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sun-tea…

21 Tuesday Jun 2022

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my group meets on Mondays… our time might change from the afternoon to the evening, be in person, or online…

this week we met in the late afternoon and planned to be outside…

the weather report was suggesting it would be raining or that a thunderstorm might even happen at the time we would be together…

I am still nervous about having four others in the house, so I set up chairs and tables in the garage… it worked perfectly…

the sky remained overcast with only a few sprinkles during our time together and the breeze kept us from being overly warm;-)…

everyone enjoyed a walk around the garden and particularly liked one of the fuchsias…

it was very hot so I made sun-tea which turned out well, and squares of butter tart and lemon turned up with a chocolate almond snack…

an excellent option from sitting on the upper deck…

grilling…

20 Monday Jun 2022

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it was a hot one on Sunday…

I spent a good part of the day in the garden… the sun was blazing…

went around and watered all of the planters and then turned on the irrigation system… it worked fairly well and I am excited to get the rest of it connected…

had a nap in the house over the hottest part of the day and then sat on the upper deck in the shade and read…

dug out the grill and barbecued a steak which I enjoyed with some homemade potato salad and asparagus…

nice to do some grilling… my beloved would have cooked the steak better, but as time goes on, I am learning;-)…

drummers…

19 Sunday Jun 2022

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began the day listening to the drummers at the Park as they welcomed runners participating in the Manitoba Marathon…

then I put out all the cushions, made breakfast and sat in the garden, listening to the drums and the waterfall…

although we only did it for a few years, I always remember the early morning trips to the UofM when the girls took part in the Marathon… it is such a wonderful reminder of what great dads do to ensure their kids get all the opportunities… and on Father’s Day, lol…

sure do miss that great dad, but am spending the day reminiscing about all the things he did to make their lives better and the life lessons he taught them…

pruned…

18 Saturday Jun 2022

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was able to complete a few jobs in the garden although not the irrigation system… I am going to need a second pair of hands for that one…

using landscape fabric, I was able to turn a very cute, but not useful, bird feeder into a little planter… think it came out rather nicely… found a couple of morning glory plants, a sweet potato vine and a spider plant to go in it…

then there was quite a production to get a hook up on the garage and put up the planter… the drill, ladder and I had to sort through some stuff, but eventually it was up…

after all that I don’t like it there, but haven’t quite decided where to move it, lol…

reconnected two parts of a little planter that has an obelisk on the top… used zip ties to connect… it looks good and isn’t going to fall apart…

I also did a bit of pruning of the cedars along the back fence…

that’s it for work today;-)…

Lilystone…

17 Friday Jun 2022

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what a delightful day… got up, dressed, put out all the cushions and had breakfast on the back deck, admiring the ten or so poppies waving their lovely heads in the flower bed…

Hilda the Gardener arrived and started weeding and tidying everywhere…

a friend picked me up and we drove to Rosenort to eat and do a little shopping…

we had a delicious lunch at Lilystone Cafe, where we both picked up a few treats to bring home for later… I was happy to see them making great use of technology to take orders and prepare the bills… staff were friendly and treated us like family…

then we headed over to Lilystone Gardens, where we engaged in a bit of retail therapy, including a Christmas present… they are just now recovering from flooded fields and roads…

after an enjoyable return drive to the city we stopped at her house to check out some recent work and her very lush garden…

home, a wander around the garden to admire how tidy it is, and a sit down on the deck with a cup of tea and my book…

;-)…

gusts…

16 Thursday Jun 2022

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yesterday the wind came up late in the afternoon and I decided to protect a few spots…

put chairs around the obelisk on the deck so it wouldn’t fall over…

then I took a chair and propped it against the hibiscus… not only didn’t I want it to fall over, I didn’t want it to fall into the pond…

I didn’t feel that the mandevilla needed any protection so left it alone…

everything made it through fine although I have left the chair by the hibiscus as there are supposed to be strong wind gusts tonight…

baskets…

15 Wednesday Jun 2022

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the baskets and planters are doing well and filling out nicely… I had planned on purple and white, but there are pops of yellow and even red…

the poor mandevilla has a bad sunburn and has been covered with a purple umbrella to protect it from further sun damage… I have begun to let it sit with no covering on overcast days and hope it will recover…

the hibiscus spent a number of days in the shade of one of the cedars and has finally moved into a spot along the edge of the pond… I hope it likes it there as most summers it has lived on the deck…

it is fun to look at photos from previous years and see how the garden has changed…

tease…

14 Tuesday Jun 2022

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I have been enjoying the garden everyday and particularly my walks around to see what might be breaking through the ground or blooming…

the poppies continue to tease me in their slow process of blooming… each morning I check them out to see if any of them have opened, but not just yet, lol…

the vegetable garden is doing well… peas, beans and a few cucumbers have poked their heads through the soil and are keeping the three tomatoes company;-)…

I have also taken to weeding, which is rather new for me…

I have cleaned up a number of spots in the side garden and am excited to see the painted fern has come back and multiplied…

the wild columbine has popped up in about three spots and I am watching them carefully to ensure they don’t get pulled…

nature is amazing;-)…

thumb…

13 Monday Jun 2022

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Saturday, I had an injured thumb…

Friday’s project had been to get the little irrigation system I purchased last year installed…

I read through all the instructions, watched a video, and gave it a shot…

a number of weeks ago we had attached the main hose and run it about halfway, so I finished laying it out so that the newly planted ferns will also get water on a more regular basis…

then I started fastening the feeder hoses… I started with the hanging baskets and then moved on to the perennials in the bed…

connecting the feeder hose to the main hose involves punching a hole, with a very handy tool, and then pushing the connector into the main hose…

this was the difficult part and my thumb took a beating… eventually I stopped because it was becoming painful…

for sure I won’t be working on it for a few days, lol…

lilacs…

12 Sunday Jun 2022

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Friday I went shopping for lilacs… at my neighbour’s… with permission, lol…

they were heading away for the weekend and she texted me to offer them up… she knows how I love lilacs… and I think theirs are so pretty with the white around the edges…

I had just come home from an appointment and noticed that the bushes on the next street over were blooming and I was contemplating asking if I might cut some…

I got a pailful and filled two vases… one has been outside with me and the other has perfumed the main floor;-)…

happy days;-)…