This and That

Look what arrived from Amazon!!!  240 pages of BP's art, photos and all kinds of info about her.  The dust jacket is cute and but covers only part of the cover. In order not to tear it I think I'll take it off completely while reading the book.

 We discovered this week that the bird we've been calling the Mourning Dove is really the Eurasian Collared Dove, an introduced species from Europe and Asia ( hence the name).  We wondered about the black crescent which the Mourning Dove doesn't have but since the cooing is so similar in both birds and the fact that in my bird identification books the Collared Dove doesn't appear  it's an easy mistake to make.

           Eurasian Collared Dove above and the Mourning Dove below.
                              (  Both pics are from the internet. )

 And last but not least is this Daylily which has just opened and I must look if I have the tag that identifies it. I think it's my favourite one so far!  I'm so glad this one is not affected by the dreadful Gall Midge.

                  To all my American blogging friends!!

Thanks for visiting!    G.M.

New Hood Fan

We went to a garage sale this morning and found a very nice stainless steel range hood.  We had planned to change our old one which DH built back when our cupboards were new. It was made of oak as are the cupboards but it was time to change it.  This one even has lights which our old one did not.
Our two younger sons came to help and the three of them were busy doing a bit of 'remodeling' which always seems to be necessary when changing almost anything when my DH got one heck of a shock...the electrical kind.  Both boys were horrified that he hadn't bothered to flip the breaker.  I think all three were so relieved that DH was okay and it all ended in great hilarity. I would have liked to make a video of the whole thing. I thought I just had to share this slice of life in this household!!

                 Here they arehard at work figuring out how to fit the new hood in. I think this was before the shocking episode!

G.M.

Rain

We finally had some rain.  Yesterday my Hydrangeas looked like this....

                  ...today they look like this.
 

They just can't hold their heavy heads up when they become soaked.  We had tied rope around each plant but it wasn't enough.          G.M.

This and That

We went raspberry picking!  I've been eating so many and I'm still not tired of them. Of course I made some jam and also froze some for winter.  I think I'll make some scones later. I think fresh raspberry jam on scones would be delicious.

               These cherries came from the market...

           ...as did these veggies.  They're destined to become soup for our supper.

I have a nice crop of Basil growing on the windowsill. I find the leaves are so much more tender than Basil grown outside. I don't need a lot ( DH doesn't like the taste of it at all) so if it's close at hand I can pick as many leaves as I need so easily.

I've been cutting Lavender and tying it in little bundles, hanging them to dry.  I found light lavender ribbon and have begun wrapping the stems and making a bow. I'm sure my girls will want some.

That's all that's happening around here.

 Thanks for coming by,   G.M.

Morning Walk

Bunnies were cavorting about when we walked this morning.  They seem quite used to people going past.

Hedge Bindweed is busy covering fences and bushes. So pretty but so very invasive. The internet describes it as a herbaceous perennial that twines around other plants in a counter-clockwise direction.
It is related to the Morning Glory that we grow in our gardens but that one is an annual. However in my yard it self-seeds and pops up in strange places, like the gravel area! 

The lake continues to be covered in Water lilies.  These geese appear to be "caught" among the foliage.

Around the house today it's laundry day and since it's not raining I plan on going out to pull a few weeds and do some dead heading of the roses that are along the driveway. 
I hope you're having a good day.   G.M.

First Day of Summer!

I found this on the internet and thought it was interesting:


I always found it strange that the day which marks the beginning of the season of summer is called "mid-summer", which I understand would mean "middle of summer". While midsummer is on the summer solstice (June 20–21), the actual middle of summer would be about August 6, no?

No matter why it is called what it is , I'm just happy that it's here!

I hope you have a very special day!   G.M.

Lilies

My Lilies are blooming and I'm enjoying the various colours. The self-sown Lavender sort of hides this corner!  There are also some volunteer Nasturtiums in among the Lilies but I don't have the heart to pull them out.

                    Alyssum and Thyme growing in the front of the bed.

           The Daylilies are also starting to open.  This one is Apricot Sparkles.

                    And there is a row of  Stella d'Oro.

Unfortunately some of my Daylilies have been infested with the Gall Midge that causes the buds to be misshapen and full of the 'eggs' for next year's infestation. I have to go around and cut off the affected buds, seal them in a plastic bag and put them in the garbage.

We had a bit of a shower last night, just enough to freshen things up a bit but not enough to give the plants a decent drink. The forecast for next week is for rain so we'll wait and see if it happens.

Now the sun is breaking through the clouds and it looks like the rest of the day will be fair.

Thanks for visiting,   G.M.