Summer Begins

The first day of summer break. School is behind me for two months and summer adventures lie ahead. I didn't sleep well last night, as usual on the first day of break. My mind has no place to settle without the structure of teaching the next day, and so many activities want to crowd in and say, "me, first!" It takes a few days to find a summer rhythm.

Yesterday we awoke to welcome drenching rain and a day that remained cool and cloudy. The thirsty ground drank it in and the hydrangeas curved low to the ground with the weight of water. They've bounced back and are ever so pretty. I have several bushes of them in my garden and each blooms a different colour although they are from the same stock. Varying soil conditions, I suppose. 

My sister-in-law from Alberta was out for a visit and the two of us went for lunch at Cary Castle Mews on the grounds of Government House. The setting is lovely, but the lunch was just so-so. After finishing our cups of tea we took a stroll through the gardens. White roses flourish against a stone retaining wall.

I've always loved the idea of a walled garden, ever since reading The Secret Garden many years ago. The idea of a private place, tucked away from public view appealed to me then, and now, but I'll also add the appeal of creating a warm and windless micro-environment to my grownup wishes. 

A few late Irises bloomed in the garden and I couldn't resist snapping a photo in honour of our newest little granddaughter of the same name. Three weeks old today. I was there for four days last week and hated to leave. She is utterly precious. 

Back in my own garden the first dahlia opened after the rain. Petunias bloom in profusion. The first flush of roses is almost ended, but there will be more. We're picking raspberries and enjoying them for breakfast, as well as putting 2-cup portions in the freezer. Unfortunately, we have a stink bug problem and picking them is rather tedious as each berry needs to be inspected. The nymph stage of the stink bug is rampant. I've been looking up solutions and will be attempting something soon. Fortunately, the bugs fall off easily when I shake the berries, but what a nuisance. 

It's a good year for lettuce - do you want some? The first tomatoes are formed, tight green orbs that will ripen into delicious soft redness, and we've eaten a few early blueberries. Oh, what a delicious time summer is. 

One Sunday afternoon Tim and I went out to East Sooke Park and walked the Coast Trail. It's such a beautiful place. I was especially struck by the fields of daisies blowing in the wind, a white undulating wave among the green.

More and more, it seems that bloggers are abandoning the format. I've contemplated leaving, but I enjoy words more than photos, and the slower pace that blogging seems to enforce upon me, and probably upon the few readers I have left. I've been so occupied with other things recently and am looking forward to having more time to write blogs and to read and interact with others. 

Today I'm looking forward to a visit from my eldest daughter and her daughter, followed by getting ready for a short boating expedition this afternoon. 

Tell me, what are your thoughts on summer? On blogging versus other social media platforms? On life in general?

Time in the Garden

In the evening, after dinner and dishes, I pull on my gardening clothes and head outdoors for an hour or more. It's easy for time to get away from me there.

The Unknown rose bush is loaded is blooms that open in a deep pink that fades to paleness in a few short days. I took these photos before deadheading the bush. It will bloom all summer if I keep at the deadheading. It smells a wee bit like apple blossom, fragrantly sweet.

The first hydrangea blooms are opening, paler than I remember, but they, unlike the roses, will darken with time. 

On the floribunda rose, a green beetle makes himself at home. I don't see many of these beetles and although I think they are a type of "june bug" or scarab beetle, I don't know anything about them. 

We've eaten a couple of sweet red strawberries and more are ripening. Our warm weather went away this week and we're hoping it soon returns. The berries will appreciate the sun and respond with juicy sweetness. We try to eat seasonally, and I don't buy the imported crunchy, white centered strawberries that come from countries to the south of us. I'd sooner wait for these. We eat them fresh for as long as possible, and I freeze a flat or two of them (purchased from a local farmer). They make tasty sauces in the dead of winter. 

The David Austin Winchester Cathedral that I purchased last year is flourishing, almost ready to open. I look at it here in my own garden and remember seeing it in England, in the Queen's Rose Garden at Sudeley Castle. It's hard to believe that's almost a year ago.

I'm part of a Soup Club at school. Each Monday, one member brings soup and bread for the other members of the club. It's a fun way to start the week, and also to taste soups that others enjoy. This past Monday was my last turn, and since it was hot (the last day before a cool front), I made Gazpacho, a cold soup with tomatoes, cucumber, a bit of onion and garlic. It was delicious with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, a sprinkle of feta cheese, a handful of croutons, and a scattering of fresh basil. Wonderfully refreshing on a hot day. 

I planted a few bulbs of Siberian Iris (I think) quite a few years ago. I'd forgotten all about them, but this year, they decided to bloom. Unfortunately, they are right up against a rose bush, so I'll move them after they bloom, and hope they won't take another however many years before blooming again. I love their frilliness and deep blue colour. They are neater than the Bearded Irises I used to have. 

Faithfully, General Sikorski blooms each summer along the deck railing. This year, he's tangled up in the lilac bush, too. I think I'll let him stay there until fall and then coax him back where he belongs. 

Plants don't always do what I expect or plan in the garden. Do yours? Perhaps I'm a little too permissive in letting them trail around wherever they like. This evening, however, I seriously trimmed back the rosemary bush that was sprawling most ungracefully against the peonies and crowding out the lavender. Sometimes, one must be severe. 

How's your garden growing?

Five on Friday and an Anniversary

1. Happiest of Anniversaries to my parents, married May 29, 1955. 60 years of marriage is something to celebrate! We had dinner with them at the beginning of the month and today (Friday) they are going out again, this time with friends, some of whom attended their wedding. They will laugh uproariously and have a wonderful time!
 

2. The Little Misses each received the book Miss Rumphius for Christmas. Little Miss A decided that lupins were her favorite flower (for the time being). I noticed the lupins in bloom here, just one plant too close to the hedge. Miss A and I ventured in behind the plants to see it. When I asked her to pose close to the lupin, she hugged it. Adorable.
 

3. Siberian Iris - I like them much better than the bearded variety. They are not quite so messy. Pretty in a cluster.
 

4. Little Miss S stopped by this week. "Nana, can I draw on the tablet?" she asked. 
Since the tablet is new and belongs to Grandpa, Nana doesn't even know how to turn it on. So we resorted to drawing the old fashioned way. She was very agreeable to the alternate plan and got almost as much marker on her hands as onto the paper.
 

5. Peonies are in full bloom, gorgeous in their ruffled elegance. Transient beauties that must enjoyed in the moment, for they will not linger.

Thanks for the reading suggestions offered in response to my earlier post. I'll be writing them down and exploring possibilities.