Saturday's Walk

 I'm having a small problem downloading my pictures onto my computer. Middle son fixed it but it needs more attention. I really wish I could resolve this kind of problem myself but alas I can't.  So...these pictures are from yesterday's walk around the lake. It was a lovely sunny day; today we didn't see the sun until mid afternoon.  There were several small boats on the water.  People fishing.

On the one side of the boardwalk the water is relatively clear of water lilies but not on the other side.

It looks like a couple of goose families have joined together,watching over the goslings as they graze.

I hope you had a pleasant weekend and are ready for a new week.

Thanks for coming by,  GM

Blue Iris

 

 

It's a wet and windy day. Good thing I worked outside yesterday getting some of the weeds out.  So far this morning I've vacuumed the main floor and mopped upstairs. That should do for a few days. 
I made my grocery list for tomorrow's shopping and now at 9:30 I have the rest of the day to do as I please.  Can you tell I'm a morning person?  On the other hand by 6 PM  I'm totally tired out.  What is it they call us?  I know that people who stay awake until all hours are called Night Owls but I can't remember what us early birds are called. In any case, that's me.

Because of the wind and rain my blue Iris, which have the biggest flowers, have all bent over. This in spite of the staking I did. That colour of Iris have a delightful scent. I brought in a large bouquet and it fills the house with its wonderful smell.  For some reason Blogger is not letting me post any pictures today so you'll have to use your imagination to 'see' my lovelies.
Talking about the blue Iris brought to my mind a Mary Oliver poem.

 

It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.

 

Thanks for coming by, I hope you have a great day!

Changing a Few Things

 This morning I was inspired to change the look of the sideboard in the dining area. The turquoise dishes had been there since after Christmas so I took them off ( and did a much needed dusting while I was at it).

Then I took out these pieces that Sheila gave me one Mother's Day years ago.

 I took the turquoise pieces down to the 'new' cupboard.

 

 That was a quick change-about and it didn't take very long to do. That's the kind of project I like.

It's rather cloudy today. I was out pulling weeds earlier but  my back doesn't appreciate me doing too much bending over so I made sure to quit before I really wanted to. The weeds are growing faster than I can pull them and there's no use hoeing them if we keep getting rain. So I left the weeds for another day.

What have you been keeping busy doing?

Thanks for coming by,  GM

On the Porch

 

 I spend so much time on my back porch and I like to change things around from time to time.  I've had an old quilt draped over the swing for years and was thinking of changing the look.

 When I was walking past bedspreads at the thrift store I saw a lovely slightly faded one and knew immediately that it was just right.

It had two shams so I used one to cover the pillow I use when I nap here ( nothing more likely to lull a person to sleep than a swing.)

And the other sham to cover this wicker chair pad.

I keep my rock collection out here ( yes, that's one more thing I collect).

Incidentally, that white table in the first pictures was a .50 purchase a while ago.  Youngest son gave it 2 coats of white paint and it has found a home on the porch.

Whatever your weekend holds I hope it's a good one.

 

Thanks for visiting,  G.M.

A Cupboard and a Groundcover

A month or so ago I was given this cupboard which I thought I'd use in my potting area. Eldest daughter gave it a couple of coats of paint and  DH and youngest son put it into place.

 

 Here it is before I put some gardening things on the shelves. I liked it but found that it was so hidden away that I wanted it closer to the house.

 My longsuffering menfolk moved it to the area just by the back door and I like it much better there.

I have some dishes that will look great on those shelves. They're just the right colour.

 

I have this groundcover that is quite pretty but invasive. I've always called it Meadowsweet but I would like to know for sure what it's called. I wonder if anyone can identify it for me.

Youngest son did come today and cleared quite an area giving me some much needed room to plant some new perennials. I'm excited to go choose some this weekend.

Thank you for all the lovely comments on my Clematis. I think the wind and rain we had 2 nights ago have caused many petals to fall. I took pictures just in time.

Thanks for coming by,  GM

Birds and Bread

Is there any bird more graceful than a swallow?  I sat by the lake and watched them swoop past each other and I was amazed that they didn't bump into each other. It's cloudy today and I wonder if that brought more gnats and other flying insects out.  Whatever it was it meant a feast for the birds.

The bushes around me were full of activity too as Chickadees and Bush tits searched for their breakfasts. I was thrilled when this little yellow bird flew past me and landed briefly on a tree. I believe it is a female Yellow Warbler.   (picture from the internet)

I baked this Dill bread for the second time this weekend. The recipe came from Karen ( Happy One at Life is Good). She has a recipe blog as well called Karen's Kitchen and it's full of great recipes. Being the haphazard baker that I am I didn't get my loaves the same size but who cares as long as it tastes good.  Actually the second time I made it I made it into 3 loaves which is a better size for us.

The washer and dryer have both finished their cycles now so I'm off to fold laundry. I hope your week is off to a good start.  GM

Clematis and Roses

 My Spring Clematis is at its peak now and the bees are loving it.  The greenery you can see growing through it in the second picture is another, later blooming clematis that we thought was dead but obviously it isn't.  We planted another Spring Clematis on the right side of my garden shed in the back. Eventually I hope the two will meet and cover my little shed roof completely.

 

I should have moved all the pots away before I took the picture. One of those big white buckets has extra soil and the other is my water bucket.. You can just see Bunny's cage in the background, She's been enjoying the sunshine too and the warm temperatures are causing her to lose her winter coat.

We've had this pink Rugosa for many years and it has never had more than a handful of blooms. This year it is doing so well. I can't begin to count how many buds and blooms it has.  Like most other Rugosas it has a wonderful scent.
 

 We've had a week of glorious weather. I've been outside a lot and tomorrow I must at the very least vacuum my place. It's hard to do housework when the sun is shining.

Thanks for coming by,  GM

Plants and a Sparrow

 

 

It was a lovely day with sunshine and temperatures around 20C (68F).  We went to the Plant Shop first thing in the morning before the crowds . I bought a few more tomato plants, some herbs, and of course some flowers.  I even bought another house plant. I got rid of three and I have a couple of African Violets that I've babied along to no avail and I think they must go. So I bought a fern. It has the unusual name of  Crocodylus.  According to the tag  it is very easy to care for and is hard to overwater. Doesn't that sound like a good houseplant? Here is a photo from the internet.

 

 

While we were eating our evening meal on the porch we were thrilled to see a Golden-Crowned Sparrow hopping along the path. He was still there when we finally went in. I hope he stays around because we have rarely ever seen one and when we did it was always in winter.  Here's another picture off the internet.  

Isn't he handsome?

We have more sunny days in the forecast so I'm hoping to get a lot done. I hope tomorrow is a lovely day for you too.

Thanks for visiting.  GM

Tulips

 

Happy new week!  Laundry  is what I'm doing this morning and already my washer has frustrated me as it insists on adding more and more rinse cycles so that I'm forced to stay nearby to stop it. Not exactly an "automatic" washer. Sorry to complain but it has been a problem almost from the beginning. However....it's still better than the old way of doing laundry. Probably few of you ever used a wringer washer like I did in the early years of our marriage. 

I'll leave you with a few pictures of tulips...both mine and also my DIL's. She grows the very fancy ones in the last 3 pictures.

 

Have a great Monday.  Thanks for taking time out of your day to drop by.

GM

Happy Mother's Day

 

 

I bought myself a Mother's Day gift when I was at the thrift store earlier in the week. This lovely china tea set that is just right for teddy bears.

I hope you are enjoying beautiful weather this weekend and whether you're celebrating Mother's Day or not  I wish you much joy.

Granny Marigold

Nothing but Flowers

 

 My bouquet of Lilies is still doing fine and I've been enjoying it over a week. There are even a couple of unopened buds.

My Cowslips are blooming. Did you know that its name may derive from the old English  for cow dung probably because the plant was often found growing in cow dung in pastures?  (This little bit of trivia is from Wikipedia).  I remember picking bunches when I was a child growing up on the prairies.

 

Spanish Bluebells are lovely but so invasive. On a vlog post by Kirsten and Joerg they are visiting a field of  Bluebells native to the UK and they mention how the introduction of the Spanish variety is crowding out the original kind.  Incidentally, if you have nothing to do (ha!) you can look up K & J's vlog that goes by their names. They travel around the UK filming old houses and gardens.

Thanks for coming by. I hope your day is a lovely one.

Granny Marigold

 

 

Sunday Morning Walk

 I'm late posting these pictures of our Sunday walk. The weather was perfect  with just a few summer clouds. That's me on the bridge looking down at what looks like a Beaver Dam.

Beautiful flowers to mark a special day, a birthday perhaps?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So many Swallows, There were many birdhouses and it looked like they were all occupied.

 There's a field of blueberry bushes between the grassy foreground and the distant trees. I hope there will be a good harvest again this summer.

We saw Canada Geese with their babies last week but these were the first ducklings that we've seen so far this season.

Thanks for visiting. I hope your day is going well.

Granny M.

 

A Visit to a Small Park

 

 

 This is a different sort of post. Daughter Sheila and her son Callum visited the little Friendship Garden that is tucked away behind one of the local libraries.  It's such a gem and not many people seem to even know about it. She took some lovely photos and with her permission I'm sharing them here.

 

Yep. That's my grandson Callum.  He's always got a big smile.

Thanks for popping by.   GM