When-sday is a day to reminisce to way back when.It's been awhile since I did a When-sday post. This is the day when I revisit a previous post.
This When-sday revisit was originally posted on October 24, 2010. It seems appropriate to post it again as Hallowe'en is coming soon and perhaps you are looking for a quick and easy craft to make for your kids or grandkids.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With just a week to go till Hallowe'en I came across this really cute idea at one of the blogs I read, The Long Thread.
I just happened to have some white hand towels and some black material to make these cute, "boo"tiful towels for my grandchildren. So on a wet Sunday morning I am being creative with the sewing machine.

The material is appliqued onto the towels. Such a quick and easy gift to make

Two "boo"tiful towels for two "spook"tackular grandchildren.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm making another towel to give to our newest Grandson.

I hope you are having a boo-tiful When-sday.

Fall Display

2011-10-24T13:16:00.000-04:00

We had a lovely visit to the farm store a few days ago to purchase pumpkins with the grandchildren. It was a chilly and windy day so we didn't stay that long.

The textures of the gourds and pumpkins just make you want to rub your fingers over then. The one at the bottom was almost like peanuts were growing on the outside.

It's time for another Mosaic Monday. Do try and blog hop over there and see some other wonderful creations.

Head on over to camp and cottage living, a favourite blog for me to visit, and enter the giveaway. Then stop by Pondside, another of my favourite places to visit and see the giveaway there.

The Zinnias Evolve

2011-10-19T06:57:00.000-04:00

This week the Word for Wednesday is evolution or evolve
Watching the evolution of the blooms on the zinnias is fascinating. I took photos of the zinnia buds over several days last year,to create my own time lapse photography, so you can see the process.

It all started with the tiny seed.

and grew into a little seedling.

A tight green bud evolves into a gorgeous flower in a few days.

The colours begin to emerge.

The petals take shape and begin to evolve on their own.

The colours are beginning to appear.

Those tiny yellow flowers around the center have evolved almost out of no where.
The more you look ... the more you see.
Nature never fails to amaze me.

Be sure to visit Word for Wednesday and see how others interpret todays word.

The Friendship Garden Seed Swap

2011-10-18T08:43:00.000-04:00

I'm a member at Folia (button on the side bar) and I'm also the caretaker of the Gardening in Canada group there. One of our members is organizing a seed swap during the month of November.

You package up seeds from your garden and mail them off to the organizer. In turn you will receive the same number of packets of seeds back. So if you send in 10 packets you get 10 back. You can do whatever number suits you.
We are looking for some more Canadians to join in the swap. You have to live in Canada to participate as seeds are not supposed to be sent across the border due to some regulations that are in place. I know that many people exchange seeds between countries but this seed swap is just for Canadians.
Folia is a great place to organize your gardening online. You can keep track of your various gardens, plantings, seed stash and more.

If you would like to join the seed swap, pop over to Folia and join (it's really easy), find the Gardening in Canada group, and look for the message to join the swap.

Seed swapping is a great way to start a friendship garden with seeds from across our great country. If you are looking for seed info and some seed labels to print, click the Sow Then Grow tab at the top of my blog.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you telling me you would love to join our Canadian seed swap.

A Cozy Blanket

2011-10-17T08:54:00.001-04:00

I finished the round ripple blanket I was making for our new grandson. The cozy blanket was packaged up along with several other items and mailed out to him. Canada Post had the best rates and delivered the package within the week.

This was a crochet round ripple blanket, of course done in blue and white. This blanket was started on September 24 the day he was born. His parents chose not to know the sex of the baby during the pregnancy so I couldn't begin it till he was born. It was finished a week later.

I had to take a few photos of it before mailing it out west. But in November I'll be able to take photos of him with his blanket as we are heading out west for the month of November.
The colours make it perfect to share with Blue Monday and of course I couldn't resist making a mosaic collection of the photos to share with Mosaic Monday

I hope you are having a marvellous Monday.

The Fading Leaves

2011-10-15T10:40:00.000-04:00

There are still a few plants in bloom in the garden ... coreopsis, rudbekia, cosmos, impatience and mums. But I'm sharing the fading leaves as the garden goes into its sleep mode for the approaching winter.

The hosta blooms are all finished for this year but the leaves are putting on a wonderful fading show of colour from green to yellow to brown.

A couple of yellow leaves poke up in the middle of this clump of hosta. The other leaves are starting to show some yellow spots.

Another hosta is turning yellow around the edges.

The solomon seal seems to be going yellow from the tip down to the stem.

The lily of the valley has been turning yellow and now the tips are going brown.

Another hosta has leaves that are completely yellow.

There is still beauty in the fading garden. to share with Fertilizer Friday and Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.

Wasp Shadow

2011-10-08T13:39:00.001-04:00

It is the Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend. The weather is absolutely gorgeous, with temperatures in the mid 20's Celsius.
The sun is creating lovely shadows and I captured the wasp as it basked in the sun on the bbq.

Just look at the shadow. It's perfect to share with Shadow Shot Sunday

Did you notice I didn't say this was a lens friend? I don't consider wasps to be friends but they do make fascinating subjects to photograph.

Repose

2011-10-05T08:21:00.000-04:00

The word for Wednesday is repose.
This means a temporary rest from activity.
Just look at this squirrel I captured through my lens. What a lens friend he turned out to be.

He certainly isn't involved in any activity as he lays along the deck railing soaking up some sun. I think this is the perfect photo to show the meaning of repose.

I can't wait to see other interpretations of this word at Word for Wednesday

A Green Tea Day

2011-10-04T11:56:00.000-04:00

After a busy morning shopping, unloading the van, and putting groceries away I always enjoy a nice cup of tea and a little treat. First it is time to choose which teapot to use.

Tucked away on the corner of the counter sits a green set that I've had for ages. We use the sugar bowl and storage canister all the time.

Today I chose a green teapot for one and thought a green tea would be nice to go along with it. Should it be a pear green tea, a ginger peach green tea, or a plain green tea?

I chose the Stash ginger peach green tea. The aroma is lovely while it is steeping. I picked up this little teapot for one at a garage sale for $2 in the summer. Even though the colours don't show that well all of the pieces are actually the same dark green.

The tray is set with tea, some chocolate digestive biscuits and a book to read for a few minutes peace and quiet. This is another book in the Tea Shop Mystery series by Laura Childs. Just reading this series makes you want to brew a pot of tea.Be sure to make time to relax with a cup of tea today.Won't you join Rose Chintz Cottage, Tuesday Tea for Two, and Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday for tea today.

Tap, Tap, Tap

2011-10-02T13:23:00.000-04:00

Sunday Snapshot
of

While working in the garden this week I could hear the tap, tap, tap of the woodpecker feeding at the peanut feeder. I always have my camera handy to capture my lens friends.

It's a rainy Sunday here so I won't be doing much in the garden today. I'll be keeping a watch out the window as the birds still come in to feed when it rains.

To see more photos taken in the past click woodpecker in the labels.

Wild Asters

2011-09-28T14:23:00.001-04:00

It is the last Wednesday of the month and time for Wildflower Wednesday.The lovely wild asters are still in bloom, but probably not for much longer.

These photos were taken in the wild patch of our backyard. It's the area where I let most things grow to see how they turn out and what wildlife they attract.

There were several bees around the wild asters, probably gathering the last of the pollen that they could this season.

They were busy flitting from flower to flower and didn't mind me taking photos.

I'm always thrilled to capture some new lens friends.
I'm sharing with Clay and Limestone for Wildflower Wednesday. This may be the last one for me till next spring.
Take time to enjoy the garden today.

Marvellous Monday

2011-09-26T11:51:00.001-04:00

It has been a hectic and fantastic weekend.We started off by taking down the screen gazebo and putting away most of the garden ornaments. I know the weather is still wonderful but that can change at any time.I've spent lots of time finishing a baby sweater and working on a baby blanket. On Saturday a new grandson was born.

I found this lovely, simple pattern on the web and decided to give it a try. It is a seamless neck down cardigan. The only time I had to do any stitching was when I stitched the buttons on. I used a bit thicker yarn than called for and of course a bit larger sized needles. I sure hope it fits. I used Bernat Baby Jacquards that a very good friend sent to me. I love the way the self patterning yarn came out.This is being lovingly packaged up and put in the mail. It's going out to British Columbia where our new grandson lives. The blanket it is laying on was given to me when I had my daughter and I've saved it for her for when she had her first baby.

I'm also busy making a crochet blanket. This one is in blue and white and made with Bernat Baby Softee. I'm using the same pattern I used for my other grandchildren.
I'm doing this one is 8 row sections, changing colour with each section. I'm just starting the third section. and will do at least three more. When done it is a 12 point star.

I'm sharing with Mosaic Monday
Hope you are having a marvellous Monday.

Long Lasting Pansies

2011-09-22T12:28:00.000-04:00

Pansies are the first annual I purchase in the early spring. After a long winter it is so lovely to see the hardy blooms on a cool, spring morning.
This year the pansies did really well, and they are still blooming at the end of September.

I have continually deadheaded them all season and I'm sure that is one of the reasons they have lasted so long.

I always choose my favourite colours of yellow and orange in the spring. These are not the icicle pansies you can purchase in the Fall. They just have survived the whole season with a lot of TLC.

Here is one of the large pots with lots of blooms still remaining.

Here are both pots of pansies and you can see that one has lasted a bit better than the other. I will be enjoying the blooms for as long as possible.

I'm joining in with the last Cottage Floral Thursday for this year. I'm not sure how much longer I'll have blooms to share for Fertilizer Friday.
Take time to enjoy the last day of summer as Fall officially arrives on Friday.

Illumination

2011-09-21T09:04:00.000-04:00

I just discovered Word for Wednesday, and I know I've said I'm not joining in anymore theme days, but I thought I might try this one now and then. I love words, especially creating my own version of some words like 2sDay, 'Purse'onality, craf-tea, 'tree'mendous, re'find', 'When'sday, 'Soup'er, and more. I even have a screen saver on my Mac that is the word of the day. Yet my posts aren't filled with words, mostly pictures.

This week the word is illumination and if you choose to participate you do a blog post about what it means to you. It's the perfect way to show off more of my garden photos.

This rose is illuminated in the sunlight. The top part of the rose looks lighter in colour because of the light. The light also creates shadows under one of the petals.

The morning light sparkles on the dew drops on the rose. The edges of the petals are illuminated and you can see the curl of the petals more clearly.

The sunlight illuminates the top petals and gives the feeling that you can look through them.

Donna, from Garden Walk, Garden Talk, and who visits my blog on a fairly regular basis has started Word for Wednesday. Please pop over and see her gorgeous photos and take a look at what others are sharing. They are all very illuminating.

Remember, the more you look, the more you see.

Work Then Tea

2011-09-20T11:29:00.002-04:00

Just look at this adorable round box. Are you wondering what is inside?

It holds a set of two mugs and saucers. I love the saucers as they also are wide enough to hold some tea time treats. And of course everything is green, my favourite colour.

Won't you join me for tea on Tuesday. You can choose the ginger peach green tea or the licorice spice. There is also a slice of fresh banana bread that was just baked.After I've been busy in the garden cutting down plants and putting away things for the approaching cold weather, it is nice to enjoy a lovely warm cup of tea and a homemade snack.
Won't you join Rose Chintz Cottage, Tuesday Tea for Two, and Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday for tea today.
Take time to enjoy the garden today, before the summer days slip away into Autumn.

Alpaca Beans

2011-09-14T15:43:00.000-04:00

I have met some friendly and knowledgeable gardeners as I am sharing the extra plants from my garden.Last weekend I met a wonderful lady who also raises alpacas on her farm. She said she would give me some alpaca beans in exchange for all the plants I gave her. Off to trusty Google to find out what these were all about. Turns out alpaca beans is the fancier name for poop from alpacas.

Alpaca beans are somewhat lower in organic matter than other types of manure, and I have to say the smell is a whole lot different, hardly any at all. You spread this directly on your garden without it damaging the plants. I put the bagful on one part of the front garden and spread the beans around quite a bit. I'm also going to add some compost dirt and mix it all together and hopefully the soil will be improved next year.
If you live close to me and want to purchase some you can contact Alpaca Lunch Farm and find out all about it.Now if only I knew how to turn the alpaca fleece into yarn. That will be my next project to research. If you live near me and know how to do this or you know someone who does, please let me know.I'd also love to hear from you if you have used alpaca beans on your garden.

Sharing the Garden

2011-09-12T06:35:00.002-04:00

I love to share my garden. I share numerous photos on my blog, I share with family and friends and I share by giving away plants.Over the past couple of weeks and probably for a couple more I am sharing those volunteer plants, sections of plants that get very large, and extra plants that fill the garden.

I belong to a local Freecycle group and I give away all my extra plants that way. You wouldn't believe the number of emails I get asking for them when I post some. I frequently don't have time to reply to all of the folks so just post a thank you to everyone that asked about them when I post they are taken
I've met many wonderful gardeners this way and I know that my plants are being well looked after and growing in some of the best gardens around. One lot of my plants went into the gardens at the new YMCA in Trenton. In another post I'll tell you about a lovely lady I met this weekend who had something to share back with me.

I bet you share your garden with friends and neighbours, don't you?
I'm sharing with Mosaic Monday today.

Still Water Reflections

2011-09-11T08:45:00.002-04:00

While on our search for the night heron (previous post) we also captured some wonderful reflections in the still water.

This photo was taken in the same still pond where I photographed the night heron. The water was so still it gave the perfect reflection of the rock wall, trees and posts

In another still pond you can see a recently felled tree and its reflection in the water. Although I've never seen a beaver lodge in this area it sure looks like a beaver did this damage.

And finally the perfect reflection of the duck in the still water close to shore on the bay.

Stop by Weekend Reflections and see many more wonderful reflection photos.

The Night Heron

2011-09-10T07:24:00.001-04:00

I was extremely lucky to capture some photos of the black crowned night heron, or night heron, on September 7, 2011. My husband had spotted this water bird down by the bay on September 6 but didn't have a camera with him. My mission the next morning was to go back with my camera to see if I could capture a new lens friend.

I very quietly walked through the trees to the shore to get these photos. He was perched on an old tree stump in a still pond just off from the bay.
Through some Google searching I discovered that this heron is the most widespread around the world. It is most active at night feeding in the same spots as other herons. His legs are shorter than other herons, and he has two long feathers at the back of his head.

It was quite content to sit there and I got several similar photos of him perched on the stump. But as soon as he heard a very chatty group of morning walkers on the trail he took off.
I tried to follow where it went but I just wasn't fast enough. We've been back a couple of times to see if it is there but haven't spotted it.
I've never seen this particular type of heron down there before. I emailed a local birding expert, Terry Sprague, of Nature Stuff and he thinks that this one was probably just migrating through. He told me it does nest at Presqu'ile Provincial Park which is about a 40 minute drive from us.

It is the perfect lens friend to share with Camera Critters this weekend.

Fuschia in September

2011-09-08T06:44:00.001-04:00

This has been my best year ever for growing fuschia. Even now as we move into September the blooms are amazing. I admire them every time I step out the front door.

The pot, which sits in a shady part of the garden is laden with blooms.

There are many buds still to open, so I hope the weather doesn't cool down too quickly and stop them.

I love the frilly blooms, rather like pretty dresses.

A closer peek to see the underneath of these blooms.

I'm joining in with Cottage Floral Thursday and Fertilizer Friday

Take time to enjoy the garden today. With Fall fast approaching the blooms won't be around much longer.

That's My Rock

2011-09-07T08:57:00.002-04:00

Water levels have been very low down by the bay lately and all the rocks have been exposed. The water fowl each choose their own rock to perch on.

There are ducks, cormorants, the heron and even two swans perched on various rocks.

Usually the swans are swimming around and this was one of the rare times that I have seen them claiming a rock to stand on.

The heron is one of my favourite lens friends to capture.
It was a cooler morning when I took these, and the water had just a few ripples on it.I'm sharing these with Watery Wednesday
Remember, the more you look the more you see.

2sDay Knitting

2011-09-06T08:50:00.000-04:00

It's 2sDay and time to show 2 of something. Today I have 2 items that I just finished knitting.Here are the 2 items. Please excuse the awful photo as I took it last night and the lighting was not the best for photos.

Now what on earth am I knitting?
It's a simple little pattern I discovered on the web.
Can you believe that after folding and stitching them together they turned into these 2 items.

2 cute little baby booties to share on 2sDay. Now you can see the actual colour of the yarn it makes the top photo look even worse. I took this photo this morning. I would normally retake the top photo but I wasn't about to take apart my stitching. These 2sDay booties are for a new grandchild that is due in the next few weeks. I love the colour combination they used at the actual site and plan to knit some more.

Have a great 2sDay. I know I am, as it is back to school today and I don't have to go. Now I feel officially retired.

The Grand Opening

2011-09-05T08:48:00.000-04:00

For awhile now the chrysanthemums have been having a grand opening.From a tight green bud to a beautiful pink bloom with a bright yellow center.

Mums are a good sign that Fall is approaching.

A macro photo of a bloom almost open to share on Macro Monday

You can see lots of other wonderful mosaic images at Mosaic Monday.

Is Fall arriving in your garden?

A Macro Bloom

2011-09-02T08:54:00.001-04:00

Just look at the macro shot of the bloom from the Let's Streak hosta.

The edges look so delicate and the streaking is very obvious.To see more about this plant click the Let's Streak label at the end of this post.
Won't you please join in for Macro Friday.

A long weekend will be starting tomorrow. Some consider this the end of summer but there are still lots of days left - right up till September 21. This seems to be the transition into Fall with cooler mornings and over nights. The odd bit of colour is creeping into the leaves and blooms in the garden are fading. Enjoy the long weekend and make the most of these days in the garden.

Fading Beauty

2011-09-01T14:37:00.000-04:00

The heliopsis have bloomed for a long time this summer.

They are beautiful even as they fade away. Click the heliopsis label to see more of these beautiful blooms.

I'm joining in with Cottage Floral Thursday and Fertilizer Friday.

Take time to enjoy the garden today, even as it fades away.

Lunch, Tea and a Good Book

2011-08-30T06:51:00.001-04:00

We all need to take time away from the busy day for lunch, tea and a good book.

I love to read and the tea shop mysteries by Laura Childs are one of my favourites. By reading the series you get acquainted with the main characters and the lovely tea shop they run. There is always a mystery to solve and in between there is talk of wonderful teas, delicious lunches and decadent desserts Each book usually includes some recipes as well.I enjoyed the last couple of chapters with a cup of green tea in one of my favourite teacups along with a tuna and lettuce sandwich and some fresh picked cherry tomatoes from my pot garden.

This is a delicate cup with a lovely arrangement of flowers on the saucer and inside the cup. The outside of the cup is white with a simple gold line close to the middle and around the outer edge and bottom edge. It is marked Collingwoods Est 1796, Bone China, England on the bottom.

It's time for tea at Teatime Tuesday, Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday, Tuesday Tea for Two, and Tea Cup Tuesday

Do you have a favourite book to read with a cup of tea?
Take time to enjoy tea in the garden today.
PS - this is my first post from my new iMac computer using Pixelmater to edit and add text to my photos.

Let's Streak Hosta

2011-08-29T08:39:00.000-04:00

The Let's Streak Hosta is a rare hosta that is not registered right now. This is the third year I have had this plant in my garden and I'm thrilled with the progress it is making.

There are six flower stalks on it this year, each with numerous little mauve flowers.

This is the plant label that came with the first plant I acquired. I might try and save some of the seeds this year and see if I can grow some more plants for next year.

Here is a close up of the leaves and you can see the streaking on them too.

I've been taking photos over several days so I can track the progress. I think the photo with the raindrops is one of my favourites.

Just look at the beautiful blooms and colour formation with white streaks on mauve.

I'm sharing my photos with Mosaic Monday.

Take time to enjoy the garden today.

Still Waters

2011-08-28T08:20:00.000-04:00

The water was extremely still on one of our walks along the Riverfront trail.

I took this photo for the wonderful reflections of the trees in the water.

But when I looked closer I realized there was an osprey nest nearby and I had captured the reflection of it in the water perfectly.

Here is a closer photo of the actual nest with one osprey in it.

And here is a close up of the osprey after it left the nest and settled into one of the trees along side of the river. No doubt it was looking for some tasty fish. To see more photos of osprey I have taken in the past couple of years, click osprey in the labels section at the end of this post.

I'm sharing my photos with Weekend Reflections , Shadow Shot Sunday and Camera Critters.

Remember - the more you look the more you see.
Enjoy the last weekend in August.

Colours and Patterns

2011-08-25T04:10:00.000-04:00

Coleous is an annual plant that I have to have in my shade garden every year. The colourful leaves always fascinate me with their wonderful patterns.
The varying shades of greens, reds, purples, creams, and beiges always put on a pleasing show for the eyes.

They thrive in large clay pots in the north facing shade garden at the front of the house ... as do my boot planters

Here is my shady pot garden with coleous and white impatience.

It's that time of the week for Cottage Floral Thursday and Fertilizer Friday.

Take time to enjoy the garden today.

Watery Wednesday Scenes

2011-08-24T03:36:00.000-04:00

We recently discovered the Lions Park off of Station Street in town and it has become a favourite spot to stop by and check to see what birds are there. We've seen the heron, osprey, Canada Geese, gulls and ducks so far.Here are a few of the water scenes that I've captured along the riverfront trail.
The Moira River is quite low right now and many of the rock formations on the bed of the river are visible creating lovely little waterfalls.

You can see the walking trail in the above photo. You can follow this trail right down the river and along the bay.

I'm sharing these with Watery Wednesday

Craf-tea in the Garden

2011-08-23T09:00:00.000-04:00

What do you do with all those old teapots, kettles and teacups? If you are like me you get very craf-tea and you change them into planters and interesting items to display in the garden.

A few years ago an old wooden step ladder was converted to a display area. This year I have it set up with all my old tea things for tea time in the garden.
There is the lovely old sunflower kettle that was given to my by a friend. I have a trailing sedum in it.

Another black kettle from the same friend has another type of sedum in it.

An old purple cup and saucer is now home to some hens and chicks.

The only birds attracted to the teacup feeders are the cute little clip on ones I purchased at the dollar store.

So I changed up the teacup feeders this year and made them teacup planters. At first I just planted right into the cup, but with the abundance of rain we had this spring the poor little plants were saturated. So I found some small pots, potted them up and sat them inside the teacup. Now when it rains, I can easily empty all the water from the teacup and the plants are flourishing.

And then there are those old teapots that crack, or leak or are just too small. I glued them together and make my teapot totem.

For those of you that are visiting from Tea Time Tuesdays at Rose Chintz Cottage, Tuesday Tea for Two, and Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday I've changed it up a bit this week. It isn't the usual cup of tea, it has a little twist to it today. I hope you enjoy it.

Do you re-use old tea things?

Take time to enjoy the garden today.

Slices and Sandwiches

2011-08-22T03:50:00.000-04:00

The fresh, field tomatoes are abundant at the market and road side stands now. So-o-o-o delicious. It makes my mouth water just posting this photo.

Just slice, add to buttered bread, add a sprinkle of salt and you have created a delicious sandwich.
I'll be buying a big basket full soon and freezing this freshness to use in soups and stews in the winter months.
Enjoy the fresh fruit and veggies from the market and road side stands today.

It's Cooler in the Shade

2011-08-20T10:26:00.000-04:00

Early in the morning the sun shines into the screen gazebo. And that makes it a hot place to sit in the morning. Look at the lovely shadows the sun makes.

I found some old sheer net curtains that used to be in the living room, trimmed them, shortened them, and added velcro loops to the top. I recently purchased a new sewing machine and they made up really quickly.

And now I have a nice shady spot to sit, read and enjoy a refreshing drink like a peach smoothie. You can still see the shadows cast by the sun, but the comfy chairs are basked in shade. In the late afternoon the sun goes to the other side of the screen gazebo and it is easy to move the curtain from one side to the other.

Fresh Ontario peaches are available now. So I love to make peach smoothies and sit in the gazebo and relax. You need 1 or 2 peaches, 1 banana, half cup of vanilla yogurt and half cup of milk. Mix it all together in the blender for several seconds and enjoy.

Join in with Shadow Shot and check out lots of other shadows Take time to enjoy the garden today ... either in the sun or in the shade.

The Skies this Week

2011-08-19T08:38:00.000-04:00

The sky has been very changeable over the past several days.

The moon was full (even though a little blurry)

The mornings were misty and foggy.

Storm clouds rapidly moved in one evening.
And left a deluge of rain.

And then there were the days like yesterday that were as clear blue as can be.

And here is the moon in the sky this morning. Always keep your

and if you can't check Sky Watch for skies from all over the planet.

Canna Attract Hummers

2011-08-18T06:36:00.001-04:00

I love canna in the garden. For the past couple of years I have grown them in pots as it is so much easier to get the root out for storage over the winter. These 3 pots started out on the lowest level of my pot garden.

The foilage and blooms didn't disappoint me this year. I now have the pots positioned near the hummingbird and oriole feeders now they are blooming.. One of the good things about growing plants in pots is that you can move them around whenever you feel like it.

And now the blooms are attracting the hummingbirds many times a day. They particularly like watering time and enjoy the mist of the hose.

Here you can see the female ruby throated hummingbird checking out the flowers.

I'm sharing my photos with Cottage Floral Thursday and Fertilizer Friday and Camera Critters.

Take time to enjoy the garden today.

A Beach Daycation

2011-08-15T11:22:00.004-04:00

There is nothing so relaxing as a walk along the beach and boardwalk - especially a quiet beach.
Last Friday we went for a drive down to the Wellington beach. Wellington is a small town in Prince Edward County, known to the locals as The County. People flock from all over the province and other places to enjoy the wonderful beaches at Sandbanks Provincial Park, The Outlet, and North Beach Provincial Park. However the Wellington beach is a public beach and there weren't flocks of people there and the best part is that is less than a 30 minute drive from our house.

There were a couple of flocks of gulls enjoying the pickings on the beach.

We enjoyed walking the almost deserted beach and boardwalk and trail out to the lighthouse. How lovely to enjoy the splashing of the water on the rocks and the squawking of the gulls.

Of the 10 or so people that were there about 3 of them were brave enough to take a quick, very quick dip into the water. I braved the cold water to take a paddle and let the waves splash over my feet.. There were lots of rocks on the beach and I found a few good ones that I can paint into little cottages and add to Rockville.
I'm joining with Watery Wednesday.
I hope you are able to take some relaxing time away from your busy everyday life.

Along the Riverfront Trail

2011-08-15T06:51:00.003-04:00

I have driven by this place numerous times and never stopped to enjoy the beauty there till my husband came home one day and said he had seen a heron along there while driving past. So of course I had to go for a little excursion and see for myself

And there along this busy street almost by downtown I came across this lovely garden sponsored and maintained by the Lions Club. There were two gorgeous, semi circle pergolas facing each other with wonderful gardens and benches tucked away to sit and enjoy the surroundings. I will certainly be going back here again.

And yes, I did see the heron. Looks like he/she has been doing some preening.

It's time for Mosaic Monday

Take time to discover and explore a cozy nook tucked away on a busy street today.

Rockville

2011-08-13T15:00:00.005-04:00

There must of been some building permits issued as the Rockin' Village of Rockville has more residents. For a few years now I've been painting little house on rocks. I was inspired by Lin Wellford and her books. Once you see the little houses she created you will look at rocks in a whole new light.

Here are a couple of rock houses that have been on the work table for awhile and I decided I needed to finish them off.

There were four to finish and it didn't take me that long as the preliminary work had already been done. You do need some patience in completing the houses as each layer has to be dry before you can move onto the next one. I use acrylic paint, brushes of various sizes, and a sealer once they are finished.

Here is Rockville in my garden. And guess what? While we were on a beach daycation a couple of days ago I found some lovely rocks to bring home so that I can paint some more over the winter.

Do you have anything whimsical in your garden?

Purple Coneflowers

2011-08-11T06:23:00.004-04:00

The purple coneflower or echinacea have been blooming for quite awhile in the garden. They are a sun loving plant that will grow in just about any soil condition and they don't require a lot of water. I love them in the garden as they require very little care. I came across this lovely display of coneflowers while walking on the Riverfront trail one day. This clump had probably self seeded itself and was growing among the large rocks. Who can resist taking more and more photos, especially macro ones. It's time for Cottage Floral Thursday and Fertilizer Friday.I'm also joining Macro Friday with the last photo. Take time to enjoy the garden today, you won't be disappointed.

Tidying Up

2011-08-10T09:33:00.006-04:00

Have you got the floppies?I love that word and first read it on Janet's blog, Planticru notes, where she talked about the floppies she had in her garden. I sure have the floppies in my garden, and after lots of dry heat and then torrents of rain, it was time to tidy up the garden a bit. A lot of my floppies are coreopsis, heliopsis and black eyed Susans. There was also a large clump of chrysanthemums which weren't getting enough sun. They were flopping over other plants and depriving them of the daylight. There is also the huge clump of heliopsis that needs deadheading.
So I took those floppies I trimmed down and put them all in a bucket and sat it on the bench at the end of the driveway to give a dull spot a shot of colour.I also need to do some weeding. That is something I haven't done a lot of this season due to my knee surgery. But now I'm able to bend down more, and so with the help of my trusty stool and some garden gloves I'm tackling the weeds and grass that are popping up in the garden beds. So no more blogging, back to tidying up.Have you started to tidy up your garden yet?

A Tiny Teaset

2011-08-09T15:26:00.002-04:00

It's a rainy day today so it's perfect with tea with friends, real and imaginary.Just look at this tiny teaset that my daughter has in a cabinet with her collectible dolls.

The cups are no more than 2 or 3 cm. high. This set is even smaller than my tiny teaset.

I'm joining in with Rose Chintz Cottage , Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday and Tea Cup Tuesday

An Historical Daycation

2011-08-07T16:20:00.004-04:00

One day last week we took the grandchildren on a daycation to the National Air Force Museum at CFB Trenton. The day was steeped in Canadian history. Our grandson loves planes and loved following the path through the outside display. He kept saying "Take of picture of this one Granny." Our granddaughter loved seeing all the planes and trying to do what her big brother did, like running under the planes and hiding behind the wheels.

He loved the small models set up inside and his favourite plane was one that he could climb into and pretend to fly. I'm sure the grandchildren did not understand the true significance of the museum but we will take them there again when they are older. Naturally there was a trip to the gift store so they could both have an airplane souvenier to take home to play with.

It was a wonderful sunny day and there are lots of shadows of the planes so I'm joining in with Shadow Shot Sunday. I'm sharing just a few of the photos with Mosaic Monday.

Ugly Bugs

2011-08-06T18:31:00.001-04:00

How dare these ugly bugs be on my tomato plants. They are best known as the tomato hornworm and are 7 to 11 cm. long. They are probably the biggest caterpillar that is found in the garden.

The black 'horn' at the back is for protection. I first noticed evidence of these ugly bugs a day or so ago when the odd tomato had little nibbles on it. At first I was accusing the chipmunk as he has been know to swipe the odd tomato or two, but usually leaves his evidence on the deck or railing. These tomatoes were still on the plant. On closer examination I noticed some of the stems had also been nibbled and that is what clued me in. So I started to scrutinize the plants and discovered these two ugly bugs.

I immediately snipped off the branch they were on and let it fall into a container whereby I took them to the very back of the garden and dumped them in the back field. I didn't want to take the risk they would find their way back to the tomatoes. So then I wondered how did they get on my plants in the first place. A little research on Google and I found out the moth overwinters in the soil, lays eggs in the spring and hence the life cycle begins.

~~One good thing about these ugly bugs in they turn into the clear wing hummingbird moth.~~
Edit to correct info: I discovered from a new garden friend at Oh My Bloom, that the tomato hornworm is the larvae stage of the five spotted hawk moth, which is a mottled gray brown colour with yellow spots on its sides. I just love making contact with other gardeners and learning new things.

I'm sharing my ugly bugs with Camera Critters so why don't you blog hop over and see who else is participating.

Remember, the more you look the more you see, but I hope you don't find any of these ugly bugs.

Friday's Flower Daily

2011-08-05T08:02:00.004-04:00

It's that time of year for the daylilies to bloom. Those gorgeous blooms that last just one day. Thank goodness each plant has numerous buds so I can continually see the variety of colours.Enjoy the blooms.

Blog hop over to Fertilizer Friday and see lots of other bloggers flaunting their flowers.

Take time to enjoy the garden today.

A Sweet Double for 2sDay

2011-08-02T07:00:00.000-04:00

I'm able to pick a small dish of red cherry and yellow plum tomatoes each day. Of course some have to be popped right into the mouth off the plant to enjoy the warm sweetness of them.

It's a delicious sweet double just in time for 2sDay.That's the day when I share photos of 2 of something.

It's joined with one stem and just a little bit of skin.

And you know just where this sweet double went after being photographed .... right into my mouth.

Yum, can't you just taste it?

I hope you are enjoying a harvest of fresh veggies, if not from the garden then from the farmers' market.

A Treasure from a Daycation

2011-08-01T13:59:00.013-04:00

Have you been on a daycation? It's like a vacation but lasts a day. It's a day trip out but you get to return home and sleep in your own bed at the end of the day.
We've been taking some daycations this summer. On one of these days we travelled north to a small town with a population of 20. I learned about the town of Ormsby from one of the free magazines published to promote the area. There is a wonderful old store there in the original village store and it was chock full of treasures of all sorts. Of course you have to bring souveniers back from daycations just like you do from vacations.
I found this adorable teapot and cup for one. I know you are thinking - don't you already have lots of those, especially if you are a regular reader of my blog. My collection of teapots for one is increasing.
To see some of my other teapots for one, click the label at the end of the post.

But I just couldn't resist it. It stands about 14 cm. tall and is fine porcelain by Royal Elfleda designed by Allison LL. It's not one I've heard of before and I know it isn't worth a fortune but it's cute and adorable.
In the mosaic image you can also see the tablecloth that I have finished restoring. This was originally embroidered by my Mother but over the years the threads were wearing away. So I patiently removed the damaged threads and then replaced the embroidery. It was very relaxing to do while sitting in the garden and To see when I started this project click the label embroidery at the end of this post. I'm wondering why I don't do more embroidery.

I'm joining in with Mosaic Monday and Tea Time Tuesday.

Feeding the Young

2011-07-30T06:56:00.001-04:00

What a treat to look out the window a couple of days ago and see a young male cardinal and its dad.

The dad was feeding the young one seeds from under the feeder.

These aren't some of my better photos.

But I just grabbed the camera quick and took them through the window,

as I didn't want to risk opening the door and scaring them away.
I couldn't wait to share these lens friends with you.

I hope you have some time to blog hop over to Camera Critters and see lots of other great photos that bloggers are sharing of lens friends this week.

Take time to enjoy the garden today.

I Was Fooled

2011-07-27T06:18:00.004-04:00

Oh boy, was I fooled! Sometime last year I bought a plant at a garage sale for a few pennies, probably 25 cents, and it was labelled Jacob's Ladder. I really didn't know much about this plant but the seller said it had pretty flowers and spread quite quickly. Boy, was I fooled! Well I was actually misled.

Yes, it grow quickly and it had adorable little pink and white flowers. I could train it to twine up a small wooden ladder. But later that year I bought another Jacob's Ladder plant from a garden center and it didn't turn out to look anything like this one. Then of course Fall and Winter arrived and I forgot about the plants.

In spring the garage sale plant began to grow and grow and grow and it still didn't look like the other one. I wasn't going to be fooled anymore and decided it was time to do some research. I discovered that Jacob's Ladder wasn't a vine. Some more research and help from some GardenBuddies and I discovered that this was Crown Vetch. Yikes, I was the fool that bought what many consider to be a ~~weed~~ wildflower. So immediately I went out to the garden and trimmed it right back and pulled out those shoots that were popping up everywhere. It is a ~~weed~~ wildflower and hopefully if I keep it under control it will look nice in that corner of the garden. I do have other ~~weeds~~ wildflowers in the garden and manage to keep them under control. But time will tell and I just might have to pull it out totally. But for now I will enjoy the lovely little blooms. I'll try and get out and snip them all off before they turn to seed.

So beware of plants bearing labels at garage sales ... and don't be fooled like me, they may not turn out to be what they say they are.

I'm joining Clay and Limestone for Wildflower Wednesday on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Why don't you join and share some of the native/wildflowers that bloom in your area.

Look Who's Blushing

2011-07-23T20:01:00.001-04:00

The pot garden is doing very well during this extreme heat we have been having. In fact the tomatoes are starting to blush.

The above images were taken a few days ago and by today I was able to pick the first few juicy homegrown tomatoes. How sweet is that?

And while out picking them I was able to get a couple of good photos of the tomato plants and their shadows ...

... to share with Shadow Shot Sunday

I'll also be joining Mosaic Monday

Are you harvesting and eating anything from the garden?

Storm Approaching

2011-07-22T05:36:00.000-04:00

We have certainly had some extreme hot weather lately, and that usually leads to thunder storms with heavy rain. Last Monday was no exception.

Around 4 pm the clouds started moving in quite quickly.

It got dark very quickly.

I was able to sit out on the front bench with my eye on the sky and watch it all happen. But when the rain started I had to move inside. The rain came down fast and furious and there went all hopes of a bbq for dinner that night. The rain probably wasn't enough to water the grass and gardens but it was better than nothing at all. As soon as the storm was over it got hot and muggy again and has been that way ever since. Perhaps when the next storm comes it will clear the air and the humidity.

Keep your eye on the sky as it is fascinating to watch. I'm not the only one that loves to do that, check out more great photos at Sky Watch.

Heliopsis in the Heat

2011-07-21T12:15:00.003-04:00

We are most likely having the hottest day this summer. With humidex factors reaching about 48 Celsius, it is hot, hot, hot and sticky on top of that. It's a day to stay inside, stay cool and hydrated and play with some photos on the computer. That's about 119 F. if you don't think in Celsius.
The heliopsis are very hardy and seem to survive just about anything from lack of rain to extreme heat.

I love taking macro photos of the various stages of the blooms opening. Heliopsis or false sunflower grows in tall clumps of long blooming flowers.

I"m blog hopping with Cottage Floral Thursday and Fertilizer Friday. Won't you join in?

I'm hoping that if you are in this extreme heat you can find a place to stay cool.

July Blooms

2011-07-15T06:00:00.004-04:00

Another Friday has rolled around and it's time to flaunt some Friday Flowers for the middle of July, just in time for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.
The wet spring we had has been replaced by a dry, hot and humid summer. The grass has all dried up and looks rather yellow, but the bonus to that is we don't have to cut it. The gardens are thriving and going from top left down to the bottom right are bee balm, black eyed Susan, celosia, another variety of black eyed Susan, hosta, zinnias, heliopsis, purple coneflower, shasta daisy, drumstick allium, orange ditch lily, mallow and astillbe.

It's time again to join in with Garden Bloggers Bloom Day and Fertilizer Friday at Tootsie Time.

Take time to enjoy the garden today.

Crafting in the Garden

2011-07-13T07:06:00.001-04:00

The Crafty Side of me has been finishing up some projects that I've been working on for awhile. I love to relax and do my crafting in a shady spot in the garden.

The brown and beige afghan is finally finished. I didn't have any particular size in mind when I started this. My aim was to use up yarn that was sitting in the craft closet. It turned out to be about 122 cm. by 162 cm. For those of you that are not bilingual in the measurement field that is about 48 x 64 inches. It will be perfect for tucking around legs on those chilly evening in the gazebo. We aren't getting any of those right now as we are having very high temperatures with humidex factors well up into the 30 degree Celsius or over 90F.

A pink and white baby sweater that has been been finished for awhile finally had the buttons sewn onto it. It's made with Bernat baby yarn using an old British pattern I had when our girls were babies. I'm knitting this one to donate to the Auxiliary at the hospital. They run a gift store at the local hospital and money raised goes to helping the hospital. I did knit the same pattern when our granddaughter was born.

I've also been working on some repair work on an embroidered table cloth that my mother made many years ago. Over the years the original embroidery thread had worn away in many places. So I carefully unpicked what was left and restitched it.

Here is one section with the leaves repaired. I'll show a full photo of it at another time when I do another tea time post.

I hope you have time to relax and enjoy the garden today.

The Tea Stacker

2011-07-11T06:30:00.009-04:00

I was browsing through Chapters as I had a gift card as one of my retirement gifts. And as soon as I saw this tea stacker I knew it would be going home with me. I had gone in with the intention of getting a gardening book that I had my eye on for a few months. But ...
This adorable tea set for one caught my eye as it was stacked like this on display - and in one of my favourite shades of green.

I'm the person that takes old teapots and stacks them up to make teapot totems, so I just had to have one of these to use in the house. I just love the way that it all fits together into its own totem. My collection of teapots for one is growing.

And it all comes apart into this ... teapot, cup & saucer, milk jug and sugar pot.

Of course I took several photos of it outside and couldn't resist the shadow shot totem as well.
I'm joining in with Mosaic Monday , Rose Chintz Cottage, Teapot and Tea Things and Tea Cup Tuesday

Take time to relax and enjoy tea in the garden today.

Mini, Mini

2011-07-09T07:46:00.004-04:00

Just look at the lovely mini roses that are in bloom right now.

about to open.

almost there

open in full bloom

the mini rose bush, with its second round of blooms,.

Take time to smell the roses
I probably spent too much time smelling the roses and forgot to post this on Friday, oh well, that is what happens when you are retired, you forget what day it is.

Be sure to stop over to Tootsie Time and see lots more gardeners that are flaunting their flowers on Fridays.

Why Do We Blog?

2011-07-06T11:28:00.002-04:00

Have you ever stopped and wondered why you maintain your blog? It's something that I was thinking about while exercising and recovering from knee surgery. I'm sure we all blog for our own personal reasons.

I've had this blog since sometime in 2006 and it has undergone a lot of changes, some minor, some major, some that didn't work and some that did. I found it hard to maintain two blogs as sometimes my crafting ventures overlapped with my gardening ventures and instead of posting in two places I amalgamated the blogs together.

One of my main reasons to blog is for a personal journal of my gardens and my crafts. We had such a lousy spring I was able to look back through my posts and see how this year compares to previous years. I also love to share my photos with blogland. I can even check back and see how my photography skills have improved.

Another reason to blog is to connect with other bloggers around the world, especially those with similar interests as your own. I've met so many wonderful blog friends that love gardening and crafting. I guess that we all like to know that what we publish on a blog is read by others. Blogger has a Followers button. I'm not sure I see the 'whole picture' as far as having followers. Yes, many will click to say they follow but do they all check back. There is always that core of visitors that will return and leave comments. But is that because they are followers or because I visit their blogs and we have built up a friendly relationship over time. Comments are words of inspiration and encouragement.

I'm sure there are many other reasons to blog. Many do so because they love to see their words or thoughts on the web. Many love to share their interests, tell about their personal life, vent on a certain topic, escape from reality, or perhaps they are paid to blog by advertisers. I know I'm always getting emails from individuals or companies that want me to promote their business or product. I can't really see a blog like mine advertising for weight loss, expensive gadgets, or companies that don't even ship to Canada.

I very often think I've covered everything about my gardens to blog about, but I still continue to find new things or new ways to post about old things. How much longer will I blog? It's really hard to say. While I enjoy it I will continue but when it becomes a chore to decide what to blog about then it will probably be time to stop.

I'd love to hear your reasons for blogging. While you are here visiting perhaps you will leave a comment and let me know.

Enjoy the day.
edit to change a photo