there were so many birds at the cottage we stayed at…
after hearing them on the Merlin sound app, I decided not to worry about getting photos of them… my goal was to spot as many as I could while we were there…
I think I saw most of them, except the black and white warbler…
we also saw many pelicans, gulls, eagles, hummingbirds, and at least one heron;-)…
the cottage we are staying at is very nice… it is right on the water and there are lots of windows…
the main section has air conditioning, which is not something I would usually want, but temperatures are expected to soar this week, so it may be just what we need…
there is a screened-in section with comfy sofas and a table for dining or playing games…
then there is a deck which leads down to a grassy area, and a deck on the edge of the cliff, as well as one on the shore…
so far we’ve managed to sit on every deck, lol… well, except the one facing the road;-)…
came by a waffle maker not long ago and we decided to bring it with us to the lake and try making some…
this particular one had no instructions, so we went on YouTube to figure out the process…
not sure why, but I’ve never had, or made, homemade waffles, so it was a fun learning experience… a friend sent me their favourite recipe, which I printed off before leaving home… what I didn’t do was actually read the recipe, lol… so, we went to the store here to pick up a few of the necessary ingredients, like regular milk and baking powder, but we couldn’t find cake flour, so made do with plain…
it was fun searching the kitchen to find the items we needed for the process…
once everything was gathered, it didn’t take long to produce some rather tasty waffles.. we had fresh strawberries and also picked up whipping cream…
delicious and fun, although it does take a while to make them, lol…
a great experiment, and maybe supper will be chicken and waffles…
already thinking about other things that it might make;-)…
last night my daughter arrived from Ottawa… it was wonderful to see her in person…
the flight was early and my grandson picked her up at the airport and brought her home…
there were a number of thoughtful gifts which I will enjoy, including a delicious chocolate bar which reminds me of the amazing fudge that my dad used to make, a ceramic dragonfly, and the cutest little butterfly bowl which I will use to hold my pills…
I am looking forward to our time together over the next few weeks…
an evening in the garden ended with dueling computers… it was nice not to have to call her to discuss the piece of work we were doing, lol…
and then, an early night…
looking forward to many fun activities while she is here;-)…
Monday was our group’s first gathering in the garden this year…
we started out by the pond and when it got too hot and sunny, we moved to the upper deck… I am going to put out a few more umbrellas next time…
there was sun-tea, snacks and lots of conversation… I didn’t take a single picture, not even of the garden, lol… I did find this one of the five of us after our fancy tea…
we reminisced about our fabulous High Tea at Lily Stone Cafe the week before and began considering where we might go next;-)…
one of the loveliest things that has happened over the last few years is that we have been able to meet throughout the summer… for many years, everyone would have places to go and things to do, so we wouldn’t gather from July until September… now it has worked out that we are able to be together for most weeks of summer…
we gathered in two vehicles and drove to Rosenort for our 1 pm High Tea reservation at Lily Stone Cafe…
what a delight… we climbed up stairs, went down a narrow hall, and into a beautifully decorated room ready for our tea…
we just happened to get this space, but for a 20% gratuity you can book one of the private rooms for your group… no one wore gloves, but there were pearls, jewellery, and some fancy clothes, lol…
there were so many teas to choose from it took us a while to decide, and everyone enjoyed their picks…
then the tiered stands with a number of items for us to devour arrived, and devour them we did;-)…
they were able to deal with a food issue for one of us, and everything we ate looked lovely and was tasty… although it didn’t appear like a lot of food, we were all full once we’d cleaned the plates…
from there we drove a few kilometres to Lily Stone Gardens where we toured the Gift Shop and the one open greenhouse…
I found a beautiful white dahlia that is now sitting next to the tubers, which I hope will encourage them to get growing, lol…
the drive took just over forty-five minutes each way, and even in the rain and overcast, it was enjoyable… lots of conversation and laughter in both vehicles…