The weekend at last

My energy was consumed by a busy work week so inspirations were saved for Friday night. As always, the weekly garden tour with champagne helped to me to relax and renew. As summer draws to a close, the quality of the light is changing as the sun gets lower in the evening. The clouds were spectacular as they moved across the sun. The garden is abundant with the crops of carrots and beets ready to dig. And of course the zucchini is plentiful!

Hot Summer Day

The air is sultry but alive with the sounds of birds and insects singing and buzzing and humming. Each type of flower seems to have its own special bee or fly or caterpillar. Relaxing under the wisteria in the shade watching it happen all around me. 

The zucchini have arrived!

Can't wait to taste the fresh new zucchini that seem to have appeared overnight. The snow peas have almost given up as the hot days arrive. Their place is being taken by the plants that are developing slender little beans. What next?

Gardens love rain

The heavy summer rain yesterday has made the gardens very lush and brought the robins with their cheery chirps out in full force. Exciting to see the first zucchini flower with the promise of many more to come. Hard to imagine that I will inevitably get tired of zucchini as the summer progresses! The jolly bee balm brightens up the morning too. Should bring more hummingbirds. 

Home Sweet Home

Returning after a week away of seeing amazing birds and seascapes and a moose too! has brought amazing things to my own garden. Three litres of snow peas appeared and a bounty of earthy white turnips. I am trying a recipe of roasted turnip salad with a mustard parsley  vinagrette. The Chinese broccoli went wild and the bok choi has lush stems ready for picking. Yum. Lilies and Shasta daisies are enjoying the warmth too. 

Summer is truly here

Brilliant yarrow signals to me that summer is really upon us. The fushia hue of this  flower reminds me of the tropics. And the bees love the fresh coreopsis.  The other sign is the general excitment at the office as one hears the phrase, "Have a good holiday" as folks embark on the vacations they have been anticipating. Different for the office workers than the farmers whose hard work will not let up until the last pumpkin is out of the field. 

Second Day of Summer 2015

It amazes me how quickly the Ontario world can change in 8 short weeks. April 22 brought a few green shoots and the hint of glory to come. June 22 and the world is full of green leaves on the ginko tree and flowers and the spinach already bolting in it's urgency to produce seeds. The evening primrose and the turnips, peas and chinese kale have caught my attention today. 

First Day of Summer 2015

Our moments of inspiration are not lost though we have no particular poem to show for them; for those experiences have left an indelible impression, and we are ever and anon reminded of them." Henry David Thoreau.  

I am a woman in her 60's who wants to enjoy every moment ! I am inspired by so many people and things around me and love the excitement and concentration of the creative process, the flow. This is what I share with you.

The summer solstice feels like the perfect time to begin this new endeavour. Since April, I wake up every day and rush (well maybe saunter) out to the garden with wonder to see what new bloom has emerged.  It is like a symphony, starting slowly and now rising to the crescendo which will peak in a couple of weeks.