Thursday 30 July 2015

Hot, hot, hot


Yes, it continues to be hot here. 34 degrees today and tomorrow is forecast to be the same.
 ( about 94 F., I think it would be)  I puttered in my flowers this morning, after my walk. It wasn't that warm yet but when I came inside I figured I should close all the windows and doors and keep whatever cool there was safe. Didn't work. By afternoon the house was so warm I figured I might as well bake. I've been meaning to try making Custard Tarts. If any of you watch the BBC comedy As Time Goes By you'll remember that Lionel LOVES his custard tarts. Anyway, found a recipe and proceeded to make them. They were a disappointment, mainly because the pastry part shrunk ( it was supposed to be pre-baked) and I couldn't put enough filling in ( to be baked a second amount of time).  A lot of work for not much results BUT I had taken out 2 disks of frozen pie dough and had enough to make a "rustic" blueberry pie. The kind you make on a cookie sheet with the dough sort of pulled up all around the filling. That at least turned out. So well that there's not much left to even take a picture of.

This is pretty well what mine looked like ( photo is from the internet ).

Hope you had a lovely day. Stay cool,  Granny M.

Wednesday 29 July 2015

A lovely Day

I love the cool, clear mornings we're having followed by sunny afternoons that are too hot to be outside doing much,  but it cools off again in the evening so the house is not as unbearably hot as it has been.  I had a nice walk, remembered to take my camera but there wasn't a lot to take pictures of. I did come upon this 1956 Chevy Bel Air parked on the street not far from the park. I'm glad I stopped to take pics because when I came back it was gone.




The only other picture I took was of this Magnolia leaf which for some reason has already changed colour. After I took the picture I picked it off the shrub it had fallen onto and brought it home. I am pressing it in the phone book where I press countless leaves every Fall. Can't resist bringing home handfuls from my walks.

That was my rather uneventful day ( I was going to put 'boring' but it really has been a very relaxing day).  I hope you have had a pleasant one as well.

           Granny Marigold

Monday 27 July 2015

Another Busy Monday

Mondays are my busiest days of the week and today was no different. I got everything done on my to-do list and then had fun changing the "vignette" on the dropleaf table in the sunroom. Remember all the Lavender I cut and  dried?


 Here's what I did with it....  stuck all ten bunches in this white crock that I've never known what to do with. So glad now that I didn't get rid of it.  I moved the birdhouses and nests to other spots and got out some white jugs.




I haven't inflicted any pics of my Teddybears on you for a while so here are the "livingroom bears".
 


We had a most welcome rain on the weekend. A couple of days of not being able to get out there and dead head my flowers meant I had an hour or so to do that also to pull out the Calendula that are about done. I left some to self-seed but most went into the compost.  The Feverfew also are looking ratty and will have to be pulled out. Both the Calendula and Feverfew pop up everywhere in Spring and have to be thinned out ruthlessly.
Enjoy the coming week and remember it's your last chance to get anything done that you meant to do in July!

    Granny Marigold

Saturday 25 July 2015

Garage Sale Finds

Found a few treasures this morning. There weren't many gs but we did find a few that were more or less in the same area.  Unfortunately the grands, who set out with much enthusiasm, found very little.
I bought the Amelia Bedelia book for my own pleasure ( I'm sure they'll let me read it to them!! I'm more of an AB fan than they are), and the "water wand" I got for a few cents, more to give my GS SOMETHING since there were no boy's toys for his age.


The grands called this a deformed pumpkin but I really like it and it will most certainly be part of my Fall display.


            I am fond of white dishes and this covered veg. bowl is perfect ( paid a dollar).


             Pretty blue cup and saucer  (is this a demi-tasse??)


I don't have a clue yet what I'll do with this quilted pillow sham but I like it and it was .25


We had a good rain last night, heavy enough to bend the Phlox and Hydrangeas down to the ground. More showers are forecast so there's no use going to shake them off. Oh well, we are so thankful for rain at long last.
  Off to make myself useful,    Granny M.

Friday 24 July 2015

In my Kitchen

Just a few things happening in my kitchen in the past few days....   cinnamon buns ( dough made in the breadmaker),


          peach/blueberry crisps.... I like making them in ramekins 


                     peach jam


and the very first ripe tomato from our garden!  I wish I'd thought to include Basil in my photo. I have a lovely crop of it.
 

We're having a bit of rain today, for which we are very thankful, and hopeful that it continues all day!!

 Thanks for coming by,   Granny M.


Thursday 23 July 2015

This and That

Yesterday I dug out several overgrown, sprawling Lavender plants. The bees were all over them so I waited until the evening to cut bunches of Lavender before chucking the plants in the compost. I got ten bunches which I am drying on my clotheshorse.  I put it in the buttery, out of the way, since every time someone nudges them the flowers fall off.  My house smells wonderful!




A trip to the nursery to buy replacement Lavender plantlets resulted in these two huge perennials coming home with me ( as well as the Lavenders)  On the left is a very double Rudbeckia and the other is a pot with two different coloured Foxgloves...one white speckled with red and the other a peach. Sorry it's so hard to see.


The Lavender on the right is from last year and the row of tiny ones are the .69 ones I got 6 of yesterday.
 


It was a lovely morning for my walk, not too warm at all. You can see how brown and sere the grass is.   Looks more like sand on the pics. 



                       Of course the lake remains pretty. The water level is lower than usual but rain is forecast for the next three days. Well, actually it's more like showers, not rain, but hopefully it will help alleviate the drought conditions.




Once again, thanks for visiting. Have a happy Thursday!   Granny M.


Tuesday 21 July 2015

Cookies


Actually, this post is not so much about cookies as it is about the silicone pad that I used for the first time.  I got it at the Dollar store ( Betty Crocker is the brand). I tried to get info from the internet on whether to use it rough side up or smooth. The box it came in didn't specify. Some sites said one thing and others the opposite.  So I did my first batch on the rough side and the second on the smooth. As you can see there is a slight difference. The smooth side cookies seemed to spread more. (  I purposely left a lot of room between the cookies).


Do you own a slicone pad, and if so, are you happy with it?

On a totally different subject........I popped in to a thrift store this morning and as I usually do I start over at the canning and jam jars and work my way around the store.  An elderly lady leaning heavily on her cane was talking to one of the volunteer ladies and telling her that she used to can over 600 jars of fruit and veg. every year.  I had to go over and ask her if I'd heard correctly and yes, I had.  Can you imagine? It wasn't even like she had a large family. She mentioned something about there being only three. Anyway, I was very impressed.

My cookies are done, supper is in the oven , and all that remains to be done is peeling potatoes ( DH does that)  and preparing the green beans ( from our garden). Today is  my day to make supper for all 6 of us;  last night my DH and I joined my son and his family (downstairs) for supper and the rest of the week we eat each at our own "homes".  Works out quite well.

Thanks for visiting my blog today I'd love for you to leave a comment so I know you were here.


             GRANNY MARIGOLD


Sunday 19 July 2015

Hollyhocks

What to blog about when it's really too hot to think of much at all.  How about Hollyhocks?    Mine are blooming but don't look nearly as lovely as these on the photos I got off the internet. I have three colours as far as I can tell. There's a delicate pinky yellow one that is my favourite, a medium pink and a dark rose one. These last two self seed everywhere and I get varying shades of  rose from them.


 One year I bought a plant of these doubles and it was lovely but didn't make it through the winter and didn't self-seed either. Probably something to do with being a Hybrid . Anyway, I think I prefer the singles.  I think mine was a yellow one.


Thanks for coming by on this Sunday.  I hope you are having a restful and enjoyable day!

      Granny Marigold


Thursday 16 July 2015

What not to do

Cherries have come down in price so we bought another box (20 lbs for $20 )  and while we were there I saw this box of over-ripe apricots. They were $3 so home they came to be made into jam.



Unfortunately I must have used the wrong cutting board when I cut them up because the first thing I noticed this morning when I spread some of that lovely jam on my toast was the faint taste of onion. I have three cutting boards. One is a bright orange plastic dishwasher safe one designated raw meat . Then I have a wooden board for vegetables and the other one for bread, fruit, anything except veg or meat so how I got mixed up I don't know but the taste is definitely there. Too bad. It's not inedible but I am disappointed. 


Thanks for visiting. 

            Granny Marigold


Wednesday 15 July 2015

More Thrifty Finds


Just yesterday I was commenting that I can't resist pretty boxes, tins etc...  Well this morning I found this "book box" at the thrift store,  and it was half price.




Almost every one of these books was half price and just what I'm interested in reading about lately.
 

 This cookbook has very basic sorts of recipes, just the kind for me. I am not fond of making meals and since I rarely eat meat I look for recipes that are not only simple but the kind that will provide the nutrients I need and which will go well with whatever piece of meat DH chooses to have.  I think I'll find good stuff in this one.
 

These next two items were not marked down but were nevertheless not expensive. The tea cup has Pansies which I love, and also has my birth month on it. How great is that!!!
 


This large platter has such a lovely autumn design around the border and will be perfect for the Thanksgiving turkey. I plan on using it for my Fall display as well.  Paid 2.50

Those are my thrifty buys for today. Hope you enjoyed looking at them.


          Granny Marigold

Tuesday 14 July 2015

Looking ahead to Fall

Ha!  When I read what I called this post I thought it might be referring to my ability to trip and fall but no, I am thinking of Autumn. At least I was when I saw these next two items in the thrift store this morning.  DH had to go to Habitat for Humanity and it's across the street from a thrift store so I tagged along and had him drop me off. He usually gets back withing 20 minutes so I have to hustle. The basket has a plastic liner so I can use it for flowers or fill it with gourds etc. It was a dollar.


   This metal tea light holder has glittery leaves. I love a bit of glitter!! Must be the kid in me. Cost me all of fifty cents.
 
  This next fifty cent purchase was sheer whimsy. I saw her and there was no question but that she had to come home with me. She was in the Christmas section of the store but to me she doesn't look particularly Christmassy at all.  Even if she did I would put her out in any season. Right now I've put her in the storage closet just till I find some things that would "go" with her.


Thanks for coming by.                       Granny Marigold


Monday 13 July 2015

This and That


Yesterday DH, myself, and youngest son were sitting out on the porch when we noticed this baby Hummingbird just sitting very close by.  It sat for quite a while and didn't seem bothered by us at all. Isn't it the cutest little thing?


The bush beans are producing now as are the Zucchini and the cucumber ( remember that vertical-growing plant we bought a couple of months ago?) 


We had people over on the weekend and I made a blueberry trifle which was very delicious, if I say so myself. 
                               from this,,,,,,


           to this,,,,,,


................to the final result. 

 On Saturday we stopped at a garage sale that didn't have much of anything I wanted except this lovely case. The inside is also floral and has a removable tray. I managed to find a couple of Hydrangea blooms that were close in  colour and I set both  on the stair landing. Makes me happy just to see them every time I go past.



                Granny Marigold