Monday Chit Chat

 

We had some lovely walks on the weekend.  Skies that were dark and cloudy first thing in the morning soon cleared up. Days were warm...almost too warm at least for doing much outside. The forecast is for one more day of 30 degrees then a little cooler. I want to sow more flower seeds but I'm waiting for those cool days. The next seeds will be Cosmos. I used to have them and they would self-seed but I must have hoed too thoroughly because none came up last year. 

 Close to the tap behind the house these Columbines thrive.  There must have been a pink one that dropped seeds there last summer.  Behind them, on the metal trellis are perennial Sweet Peas.  They'll grow to the top and look in the porch window.

 An early Mothers Day gift from Eldest Daughter and GD Kate.  It's a beautiful Hydrangea Kimono
 I love the white flowers with wine-red margins. Now I have to find the perfect spot to plant it.

 Kirsten... I believe that lungwort is sometimes called "soldiers and sailors" just as you thought. 
Here's what the internet had to say:

"Soldiers and sailors" is a common name for Lungwort (Pulmonaria), a hardy, shade-loving perennial known for its early spring flowers that change color from pink to blue/violet. It is popular for its spotted foliage and is often used in shade gardens. It thrives in moisture-retentive, well-drained soil, making it perfect for woodland-style landscapes.

That's all for today. I hope your week is off to a great start.

Mainly about Flowers

 Happy Sunday!  We're enjoying a stretch of sunny days. Had to get the portable A/C out to keep the bedrooms cool.  There's another portable on the porch and that one was doing its best to keep the temperature down.  Youngest son came and got on the roof to put a cover on the skylight. That helps keep it cool as well.  While he was here he planted two new Clematises that I bought at Walmart earlier this week. One was Jackmanii Superba and the other had the unlikely name of Bees Jubilee. Both take  spots left by  Clematis that didn't show up after this Winter.

We have 2 Spring Clematis that are in full bloom right now. The first one is fighting for space since an older one ( a white one that blooms later) has decided to try to take over.  That's what the bushy light green foliage is all about.

 The other pink one grows over part of the garden shed and onto an arbour.

 This lovely tree/shrub is in my DIL's part of the garden. I believe it's an ornamental cherry ( prunus).

 This may or may not be of any interest to you. I thought I'd include it. I've never tried growing lungwort but I have tried several times to grow Impatiens with no luck at all. They are supposed to be very easy to grow but not in my garden.

Thanks for coming by

 

Happy May

 

 

 Happy First Day of May!!   It promises to be sunny and quite warm here today.  Fortunately I did some baking yesterday so I won't need to use the oven today.  I made lemon scones and Oatmeal/Raisin cookies.

 

Last night I went out after 10 o"clock to see the full moon.  I love being outside at night. All the years that we had a dog I would be out either early before it got light or late (for that last trip for the dog). 
Nowadays I don't have a reason to be out there early or late so it doesn't happen.

Here's what the internet has to say about this month's moon.

 May brings two full moons − one is the "Flower Moon," originally named by Native Americans for the wildflowers the burst into bloom in the North America this time of year. These flowers include lupine, violets, wild garlic, anemones and more. And the second is a full blue moon at the end of the month.

Having two full moons in one month is the result of the moon's cycle, which lasts about 29.5 days. Because that cycle does not align perfectly with the length of calendar months, there are occasional instances when a month begins with a full moon and ends with another.

 The high for today is forecast to be 25C  , tomorrow 28 and Sunday 30 degrees (86F).
I better get outside and do any gardening before it gets too warm. 

I hope you're having a lovely day too.  

 

 

Flowers and Magazines

 Sunshine this morning 11C .  We saw more goose families while on our walk.

 I want to do indoor chores this morning and spend the afternoon outside.  That's my plan so I'll see if it comes to pass :)

I sowed Morning Glories in peat pots to give them a head start.  I'll plant them out once the nights are a little less chilly.  

 I found out that this mystery plant is actually common Oregano which has next to no flavour whatsoever. It will go into the compost and I'll look for a better variety when I next visit the plant shop.

 The lilacs are in full bloom now. There are white ones as well as this lighter purple and a dark one given to us years ago by a lovely lady who has since gone on to her reward.

 We dropped off a few boxes at the thrift store yesterday. I did a quick browse and found some magazines that I'll keep on the porch for when I have nothing to do but sit and read  LOL
It doesn't matter to me if a magazine is older.  What matters is that I'm paying  far less than the cost of a new one. Daphne's Diary has the original price right on it....$25.  in Canada.

 

I better get going here.  Thanks for visiting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baby Geese and a Strange Creature

 

 

  

7C this morning  with a mix of sun and cloud.  I think we'll have another pleasant day. Showers are expected for tomorrow though.  Our sunrise was at 5:55.  

Yesterday ( Sunday) we walked at Fish Trap Creek and saw the first goslings of the season!!   No papa goose was present which was unusual.  Mama was careful to keep her family some distance from us. 

 As we walked around the park we noticed this strange dead tree. To me it looked like some mythical creature. 

 So today ushers in the last few days of the month.  We gained one hour and 40 minutes of daylight in April.

Thank you for all the lovely comments about my Amaryllis. Once the night time temperatures stay above 10C (50F)  I'll move them onto the porch and continue watering and feeding them until about mid August when I quit that, They slowly dry up and become dormant. That's when I move them into a cool darkish area and ignore them for about 5 months. Then I take a few at a time to the sunroom, give them a good soaking, and wait for leaves or flower stalks to appear.  It seems to work fairly well.

Thanks for coming by.

 

PS    About the Impossible pie. The last slice finally got eaten today.
 Dear Husband said it wasn't THAT bad. :))

 

 

 

Amaryllis and a Failed Recipe

 

 

Another beautiful morning. 6C when I first checked but rising as the morning progresses. I have a to-do list and will get to that shortly.  Before I do that I want to share with you the pictures of my 3 Amaryllis that are blooming. First one is Nymph  which has the largest flowers of any that I have.

 

The next one to open was Red Lion... 

 ....then Terra Cotta

I may have mentioned in last post that I was making an Impossible Pineapple Pie.  It was not very good and I won't keep that recipe. I think it's the first of the Impossible Pies that I've tried that wasn't tasty. 
Oh well, DH says Don't throw it out, so I won't, but I doubt anyone else in the family will like it.

Did you notice the lilacs beside the pie?  There is a lilac bush blooming on a vacant lot and as we walked by DH picked a small branch. I love their scent so much.  Yesterday when Eldest came at lunch she brought a bigger branch for me to enjoy. My kitchen smells heavenly.

I think I should get at my list for today and make sure everything gets done so I can read out on the porch.  📚📖📑📓📕📋📝📚

 

Thanks for visiting

 

 

Ramblings about Plants

 11C and cloudy this morning. On our walk we saw 4 rabbits having a wonderful time running around in the park.  Hopefully the Eagle doesn't notice them and make them into its lunch. 

Later we picked up Eldest and went to the plant shop. I know it's early to buy annuals but I bought some anyway. I'll keep them on the porch for now.  I bought some tomato plants for us and some for a young friend who doesn't drive so can't get out to buy her own. I chose Patio tomatoes and also Midnight Snack. All of those bear fruit larger than a Cherry tomato but all are quite early producers.  We'll find some Early Girls later on. Those have larger fruit. There's not a long enough season here to grow the really large slicing ones.

Of course there were so many pretty flowers to admire!!

 

Here are the ones I chose.  There were pots of miniature daffodils not yet open and they were so inexpensive that I got some and will plant them out once they've bloomed indoors ( where I can enjoy them close-up).   The African Violet was my DH's choice. I didn't know he liked them that much. I have 3 that are looking very green and healthy but not a single flower on any. I'm hoping that this new one will inspire them to bloom as well.

I've rattled on long enough. I'll end by showing the bouquet of flowers that was waiting for me on the front stoop when we got home.  

Thanks for coming by!!   I appreciate every comment💗