A "New" Door

 Years ago we looked at security screen doors and although we thought they were a great idea they were not in our budget.  Now someone left one at the complex that Middle Son manages.  People often "dump" unwanted things of all kinds near the bins on that property so this was no surprise.  Dh has been repairing the door and finding parts that were missing. I'm so glad he's able to fix it.  It looks rather formidable but I imagine we could remove it for 8 months of the year. I doubt we will. No doubt I'll be leaving the door open from 7 or 8 P.M. until the next morning with all the cool night air coming in. Because it is keyed from both inside and out there's no way an intruder can get it.

 

 That's my news today.  Oh yes, we had a lovely BBQ yesterday. The weather was on the cool side but with all the reports of excessive heat everywhere we are not going to complain. 

Thanks for visiting.

 

This and That

 

 Today's post is more a photo dump than a regular post.  First off is a bouquet of flowers sitting outside the front door waiting for me to discover them.💖

 My breadmaker makes just enough dough so I can make a loaf of bread and 6 cheese buns.

 I took down and cleaned all my "made in Japan" teacups.

 I took this picture of the Scrabble board after Youngest Son won after using all 7 of his tiles more than once in a single game ( thus getting 50 pts bonus each time).

  

That's all for today.  I'll be back on Thursday.  Thanks for dropping by.

 

 

 

Visit to a Goat Farm

 We had a nice time touring a goat farm along with Youngest Son, his partner and her 5 year old daughter.  It's fun to see a little ones enthusiasm for animals.  

This particular goat farm used to be a thriving farm with school tours and volunteers helping out. It has really deteriorated over the years since we first visited. They still milk 40 goats and sell milk and also assorted kinds of cheeses but the buildings need fixing and the general feeling was one of disrepair.

 

 

I couldn't manage to get a good picture of those cute baby goats so I snitched one from the 'net.

There were also some guinea fowl wandering around. We found out that one way to tell a male guinea from a female is that the male only has a one-note call while the female has a two-note call. Some think the female sounds like she is saying 'buckwheat'.  

 Here we are in the last days of June and already we are sliding ever so gently toward longer nights and darker times. I can hardly believe how quickly the month passed by.  On Wednesday we'll celebrate Canada Day and have our annual family BBQ.  The weather forecast is for possible showers. We'll just hope for the best.  I hope your week will be a good one.

 

later...While visiting Mary & Chris' lovely blog I found out that Full Moon is tonight. I'm so glad they mentioned it although we do have clouds which may keep me from seeing the moon. 

Thanks for coming by

 

 

 

 

Car Show and a Wasp Nest

 

 There was a small car show nearby and we walked over to see the various cars. 
DH made a guess that this was a 1947 (Ford).

 This 1957 Ford Fairlane convertible  was unusual because it had a retractable hardtop as opposed to the folding textile-based used by traditional convertibles.

 He had no idea what year this oldie came out. I wish I would have gotten more of the car in the picture.

 

Also this week we became aware of a wasp nest in one of our birdfeeders.  Middle Son  used 2 sprays to get rid of them. The first spray was to calm them and the second finished them off, thankfully he did not get stung.
(Those white dots on the grass are clover blossoms, in case you wondered.)

 I hope you have a pleasant weekend. We are going on a little adventure later this afternoon. I hope to get pictures.   Thanks for visiting.

 

 

Hydrangeas

 The hot sunny days have been stressful for some of my plants especially  Hydrangeas. This red/white one that was given to me for Mothers Day gets morning sun but even that was too much it seems so I devised a bit of shade for her.

 
Endless Summer was also showing some sun damage so I draped a sheet over her as best I could. I think cooler weather is coming so I'll remove the cover which I realize is unsightly but at this point necessary.

 Fortunately Annabelle can withstand more sunshine especially if she gets enough water.. If rain is imminent I will have to try to cover her somehow or those large mopheads will weigh her down and look awful.

 In spite of the "bother" I enjoy my Hydrangeas.

 

Thanks for coming by.

 

 

 

Sunrise, Corn Fritters, and Apple Crisp

 

 Another lovely day. Sunrise was at 5:03  after being stuck at 5:02 for 12 days.  The very earliest was on June 15th and 16th when sunrise was at 5:02:06; then on the 17th it began to rise a wee bit later so we now have reached 5:03.  I knew you'd be as interested in these facts because I am. lol

 

It's the season of strawberries, raspberries and cherries. Blueberries have also begun to show up at roadside stands.  DH stopped on the way home  to buy a basket of raspberries because he knows both I and Eldest have to have some when they're in season. I used to make raspberry jam but I no longer bother. 

 We found cherries at the grocery store. We did buy some but will wait until the price comes down to buy more.  They were delicious!

both pictures above and below are off the internet. 

 

In the cool of the morning I made an apple crisp using this recipe...sort of.  It will be dessert for supper. 

 On the subject of supper....I intend to make corn fritters.  (I had to enlarge the picture quite a bit to make the ingredients easy to see.)   We'll have them with apple sauce ( which still has to be made).

 If you're still reading then thank you for coming by.  I hope your day is a good one.  GM

Summer

 

 Summer has arrived with lots of very warm days. Fortunately it cools off at night.  My flowers are loving all the sunshine too. This old rose which was a wee little shrub when we got it has grown to be very wide and every year it is covered with blooms. 

 We walked at Willband yesterday. We made sure to get on our way before the days heated up. We didn't see many birds this time. Some ducks on the water, too far away to identify. Some Swallows that haven't gone yet.
 Later I decided to wash another cupboard full of teacups, this time they are all Royal Albert. It was quiet and peaceful in the kitchen as I took down each teacup and washed it before putting it back on the shelf.  Sorry for the slightly tilted photo. 

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 This morning we drove the short distance to Fishtrap Creek and walked around the perimeter. The water level is very low. The city has plans to dredge  the creek and get rid of a lot of the sludge that makes it less than lovely to look at.  I can't help thinking what amazing compost that sludge would make. 

As we go into the week I will continue washing my many teacups and generally tidying the house.  
Aside from watering my flowers early in the day I'll stay indoors.
What does your week hold?

 Thanks for coming by

 

 

 

Mainly about Flowers

 I went out early to work in the garden, before the day became too hot.  Even with the help I get from my grown children the weeds and overgrown plants are winning.  I still enjoy the challenge and the flowers when they bloom.  One thing I do not like is Miss Kitty lying in wait for unsuspecting birds. In an effort to prevent at least some of her tricks we put a wire circle as a baffle around the birdbath.  For anyone who doesn't know about the cat that came to stay I'll just say that we never wanted an indoor cat so when Kitty showed up pregnant and starving having been abandoned we fed her and in due time she had her 5 adorable kittens. They all found homes and Kitty got spayed. Now she comes and goes as she likes but stays outside.

 My flowers are doing great with all the sunshine. I do quite a bit of watering after supper.  Isn't it amazing that the month is almost over?  I know the 21st is officially Summer but for me the season starts at the beginning of June. 

 I have a number of pots of Carnations but this one is my favourite.

 

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

Around the Neighbourhood

We continue to enjoy lovely Summer weather.  By noon it's too warm to do much outside so I'm doing some organizing and tidying.  Since there's not much to blog about I thought I'd show you a few of the houses recently built, ones we walk past when we go walking.

The first one is different from most because the exterior is all concrete  including window trim.  DH worked in construction almost all his working years so he was interested in the way this house was being built.. I believe the owners have moved in now. If there would have been an Open House I would have loved to see the inside.
This is the side view...

 ...and this is the front.

 A less interesting house but no doubt very roomy.

 

I like what the exterior of this  one is made of... stone? or ashlar?  

 

More houses.

 Almost every one of these homes will have multiple generations living in them (as does ours although ours is much smaller and humbler ) In fact it was in June 2006 that Middle Son and his wife and 3 year old daughter moved in here to share this house.  It was a decision we have certainly not regretted.

If you're still here I thank you for visiting and I hope your day is going along pleasantly!!

 

 

 

Quiet Sunday

 

 
It's a quiet day. Very warm and sunny. GD Kate came for a short visit as she normally does on Sunday mornings. She brought us a Costco chicken...the kind that is predone, still hot and fragrant. IF I ate meat I'd eat that chicken. As it is DH has his next 2 or 3 suppers all planned.
 We had lunch and now she left and I'm ready for a nap.  Foolishly I drank maybe 4 oz of coffee last night and as a result I was unable to fall asleep until 2 A.M.   It's not that I don't know what caffeine does to me but I take the chance anyway. So foolish.  I will rest then later Youngest will come to play Dominoes. Maybe others will join in.  So the day goes.

Thanks for coming by.

 

 

 

Teacups and a Melted Bulb

 Lovely sunshine with a slight breeze today. 23C right now (almost 4 o'clock).

As most of you know I have a lot of teacups and from time to time they all need washing. I decided
that I'd take the ones from this cupboard and get them done. All 15 are the same brand which is Colclough. I actually was short one and yesterday Youngest Son came by with one he had found at the thrift store ( the apple didn't fall from from the tree).  

 The teacup that he brought is the middle one on the second shelf from the bottom. It came with a little white ribbon which I've left .

 For some time I've noticed that my oven light was very very dim. I found an appliance bulb at Canadian Tire and today grandson M removed the old stubby remains of a melted bulb from the back of the oven.  (There was no way either of us could reach back there and the oven door is not removable). 
He was quite intrigued by the melted bulb and took it with him or I'd show you what it looked like. 
Hopefully this new bulb will be more durable. It will be nice to have a light again.

That's the 'excitement ' for today.  Thanks for coming by.

 

 

Wordless Wednesday......can you see me?

 

An Old Rose

 

 

 

 
We have a very old Queen Elizabeth Rose that started out in front, along the driveway but because she got terrible Blackspot every year we moved her to the Wild Area in the very back. She has been ignored there for some 15 years or more and has grown very tall. Every year she produces some lovely blooms which DH has to access with a short step ladder.  Here is yesterday's bouquet and there are more buds that will bloom in a week or so. 

We got more rain overnight but it has more or less stopped raining now. Hopefully we;ll see the sun this afternoon.  I hope you're having a good day.

 

Thanks for coming by. 

 

 

 

Mainly about Birds

 Sunday evening and the weekend is over. We took several walks and saw some birds that we don't often see. The Little Green Heron is one of those. It flew right in front of us on the path. 
I didn't take a picture; there wasn't time. So these 2 pictures are from the internet.

Because I have so many pictures today I've left them quite small but you can embiggen any one by clicking on it. 

 

Cedar Waxwings are so sleek and beautiful. They show up at Willband  because of certain berries that grow there. I looked them up and will copy & paste a few bits about them. Reading this I learned a new word! 
Cedar Waxwings are highly frugivorous birds that gorge on small fruits and berries, often stripping entire trees in massive, nomadic flocks. Their absolute favorites include serviceberries, cedar/juniper berries, dogwood berries, crabapples, and mulberries

A small goose family....

...and a slightly bigger one.

These youngsters are already at the long-legged gawky stage.

The Great blue heron was busy preening his feathers and refused to look up.

Pretty clouds this evening. The forecast for our coming week can be summed up in a word or two.
Chances of showers every day.

It was a long post. If you're still reading then THANK YOU.  I'll be back on Tuesday.

 

Donna: Thank you for letting me know about Dori. Please let me know if you find out more.  You wouldn't have her mailing address would you?  If you do and if you send it I won't publish it. I just thought a get well card could be sent.