88th birthday

On May 30th my StepFather Lorne turned 88.
Lorne is healthy , active and sharp as a tack.

Mom
had our family favourite Black Forest cake and French vanilla ice cream.
Bob and Kathie ,
Keith and Donna

and myself helped celebrate.
It was a nice evening .

What is new this week?

In anticipation of moving we had potted up the rhubarb , looks like I will still get a taste this spring , it is adapting beautifully to living in a pot.

Here is the asparagus growing in the garden, so delicious for supper and it is just coming on.


Planted some peas, because it has been such a cold May , wonder if we will get to eat any of them before the end of June.

Drove down to see the new house , finally the brick is on and the painter is finishing up inside painting the fireplace area and the stairs.
Starting to get excited by the thought of moving to a new house, meeting lots of new people and exploring the area around the lake.



Did work as well this week , where does the time seem to go, never enough hours in the day to get all done that I think I should.

Rural living

One of the great joys I have loved over the years I have lived in this neighbourhood has been the forest across the road.
The canopy of the trees over hangs and shades the area as ones strolls down the road.
The owner has let the woods remain in a natural state.Every spring the woods is alive with natures wonders.
I usually try to go for a walk on Mothers Day when the flowers are in full bloom but since I was working that weekend instead I managed to take an hour on this Victoria Day weekend( in Canada we celebrate our English heritage with a 3 days weekend in May to remember Queen Victoria's Birthday)
I wandered through the woods to enjoy the sight of masses of Trillums under the canopy of the maples, elms , summersweet trees. Every once in a while I spy little Jack-in- the -Pulpits peeping through the flowers . This woods has what I call Mayapples and ferns and tho I scoured the woods looking for a ladys slipper orchid nestling in the base of tree trunk, no luck this year.
The wild honey suckle flowering on the verge of the woods,combined with the scent of the summersweet trees laden the air with perfume.
The peace and beauty in this forest is glorious.

Happy Birthdays

Happy Birthday to Donna,
My baby sister

Happy Birthday to Steve
One of my favourite son-in-laws

Happy Birthday Brittany

Brittany turns 13 today, a big milestone.
She is now a teenager.
Lookout world!

Bouquet

This bouquet makes me smile.
This is a small little spring bouquet I picked from the garden this afternoon.
White Lily of the Valley , sky blue forget-me-nots and dark purple French lilac. I stuck them into a little juice glass , yes I do have vases somewhere packed in boxes. Tho so small The fragrance perfumes the air.
A small thing but it brings so much pleasure.

Spring 2008

Here is a slide presentation of my garden this spring.
Since we are moving I have done a clean up of the gardens but not the usual heavy work that is required.
I am sitting back and just appreciating the garden and the flowers.

The crabtrees are loaded with blossoms. John Downie is the name of the white one.
Pink Profusion the other. The redbud is covered with blossoms.
The "Betty" Magnolia is the prettiest ever.
With the colder than usual winter ,all the snow cover , no freeze and thaw cycle just stayed cold til spring , the garden has had lots of protection .
Moisture this spring from the snow cover and rain has been abundent.
Even the roses have suffered no winter burn and are sprouting leaves to the tips of their branches .
Can hardly wait for them to flower.
Tho I will miss this garden when we move at the end of June , I can hardly wait to start designing my new space.

Mothers Day

Here are the lovely cards I got on Mothers Day.

With some gift cards to spend on the new house.
This is herb dish garden I received as well.

Rosemary, thymes, sages and oregano.
Looking forward to using the herbs in my cooking.

Glitter Graphics & Comments

Garden

Here is what is happening in the garden this week .
The summersweet tree is in full flower.

Dog tooth Violet, the common name!

Tulips,

King Alfred Daffodil


Grape Hyacinth

West garden

East garden
Side hill just coming into flower with hostas, sedums ,phlox and a few tulips
Surprising after the amount of snow this winter we needed rain and got lots on Saturday but then on
Sunday a beautiful sunny day cool with a strong wind and a high of only 13 C.
Still the blue sky looks great in the pictures

Pay It Foward

On Thursday I received my handmade PIF from Rosanne .
In this beautifully wrapped package,
was a hidden treasure, inside was a memory book , a notebook, and 2 note cards all coordinated and scrapped with lovely pink and green papers.
Thanks Rosanne , it is a lovely surprise you went to so much work making these items.
I was very happy to participate in pay it forward. Gives one a nice feeling of sharing.