Wildflower: June 2018

Saturday, June 30, 2018

Happy Birthday Chris

June 24th!!

Can't go wrong with a Toronto Maple Leafs gift. Even when its from the thrift shop!

Or a cold plate for dinner, and an umbrella in your beer!

And the birthday song from the good neighbours, George and Sheila:

There is some progress with these two. Ajax really tries hard to be friends but its all on Gypsy's terms. She will rub up on him one minute and then hiss and smack him and bat him with her paws the next. He has yet to growl or snap back at her when she is abusing him and he could really hurt her. He just wines and keeps trying or goes and lays down.

Firewood Time Again

2 cords delivered!

One load up back for the wood shed by the veggie garden, and the other down at the wood shed by the workshop .

I love stacking wood.

Campbell River - June 20th

Chris wanted to look at a particular boat for sale in Cambell River and visit with Mike and Shae and the grand-kids. He missed out on the boat as it had already sold, ran into one of his old fishing guide mates, and had a nice visit with the family. I joined him after my visit with Kelli. It was great driving into Campbell River and seeing the old landmarks, like the 50th Parallel marker.

Mike and Shae had organized a burger BBQ and salads Wednesday night and Halle and Dylan came over with their sweeties. Halle and her boyfriend Mike just got a golden retriever puppy Gracie so she was front and centre, much to Frodo's annoyance.

Heading home we took the long slow route along the ocean. Chris was on his motorbike so it is much more enjoyable and scenic. I love the carvings, and the beach front cafe's along the way. A real holiday feel.

Parksville

Had a lovely visit with Kelli last week when we went over to Vancouver Island. Kelli lives in Parksville now, just steps from the ocean. I stayed a few nights but Chris went straight through to Campbell River.

It was 30c weather and great to be able to walk on the beach, which is practically a sandbar, and one that is full of sea life - and more sand dollars than I've ever seen in one place.

And flat! A pleasant change from the hills on Bowen. I even jogged a bit both mornings on the sea side boardwalk.

Some of my favourite shots are below:

Kelli and Gideon on the beach.

A very cool reflection of the home in the wine glass

Late afternoon sun.

Friday, June 22, 2018

What I've Learned This Week About Ajax

Chris and I went on a jaunt this week to Vancouver Island and we decided to board Ajax with his breeder who has not seen him since he was 7 weeks old. Its a wonderful service she provides, especially when your dog is intact. Well she was very happy to meet him at 20 weeks, and jokingly said she'd buy him back right on the spot! ha ha. We then talked about how a dog's overall appearance and structure is an indication of the dog's ability to produce quality purebred puppies. She really liked Ajax and said he had what it takes to be a champion. Who would have thought!! I knew he was handsome, but not in a beauty pageant sort of way (as my friend Kelli said). Well I left him there and on Instagram the next day she posted the following:

Courtney, her handler and trainer happened to be there and apparently Ajax did exactly what she wanted him to do, with not much effort on her part at all. He was a star!!

I picked Ajax up this morning and boy he was happy to see me. And boy did Sandy, the breeder try to encourage me to let her show him. She'd even like to breed him. There is so much involved and I am not sure I have the desire. Ajax is definitely a natural. If they would like to look after everything I might agree, but it requires some thought. In the meantime, he is just my big goofy, and often muddy, trail dog.

Friday, June 1, 2018

Spring is Definitely About Wildflowers

A Wildflower is a flower that grows in the wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted, and it has the appearance of growing wild as a native plant, even though it could be a hybrid or a cultivar.

I'm amazed at how many of these I am finding now on my walks; some that I can identify, like this little Columbine below:

And this amazing Rambling Rose which I literally stumbled across. It is growing out of these ocean rocks... I could not even find soil. So very cool and so very pretty.

Then of course there are these 2 flowers below I came across that I simply can't identify. There are just so many and it's always exciting to come across another wildflower find.

The Start of the 2018 Veggie Garden Season

This past month of May we have had record setting hot temperatures and basically no rain. This is not good for the pond, but Chris's veggie garden is loving it. Everything is putting on new growth, doubling almost everyday, and most importantly looking very healthy.

It's a joy just walking around and taking it all in, or just sitting in the middle of it on our veggie garden chairs. Here are a few photos showing the fresh new growth in this 'work' patch.

Garlic