Raspberries

The weather was perfect and our BBQ yesterday was a lot of fun.  Today after we walked we went to a U-pick Farm and picked 2 pails of raspberries. Also bought a 30 lb. box of Blueberries. I made 5 jars of raspberry jam and froze 6 bags for jam next winter. Haven't done anything with the Blueberries yet.

While we picked berries on the one side of the path the mechanical picker bumbled its way along the rows on the other side.

We're in for a stretch of hot days. Lots of watering of my plants every day. It definitely feels like Summer.

An anonymous follower has asked if I'd do a post about the challenges of raising 5 children. I really wouldn't know how to start. I made a lot of mistakes and I'm not sure anyone raises children and doesn't make mistakes. I don't think there were great challenges when they were younger. Teen years were more difficult. We made it though and we're still friends. All 5 live in this small city and we see a lots of each other.

 Thanks for coming by, 

         Have a good week,

               Granny M

Canada Day

 

I like new beginnings. Every new day is a blessing and so is every new month. I look forward to them to the point of changing my calendar ,sometimes, days before...  Today is extra special because today marks the 156th anniversary of Canada's Confederation. 

We began our day much like every other day by going for a walk. We saw 3 Herons, a Common Warbler, 5 Cedar Waxwings sitting together on a dead branch, and a variety of Sparrows and Robins.  We met more people with dogs, probably because it's a holiday. Most had their dogs on-leash and those that weren't were relatively well-behaved. (the dogs, not the people).

We'll have our annual Family July First BBQ this afternoon. The sun is shining and the temperature is not going to be too warm. (Forecast is for 24C  75F) I'm off to hang some bunting.  Here is a little tidbit I found on the internet...

Why do they call it bunting?

Bunting originated from the Navy back in the 17th century. This is because the person's job to put the flags up on the ship was called a 'bunt'. The word bunting also derived from France, there the term means lightweight wool fabric which would be used to make the bunting.

 

 Thank you for visiting,   GM

Sweet Peas and Dill

 

I was puttering away in my flowers when I happened to see that one of my perennial Sweet Peas is a light pink. I think I previously mentioned that I used to have a white one but after that one failed to stick around I had just dark pink. Now I have a light pink and I've marked the plant and will keep the seeds in the hope that they will give me more of the same, I hope you can tell on the picture that some are lighter than others. 

 In response to a question from an anonymous follower I'll explain how I freeze my dill. It's so easy. You wash the dill and cut it into whatever length you want your little 'bundles' to be. you can tie the bunches...that's what I do. About including the stems....that's up to you. I kept some but mostly I kept the lovely "heads" and ferny leaves.   I will use them when I make pickled beans later in a month or so.  If I want just a few Tbsp of fine dill for a recipe I can just use a scissors and cut off part of a frozen bunch.  I hope this explanation helps. I freeze my Summer Savory in the same way. 
This is what the internet has to say on that subject:

Freezing dill is an easy kitchen activity: First, wash the dill in cold water and shake or pat dry. Then lay the sprigs out on a cookie sheet and pop them into the freezer to flash freeze them. When the dill sprigs are all frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag and return it to the freezer.

Connie wondered what the pink/red flowers behind the lavender were. They are roses. Two little bushes that didn't thrive in the back garden were moved to the front, set together in one hole, and went on to do so well!!  There's so much about gardening that is frustrating but also so much that's  rewarding.
Thank you for all the lovely comments on my lavender. Our sandy soil provides the drainage that lavender needs which is the reason it grows well around here.

In spite of the heat I am baking bread and buns today. I better go check if the breadmaker has finished mixing up the dough for me.

Thanks for visiting,  GM

Dill and Lavender

 More sunshine today and I'm loving it. We got the two Clematises ( that I bought marked down at
Walmart)  into the ground and supports put in right away. One of them is very near my volunteer dill so I cut more and got that into the freezer

 

My lavender is blooming ❤❤❤

That's about all that's happening around here.  Thanks for coming by, GM

Deer

 Perfectly lovely temperature for our Sunday morning walk around Fish Trap Creek. We were thrilled to spot the doe and her fawn again, this time we also saw a buck. They were on an island and quite a distance away. I don't have the kind of camera that could have zoomed in on them or my pictures would be clearer. In the first picture the doe and her fawn;  in the second one the buck is hiding in the bushes. He seemed reluctant to come out into the open.

 On the way home we stopped and bought some cherries. 

The rest of the day was spent relaxing on the porch.  Now we move into the last week of June. Where does the time go?

Thanks for coming by,   GM

New Plants and Teddy Bears

 After a few days of cool showery weather we're back to sunny and warm.  Yesterday I thought I'd bake a cake while the kitchen was still relatively cool. It was just a lemon cake from a mix but served with strawberries and Cool Whip it was lovely.  Oh yes, we went berry picking yesterday. Unfortunately we didn't realize that the season was almost over. We were able to pick a small (ice cream size) pail  of not very big berries. Nevertheless they were tastier than the ones we had from the grocery store earlier this month.

We also went to Walmart to see if they had marked down their plants and they had. I chose 2 more Clematises, a Hosta I didn't have, and a Daylily also a new one to me.  Isn't she a beauty? Her name is Frans Hals. I had to put her into a pot because I'm out of ground space.  The Hosta will also go into a pot but I have ground space for the Clematises.

When it got uncomfortably warm (hot) out I came in and "played" with my Teddy Bears. They  and their dishes etc. need dusting from time to time and that's what I did.  The tiny cookies are actually "Danishes"...treats for Bunnies.

 

 Thanks for visiting,   GM

Summer Solstice

 

Apparently Summer begins here at 7:57 A.M. tomorrow ( Wednesday) morning. I'm not at all sure how those who know these things can be so precise. We will have 16 hours and 16 minutes of daylight.  After this week we move toward Autumn. 

We walked in the rain this morning and the forecast isn't great for tomorrow but as of Thursday we'll beheading into sunshine. That should ripen the strawberries

I wonder if these geese had something happen to their first batch of goslings because it's unusual to see  a family with such little ones at this time.

These two had just one gosling obviously older than the little yellow ones.

My perennial Sweet Peas (Lathyrus latifolius)  are blooming.  I used to have a white one but now all I have are these pink ones. They come back every year and ask for nothing much in the way of care. Unfortunately they have no scent.

Thanks for coming by....and thank you for your  comments.   GM