June 7th, 2013

A stroll in the garden on a lovely summery June day.....

The Blaze Climber, which is thriving so beautifully it threatens to take the shed wall

it grows against and run away down the lane!

 



Columbines from the garden on the hill

 



 

I should really have been more circumspect and taken the time to deadhead these

lovely roses before asking them to pose for a photo

This lemony yellow Iris is loaded with blooms and just seems to keep

adding sunshine to the back garden

 





 

while the delphinium from the old garden have reverted to white

and probably have ambitions to reach the roof top, they are

growing so straight and tall

 

 

The Abraham Darby, fragrant and my favourite

A nice clutch of lettuce for salads

 



and the gorgeous floxglove

 

a Mister Lincoln rose

 

 

and that lovely apricot Iris with the furry tongue

 

a pot of herbs

 



 

and more foxgloves with the pots that line the front sidewalk

the Heliotrope and the pinks make brushing by this pot a delight

a sunny welcome at the front steps



and the Blaze at the end of the side bed



 

 Roses



 

A peony that hides behind the roses (above)

 

 

the new, tiny clematis along the back fence

 

at this stage of the game the delphinium look very fragile and fairylike

 



 

 

and over it all a blue sky and summer clouds...

 

I have much to be thankful for!

ABC Wednesday

And the letter this week is U.

Believe me, sticking to my theme of flowers I had an Unusually hard time finding a Unique representation of the letter U in plantland.  Well, that's not quite true, the plants I found whose names begin with U were really all quite Unique, - not your usual common  garden variety that you would find in these parts......

I chose to make you acquainted with the Unicorn plant, in case you have not already met.

The Unicorn plant is also known as Devil's Claw and Martynia.

 

 

It is an upright annual herb whose preferred habitat is rich woods, slopes and moist meadows.

 

Heart shaped leaves, up to six inches wide, with large, stout stalks.

 

Flower petals are united into one bell-shaped structure, no more than three inches long and with a crooked stalk that droops laterally.  The flowers are in variable colors but usually pale to dark lavender with a yellow streak arising from the throat.

 

The fruit is edible, being similar to okra with a long beak that extends four to six inches beyond the tip, and drying into a black capsule.

 

 

The curved claw of the fruit splits open when dry, forming two hooks that catch in the fur or ears of livestock, thus the name 'Devil's Claw"

 

 

 

The plant is a medicinal herb and is used in treating health disorders like fibrositis, arthritis, rheumatism, neuralgia, gall bladder disorders, pancreas infections, muscular inflammation and other skin infections.

 

It is also used for curing pain during labour and after childbirth, and externally for treating swollen joints, sores, skin ulcers, arthritic joints and a few other skin infections.

 

Perhaps you know the Unicorn Plant in this form.....

 

All this information I obtained from Sir Google!!!

 

For more interesting tidbits about the letter U visit here, at ABC Wednesday,

with thanks to all who keep this great meme operating.

 

Sunday, June 2nd, 2013

There are puddles in the back lane and I know  there must have been rainbows around today as the sun shone through dozens of showers, but I am not in the right place to see them, - location, location......  I am cosied up between two town lots, - lovely and sheltered from wind and weather, but not open enough to see the hills and the sky, except to the north.

However, I did have one indication of how wet the last two weeks have been, and how damp the garden stays.  I picked fresh lettuce from the garden, washed it well and made a salad for supper.

 

As well as I had cleaned it and picked it over my DIL found a baby snail clinging to a green leaf, and I have to tell you it was the first  snail I have ever seen in any of my gardens in this arid semi-desert!  Or in any of my salads - and what a good sport she was about it!  She didn't gasp, or shriek, but was calm and classy as she scooped up another helping of greens.

Well, I suppose if you can't have Escargot from the seaside a baby snail from the garden is the next best thing!!!!

 

A borrowed picture from the internet.......

 

I have been so lucky with my daughters-in-law, - all of them kind and generous;

responsible and loveable young women!

The weather report tonight is not especially encouraging.
 I wonder if I will wake up to the willow in the front garden
leaning it's elbows against the porch and peering through to the
kitchen to see if the coffee is on....

I have to beat it with a broom to remove enough rain drops to allow it to stand up straight again!

It must make an intriguing early morning picture.....

Bits and Pieces

Yesterday morning, contrary to the Weatherman's predictions, the sun was shining and the sky was blue, rimmed with potential thunder clouds peeking/peaking over the green hills.

I decided to pay a visit to my Stash, which you may recall is located in our lovely old travel trailer, full of memories of fishing and camping trips, late night card games but now stacked to the gills with white plastic bins, full of yarn, baskets overflowing with small balls of wool and endless pieces of loom equipment.  They brought home to me how generously Charles had shared in my weaving life.

He made wonderful sectional beams for both my floor looms, bobbin winders and thread counters, a reverse drill complete with holder for twisting fringes, a spool rack and all sorts of advice, - full of creative ideas for supplying needs and wants, - he was so generous with his time and his marvelous red-neck remedies for all sorts of weaving dilemmas.

To get to the trailer/cum studio I had to pass through the lane of curly willows that Charles planted along the roadway leading to our home, - originally to hide the mess of old vehicles on the neighbour's property, but now it creates a most welcoming and shady drive up the hill, and all the time he spent rooting the clippings, planting and pruning and watering have resulted in a lovely memorial to him.

I also had to pass through the garden, which I did with selective vision - appreciative of the glorious show the roses present and ignoring the equally energetic coutch grass bowing at their feet.

 The Mister Lincoln

 The |Prairie Princess

 The climbing Blaze

the Pink Climber

I brought home some cones of linen,  some soft and silky white yarn, the rest of the Handwoven magazines and all sorts of other bits and pieces - and plan to go back in the next few days after I have made room on the shelves in the garage to stash it all!!!

Our elder daughter came on a flying visit in the afternoon with a friend, with the express purpose of showing her the Leclerc loom.  I was glad to have  some more woven on the warp and it has inspired me to hurry and finish this particular warp and get on with my silk rag bag ideas.   What also inspired me was the catalogue from Treenway Silk that arrived in my e-box yesterday and the cost of their silk rag strips, and I looked on the old silk blouses that I am cutting up to weave  with even more appreciative eyes. I have such a wild and wonderful array of colours and shades....

The blue skies stayed with us all day and late in the afternoon I went out to stroll along the side beds and found the aphids having a wild time amongst the pink cabbage roses at the gate. l I immediately went for the sprayer David had left all primed for me, turned it on and began spraying the foliage.  I finished the cabbage roses, and then found that the climber next to it, heavily in bud, was also being attacked, so I  moved along.

Time to turn the sprayer off.  How does this happen???

 I released the catch I had turned it on with.  Nothing happened. I noticed the elderberry bush that last year suffered a sudden attack from these self-same aphids, and discovered a few leaves dry and curled, and I was glad to have the sprayer  still operational.

Finally I discovered how to turn it off!   I have been trying to control these aphids with hearty spray from the hose, but it appears this was not enough.  An early morning inspection turns up dead eggs and no flying insects, so I hope this dormant oil was successful and not harmful to bees and birds and butterflies.

Nothing on TV last night so I went out and cut the lawns and enjoyed the evening air. 

However, at 9 o'clock there was a marvelous program on the comeback of the Ukulele - totally different from last night's Israeli Philharmonic with Ishtak Perlman, lots of Beethoven and a wonderful trio of piano, cello and violin playing a Sonato in C.  Enjoyed them both in vastly different ways, but they both made me smile....

I am going one step further with Viktor Frankl and reading 'Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning' - it sits propped open on the kitchen table where I breakfast, lunch and dine, and is a great contrast to 'Vodka, it's Me, Chelsea'  which I take to bed on my Kobo.  In the end it is possible they are both on the same underlying search........

I am immensely pleased with how the garden is growing in this cool, showery weather......

and especially with the Foxglove...

ABC Wednesday
May 28th, 2013

 

The letter is T, for the various Trumpet Lilies

I do love lilies of all kinds, but these trumpet lilies are special, - so beautiful and elegant,

and quite often overwhelmingly fragrant.

 

Twenty years ago, or so, we had the gorgeously scented

Regale Trumpet Lily growing beneath

our bedroom window,

intertwined with the roses.

 

Heavenly!!!

 

For more takes on T visit here at ABC Wednesday

On the track of the elusive.........

Elusive what?  Inspiration, - no, more than that.  Or maybe less than that. 

What I am searching for, I think, is the spirit that will move me to the extent that I can become excited about being creative.

 

I have brought all my weaving magazines and books from the studio/trailer,  and I spread them out one by one, looking for a project that is not only do-able with the threads I have tucked away in large plastic boxes, but also one about which I can be realistic when it comes to energy and endurance at the loom.

 

I went to a pop-open shop (The Mulberry Tree) that operated last week-end to take advantage of the crowds drawn to town by The Rodeo, and that excited me and stirred the sparks of creativity.

This week-end I went to an Art Event that featured some really good pieces, some mediocre, and some that probably should have stayed at home, but talking with the artists, and would-be artists, I felt some kindling of the old flame of enthusiasm.

I spent a little time in the Bargain Centre on Saturday and three large glass jars came in as donations. I thought immediately of 'sun dyeing' wool, and the Navajo basket I have with all the different mordants I might need, - iron, copper, alum, - and the availability of onion skins and marigolds and rabbit brush and goldenrod.   Yes, yes, - I brought two of them home.  I would have brought all three but the third one was spoken for.

I took down my weaving journal from the shelf and leafed through it, remembering past projects....

The Mulberry Tree is going to pop-up on Main Street during the Christmas season, and that speaks to me of possibilities - hand woven rag tote bags perhaps?

 I have enough linen left to make a couple of finely woven runners, or something lacy, - and some left-over silk for a scarf or two.........and boxes and boxes of wool, and the remnants of dozens of spools of  8/2 cotton.....

Well, I will breathe gently on the spark and see if it will produce a Flaming Enthusiasm!

ABC Wednesday

The letter is the Spectacular S

Shall I choose SUNFLOWERS or SNAPDRAGONS to represent this Snappy, Sunny letter?

Either conjures up beautiful images...

 

Snapdragons were a favourite in my grandmother's garden and it delighted small children to snap the dragon's mouth open wide.

2008 was a Special year for Sunflowers in our garden.

 

And a feature on the menu at the Bird's Bar and Grill

 

For more great Ss slide over to Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC Wednesday  here and enjoy

the Sterling presentations

from Denise, Roger and all their Spiffy helpers.

The Lure of the Greenhouse!

What is one to do on a sunny Sunday afternoon when all you've been missing in the garden is the fragrance of the Evening Scented Stock?

Why, go to the Greenhouse of course.  Not a happy outcome to my journey, unfortunately, as this year Anna had decided not to seed the Evening Scented Stock, or the Fragrant White Nicotiana.

However she did have some Heliotrope and some lovely spicy Carnations, and so I brought some of both home with me  - along with a Liantris, two one year old Foxglove plants, (looking towards next year) a couple of packs of sweet smelling allysum (just in case I should run out) three or four small trailing plants and a lovely Diamond Frost ferny kind of filler - oh yes, and some Pinks!!!

I sacrificed a large old juicer to pot them all up in, and why not!!

I think my juicing days  are done, but oh, how I will enjoy those

gorgeous evening fragrances......

and I will buy some seed and plant the Evening Scented Stock in a pot

I will keep by my bedroom window.