All Who Wander Are Not Lost

Gardens have weeds, even good gardens.   I think it was A.A. Milne who said: “Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them”.    

Well my garden has many weeds, and many of those weeds I keep because they are beautiful, like my Fireweed, and many I remove in order for other plants to thrive.   Some plants are late season bloomers while others take years to reach their full potential.  The Autumn Joy is at its peak now in the garden, and I know that the new Wisteria I planted will take several years to bloom.

I called this blog Wildflower, and I always have thought of myself as one, but now I am not so sure.  Perhaps I am just a weed that needs tending, or perhaps one of those late bloomers, waiting to reach my full potential.   According to Wikipedia,  “A late bloomer is a person whose talents or capabilities are not visible to others until later than usual”.     So what or who, will I be one day when I am old and wrinkled?  Hard to say.   

I just came from the pond, which is suffering in this drought, and I watched a frog.  It was a brown one, about the size of a chocolate covered digestive cookie.  It was in the mud – we looked at each other.  I wonder what it was thinking.  I thought of one of my favourite Tolkien quotes:  “Not all those who wander are lost.”  

Drought Stricken Pond!

Oh my!  We have basically been in drought mode since July 4th, and it is Sept. 30th today, with a forecast of continuing good weather through October 9th so far.  In fact the weekend of the 7th is supposed to be back up to 22c.  It wouldn't be so bad if were weren't on a well, but relying on a well during a drought means conservation at all costs, and that in turn means the garden suffers.  I am not going to even talk about how the garden is looking, as I know that it will come back next year, and we did enjoy it through most of the summer.  It is the pond we worry about and our special fishies!!   The lack of rain has really taken its toll on the water level in the pond.  We figure it is down over 3 feet, and the fountain can't be lowered any more.  The fountain just circulates the pond water, but we will soon have to turn it off completely before the motor is exposed.  Normally the pond is safe from the herons thanks to our fishing line barriers, but the water has receded well below the protective areas and the herons are coming every day now.  Thank God for Jake! - so far he has kept them away.  We had a close call late yesterday afternoon with a heron right in the pond, so I was out till dusk re-string lines to make a new barrier.  Hopefully it will deter them till the rains come and fill the pond again.  For now, the fish are still all present and accounted for.  For those of you who have seen our pond in typical conditions, you will be shocked to see the photo below. 

In Search of Coho

You could smell the sea air through the marine mist as we headed out the other morning on the boat to watch the spawning coho at the mouth of the Capilano River, and perhaps do some fishing.  The sun was just up and it was so very quiet.

The lighthouse at Point Atkinson remains just as I remember it from my youth, and as we rounded the rocks I recalled the many times I would hike down the trail to sit on those same rocks and watch the boats go by.

 When we got to the River area, both coho and chinook were dancing on the surface of the water, mostly females jumping out of the water to loosen their eggs before their journey upstream.  At times I thought we could just reach out our net and scoop them into the boat The river itself is very low, and there is not enough water for them to safely enter the mouth and head upstream.  So they wait.  They are waiting for the rains that we all wait for these days, and in the meantime, they really aren't hungry, nor interested in taking the bait from the fishermen.  The fog then started to roll in and we turned the boat around to head home.

 A great way to spend a morning as we begin the fall season.  No fresh fish for the freezer, but a taste of nature in this little corner of our world.

Mein Fub

By the way, it seems I have a stress fracture.  Left foot - first 2 metatarsals. Very sore, and very inconvenient.  So ist das leben!

And Yes! We Do Have Apples!

These are Chris's Cox's Orange Pippins.  Some say these are the world's most revered apple, originating in Buckinghamshire England in 1825, they are thought to be an offspring of Ribston Pippin. Crisp juicy flesh when ripe, with a richness that is difficult to describe except perhaps "memorable".  They are about ready to eat now.  Our other 3 apple trees did not do so well this year.  With all the rain in spring I think they did not produce and got mildew fungus.  Chris is dancing about ready to pick and eat his first pippin of the year.

Today's Harvest

Runner beans, cucumber, summer squash, cherry tomatoes, Italian prune plums and strawberries.  Even with the drought, we have managed to have some successes in the garden despite not having the water we need.  It is indeed a sorry looking garden this year.  Our pea crop was not good this year, nor was the broccoli.  Our beets were superb but the season for them is over.  Farming for a living must be so hard when you are so dependent on the right weather conditions.

This is our Beach

It's the best beach on  Bowen; no rocks, warm water and fabulous sunsets.  It's the neighborhood beach, so everyone who goes is a neighbor and it is such fin!  This endless summer has allowed for endless days at the beach for happy hour after work.

;

It was good thing Kelli brought her bathing suit, because she got some good swims in and a little beachcombing

Our friends Susan and Bob (below) are the best company on the beach, always reliable for snacks and cider.

Helga and Gunther are the happy couple who take the temperature of the water for us every day. So far this summer the water  has been at its warmest at 22c.  My last swim was 17c and that was getting too cool for me.

A Great Season for Blackberries

This year our blackberries were more than abundant.  It's actaully the first year we even bothered to pick them.  Well, I should say, Kelli picked them, not us.  She picked several bowls full and was determined to make a blackberry pie.  Good for her, because I couldn't make a pie if you paid me.  She had phyllo pastry left from the night before when she made the spanakopita, so decided to use it up for the blackberry pie.

This pie was the best I have ever had - 1/4c sugar and 1/4c of corn starch.  Voila.. It looked so easy, I am even going to try to make it.  There are so many more blackberries out in the back yard, and this year they won't go to waste.

Spanakopita

House guests can be a great gift when they like to cook.  Kelly decided to make a batch of spanakopita for dinner one night.  She had a new recipe to try which called for lots of leeks, and since we all love leeks, we were anxious for dinner.  

 The house smelled wonderful while she was cooking up the spinach filling, and by the time the spanakopita came out of the oven our mouths were watering.  I made roast potatoes and greek salad to go with it.  An excellent meal, and we only had 2 pieces of spana leftover, and they tasted even better the next day.

Ling Cod for Supper

Kelli was visiting from Dawson Creek this past week and with such lovely weather we simply had to get out on the boat.  Day one we just circumnavigated Bowen Island, and on day two Chris gave Kelli a chance to catch supper.  Just off the north/west end of Bowyer, Chris baited a rod with an anchovy and handed it over to Kelli.  Within 5 minutes she had hooked a huge Ling Cod (legal size).  Our favorite!!!  We took him home and Chris cleaned it and then cooked us up a batch of fresh fish and chips for dinner.  The rest is in the freezer for a rainy day!

Creating Garden Spaces

Our latest project is to create rooms, windows or new spaces on the property that will intrigue.  This particular cedar tree which is out back, opposite the pond, has always been an eye catcher due to its uniquely shaped trunk.  There has also been a mass of salal growing up it and in front of it, and thick blackberry bushes as well.  The salal and brambles grow to the grass line which is about 12 feet from the trunk.  An afternoon of clearing and cutting exposed a couple of old logs in front of the tree and a stump to the right.  Once we could get to the tree we trimmed and shaped the salal and decorated.  What fun!

Blue Flamingo

My latest garage sale find has found a home under the willow tree.  Click to enlarge it.  I love him - he is bold and sturdy and makes a great silhouette as dusk.

Little Yellow Crab Spider

Now this pretty little thing I found on one of my herbs yesterday.  I have seen white ones like this but this is my first yellow one. I followed the delicate little arachnid around the leaves, but left him in peace to forage for bugs to eat.