Walk in the Park

 Another beautiful sunny morning.  When we went for our walk we were looking for a goose family. M said when he walked yesterday he saw a mother goose and her babies but we didn't find her. Maybe she already had them on the lake seeing as they can swim almost right after hatching.
The tulips are at their finest.

 Looking across the lake you can just make out the top of Mt Baker ( middle of the photo.)

 I'm not sure what kind of tree this is. Maybe an ornamental cherry?

 These folks put up this skeleton last Halloween and now they change "her" outfit from time to time.

 Last of all I have to show you the scones  I made from the recipe in my last post. They are very good and hardly more work than my old recipe. The glaze/icing enhances the orange flavour.

 That's it for today.

 Thanks for visiting.

 

 

Easter food and a recipe

 

 

Easter was lovely. We gathered at Sheila's in the afternoon. Some couldn't make it but the thing about a big family....there are always some that can. Sheila had put on a spread for us to enjoy. IF you want to see photos here they are...

Continuing on with the subject of food I received this picture of one of my sister's Jello creations.

 I'm not nearly as creative as she is.  Today I plan on making scones. I've got a recipe I've been meaning to try.

 

Starbucks Cranberry Orange Scones Copycat Recipe

 

Ingredients

2 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes

1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped (I used dried cranberries)

Zest from one orange, divided (reserve 2 teaspoons for glaze)

1 cup buttermilk ( I used milk plus lemon juice)

1 large egg, lightly beaten ( not really necessary. It's only to brush on before baking)

Glaze

2 teaspoon orange zest

1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons orange juice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: all purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and orange zest. (Note: set aside 2 teaspoons of orange zest to use in the glaze).

3. Using a pastry blender, cut in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

4. Add buttermilk and stir with a fork until a soft dough forms.

5. Fold in the cranberries. Lightly flour your hands and press dough into a ball. 

6. Sprinkle work surface with a little all purpose flour and knead dough 6 to 8 times.

7. Pat dough into a ten inch circle and cut into wedges using a pastry cutter, sharp knife or a pizza cutter will work as well. 

8. Separate wedges and place on prepared baking sheet. Brush with lightly beaten egg. 

9. Bake in 425°F for 13 to 16 minutes. Move to wire cooling rack and cool for a few minutes before glazing.

10. For glaze: In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, orange juice and 2 teaspoons of orange zest. 

11. You might need to add a little more powdered sugar or and little more orange juice to get the right drizzling consistency. Use a spoon to drizzle glaze on each scone.

     

    Thanks for visiting. Let me know if you try the scone recipe.

     

    
    
     
    

Cookies and Flowers

 

I hope each one of you has a wonderful Easter.

 

Recently I saw over on Lorrie's blog, Fabric Paper Thread, that she had made Hob Nobs which are a delicious cookie somewhat like a digestive but with oatmeal in the recipe. I thought I'd give them a try. They are meant to be thin, and once they are cooled covered with chocolate.  Mine spread quite a bit but turned out very well I thought. A bit more work than usual cookies but worth the bother.  They are delicious right out of the freezer ( ask me how I know this).

 Yesterday's trip to look for flowers was successful ( except there were no tomato plants that I could see)

 

There's even a little pot of Basil ( on the left). For now I'm going to enjoy most of these inside either in the sunroom or on the enclosed porch. Once the nights are less chilly I'll put them into the ground.

 

 

Thanks for visiting

Thursday Chit Chat

 A third Amaryllis has opened. This one is Red Lion and I think is one of my favourites; it certainly is DH's.   As a rule he doesn't pay much attention to my house plants but when the Amaryllis bloom, especially the red ones, he notices. We're having some days of sunshine and I keep the blind down far enough to keep the flowers in the shade.

 On this day in 1913 Dora Saint was born. We who love her books know her as Miss Read.
( Her pseudonym was derived from her mother's maiden name.)

Happy Birthday, Miss Read.

 

 I'm looking forward to going to buying  some plants this weekend. We'll go early because I have the feeling many others will have the same idea and  I avoid crowds if at all possible.

 Thanks for popping by

 

 

 

 

Another Walk in the Park

 Beautiful sunny morning. I remembered to bring my camera so here are some pictures I took in the park starting with this Magnolia which is already shedding its lovely petals.

 This bed of Daffodils is just about finished blooming making way for Tulips.

 

More tulips. For some reason one picture is off centre.

I was in my garden shed yesterday and saw some of last year's pretties that I had put on the front stoop.
Here they are once again.  ( The fountain hasn't been activated yet. Maybe this afternoon it will be.)

 Thanks for all the comments on the baby mink.  None of us can figure out how it got into the building let alone onto the third floor.  And, yes, we hope it found its home again and has learned to stay close to it. No more wild adventures.

Thanks for visiting.

 

 

 

The Tale of a lost Baby "Ferret"

 

 Middle Son has worked at a townhouse/apartment complex for over 18 years. He started out as a young guy doing maintenance and after a few years when the old boss retired he recommended  MS for the job. All this to say that on Friday he came home and told us that through the years he had encountered many different problems ( think finding a deceased tenant or battling a ferocious mother squirrel who had made her nest in a tenant's BBQ and given birth to her babies. She wasn't about to be evicted if she could help it).
 Friday afternoon he was informed that in the third floor hallway a baby ferret was on the loose.  Knowing that no pets are allowed he wondered what this was about. He got his brother (Youngest Son lives in one of the townhouses there) and with a cardboard box they tried to trap the baby animal that was so tiny it could slip under doors into different apartments. The merry chase went on until the little thing ended up running over one of those very sticky pads meant to trap mice etc...  Needless to say his tiny feet were properly stuck and had to be ever so carefully unstuck . So he was put into the box and YS took him to the SPCA  expecting to leave it there BUT the people there said that it was not a ferret, it was a baby mink!!  They also said he should take it back to the area it was found in ( obviously not indoors) and release it so it could hopefully find its mom.

In the pictures below you can see how tiny it was when you look at its size compared to the cat food bits.  MS estimated its body was no longer than 6 inches.

Hopefully the baby mink found his home again and didn't go on any more adventures.  Makes me think of Peter Rabbit and his venture into Mr McGregor's Garden.

Thanks for visiting

 

 

 

National Pet Day

 Apparently April 11 is National Pet Day so in honour of pets that we have or have had I found a few pictures.  Of course Miss Kitty comes first and currently she is our only pet. She does have several "friends" that come around regularly especially at mealtimes lol

 We had our little Cinnamon Bun for over 10 years. Sadly she died (of old age) quite recently; She was such a sweet and friendly bunny.

 Bracken, a Black Lab, was quite a character and never lost his energy and enthusiasm for life. He also lived to a ripe old age.

 The sun is shining this morning and I'm about to go out and walk around to see what is blooming. We had heavy rain last night and I'll check if anything got flattened by the downpour.

 

I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Thanks for coming by.

 

 

 

Leopard's Bane and Teacups

 We had a break in the rainy weather and I took out the garden teacups, an annual job that gets done
around the time that the Leopard's Bane blooms. (Doronicum orientale)

 Most of the teacups are in the back but some, including my kitty tea pot, are in front, along the driveway.

 Once a month we get together with DH's brothers and SILs at a little restaurant and today was that day. I am not a person who enjoys eating out, preferring my own food, but it is nice to visit and eat with friends. 
Once I got back home I changed into my jeans and went out to enjoy the sunshine before the next round of rain. Later I sat on the porch and had some one-on-one time with my grandson M.
That was my day.

Thanks for visiting

 

 

 

Recipes...Some work out and Others don't.

 Over the weekend I made my first batch of Easter bread (Paska) which I make using my breadmaker. Traditionally Paska was made in round pans and looked like this.  I make mine looking more like oversized hotdog buns. The reason for this is to have more icing. The old way once sliced just had icing on the top crust. I ice the flat side of each slice and make them relatively small.

Above is the traditional Paska.     

 

Below are the ones I made. I'll be making more before the month is over.
 

The strange looking apple crisp on the right was definitely not a success. I had found a recipe for crisp topping that sounded interesting. It had mashed banana  and cornstarch in the ingredients. I should have known better. The topping was so firm ( hard) and it was weird with the banana in it. Why don't I stick with my tried and true recipes???

 Continuing on with recipes....as I've mentioned before Middle Son likes to bake on the weekend and this last weekend was no exception. Besides the usual bread that he makes for his family he tried a recipe for Japanese Melon Bread. Neither of us had heard of it but he wanted to make it. Apparently Melon Bread is a classic Japanese sweet bread  with a crunchy and sweet outer crust and a soft and fluffy inside. There is no melon in it but it is meant to resemble one. It involves taking a ball of bread dough and covering it with a crust of sugar cookie dough before baking.

It was quite tasty and although it might not have looked too much like a melon it was a far more successful result than my strange apple crisp.

 

 Do you stick to your usual recipes, the ones you know will always turn out?

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

Norma:  You wondered about  Amaryllis Nymph. Here's what the internet has to say about it. 

  The "Amaryllis Nymph" refers to a distinctive, carefully-bred class of Amaryllis bulbs known for producing exceptionally large, heavily petaled, and fully double flowers, often with striking color combinations.   

 

Amaryllis

 Two of my Amaryllis are blooming at this time. The Terra Cotta has 4 flowers and a second stalk with 4 more buds.

 

This was Amaryllis "Nymph" on Tuesday.....

...and here she is today.

I used to force my Amaryllis to go dormant every Autumn but after I found out that that step isn't necessary I no longer bother. I just treat them like any other house plant.

Yesterday (Saturday) we had the most beautiful weather. 20C with clear skies and warm sunshine. We spent as much time as possible outside. Today it is once more cloudy and although it rained around 6 A.M. by the time we went walking at 8 the rain had stopped. Heavy rain is in the forecast for the next 3 days. That will give me time to catch up on housework.

Thanks for visiting

 

 

 

Just about Flowers

 

 I know it's too early to sow any seeds but I couldn't resist buying these flower seeds when I walked past the seed display in Walmart.  Every year the orange California Poppies self-seed in the front yard even in the gravel parking area. I thought maybe these pretty coloured ones might do as well.

 from the internet:

 Jelly Beans is a mouth-watering mix of huge blooms in shades of orange, salmon, rose and gold. Easy to grow, just scatter in prepared well-drained soil. Attracts beneficial insects such as hoverflies. Self-sows. 

 I saved seeds from my very tall zinnias last year but I thought I'd add these striped ones that only grow 20" high.

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Right now in the front of the house there are various early flowers....

Chionodoxa  also known as Glory of the Snow  have spread willy-nilly across the flowerbed
 

as have the Scillas (which the grands called Sillies)

A few Hyacinths came through the winter. I think our winters may be too wet for them.

I have exactly one daffodil in the front. Others have leaves but no buds nor blooms.Better luck with them in the back.

That's my flower report for the beginning of April.

 

I was reassured by the many comments about needing a day of recuperation after a day of work. It seems we're all unable to keep up with past energy levels.  We keep doing as much as we can. 

🌼🌷🌸🏵️💮🌻🌹

 

Thanks for visiting