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Flora Photo of the Week

Pretty, purple, petunias in a pot outside of our back door.

Featurette

These are some pretty, little, white sweet peas that have sprung up out front with the pink lovelies. This is the first year that there have been white ones. I love them and am hoping the make repeat appearances.

Flora Photo of the Week

Featurette Time

I have decided that the "Flora Photo of the Week" featurette will not be appearing on any particular given day of the week, but will instead float about. After all, it is a pretty seasonal subject and will most likely be replaced in the not so flora friendly months.

Flora Photo of the Week

Here is a lovely Day Lily, sporting a few raindrops, with the pink sweet peas looking coy in the background. Or maybe they're plotting a take over, who knows.

New Feature

In celebration of the warm, sunny summer I have decided on a new blog feature... well, maybe it's more of a featurette.

Flora Photo of the Week

Tall Child calls these "Albino Impatiens", cause they are white with pink eyes.

Pansies & Pretzels

First, a photo of a lovely little pansy, taken yesterday.


Tonight after dinner, Tall Child and I made soft pretzels. We used the recipe for the Bretzel Rolls. They probably wouldn't win any food beauty contests, but they are dang tasty. With practice, I'm sure we will get better with the pretzel shaping skills.

Rest, Relaxation & Rolls

Today being my day off, I took advantage of what will probably be the last Monday I will have to myself until the next school year begins. I lounged in my comfy clothes, planted a couple of plants I had picked up on Saturday, tried out a recipe for Dinner Rolls that I found through Food Gawker, and baked and iced a batch of Pink Lemonade Minis for an event at Megz school.

All in all, today was quiet and relaxing. The cupcakes turned out adorable. The dinner rolls were tasty, but I am still on the look out for a recipe more to my liking. No photos, I forgot to take them earlier, and now the light just won't very flattering ... nothing like orange tinted dinner rolls. I did take a few photos of a few plants, but they have yet to be uploaded. My time online this evening has been limited by the fact that I share it with two teen girls, one of them who happens to be an Anime loving Tall Child.

In Celebration of Summer

I bring to you ... Sweet Peas in the Rain



In keeping with the NaBloPoMo them for June, these lovely sweet peas grow wild in the front of my home, and come back year after year for our enjoyment. When the girls were younger we would use the sweet peas in flower crowns for Summer Solstice.

Backyard Beauties

Today a glimpse of some of the flora growing around my home. I still have only a fraction of my usual outdoor containers planted, but there are a few pretties to beautify until I get around to filling the other pots.


Viola


Bacopa


Mystery Bush


The mystery bush is not only a mystery but also a very pleasant surprise. About 13 years ago there was one on the side of the yard which I dearly loved. Sadly, due to brutal pruning on the part of my then husband it died. So imagine my surprise this year, when wandering the yard, to find a gorgeous bush just like the one that had died, but on the opposite side of the yard. I was so excited I actually rushed to get my camera, and happily snapped away photos.

I have a surprise gift that I also intended to share, however, I was unable to get a photo able to represent how awesomely cool it is. Something for tomorrow.

Garden Sweet Garden

My garden, which actually is a grouping of various sized flower pots on the small patio outside my back door, is an important part of my house in the warmer months. I love coming home and being greeted by the assorted pots of various blooms with herbs tucked amongst them.

I rent my home, and though there is a large yard, the soil is pretty crappy. If I had my way, and revamping the entire yard was option, it would be a wonderful oasis. For now, I stick to container gardening.

I usually stick to flowers, with some of my favourite herbs and the occasional cherry tomato plant or pot full of salad greens. I have tried growing veggies in containers, never seems to work for me.

Every year I try to come up with a colour palate. I usually come up with a basic guide and then I wind up going into total impulse buy mode and totally go off track. However, it seems no matter the planned theme, my first purchases of the season are always violas or pansies, and bacopa. This year was no different. Purple & white pansies, and white bacopa. This year there was my usual bridal wreath bacopa and the new large bacopa with the quarter sized flowers. I love them.

Placement is always a bit of an issue, and I sometimes wind up moving plants several times before I am totally happy with the way things fit together.

I am having a harder time this year. I have a basic colour plan, whites, creams, purples, blues. My problem, choosing the plants. Often, when I shop for plants, I swear they jump right off the table and cry out for me to take them home, and I usually do. They're not talking this year.

No worries though. I have not lost faith, and am confident that my little garden will soon be gorgeous and welcoming. Then I can do another of my favourite things and amuse myself taking photos of the pretty blooms.

Spring Ahead..?

As I may have previously mentioned, I have had enough of winter. In my opinion, it can go away any time. On that note, here is today's list. I don't have any particular reasons that these are my favourites. I love them all for the same reason, I think that they are beautiful. They are in no particular order. I hope they may help to brighten someone else's winter blahs, as they have helped to brighten mine.

Top 5 Favourite Garden Pictures I Have Taken

1. Rain Wet Morning Glory.

2. Petunias with Pots.

3. Raindrop Leaf.

4. Yellow Daisies.

5. Lilac Coloured Petunia.

Tidbit Tuesday

Here we are again, it's Tidbit Tuesday. To begin, a photo, taken by me. This is in fact, my favourite photo taken of my summer garden. It shows an orchid petunia, my Mexican luck pots and one little bacoppa blossom. Interesting trivial fact, this arrangement is actually just to the side of the back kitchen door.


Speaking of kitchen, here's look at dinner this evening. It consisted of Maple pork chops with applesauce, red potatoes with butter & fresh dill, and pan fried brussel sprouts. There was mint chocolate chip ice cream and chocolate cupcakes for dessert.


Finally, on the knitting front, here's a peek at the progress on the orange toddler sweater, with a cute little Jack O'lantern for mood. Interesting trivial fact (or maybe not so interesting), this photo was taken on my bed.

Recipes currently under consideration ... Cranberry Jalapeno Relish, Crantini Jelly and Spiced Apple & Red Pepper Jelly

Glory's Finale ?

This is the sight that greeted me when I walked along the path to my back door after work today. Isn't it lovely? It definitely brightened my day, which was in dire need of it. This beautiful flower also made me just a little sad. The days have turned cold and the sky is a little grey .. this will probably be the last of this year's Morning Glories, I will miss their bright, colourful faces greeting me as I head out in the morning. Wondering which colour will bloom next. It's okay though, I have saved the seeds and will plant them in the spring as always.





Tonight is a quiet evening. Knitting, Supernatural and Grey's Anatomy. Here's a look at a little progress on the cabled scarf.

Lazy Sunday.

My girls are with Grandma today, it's a hazy, drizzly day and I have a new colour of Morning Glory in bloom. I've been keeping myself busy taking photos, editing photos, playing with photos. Though, there are a couple of knitting projects I need to get on the go, just not sure which I want to tackle first. There's a fall cardigan for a two year old girl (I need to get the Mom's approval for the colours and pattern), and a black and purple Kittyville for Jenny's Charlie. I'll probably use to hat as a to go project and work on the sweater at home. Then it'll be on to Christmas knitting.

Things have been a tad crazy around here with all the back to school hoopla, adjusting to a new feline, and all of the regular stuff that usually keeps me busy. Speaking of felines, Marzipan is fitting into our family unit quite nicely, and as an added bonus, she no longer gobbles her own food in order to gallop down the hallway and eat Mocha's. She was, however, stealing the younger daughter's feathery pencils and carrying them off, so I have bought her her own version, an actual cat toy. It's even purple, and goes so well with her fur.

Thursday was the last evening for the 4-H knitting group I was helping with. It was kind of sad and I will miss them all tons. After all, what could be more fun than spending every other Thursday evening knitting with ten teenage, or nearly teenage girls. We'll have to have a reunion knitting night...wow, that sounds kinda pathetic. Anyway, they presented me with a a lovely thank you card (signed by all) and a Michael's gift certificate, I'll be using it to buy something totally me to remember them by.

Stopped in to Michael's yesterday and it reminded me how much a love Hallowe'en. So many awesome things I wanted. I think I'll be using the above mentioned gift certificate soon, probably for one of the nifty Hallowe'en door plaques. I also want to paint a harlequin pumpkin and a sparkly black one, maybe even a sparkly purple one (since Marzipan moved in I've found a new appreciation for purple and black) and possibly a black mirrored one. Oh, and there is a cute crescent moon bag thingy I want to replicate/modify, and, and ... and so on and so on. Did I mention how much I love Hallowe'en? Usually I put a lot of time and work into the girls' costumes, but they're getting older now and that's slowing down a bit ... maybe I just need to look for some Hallowe'en knitting to keep me occupied.

'til next time.