Yellow and Blue

This spring our focus was on showcasing bold blues and unique yellow hues.  You put these together with the shades of green leafage, and you create wonderful eye candy wherever you look.  

Today's Photo Opportunities

Up at the pond a dragonfly basks in the sun atop the swan's neck!

 Nesting chickadees in this home-made birdhouse hang from a hemlock at the trail entrance.

 Mr. Owl guards the trail entrance from his perch on the old stump!

"Pre-Storm" Skies

As the warm air pushed out last evening, the storm clouds approached looking like heavy rain, lightning and winds.  Sure enough - we got it.  But before it happened,  this looming weather front brought with it these amazing colours, all wrapped within undulating clouds which triggered an amazing sunset !

Fruits & Veggies & the Camera!

Even though the fruits and veggies start to proliferate the garden (like now), and the first thought is to toss everything together into a wonderful salad or stir-fry, I want them to inspire me first.  I want to find the picturesque in my fruits and veggies.  This is why I have taken to carrying my iPone with me at all times in the garden to capture a special moment or stage of growth.   (and to share on instagram)!

Did you know that gooseberries could double as tree decorations?   Well this tells me they can!!  And the gooseberry bush is loaded!!

 And look at the beetroot!   I’m big fan of growing beetroot. It’s one of my favorites to grow – it’s easy, it is rarely troubled by pests, and it’s pretty much always a success.    And – not only is it extremely good for you and yummy, it is also photogenic.

Just Hanging Out

Today was a slow day - just wandering about and puttering.

Spent some time at the pond just listening to the birds and water fountain.  

Sat under the willow tree and tried to get shots of the birds at the feeder but they all were blurry.

 Just had to take this photo of the trunk of a cedar we have.  It always reminds me of the behind of a giraffe!   

 

 Then Gypsy and Smoke were caught red-pawed in the act of sharing a 'mouse" in the driveway. 

There is so much joy in the flower gardens, especially the rainbow of colour.    Heaven is really all around us if you are looking.

 

And lastly, my new Tiki man has found a special home near the woodland garden.  Thanks for the gift Jill!

Eat What You Grow

Today's walk around the garden revealed much progress in the "edibles" department.

 

 All the huckleberry bushes are loaded like this and ready for picking.  Who will help to pick?

 

 The Braeburn apples are loaded as well  but still have a ways to go to ripen.

 The strawberry patch is beginning to bear its juicy fruit.

And our russet potatoes are starting to get their blooms!!!

The beans and tomatoes are also doing well and so are the leeks and beets.

Shades of the Homestead

 Black and white is a nice change!

This view of home is taken from Chris's workshop looking south west onto the patio.

Chris's workshop looks quite retro in B&W with his motorbike and shed out front.

A Wonderful World of Colour

Up at the pond, the Rose Campions and Shasta Daisies are putting on a real show.  If only they would last all summer long!

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Dragonfly Day at the Pond

You never know when a "nature" moment might present itself, but today was one of those days.  Dragonflies!!!  We aren't sure if it was a feeding frenzie or mating day, but there were so many dragonflies over the pond and so many sorts of varieties.   Each seemed to love to rest on little bamboo stakes I have for some plants.

Below is a simple pond skimmer dragonfly

 A female black/blue skimmer

 And her mate.

Colours of the Garden

Its all about colour this year - shades of pinks, orange, blues, purple - you name it.   And the weather is treating the blooms well.

Bell Flowers against Valerian

Honeysuckle

Patio garden collage!

I Love Bees

Like this honey bee on my Campanula!    Did you know that when aging bees do jobs usually reserved for younger bees, their brain stops aging. In fact, their brain ages in reverse. (Imagine if riding a tricycle didn’t just make you feel young—it actually made your brain tick like a younger person’s).   How cool is that?

Blessed Rain!

It's raining today.  Really raining!  Much needed and it has been going all night too.  Sitting on the cedar chest by the window I can still watch my birds who are not deterred by the wet weather.

 Smoke, on the other hand, does not want to get wet.  Being the outdoor boy that he is - he has claimed his rightful place on the bar stool in the patio "man cave".

Cat Talk

Do NOT take my picture.

 Thank you.  You may take it now.

Back Yard Birding

In this case, it is front yard, where I have my 3 key bird houses.  The one on the left is the only occupied one.  It hosts a family of ckickadees, which I love to listen to.

Our resident Jay has a nest near by, but we have not spotted it yet.  He gets his fill of peanuts though, as seen in his beak in this shot.

Then of course we have our hummers, non stop.  Couldn't say how many families we have nesting in the cedars near by, but I keep 4 feeders going with a fill up twice a week. Both Annas and Rufus are sharing our space.    This great shot was taken by our friend Rick E.

Fruit Crops are on Their Way!

 Little Liberty apples starting to form.  It seems that every flower must have been pollinated this spring because there are more apples than there are tree!!

 Italian Prune Plums - our favourite for sure! This year will be the best crop so far.  The little baby plums starting to grow are covering every branch.  Can't wait till they ripen - they are so sweet right off the tree.

A Gypsy at the Pond

This little kitten is my constant companion in the garden!

Patio Repairs

After a couple years of sand erosion on our patio, the dip in front of the windows was just too big and becoming dangerous.  We had to bite the bullet and repair the eroding section. Roughly 250 interlocking stones came out and went back in.   What we learned as we took the stones up though,  was that they were only resting on sand, and that there had been no drainage rock put down at the time the patio was put in.  Not good.  There will likely be more sink holes pretty soon, but for now we are at least reasonably flat again,  and at least this repaired section now has drainage rock added . (And no, we did not break our backs on this - we hired help!)Here are just a few shots.  

  

Foxgloves By the Sea!

A morning stroll at Seymour bay brings such variety and contrast.  From this south west vantage point the bluff and goose are framed by tall tree trunks.

 Spinning around from my vantage point to face south east - is a bank of foxgloves - "digitalis purpurea" - a spectacular wildflower that throws up to 2 million seeds from just one plant. 

More May Flowers!

They say that April showers bring May flowers, but we had a very dry April, so our May flowers include summer blooms as well.  Pretty much everything is blooming and I don't know where to start.

Weigelia - I finally learned how to grow this awesome shrub, and it's in full bloom!

No garden should be without Clematis!

Rhodos, Rhodi - they are everywhere - purples, pinks, reds!!

 

Our Lupins are putting on their best show this spring, and the bees just love them!

My "perfect" plant - Meadow Rue, normally blooms late July so its ahead of schedule.

Siberian Iris are happy by the pond and look great all on their own.

The Beauty Bush always impresses us with its fountain-like spray of blossoms hanging over the pond.