Morning Mist and More

My morning walk was so peaceful and lovely with the sun shining through the mist. I had not brought my camera and anyway, I find it hard to capture the beauty of what I see so these pics are from the internet.

                      The mist rising over the lake.

I keep forgetting whether what I have is Boston Ivy or Virginia Creeper. Both turn a gorgeous colour in Autumn. I looked it up and what covers the arbour is Virginia Creeper.  No doubt by next Fall I'll have forgotten and will have to look it up again.

When I go walking I find the fallen leaves irresistible and end up bringing home yet more to press in any heavy book. Aren't these amazing?

Lastly I wanted to show what I recently bought at a thrift store for four dollars. This handy whatever it may be called will certainly help me get up when I'm gardening.  It is very sturdy and well made but I think my knees will need more padding.

                   It can also be turned upside down and serve as a seat.

Thanks for visiting today. 


Granny Marigold

A Serendipitous Find

The day dawned with a mix of sun and cloud but since it seemed to lean more towards sunshine we decided to take a lovely drive in the country. As we drove I spied a sign pointing down a yet smaller road.  We didn't have to drive very far before we saw this smallish but charming little shop, right beside a vineyard.   Of course we had to stop and see what we'd find inside. I'm so glad we did.
The dictionary defines serendipitous as happening upon things by chance and this was definitely such a find.

Outside were some tables where in summer you could have tea. I noticed that their Hydrangeas were still lovely, as opposed to mine which are not. In fact I've cut many of mine right down already.

             The day was cool enough to make this fireplace a welcome sight.

The place was chock-a-block crammed with so many pretty things and at quite reasonable prices.

 The two women that ran the shop seemed to be mother and daughter and were very pleasant and friendly. They told us that at the end of November there would be a 4 day special Christmas event
( they are normally open Saturdays and Sundays only). Other shops in the area will be participating.
I am so excited. It's going to be such a fun time.

Don't you love it when you happen upon  something that thrills your heart?



Thanks for coming by.  Please leave a comment so I know you were here.


Granny Marigold

This and That

Can you see the Flicker sitting on the birdhouse?  I wish I could have taken a clearer picture but this was through a not-so-clean window and from some distance away.

Here you can barely see four or five tiny Bush Tits on the right edge of the birdbath. Just a few seconds before there were a dozen of them merrily splashing in there but by the time I got my camera most had flown into a nearby shrub.

Work on the front yard is coming along and now we need to pick up a load or two of  rocks.

It was my youngest son's birthday today. I made cheesecake and cupcakes. The grands decorated them after school. Didn't they make them colourful?  Tomorrow will be my oldest daughter's birthday and both daughters are coming for tea.  October is full of reasons to celebrate!

Oh, and today we went back to the plant shop where my mystery plant came from. They identified it as a Gentian. I went on-line to check out which exactly it is and as far as I can see it is
 G. acaulis. It is a perennial and hopefully I can keep it alive through the winter.
While I was there I happened to see another pot of it not in a mixed planter and bought it ( of course) as well as lots of Pansies. Because they are closing  for the season on Saturday All plants were 60% off. Yippee for that.

Thanks for visiting.  Please leave a comment so I know you were here.


Granny Marigold

Mystery Plant Remains a Mystery

This morning I took my pot of flowers to a local nursery where apparently I was not the first to bring in this specimen for ID. They admitted they had no idea what it was and not for lack of searching the internet.  IF the plant shop where I bought it was closer I'd go see if they could give me an answer but with the price of gas being what it is I won't, and that shop closes this Saturday and will remain closed until Spring 2017. 

Since I was at the nursery and very close to Walmart I continued on and did some shopping.  I stopped to look at some magazines and my eye was caught by one that was full of delightful photos and write-ups ( The Best of Cottages) . Then I looked to see the price and I could hardly believe it cost $14.99.  Maybe  I would pay fifteen dollars for a book I really wanted but for a magazine?  I think not.

Yesterday marked three years since I began to blog. Hardly seems possible that I am still blithering on.
Are you like me and often check your dictionary for spelling ( yes, I know I have spell check but that's too easy).   Anyway, according to my Gage Canadian dictionary blither, blether and blather all are words and of course mean the same thing. I find that kind of neat.

If you're still reading thanks for visiting today.  The weather outside is nasty with pouring rain and no end in sight. In fact in addition to the rain we are to have strong winds. I'd bake something ( it seems like a good day for it) but what if the power goes out?

Granny Marigold

Random stuff

Does anyone know what  flower this is that has the blue blooms?  I bought this mixed pot a while ago and this flower was just starting to open. It's so pretty and I have no idea what it is. The flowers have very short stems.

We had our Thanksgiving meal yesterday. Here's the table all ready for the food and the family ( not everyone could make it). Everything was delicious. Today we had leftovers.

I watched a program on TV today that really irked me. It was about organizing your library. Okay, I have quite a few books and I thought I could pick up some pointers.  First she said you should remove all your books, go through them and donate any you no longer want. So far so good. Then she proceeded to show how to organize the rest.  She had quite a large bookcase with maybe 5 shelves which she filled with  about 30 books and a couple of dozen knick-knacks.  All her books were hard cover ( most of mine are not!) and she recommended grouping books by colour not subject. How dumb is that. I think my books will stay just as they are. This way I usually know just where any particular one can be found.

Alright, that's my little rant. I hope your week is off to a great start.  We have sunshine and I intend to be outside tomorrow. It might be a good day to get those Dahlias out. 
Thanks for visiting,


       Granny Marigold

Thanksgiving

            To all my friends and followers here in Canada....Happy Thanksgiving.


             Among the many things I am thankful for are all the wonderful people I've met through my blog!



             Granny Marigold

Fall Clematis and more

The Sweet Autumn Clematis is once again absolutely covered with fragrant white flowers.  It blooms on new growth so in early Spring it gets cut  back drastically.  Once it gets warmer it begins its rampant growth. As you can see, once it reaches the house it starts to grow up over the sunroom window.

It's a good thing I took that picture yesterday because today the rain is coming down in sheets and it is just nasty out there.  A good day for baking. Since this is the weekend when we in Canada celebrate our Thanksgiving I had things I needed to bake. But before I did that I tried a new recipe. For lemon curd. Have you ever made any?  I'm not even sure how I'll serve it but I wanted to try it.
 

Here's what I baked: two pumpkin pies and white buns.   I see the pie on the right cracked but that will all be covered with whipped cream. Or, I should say, Cool Whip.

I wonder how some people's buns are all the same size... is there a trick I never knew about?
My family is used to my at times rather  odd- looking  results but they assure me that the main thing is the taste and I tend to agree. But I'd still like to know how to get those buns all the same!

Hope you are all safe and warm in spite of the weather,


   Thanks for visiting,
     

                Granny Marigold

A Busy Month

 October is a month full of birthdays and anniversaries for my family.  Tomorrow is just the beginning but it's an important one. 28 years ago I became a granny. Yes, my GD's birthday is Oct. 5th.  Then, exactly 4 weeks later another granddaughter was born.  Then there was a ten year pause before  grandson#1 was born, another pause, this time 8 years before GD#3 came along and 6 years later the last little guy was born. Spread out  this way we were able to enjoy each one so thoroughly. Because I can easily get overwhelmed I am glad things worked out this way.
So, tomorrow will be full of preparations for celebrating .

Take care and once again, thanks for visiting.

                              Granny Marigold

Craft Fair

                                                                                          picture from the internet

Happy first day of October!   

We went to a craft fair this morning. It was held in part of my favourite plant shop. As you can see it's a huge place. There were many vendors and lots to see and admire. I didn't buy anything, just looked.

My DH's niece and her daughter had their table of crafts that they both work on in their spare time.

                           These glass garden ornaments  are quite amazing.

Although I didn't buy anything in the craft area I did buy this cute little  Fall arrangement. Several of the plants are not yet in bloom but the tiny Pansies are so adorable. I hope by keeping it on the porch all winter it will survive and maybe I can get seeds from it next Spring.

I noticed that there was a Hummingbird up in the structural beams of the nursery. I wonder if it spends the Winter there and if so, does anyone hang a feeder during the months that the shop is closed? 
 

Thanks for visiting,


                     Granny Marigold