Tuesday Trivia

 Another day of sunshine 30C  86F. I don't normally hang laundry out any more but the washer decided to be difficult this morning when I did a small load I didn't get done yesterday.  DH is trying to figure out where the problem lies. Meanwhile I had sopping wet things that needed to be dried. The sunshine did a fine job.
We dropped off some boxes at the thrift store then stopped at a market to buy a few fresh vegetables and fruit also more of the $1.99 cherries that were advertised. It's enough for the two of us for the rest of the week.

 

 Thank you for the comments left on my last post. There were a couple of questions I wanted to answer.
Regarding the flans I made. I realize that the name flan often refers to a custard dessert with a layer of caramel sauce on top. The ones I made are not like that. The pans I use are called flan pans for some reason so we call the resulting cake a flan.  They are so easy to make that it's not even a recipe. I used a basic white cake mix for the base. Once they were baked and cooled I spread a vanilla pudding into the middle and covered that with strawberries that I had also cooked briefly and thickened.  

The other question was about the doily under the bouquet of flowers. I picked that up at the thrift store for a mere dollar.  I never learned to crochet and have enjoyed finding lovely crocheted items at thrift stores and garage sales. The work that goes into making one and then to see them sold for so little !!

 That's my Tuesday so far.  I better get the things in off the clothes line and see if I need to iron anything. Maybe sticking them in the dryer briefly will soften them after drying rather stiff in the sun. 
Thanks for visiting.

 

 

 

An Unusual Flower and a Flan

 A lovely sunny Monday, the last one in this month of sunshine filled days. I was out doing some watering of my flowers earlier and noticed that one of my Morning Glories is very different.  While all the rest are purple this one flower is white with purple streaks!

 

I baked a couple of flans for the weekend using some of the strawberries that were given to us. 

 They were much appreciated by family that came by.

 Back to my laundry. Have a wonderful day!!

 

Thanks for coming by. 

 

 

 

Flowers and Strawberries

 A beautiful cool morning, cloudy and 13C which is 55F. I wore a cardigan and even then the breeze felt chilly. After the hot days we've had I didn't mind. Eventually the sun came out and we reached 21. 

 I did some much needed baking then sat on the porch and read.

 A lovely bouquet from one of my sons. I love the touches of Fall that are included.

 As I've often mentioned my DH volunteers at an organization that takes excess vegetables (and sometimes fruit), chops them up, dries and packages them to be sent to other lands that need them.  This time they received around 200  4 kg containers of sugared strawberries a few years past their best before date. That's 8.8 lbs per container.  Since it was obvious that they couldn't use them the volunteers were encouraged to take a couple home.  Only if whatever has been donated cannot be used to dry and send on do the volunteers benefit in this way.  Some jam making will be happening 🍓🍓🍓.

 That's it for today. Thanks for visiting.

 

 

A Storm and My Flowers

 We don't often have thunder storms in this area but last evening we had a number of loud bursts and even had a light rain which was totally a surprise ( I think to the weather forecasters too). I went to sit out on the porch for a while. It was very dark and the lightning was amazing. This morning when we left the house to go walking I noticed how the raindrops looked on the Ladies Mantle  and took a picture which doesn't capture the real beauty but will have to do.

 The first Morning Glory has opened. I wonder if they'll do as well as last year. I'll post that picture too.

 

This white Mum was in a mixed basket maybe 2 years ago. It has made it through 2 winters to my surprise.

 The Zinnias that I bought are in small pots but doing well. The same can not be said for the taller ones that I sowed myself.  I should have pinched them back at one point because they're tall and spindly.

 In the background are some pink flowers that I have no idea what they are. They self seed every year.

 That's it for today.  Thanks for visiting.

 

 

 

Clouds

  Happy new week! It is the last full week in July and I for one will not be too sad to turn the calendar page. Although August may very well be just as hot as July has been.  Actually we've had a few days that have been cooler so I shouldn't complain.

Not many people out walking this morning.  I thought the clouds were so pretty.

Yesterday we walked at Willband Park. This picture of the water with Mt Baker barely visible in the clouds was not taken by me. A fellow walker took it.  It's a beautiful place to walk.

 That it for today.  Thanks for visiting.

 

 

 

A Rather Long Story

 Karen posted a picture of a house in her town that she finds attractive. ( her lovely blog is Life is Good). I've always liked doors that are unusual and this front door also appealed to me but it also brought back a memory of a weekend years ago when DH and I celebrated our wedding anniversary by staying in a hotel in Victoria. ( Victoria is the capital of B.C. and the site of many important buildings including the Parliament Buildings.)

 We're not that far from the coast but of course we have to take a ferry to get to Victoria where the Royal Empress Hotel is located. It's a hotel that normally is way out of our budget but it happened that they were also celebrating some occasion and were offering rooms on the very top floor for quite reduced prices.  I wish I'd taken pictures of our small room which was no doubt originally meant for staff.  We had an adjacent bathroom which was very tiny and because of the sloping ceiling it had a door which was cut off on one corner.

The Royal Empress Hotel

When we added 2 bedrooms and a bath and a half to our house in 2006 (?) it just worked out that one of the doors had to be cut off in exactly the same way ( much to my delight).  This is a door that leads to a sort of mudroom.  On the left is a bathroom and on the right, under a short flight of stairs, is a tiny closet where I keep Christmas decorations and such.  I have always loved old houses with nooks and crannies and the addition gave me the chance to add them. With DH and 2 of our sons in construction I was able to get almost  all my odd ideas included.
 

 My but I have gone on and on. Hopefully you're still reading. Thank you for visiting today.

Books

It continues to be hot and dry.  The main part of the house, kitchen, living room, and sunroom were 
31C which is about 86F, so too hot for comfort.  The bedrooms have A/C thankfully and that's where we have our computers and our books. Also comfy chairs. I finished reading Into the Darkest Day by Kate Hewitt and found it very interesting. I can heartily recommend it.

 Abby has done everything she can to keep her life quiet, unassuming and safe. Living on an apple farm in rural Wisconsin, nothing can shake her stability. Until a mysterious stranger arrives—with a Purple Heart he insists belongs to her grandfather. A medal that his own grandmother had kept for decades. But how did she end up with Abby’s grandfather’s medal? And what secrets and lies will be uncovered when they find out the truth about the past? 
A heartbreakingly powerful, epic love story about courage, true love and broken trusts, Into the Darkest Day is an unforgettable story perfect for fans of Nora Roberts, Kristin Hannah and The Notebook.

I've heard about Alexander McCall Smith's books and have often wondered if I'd enjoy them so when I saw this one at the thrift store recently I bought it. I'm sorry to say that I couldn't get into it at all.
The internet says he is the  best-selling author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series.  I wonder if any of you have read his books and liked them. I'd like to know if I'm alone in not caring for his style.

 

On a brighter note we had the first green beans of the season for supper.  We made a soup using those beans as well as onions and also potatoes from our garden. Even the Summer Savoury was home grown. Only the Bay leaf was not.

As well as the first beans ( which were Rattlesnake beans. The other 2 varieties I sowed are not as early obviously) we had our first ripe tomato. Two more are almost ready. I wonder if we should bring them in because of the raccoons that seem to pay nightly visits.  

 

Thanks for coming by.

This and That

 Reflections in the lake at Willband.  

 

My effort to keep the pink Hydrangea from burning in the July sun. You can see the one flower in front is burnt where the sheet didn't cover. I should have found a king-sized sheet!

 The body shop still can't find a side panel for our truck ( after DH was side-swiped in a roundabout
(traffic circle).  Meanwhile insurance provides us with a nice car but we'd really like our truck back.

 Otherwise it's a quiet Sunday. It's hot and the forecast is for even hotter this coming week.

I hope your Sunday is a pleasant one. Thanks for visiting.

 

 

Daylilies and Hydrangeas

 It's another beautiful sunny day and I am at a loss what to post so I will post about the various daylilies I have blooming now.

Hydrangeas are also at their best now except those that lean too far into the sunshine and get burnt.

Last year I draped the pink one with an old sheet and I still might do that if the 34C temperatures forecast for next week come to pass. It's sad to see the lovely flowers frizzle in the sun.

 

I saw this cartoon and I thought if that were me I would have marked the thrift stores instead of quilt shops :) 

Thanks for visiting.

 

Monday Chit Chat

 Monday morning once again ( they keep coming quicker than ever!). We're enjoying a lovely sunshine filled day which may very well be uncomfortably hot by mid afternoon. Oh well. It is July after all.

 

 My Hollyhocks are loving the sun. So far I have 2 colours.

 

New Daylilies open every day. I have not had a lot of infected buds this year, thankfully. I try to be diligent in searching and destroying  them.

On the weekend we were walking on a path in Willband and this tiny head popped up from behind a rock beside the path. He looked at us then popped back down only to peek up a few feet away. He did this a number of times before running across the path and off on to his destination. From what I can see from images on the 'net he was a young weasel. He was so sleek and handsome. Who ever thought of a weasel in those terms? *smile*

 

images from the internet

Thanks for coming by today.