Saturday

 

 

 We had a beautiful mostly sunny day which was a surprise because once again it was not forecast.
 Our walk was pleasant and we saw several duck families on the water. None were close enough for a good picture.

 Later we visited a farm market that we hadn't gone to for years. It's a little out of the way and since there are closer ones we just shop at those. We found the prices high so we won't be going back.

 Right next to that market an enormous house is being built. I took a quick picture. Because it's out in the country I suppose any size house is allowed.

 I hope you had a lovely day.  Thanks for visiting.

Flowers

 Mostly sunny this morning with a temperature of 14C (57F).  DH had to be at Gleaners early today so we had to walk a little faster and not stop to chat with anyone on our walk. Saw a rabbit and some squirrels as well as the usual ducks and geese.

When we came back he went on his way and I did more hoeing and deadheading....a never ending job.
I noticed a new lily had opened. From one year to another I forget what I have so it was a pleasant surprise.

The Campanula  carpatica are beginning to open now. The white ones are not quite as open as the blue ones.  A little pansy seems to have taken root in the middle of this one.
 

There are others that I'd like to add but I have no more room.   I haven't had much luck growing Canterbury Bells in the past. Aren't they just gorgeous?

picture from the internet

Nothing much to blog about otherwise. I hope you're having a good day.

 

Granny M

 

 

Miss Kitty and some flowers

I was tying up a Clematis near the arbour in the front when I felt something pat the top of my head.
Kitty had climbed up to watch me and wanted my attention.

 I took some random pictures of pots of flowers, mostly annuals.

Have a wonderful start to the new week. Ours is going to be a mix of sunshine and some showers. I'm hoping to roll up the hose and not need to do any watering.    Thanks for visiting

 

Friday Trivia

 

 

 It's been a busy day. We did the grocery shopping this morning, put that all where it belonged, then off to pick raspberries before it got too hot.  We didn't need many because not many in the family are fond of them but it was nice to be able to pick ( and eat) some.  I think this may be the last year we'll be up to going out into the fields and picking.

We also went to Walmart where I had more grocery items I wanted plus there were name brand socks for men on a really good price.  DH and youngest son wear plain black socks so I stock up when I can. I noticed that every package of 6 pairs had a smallish hole. Didn't think much of it but when I got home I discovered that there were 5 pairs and a spare. I can't think why that happened. Did someone take one sock out of each package?  

Construction continues and we are forever checking on what's happening. I think the workers want to get as many walls lifted as they can before they go home for a weekend of well-deserved rest.

Picture from the internet

I can smell the soup I'm making for supper...Broccoli Cheese.  Even on hot days I enjoy soup!
It's getting close to the supper hour.  Thanks for coming by.

Solstice, Flowers and Construction

 

 

 Happy First Day of Summer!!  Our sky was totally clear this morning and we're in for a real summery day.  30C if the forecast can be believed.

I found this information so interesting...

This year's vernal equinox occurred on March 19, at 11:06 p.m. EDT. It was only the second time that the equinox had fallen on March 19 in more than a century. In fact, it was the earliest spring equinox since 1896 — 128 years ago.

This year's summer solstice is also the earliest we've seen in a long time. However, we have to look back a lot further than 1896.

Even taking into consideration that there was no daylight saving time back then, 2024's summer solstice is still earlier. We actually have to go all the way back to 1796 — 228 years ago — to find an earlier summer solstice.

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My flowers are loving the sunshine and my Campanula persicifolia  has never done better. I just call them my Bluebells but I have as many white ones as blue.

Work continues on the medical building that's going up behind us.  Massive 3 story-high  walls of concrete are being lifted into place by a crane. It's very interesting to watch although everything is done so slowly and great care taken. I wonder how much one of those walls weighs.

I'm taking a break from doing housework but I think I better get back to it now. AFTER I check on the construction progress.

Thanks for visiting

 

 

I'm adding this next bit for my own information.

1752 was when the calendar went through a major shift, skipping over 11 full days in September of 1752, to correct 17 centuries of celestial drift and bring the equinoxes and solstices back into alignment with our calendar.

Once that was done, the Gregorian calendar then added in a correction to leap years to prevent that problem from recurring. After 1752, every year evenly divisible by 4 would be a leap year, except those years that are evenly divisible by 100, but not 400 (1800, 1900, 2100, 2200, 2300, etc.).

Wednesday Happenings

 Thank you for the concern  after I mentioned my fall. Really, nothing but my dignity was damaged (well, maybe a few plants were flattened).

Quiet walk on this side of the lake this morning....

 ...but on the other side part of a movie was going to be filmed.

Looks like it's going to be a Christmas one

 They were putting down what looked like white fibrefill and covering it with artificial snow. You can see the "snow" piled up at the other end.

 A light post and wreath

 We've had this kind of thing before. Apparently Abbotsford has some good places for filming.
They have missed the bad weather and now we're to have 2 or 3 days of sunshine. No doubt by the weekend this will all be gone. We've noticed other times that they leave no mess at all when they go.

The sunshine is very welcome.  Two sons took the shop vacuum up on the roof and cleaned the gutters.
Eldest daughter did some much needed cleaning along the side of the house. We sure appreciate all the help we get.

(That gloved hand that accidentally got into the picture is grandson M holding a very wet butterfly that he just discovered).

Never a dull moment...LOL

Thanks for visiting

Tuesday Chit Chat

 

 

 
Good Morning!!  The sun is trying to shine and it looks like we'll have a lovely day.  I took my camera along on my walk earlier but found nothing picture worthy so I stole a picture off the 'net.

After I got back I thought I'd spend some time deadheading in the front garden. All was going well until I lost my balance and fell crushing a poor Campanula.   Kitty, who had been 'helping' me, was no use at all. If she were a dog ( think of Lassie) she would have gone for help. As it was I was left to struggle to my feet on my own. Strange how in recent years I've lost the ability to get up off the floor/ground. In any case, no neighbours saw me ( I hope) and all ended well. 

I've heard it said that unfortunate things tend to happen in three's.  Yesterday I turned the toaster oven on and after a few minutes the interior was filled with flames!  I quickly unplugged it but the bottom element is finished :(  . We mainly use the upper (broil) feature so can continue using it while keeping a look out for a replacement.  Now that's TWO things. Should I be watching for a third?

Thanks for coming by,  I love to read your comments so don't be shy.   GM

Is Rhubarb a Fruit or a Vegetable?

 In spite of less sunshine than it would like our rhubarb didn't do badly at all.  DH brought in (more than on the picture obviously) and I chopped up some partially frozen cherries to make 5 little jars of jam plus a bit.  We like our jam on the tart side and I don't use a recipe so I hope it will be sweet enough.,

 I found this information on the internet and thought it was interesting.

 Rhubarb is a vegetable often thought to be a fruit. There's actually a good reason for this confusion: in 1947 the USDA classified it as a fruit because the tariffs on bringing fruits into the country were lower on fruits than vegetables. In actuality though, rhubarb is a vegetable - a member of the buckwheat family.

 

Thanks for visiting

 

 

What I'm Reading

 Things are very quiet and peaceful around here. Grocery shopping this morning.  A bit of puttering in the garden after lunch.  Reading. I finished reading the third book that Susan Branch wrote about her life; the first is about her life as a child, teenager and then her first marriage. The second is about her move from California to Martha's Vineyard on the east coast after the divorce. The third book, and in my opinion the best one, is about meeting Joe and  her second marriage and their 3 month trip to England. Of course visiting Beatrix Potter's home was the highlight of her time there. 

 

 Also this week I reread the shortest of Miss Read's books...Early Days, in which she writes of her life until about the age of 11.  It's a lovely story written in her inimitable style which has endeared her to so many of her fans.

So that is what I've been doing.  Father's Day is this Sunday and that will mean family coming over.
The weather forecast is not too promising so we'll hope for the best. We do have a fairly large covered area where we can sit comfortably even if there are showers. I just hope there won't be any wind. We seem to have had quite a few blustery days recently.

 

Thanks for coming by

 

 

Sunday Walk and Some Shrubs

 Some pictures taken on our walk on Sunday morning. The clouds were so lovely!!

 

 

 I didn't realize that Mock Orange grew wild but apparently it does. From the internet..

Native to western North America, from northwestern California in the Sierra Nevada, north to southern British Columbia, and east to Idaho and Montana.

 Doesn't look much different from the one in my back garden.

 Also blooming in the back is my Deutzia which is absolutely covered with flowers again. 

I know you'll be fascinated to find out that it was named for Johannes Van Der Dutse, a sheriff of Amsterdam.

Alright...it's back to doing laundry on this Monday morning.  Have a great week.

 

Thanks for visiting