Flowers in my Garden

My photos are very,very slow in loading and so in between pics I run downstairs where I have a collaging project going. Getting my exercise !!

Its sunny and hot again. I went out just to sprinkle the areas where I've sown seeds. Our sandy soil dries out so quickly.

The Mock Orange is beginning to bloom. I can hardly see it from the porch and have to make a separate trip to the back to appreciate it but it is worth it.  Isn't that blue Hosta magnificent?  The area just to the left of here is where the composters are. Not at all scenic, but necessary.

The early Irises are fading but there are others just coming into their own now. Like this dark yellow one

                             and the flamboyant red Oriental Poppies

                        I love this Lily. Still so many buds yet to open!

Some years the Foxgloves do better than others.  I think this will be one of the better years!  The peach one I bought last year didn't make it through the winter but I have bought another one that I hope will do better.  

This little spot between the picket fence and parking  area  pleases me. The Foxglove self-seeded there, right in front of the Clematis, but it works. The California poppies also pop up in random spots. The plant just on the left is a white Daisy which will bloom later in summer.

That's a peek at my yard today. Have a wonderful weekend.


         Granny Marigold

Thoughts on a Monday

Happy first day of the week, this last week of May. We had a morning of much needed rain and when we came back from our walk ( yes, we walk even in the rain) I checked my Irises and cut down the ones fallen over from the sheer weight of their wet selves. I especially love the light blue Iris which is very fragrant.

The Hostas also needed the moisture. I went around spreading the last of the slug and snail bait under them because the rain brought out the little beggars and they love to munch on my Hostas.  Must remember to buy more. Slug bait, that is.

                              The bouquet of blue Irises that I brought in.

DH and I finished that jigsaw puzzle we started on the 11th.  It was not impossible but it was challenging. There were 6 extra pieces included just to make things harder.

I did some rearranging on the porch with a little help moving furniture. Having only one working arm/hand definitely slows me down.

                    Brought in the very first open Peony flower also soaking wet!

                          And a little bunch of the pink Bonica rose.

I had DH move this "bulletin board" into the sunroom. I had fun arranging things both on and in front of it. To the left of the photo you get a glimpse of my desk/crafting area.

That's what's happening in my little world today. Tomorrow the sunshine will hopefully be back and I'll see how many weeds I can pull. I tried using a hoe but it doesn't work one-handed.

Thanks for visiting. Have a happy week.

                                      GRANNY MARIGOLD

The Velveteen Rabbit

I have no idea why I feel like doing a post on The Velveteen Rabbit except that the story is so sweet and touching and I wanted to remind you of it.

Weeks passed, and the little Rabbit grew very old and shabby, but the Boy loved him just as much.
He loved him so hard that he loved all his whiskers off,
and the pink lining to his ears turned grey, and his brown
spots faded. He even began to lose his shape,
and he scarcely looked like a rabbit any more,
except to the Boy. To him he was always beautiful,
and that was all that the little Rabbit cared about.
He didn't mind how he looked to other people,
because the nursery magic had made him Real,
and when you are Real shabbiness doesn't matter.”

The Velveteen Rabbit
is a children's novel written by Margery Williams
and illustrated by

William Nicholson.


 What children's books are you particularly fond of?

            Granny Marigold

This and That

Last Saturday, before my unfortunate fall, I found this Cath Kidston mug and matching tin at a garage sale. I have seen many lovely CK things on Pinterest but never "in real life" so when I saw this duo for a dollar I grabbed them.

Another purchase I made was this saucer made by Windsor which perfectly matches a tea cup I've had which was made by Delphine. They definitely look like a pair to me!

I have quite a collection of odd saucers and when I find a lone cup I always check to see if I have the saucer or at least one that "goes" with it. Often one of these saucers will be used for my morning muffin or scone. 

Our weather continues to be lovely. Our sandy soil means I have to do a lot of watering of flowers and now water restrictions are in force. Our days are Wed. and Sat. 6 to 8 AM. Yeah, right.  I am going to get up and get my watering done by 8 ? Its not like I can use a sprinkler because the water weighs the plants down too much so I do all hand watering and it takes me a long time. I'll just make very sure I get the front yard done on the right days and between the proper hours.
I can't see any city employee reporting this old granny with her arm in a cast and hardly able to walk
 ( did I mention that I pulled a muscle in my groin when I took that tumble?)

My DH has been a real jewel, helping with absolutely everything around the house. Good thing he's retired, huh? I'm hoping very soon to be able to walk normally again. The arm doesn't hurt at all protected as it is by the cast. Sleeping with the cast is a challenge. I bonked myself on the head a couple of times by accident. Tonight I'm going to take an extra pillow and see if I can rest my arm on that and maybe that will help.

Thanks for visiting. Please leave a comment, however short, to let me know you've been by.

          Granny Marigold

An accident

They say a picture is worth a thousand words so here you have the pic of a woman who was not careful and fell, breaking her wrist.  Typing is at best not fast for me and now will be a lot slower so if I'm not commenting on your blog for a while ( I will try though) please understand. I'll have lots of time to visit them though!!  So 4 to 6 weeks with the cast should take me to the end of June.

In my garden

It's so wonderful to see old favourites come into bloom again. This is my first Iris to bloom this year.

                                  This yellow Iris grows wild at the edges of the lake.

                                          Clematis beginning to open

This photo doesn't do justice to the purple Columbine! Maybe I should have been closer?

The Bonica rose has countless buds ( and aphids that I wash off with soapy water every couple of days).

Rugosa roses, on the other hand, are rarely bothered by aphids...or anything else, for that matter. They smell heavenly.

Those are some of the flowers blooming in my yard this week. If we get more sunny days no doubt many more will be in bloom. 

                                                Granny Marigold

Decluttering

When I got up this morning I had no intention of making this an organizing/uncluttering day but that is exactly what it was.  I started with my "spice cupboard" organizing all the little bags that I now seem to buy my spices in. When I was done that I took all my tablecloths and place mats and table runners out and reorganized the deep drawer that holds all those. I was on a roll so I attacked the old wardrobe that serves as my linen closet.  I wish I'd thought to take a before picture.  Believe me, it was crammed full of STUFF. Stuff that had no business being in there ( you know how that goes) and also stuff I was keeping that I knew I'd never use.  Like scratchy throws. Who wants to cuddle up with a scratchy throw? Why would any company even make scratchy throws. I now have a considerable stack of things destined for the thrift store.

So my picture doesn't show the all the shelves. There's a wall about three feet in front of the wardrobe and I couldn't get far enough away for a decent picture but you can see that things are no longer crowded and shoved together.

So now it's evening and I'm tired but happy I got all that done. Tomorrow I'll take it easy and spend some quality porch-sitting/reading time.

Thanks for visiting.

           Granny Marigold

This and That

I meant to post this picture yesterday of my mom and me probably taken around 1953. My mom was only a year older than I am now when she died. She was unwell for years before that but she kept right on doing all she could for her family. No matter how old you get you still miss your mother.

 My mom made everything from scratch...bread, cake, cookies...  I used to bake more, when the kids all lived at home. Now I still do bake but not nearly as often. The chocolate chip cookies are for the kids and grands. Neither my DH nor I ever eat more than maybe a fresh warm one straight from the oven.  The carrot muffins are what I really enjoy with my cup of Earl Grey.

Okay. It would seem like  the next couple of pics went in sideways again. Sorry about that.

I picked this jigsaw puzzle up at a garage sale and couldn't resist starting it right away. It is a tough one with no border and even has some extra pieces thrown in to make it even more difficult. It's called the great wall of china.  I would love to own some of those pretty plates!!

With the outside work needing doing this time of the year it might seem strange to start on a puzzle now but DH and I sit and work on it when we need a break from our extremely strenuous days.  You do realize I'm just kidding, I hope. 
However laundry does await me on this lovely Monday morning.  How is your week starting off?
Please leave a comment if you chance to visit.

      Granny Marigold

Happy Mothers Day

                                         Wishing you all a very happy day!

Saturday's Treasures

What a gloriously sunny, warm day we are blessed with today. And what a fantastic haul of garage sale items. We had the grands along and they found a lot of things that thrilled them but I'll concentrate on my own treasures here. As you can see among my finds are a crazy quilted tea cozy, some tea cups ( probably destined for outside in my flower beds, pretty plate, a kitchen dish soap dispenser made from a small jar ( you can barely make it out next to the large white pot), some free magazines that I happen to love and would never pay full price for, even the hand embroidered tea cloth (.50).

This king-sized sheet is made of the softest cotton I have ever felt so although I need a queen size I will cut this one down. ( I know, those who know my sewing "skills" cringe to think of me sewing
 anything at all!),   On the tag it says Super Supina cotton. The embroidery is very soft and won't be irritating as some can be.

                                                              Love this flower pot!!

I have a neighbour who has a variegated Iris that I admire and I've thought of buying one but couldn't really justify the purchase because I have many regular Irises and no room for more.  UNTIL I saw this one for three dollars. I'll find room.  Apparently the blooms have a sweet scent.

Now I must go outside and enjoy the weather.

Oh yes!  I almost forgot to mention that while we were garage saling we stopped at the Farmers Market . I found Wyndson Farm booth and met Karen (from the blog of the same name. Wyndson Farm.  She is the first blogger that I've met in person and although going up to a perfect stranger and introducing myself is usually not my thing she was so friendly it was quite a pleasure. 

Now, off I go...    thanks for visiting today.

New Dishes

It's no secret that I love pretty dishes and also birds so these dishes that I received as an early Mothers Day gift from DD2  were much appreciated.

   One side of the teapot has the Goldfinch and the other side has a Cardinal ( a bird I wish we had around here because they are so stunning.)
 

I hope your week is off to a great start. 

Thanks for visiting. If you leave a comment I'll know you came by.

                                                                                                   Granny Marigold