rainy day garden walk ...

something magical happens when I put the Macro lens on my Nikon camera

especially after a rain

when the lens picks up all the little details

like rain drops resting on leaves before the warmth of the sun drinks them in

all the everyday changes in the garden

now filled with colour

are picked up

and the twists and twirls of vines 

the beauty takes my breath away

our little patch of heaven

at our feet 

***

If it never rained

we'd never grow

***

happy Friday ~ have a wonderful weekend

xo d

Thankful {things I love} Thursday ...

for my ears

***

the buzzing of the bees

I am thrilled to spot so many happy bees in the garden!

They are big and plump and healthy

for my eyes

***

loving this book

The Garden Awakening

by

Mary Reynolds

for my mouth

***

a delicious and easy to make fresh salad

couscous* grated carrot* celery* broccoli* orange pepper* and a sprinkle of raisins & chia seeds ~ toss with  a simple olive oil, turmeric, lemon juice dressing ~ fresh and delicious

for my soul

***

cloud watching

sitting outside on my back deck and looking up at the sky

watching the thick clouds and making out their shapes

… often, I see hearts

xo

for my feet

***

Nia dance 

I had planned to register for a Nia dance class just before 'everything changed' … 

and then I found some fantastic on-line classes

Nia dance incorporates  body-emotion-mind & spirit 

all done to some incredible music!

for my hands

***

a macramé wall hanging

I really love playing around with different macramé knots & creating them on pieces of driftwood gathered along the beach near home 

I added some wooden beads as I was forming knots

but after I was finished, felt this wall hanging needed something "more"

So I found 2 more pieces of driftwood whose shape fit together nicely and added those - tying them all together with twine and raffia

and then added some eucalyptus, dried roses and babies breath

… a little heart shaped piece of Lake Ontario beach glass was added to the top

***

"You can't always get what you want.

But if you try

sometimes, you'll find

what you need"

~Rolling Stones~ 

Thankful {things I love} Thursday ...

for my ears

***

the sweet, content coos from the doves who watch me as I putter about at the potting table

for my eyes

***

(and nose) … the lilac is blooming!

what a gorgeous sight and scent they bring

for my mouth

***

one of the easiest and tastiest pasta salads

rotini pasta* celery* carrots*broccoli * black olives * cherry tomatoes

oil and vinegar and spices

for my soul

***

my little potting table under the pergola

for my feet

***

sharing the warm grass with his feet

(that thankfully, are always beside mine)

for my hands

*** 

wreath making

it was time to change up the urns 

but the pussy willow that had been sitting in them from Easter was still looking good,

so I cut it into shorter pieces, turned them into bundles and created a wreath 

"let's be like wildflowers

letting our souls  be scattered by the wind.

let us grow wild and free

tall and brave

in places that we dream,

in the places where our longings are filled.

let us grow between the cracks

of brokenness 

and we will make everything

beautiful"

~unknown~ 

reflecting on the week

xo

world bee day 2020 ...

Happy World Bee Day

~ I spent the majority of the day in the garden making wreaths and had a lovely bumble bee visit my potting table! He was very interested in the pussy willow I had in bundles and I stepped away for a bit while he had a nose around ~ 

I call him Burt ;-D

Sadly, the bee population has been in decline for years... I can remember seeing bees all the time, and now, just having one in the garden is a thrill! 

Essential to a healthy environment, 1/3 of the food we eat relies on pollination mostly by bees.

If you spot a solitary bee unmoving on the ground, chances are it is exhausted and in need of a little pick me up.

I've made this little sugar solution a few times upon finding tired bees in our garden and it works beautifully. To see them sip the solution and re-gain their strength is a wonderful sight!

Bee-Love

Tired Bees Solution

***

2 Tbsp white granulated sugar

1 Tbsp water

 place on a spoon beside bee within easy reach

"Our greatest gift 

and our deepest wounds

reside in the same area"

~Michael Meade~ 

~from my journal~

We have an all natural, wild cottage style garden.

No chemicals at all *perennial  flowers that birds, bees, butterflies  and bugs love ...

  Lots of spots to splash in and drink at various heights.

Birdbaths and little dishes of fresh water, a pond, nesting boxes, feeders galore.

Fences covered in trumpet vine and wisteria, our pergola is covered in honeysuckle vine and usually has a nesting turtle dove or robin. 

~wild and free~ 

I hope you spot a bee (or two) today.

deb~bee

xo

Baltimore Oriole in the garden ...

not the best photos but such a thrill to find a Baltimore Oriole in the garden that I wanted to share!

As soon as I spotted the vibrant splash of orange I grabbed my camera

He was having a lovely splash about in the bird bath

My clothesline is in the same spot so I had to maneuver

myself with dining room curtains over my shoulder and aim the camera :-D

this shot was just lucky! I didn't even know I got a photo mid flight until I uploaded them.

*** 

If you're lucky enough

 to be different

 from everyone else,

don't change! 

week in reflection ...

I normally do this post on a Thursday

my Thankful {things I love} Thursday post

but yesterday was spent catching up on the phone and Zoom with loved ones

and making scalloped potatoes and pasta salad, reading and nesting.

***

for my ears

the soothing sound of my Tibetan music bowl

I waited so long to buy one and would try them every time I spotted one in a shop knowing that as soon as I heard the vibration of sound coming from the tiny copper vessel, I'd know it was the one for me! 

for my eyes

These beautiful flowers were a Mother's Day gift from my grandsons (and their mum and dad too) 

I was baking :-D and heard a knock at the door but when I looked, no one was there...

On the front porch were these lovely flowers and a bag of gifts 

and the best gift of all, their beautiful faces waiting at the side of the house to surprise me.

Social distancing is hard... but we know we will be together soon! 

for my mouth

This weeks Zoom family cooking show menu was chocolate chip cookies

I made a few custard tarts as well while I had the oven on.

When I pulled out my measuring cups, I noticed my ravioli cutter and thought it would make the perfect mini tart pastry cutter! 

for my soul

candles - always and setting a pretty table... it's good for the soul.

The wine  was a gift from a friend of my daughter.

I love a candle in a wine bottle and all the gorgeous drips and looking at those drips and thinking of all the memories behind the times the candle was lit. I had these all over my first apartment in the 70's :-D with multi coloured drips covering the glass. 

for my feet

apart from walking Archer in the early morning hours,

wandering not much further than my own garden

for my hands

writing lots of snail mail letters of love to my children and grandchildren

who I love 

to the moon and back!

this has become a "tradition" a quick reflection photo from my back deck just before we head inside.

I love that Archer is always beside me!

***

"And once the storm is over, you won't remember how you made it through,

how you managed to survive.

You won't even be sure whether the storm is really over.

But one thing is certain.

When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in.

That's what this storm's all about"

~Haruki Murakami~ 

garden visitors ...

as soon as the pond is up and running, it seems the number of birds in the garden

doubles! the sound of running water is a lure … 

and while we've had lots of different birds visiting lately, these 2 were very unexpected...

and what a wonderful surprise they were!

they were very hungry...

I was making tea when they were spotted out the kitchen window and stopped everything to

grab the camera, then iPad, then cell phone not knowing which one would take the best photo.

I wasn't even sure any of them would turn out as I sat on the kitchen window sill and tried to capture them between the branches of the lilac. What an adorable couple they were.

"One's not half of two;

two are halves of one"

~e.e. cummings~ 

they were very hungry and pulled at the grass as they ate the fallen bird seed from the feeder above.

and then … the lure of the pond :-D

and off they waddled.

It was adorable to watch as they both did a nose dive into the pond and swam about enjoying the afternoon and adding a lot of joy to ours! 

"We should meet

in another life,

we should meet

in air,

me and you"

~Sylvia Plath~