Summer's Whimsy

There's something rather whimsical abut capturing the colours of summer.  There's always a surprise in the garden, from the wild roses pouring over the fence from the neighbour's yard (these beauties are my absolute favorite with their intoxicating fragrance.  And they require minimal care). 

Staple of Nova Scotia: wild roses

To the wild flowers announcing their arrival and joining lovely green space in the lush backyard (wild phlox and some variation of Queen Anne's lace). 

Nature's natural beauty

Even something as mundane as laundry hanging on a clothesline can be beautiful.

Rainbow clothesline

Beauty lies all around.  You just have to open your eyes and see it.


PS (I'm on vacation and where I'm going there 's little or no access to internet.  I'll see you on the other side--and yes, I will bring my knitting. )

Gardening 101

Although there's been little crafting, there's been plenty of gardening!  After consulting my gardening books and online guides, we visited the garden centre.  You know that "high" you get from visiting a really nice yarn shop?  Yeah, I get that way from visiting a good nursery.  

Front flower bed

Perhaps overly ambitious, I was lured by the promise of bright colours.  When I got home, I went straight to work, digging up the long neglected garden--covered in that yucky weed fabric (which never really works very well at keeping out the weeds) and tons of unappealing red mulch (I'd rather use natural or black-coloured mulch).  Love the feel and smell of soil between my fingers . . . and then there's the satisfaction of seeing the plants in their place.  Wow! 

View from above

There's nothing like caring for a garden, tending those little plants and watching them grow.  It's good for the soul.  And then your creative juices start flowing and great ideas swim 'round your head: Yup, I has plans--big plans!!  But I need to go slow and work on it a little at a time because (a) I'm no spring chicken and (b) I don't have enough funds to follow my dreams all at once.

That small flower bed at the front of the house took a few hours worth of digging.  There was nothing there and the soil needed lots of compost and good black top soil.  Whatcha think?  Pretty?

Detail of columbine flowers

Lots of shade loving perennials: columbine, bleeding hearts, lungwort and coneflowers.  There's also some dianthus and alyssum in hot pink and purple.  Hope everything survives.

Hanging basket detail

We added a couple of hanging baskets too--in hot pinks.  These will look pretty when they're in full bloom--if summer ever decides to officially show up (I'm lookin' at you Mother Nature.  After the long winter we've had, we need some summer, please.).


Hope your weekend is filled with sunshine. :)

Winding Down

We've been blessed on the east coast with some lovely fall weather (and perhaps your little corner in the world has seen lotta sunshine and warmth too).  Sadly I've been unable to enjoy it because I'm been up to my eyeballs in school work.

Delicate Cosmos

Compounding my workload is an additional project on the side (it's to ensure my transfer goes through for another course).  Then there's packing to be done which is going at a super-slow pace.  And to top it all off, I've been sick. **cough, cough**

Happy Sunflowers

Consequently I'm sad to report there has been no crafting. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Nothing. **sigh**  So I'm peppering this post with something that makes me very happy: my wildflower garden.  Look at the delicate cosmos and the happy sunflowers!  Now that's joy.

Sunflowers creeping along the ground

See you on the flip side. :)

Still Summer

Coneflowers in bloom in big garden under the honeysuckle

Yup, still summer, although the air feels crisper and the evenings are definitely cooler. There's still lots of growing left in the season: plenty of flowers left to bloom and I'm eagerly anticipating my red sunflowers.

Tall tiger lilies on the other side

Certainly can't deny that school is right 'round the corner--less than 3 weeks!  That'll mean work for my boys and me (although this year I'm excited 'cuz I've transferred to another institution that will hopefully be a better "fit' with my professional goals).

Wildflowers growing in garden along front deck

Meanwhile I can enjoy the loveliness blooming in the garden beds.  I love watching the seasons change and noting the season markers, especially the wildflowers.

Detail of poppies amongst the wildflowers

I found some great books on wildflowers in Nova Scotia.  One (Wildflowers of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick & PEI) has been out for a while, but I love the photography.  While not exhaustive, it's a lovely tome to peruse.

Great coffee-table book with lovely photos

Excellent field guide for wildflowers in NS

The other one (Wildflowers of Nova Scotia) is a recent publication and quite exhaustive.  It's a great primer and handy reference for those of us who go for walks in the woods or near fields (the same author has a similar book on trees and bushes which I may have to pick up at some point).

How goes your summer? 

Proof!

First crocus of the season

Proof of life, that is.  Bits of spring hinted here and there.  In spite of the last wintery blast, the sun is making more frequent appearances.  And its giving off greater heat.

Yellow wildflowers called Coltsfoot and often mistaken for dandelions

Suddenly out of nowhere, there are tons of red-breasted robins pecking in the lawn in search of worms and grub.

Fresh green stuff!

Amidst all the grey decay and dead matter, new life sprouts.  Green stems and stalks break through the once frozen earth.

Tulips breaking through . . . 

I love spring!!  The promise of something fresh and new is in the air . . .

Up to My Eyeballs

No, not up to my eyeballs in yarn (I wish!!).  Rather up to my eyeballs in homework: lectures to watch, chapters to read, notes to study and research . . . ugh!  Remind me not to take TWO courses at the same time.  So NOT doin' that again.

Sunflowers

Meanwhile, I can soothe my jagged nerves by looking at the garden.  Check out my sunflowers. 

Tall Sunflowers

Soooooo tall--love 'em!  The tallest one has got to be over 2 meters.  I purposely planted them close to the deck so they could be anchored to the railings.  

Black-eyed Susans

My sunflowers are surrounded by wildflowers.  Lovely blooms erupted in red, white, purple and blues.  Definitely planting these wildflowers again.  Most are now spent, but the black-eyed susans are still in bloom.  And they're lovely.

Have a good week! :)

Jurassic Pig and Other Farm Tales

Sneaking up on pigs whilst they rest in their shelter

Those pigs!  After we brought them home, it was days before I even saw them 'cuz they kept hiding in the thick growth of their fenced-in pen.  I felt like one of the visitors to Jurassic Park.  Remember when the vehicles stopped in front of the T-Rex cage and it was nowhere to be seen?  Even after the sacrificial goat was proffered, it refused to reveal itself . . . just like our pigs!!  I literally had to sneak up on them to get a few decent shots and then they ran off when they heard the "ding" of the camera.  Those crazy pigs!  

Fleeing pigs . . . 

In contrast, the turkeys come over and "talk" when they see us humans.  Aren't they getting uglier with each passing day? 

Turkeys

Even the egg-laying chickens are brazen.  We added more egg-layers to the group and there's a bit of a turf war going on, with each party avoiding the other (I think the newer hens are scared of the older ones and rightly so, as the older gals are killers--ever see a chicken pecked to death?). 

Older egg-layer strutting 'bout the big pen

I think the resulting stress has put a damper on egg production 'cuz the ol' girls have stopped laying . . . me thinks chicken stew is gonna be on the menu soon if there continues to be no eggs. 

New egg-layer deciding if it's safe to venture out . . . 

As for the meat birds . . . I have never met an animal so stunned in all my life.  Part of me feels sorry for them 'cuz we humans have messed them up by breeding in traits (such as large breasts) that prevent movement--they literally have a hard time walking.

Meat birds in movable pens

And what's a farm without a garden?  The veggie garden has seen the biggest change.  With full-time work and family chores,  I seldom have a chance to get in there.  However, my FIL has done an awesome job caring for the plants.

Potatoes, peppers and celery

For the most part, everything is looking lush and green.  Looking forward to the harvest come end of August . . . .

Corn, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots and beets

Later,
;)

Inheriting a Garden . . .

When the weather calls for sunshine, we have spent our time outdoors.  There's been lots to do: new pens for the animals (more meat birds to come, along with a few turkeys and pigs--yeah, that's plural as in more than one pig.  And yes, baby turkeys are cute, but we all know that won't last).

New Turkeys

And of course, there is much to do elsewhere.  Mowing is no small feat as it takes at least a good three hours or more to trim all the open spaces (front, back and side areas).  We've been using a gas-powered push-mower, but we seriously need to consider a ride-on mower.  There's just too much grass!  And it doesn't help that we've slowly re-claimed much of the fields that were once wild.

Part of Front Lawn

As for gardening, the fellas have been busy putting in the vegetable garden.  It's a lot of work even with a tiller.  And the weather has been less than cooperative with all the rain.  Still, as the beds get prepared, the seeds and seedlings get planted.

Veggie Garden

As for myself, I garden for the soul so my energies have focused on the flower garden.  There's nothing like watching the perennials come up after a long winter.  Then there's the trimming and weeding (I still have to add to the soil--need more compost and sheep manure).  Of course, there`s the shopping and planting.  Oh joy!  There's nothing like finding the right plants and watching them take root.

Front Flower Garden

Perennials Under the Flowering Bush

I even added a new flower bed by the front deck (digging up sod is hard work).  I planted sunflowers and wildflowers, so I'm excited to see what sprouts.

New Flower Bed

Flower Box Detail

How 'bout you?  How does your garden grow?

Sunshine and Such . . .

Ever have one of those days when you drop your knitting in the corner and venture outside? A day where the sun beckons you outdoors?  Well, this was one of those weekends, with glorious blue skies and warm sunshine.

Clothes drying outside

The clothes ventured on to the line for the first time since last fall.  So nice to wear clothes dried outside--they smell so fresh like sun on skin or freshly cut grass.

Front garden

And I finally managed to clean out the flower garden out front.  Lots of  broken branches and debris leftover from winter.  Life has sprung anew as the garden slowly awakens from its winter slumber: everything is sprouting, including the weeds!  

Dwarf Red Tulips

The garden looks so sparse.  I can hardly wait to get myself to the garden centre in search of new plants and flowers to fill in the empty spaces . . . 

Have a good week!

Spring?

Maybe?  See the tiny spikey leaves poking from the ground?  See the little hints of white, yellow (and yes, even purple)?

Note to self: plant next year's bulbs in bunches.  I was trying to maneuver 'round the perennials and the crocuses ended up in a row instead . . . 

I wasn't sure 'bout the clay-like soil in my garden bed (I need compost and maybe even some mulch 'round the perennials to add stuff to the dirt), so I didn't plant as many as I should have.  Yup, definitely need more bulbs!

Garden's Bounty

Have you seen our garden's bounty? All along we've been enjoying lettuce (of which there is no more) and loads of yellow and green beans (may of which were parboiled and frozen). 

Tomatoes

Right now we're harvesting veggies: lots of potatoes, some tomatoes, beets and turnips.  The potatoes didn't do as well as we had hoped--we think the ground was too wet; we suspect there's an underground spring under the potato patch.

Potatoes

The beets, onions, turnips and parsnips are doing very well.  We've had to thin some plants out.  It's a learning experience, so we'll know better for next year.

Beets

Parsnips and Turnips

There's more to come.  Check out our little corn patch!  We've sampled some and it was good--very sweet, tender and fresh.  

Corn Patch

The broccoli is coming up nicely.  If the weather holds, we might just have broccoli to harvest in a month's time.

Little Broccoli

And finally we've got pumpkins--lots of pumpkins! (I made sure all those girl flowers were pollinated right proper).

Wee Little Pumpkin

The peppers look great.  I hope they ripen into pretty red peppers, but I'll take green ones if the weather doesn't cooperate.

Green Peppers

And we even managed some melons!  Not sure when these babies will fully ripen as the nights have gotten cool. 

Wee Melon

Yup, its been a bountiful season.  :)