Garden Journal Excerpts

My garden is in constant revision, as you may notice my web page is, also.
This will be a way to show some of the updates and revisions I make to the garden throughout the years from my garden journal entries. I have several books of written garden journals. In June of 2012 I began to keep sporadic notes of my time in the garden on my computer.

Journal Entries for 2013

Monthly Excerpts from the Garden Journal

‎January 2013
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Friday, ‎January ‎04, ‎2013
We have been having temperatures hovering around 5 with rain and bits of sun. The iceberg rose still has a couple of buds, the cyclamen has a few blooms and the spring bulbs are starting to poke up. Otherwise, I have been fretting over my lost icons for my photo upload thing... the CR2 thing, DCIM and all the tiny icons that belong on the Windows photo uploader thing. They were on desk top a few weeks ago... late at nite and I put them in the recycle bin ... omg.. and they are gone now, of course. The thing still works but no pretty little icons on it. Then since my computer was telling me I needed a .dng or .dgn and some kind of codec... i downloaded the codec things and installed, I think.. and then went to the download suggested by windows and got this program RegServo to optimize my computer. I could not back out of it and ended up paying about $50 for the damn thing... So I ran it.. first time it said I had 2213 errors and trojans whatever that it fixed. My computer is much more zippy. So I ran the thing again today and it fixed 800 or so things. Mostly this ActiveX stuff... whatever that is. More Otherwise... I have been spending far too much time chasing copyright infringers with nothing but frustration and lost time ... Most of them take down the photos, a couple of apologies but no money, of course. I managed to find a bit of a script that should stop people from Pinterest from pinning things from my blog. I don't know if it deletes the pins that are already done and repinned... hope it does. Putting all this stuff into My Pictures - Copyright Infringement file. Maybe make a blog post about it, and give out the stop pinning script. This whole DMAC take down notice stuff is a lawyers heaven. I spent some time burning some paper and magazines to get a bit of warmth in the air in the living room. Tomorrow we get the ferry about 11 to go over to Jo and Lloyd's 50th anniversary. Stay over nite at their place, and come home on Sunday.

‎Tuesday, ‎January ‎08, ‎2013
It has been raining again, of course. Same temperatures.

‎Wednesday, ‎January ‎09, ‎2013
Some sun today and clouds. Took out the compost pot and brought apples up and dropped some out in the deer pasture. The pond looks muddy and there is a stone knocked down from the end of the waterfall. This will need to be fixed. The hummingbird feeder needs to be emptied and new stuff added. The birds are around but I never see them feeding so I think all the rain and wind has ruined their sugar water.

‎Saturday, ‎January ‎12, ‎2013
We had a frost overnite and the hummingbirds were around this morning trying to eat. This afternoon I cleaned the feeder on the deck and refilled it. Yesterday I saw a flicker on the deck railing before it went to the English oak tree looking for food. Perhaps I could put a suet feeder on the deck somehow.. I don't think weeds would grow much in the shade if the feed fell through to the ground.

‎Tuesday, ‎January ‎15, ‎2013
We finished the rum pot. We have been eating it served by the ladle full over chocolate berry cups and topped with mango swirl frozen yogurt. Yummm. I got the Dancing on a Stamp book and finished it in a couple of days (Garnet Schulhauser). I have the full collection of Harry Potter books to read too... 7 of them. I am presently reading Moby Dick on my ipad. The other nite I was up until 4:00 am trying to learn more about my ipad. I am hardly even using it! It does so many things! I have to learn about their maps, especially. Megashot is broken. The photostreams do not load properly. I have been spending far too much time chasing copyright infringements that take photos from my blog. I have bought a new domain... mmmee.me..;. I think it is so cool.. thinking about making a word press blog and putting it on my new domain... maybe. Microsoft is changing hotmails to a new format to try to keep up with gmail. I can still keep my hotmail address... not sure for how long... but I have changed over to this new look, but have not got the email address for my mmmee @ whatever it is.. There is winter storms of huge proportions all over the world. Very cold temperatures near freezing in California and the crops are all in danger of freezing. Lettuces are already 3 times the cost. I hope we have some of our own greenhouse lettuces here at home. We had a couple of nights with light frost, but are back to our above freezing nights and up to 7 or 8 during the day. Jana from Godaddy phoned today and told me a whole bunch of stuff. Also got $287.. from me to pay my hosting space for mmmee.com on economy, for 5 more years. I told her I might be wanting the new mmmee.me for a word press. I can get the wordpress from godaddy for free, she sent me the link. Then when I decide to do this I can upgrade my economy hosting to delux and have unlimited space and can add more than one domains each to their own hosting place. She sent me links to the FTP uploader thing that I should get. The mmmee.com is the main site to go into the directory anything else like the mmmee.me will need a folder created and of course use that for its uploads. So, my head is stuffed full of all this new stuff of yesterday and today. I got so caught up in setting up the google+ that it was 5:30 before I noticed so ordered Romeo's pizza and it was good too... 2 - 10 inch pizzas for $30.00.

‎Saturday, ‎January ‎19, ‎2013
There were at least 3 humming birds zipping around this morning. Looked like they were going into their mating season. Temps up to 6 today, but with sunshine. We have snowdrops up out in the front and roses still hanging on. Looks like the flower count is going to be early this year. There are no crocuses that I can see though. I did the repair on the water garden and it is sounding like a waterfall again. Emptied the compost pail and put out some apples for the deer/seagulls. Watered and fed the house plants which took an hour. The orange trees are all looking pretty wretched. I have some nice African violet blooms.

‎Sunday, ‎January ‎20, ‎2013
Was another sunny cool day. It froze overnight and there was light fog in the morning, a very pinky sky at night. I was very busy today. Made a delicious salmon chowder using the left over salmon, some shrimp and the combination of the curried salmon chowder and west coast clam chowder in the potatoe book, used coconut milk. Have enough left over for a cup of chowder and for another bowl each for lunch. We went to Capital Iron to check out the bent wood chairs but they were not too great, then did a bit more shopping and came home with only a small mat for the downstairs entry. We went for a drive in the van after shopping. Was a very nice afternoon. I have the new travel journal set up to use, but my favourite pen ran out of ink. It has a weird ink replacement thing, so I might have to just use an ordinary pen instead of my ruins pen from Scotland. Ah well... always things change. Am tired cause was up pretty late... it seems I have accidentally bought the WikiLeaks guy's book... oh well it promises to be a good read. Still struggling with Moby Dick, almost finished the Douglas book about internet serial killer Robinson. Seems he is still alive and on death row in Kansas. Copyright infringement may eventually get some relief if the US congress passes the SOPA and PIPA bills. suppose to go at it again in February. It is opposed by Facebook, google and who knows how ever many other 'sharing' sites in the Wicked Wild West. But we will eventually win, as this is to protect property rights. I hope these social media sights are forced to make the defaults to where we need to opt IN to sharing, rather than opt out... which is not working anyway. I hope this law has really big teeth!

‎Monday, ‎January ‎21, ‎2013
I spent time trying to find a movie maker and got some rar file from Cyrus. Then had to get WinZip to open these.rar files... Then got the movie maker, but it is only a trial subscription as I seem to have corrupted the Key to open it. Bah.. Also deleted my Windows messenger as they kept threatening to make me get to my skype with their login. I have the gmail thing on my firefox browser to get to my mmee gmail. AND I downloaded a plugin that shows me my hot mail on the Firefox... very cool and fast. It has all of my hotmails on it, and signed in. On my Chrome browser I have the new gmail.. mari.mmmee along with the google plus account. GAWD AHMIGHTY why can't they each provide nice little icons for just signing into the email accounts... or maybe they have them... will have to check for this. Downloaded a free movie maker... AVG. Then spent more time trying to figure out how to get my icons back into my Windows photo uploading thing. I have to email trevor about this and quote this page: http://www.winability.com/repair-windows-desktop-icon-cache/ and see if he can do this. I have the stuff from Godaddy to look at and get my new FTP thing. The old one is making me crazy.

‎Thursday, ‎January ‎24, ‎2013
I had the ask.com search thing add itself to my firefox browser and finally found that I could remove it by clicking the little arrow beside its favicon and click the bottom thing... see all the search engines or some such ... then highlight the ask and delete it. Uninstalled the movie makers... don't need them right now. Updated my godaddy credit account number and the itunes credit account number. All this wonderful technology gets to be work after awhile. Bought the $12.99 - 24-hour book store to check out the itunes update. I know the Godaddy is done right. Been playing a bit on google plus... not that I have any idea what or why I am there. I could waste a lot of time there. Next I have to get a Twitter account and see how that works... Today is overcast and about 7 for high.

‎Wednesday, ‎January ‎30, ‎2013
I got about an hour and a half out in the garden today. No rain, and was warmish. I cleaned up the leaves around the back patio, clipped down the fennal from in the fig tree, clipped back the buddlia, and the iceberg rose. I have the buds in the house... amazing how many there are... about 10. There are crocuses blooming under the leaves by the water meter thing. I must get out and clean up more of the leaves. I clipped back a few of the michaelmas daisy dried stuff by the water meter area... have to do more. I cleaned up the plants on the deck, washed the deck railings at the front with the garden hose. Filled the big humming bird feeder and put it out. It doesn't take long to do this stuff. Two days ago I got my new Canon powershot SX40 HS... 40X zoom and 12 megapixels... doesn't shoot raw but has a lot of other cool stuff for panning or tracking. It was $362.19 including a UV 52mm filter. I see on Flickr where they are using an adapter for 58mm from lensmate... I will probably order one of those up and maybe another 58 uv for this camera. I have yet to try it out. I need a bigger card.. maybe 10 - 8 GB and a level 10 ? they were saying ... a fast one. So excited about this camera. Got it from Justin at London Drugs. I have to sell my Hasselblad as I am never going to use it. Sent the camera traders an email and they have come back with a way way reduced price to buy it at, rather than the 2500 that Andrew Plank gave me in 2006. I am getting the laundry done, and have the new sheets on the bed. We go out to the crooked goose for supper tonite to try out the new cooks and all at our local pub/restuarant.

‎Thursday, ‎January ‎31, ‎2013
I have 9 bags of dirt from the dirt bag guy. it is warm today, but a bit damp. Took a few photos with the new camera ... looks good ... love that zoom. Tried to do macro but did not work too well. I have since discovered that pushing the lever to the left puts the lens into its wide angle... to the right is telephoto. ... but the camera battery is charging so have to wait. Its not as though I have nothing to do. :-) I have found a pdf that has the whole users guide for my new Canon SDX40. I learned how to do some stuff last night and even more this afternoon. It just takes sitting down with it to learn how to operate it. This little camera is sooo cool. I can get an adaptar ring (20.) that lets me use my 58mm filters, needs the 58 mm lens cap (6.). and a Raynox DCR-250 macro lens that would mount to the 58mm adaptar using the spring loaded mount. Lensmate has this stuff. I also want a Canon 270 EX Flash for the hot shoe. This camera is 12 megapixels, my S3 IS was 6 and I believe the A50 was 3. I am reading the WikiLeaks guy.. Julian Assange's story on my ipad. Very interesting stuff. We are having Maria arrange our Rocky Mountain train excursion.. Grand Rail Circle for 11 days starts in Vancouver - July 25 to Aug 4... probably be home on Aug 5, if we do not stay over to visit people. This is one good reason to have the new zoom camera..

February 2013

‎Friday, ‎February ‎01, ‎2013
It has been a warm day. I got out to garden for about 2 hours in the afternoon. I got quite a bit of cleaning up of the perennials done and raked the leaves off the rock plants and the thyme circle. Picked some off the moss garden and picked out most of the brown ferns. Pruned the Gertrude Jekyl rose, swept the leaves off the deck. Pat is getting the old wood and twigs cleaned up in the back garage and is burning the old cut up boards.

‎Sunday, ‎February ‎03, ‎2013
Was out today for about 2 hours. Put lime around on the grass, on the veggie patch and on some of the rock plants, the pinks and anything I thought needed it. Then I emptied 5 bags of compost on the vegetable garden over top of the leaves and lime. I also added some all purpose fertilizer to the veggie patch. Raked the back grass and put the leaves on the woodland path. I see the blue bells are coming up. Very strange, I do not see any crocuses in the front crocus field. It was raining lightly before I finished, so I got a bit damp. Tried this new fancy parsnip receipe from the paper. The parsnips were very under done so it was not a big success, despite all the fine incredients. To answer a question on Google Plus gardening group, I was back reading my old journals. I sure got a lot of gardening done, back then when I was making the yard into a garden. It seems I am unable to access my garden journals on the computer from 2000 to 2005. Must have been something to do with that near crash I had, and the new computer.. XP I think. I now have Windows 7 for a year or so. Going to take my Hasselblad down to the camera traders soon and get it out of here. I am trying to do a bit of downsizing, if possible.

‎Saturday, ‎February ‎09, ‎2013
We had some high winds a couple of days ago, so I had a few leaves to pick up again... just after I had them all cleaned up nicely. As I was out there on the patio, Mrs. Pee had to call at me about coming to see something or other. She can now see through to my back patio area through the cedar privacy screen that she and her grand kids and billybob have beat and butchered all to hell. I have joined a few communities on google plus and am enjoying it. Megashot has become a chore but I should get back there and do some more meet and greet. Anderson says he has not been able to get on Mega recently. We have our passport forms ready... Pat did them from the on line forms. Now, all we need is photos and to take them down to get the process going. Our old ones expire soon... sometime in Feb. We have a Rocky Mountain tour registered for July. I was down to Tan Jay at the Tillicum mall. WOW big sale.. I bought about $285 worth of clothes and saved $79 they tell me. They have petites there! They fit me! yeay! 2 pairs black pants... one skinny legs, the other one like boot cut, pair of stretchy jeans, boot cut, and 2 pairs of look like cords ... one blue and one tan. All of them super fits and no need to go to semstress. Got a brown and white patterned zippered pockets cardigan sweater, a long sleeved blue patterned light weight sweater, two short sleeved dressy blouses and the gold one that I love the fit. Since we can wear even jeans to the fancy dining rooms in Jasper and Lake Louise, these will be my clothes for this trip. I have not bought clothes for a long time, except the Chinese silk jacket... It will go nicely with the black pants or even the tan and blue, I think... will have to try it. Must take this on the trip too... good show off thing, though impossible sleeves for eating. The Pixie orchid has 2 fat buds that will be soon open. The african violets look pretty good. I should water them today.. maybe tomorrow, as I am well into afternoon already. Walked to the lottery ticket store and back on the chip trail. I was glad Pat came with me. There were no other people, no bird song and not a bird in sight. Filled the pond and took a few photos, crocus and snowdrops. No crocus are to be seen in the crocus field yet. The ones that are blooming are in the flower bed behind the crocus field. I stepped out the size of the front garden to be approximately 45 feet by 35 feet wide. Only a couple of sparrows rustling around in the bushes and a hummingbird buzzing around.

‎Monday, ‎February ‎11, ‎2013
Its a misty day with temps at apx 10 and did not freeze over nite. Made apple sauce today. Made the parsnip soup yesterday. It turned out pretty good. The recipe is with the others in the book, but not in my computer. I used up about 8 apples for the sauce. We are getting the apples eaten up. Some have gone straight to the compost bin though, as they have rot spots from bumps or bugs at the start. Have been doing google plus and megashot stuff. Ordered the owners guide for the SX40 a few days ago and got hooked for $8.85 delivery to Canada. GAWD AHMIGHTY. Ordered the adapter and lens cap from Lensmate. Am thinking about getting the Canon Flash 270 II for the hotshoe. There is a Raynox DCR-250 macro that will mount to the 58mm adaptor, at Lensmate, but it is expensive at $70. Not sure how much the Flash is.

‎Wednesday, ‎February ‎13, ‎2013
The yellow crocuses are up and have photos. The pixie orchid is in bloom.. 2 of them. Got the plants watered yesterday. We have our passport renewals sent off. Were to the Bay center up by the food mart area to get them processed. Should receive them in a couple of weeks. Had lunch in the food place soup and sandwich from the deli.. just ok. Made mousaka for supper. Am reading hard copy of the Harry Potter books.. half finished the first one. Have done quite a few critiques on Mega, but none today. And got another page of meet and greets done. We must get at least 10 people joining in a day.

‎Friday, ‎February ‎15, ‎2013
Yesterday we took the Hasselblad down to the camera traders in Market Mall. They will look it over and give me a call or email and let me know their offer. They pay, I think he said a dollar per roll for the old film i have... does not matter after this long if they are frozen or not. Today I was out in the garden from about 2:10 to 5:00. It is still light out at 5:15, now. I moved the bamboo from by old weird's fence to under the deck to start this screening from where the Indians can see through my cedar privacy hedge because their kids beat the hell out of trees when playing hockey and billybob finished the rest of them off cause the old woman was getting tree shit on her sidewalk. He broke them off way beyond the property line and into my property. Pat had clipped the tops off because she insisted they were getting dirt in her eaves troughs. She is at it again... they are all going to catch hell around the curry pot tonite. I think she needs to be tuned up about living in Canada where we grow trees and don't dump garbage in our rivers. I got the heathers, the irises, the roses, the yellow oregano and anything else that needed it clipped back.. and the jackamani clematises, done. It is all looking pretty good. I managed to clip off the tops of the burning bush ... but did not get all of them. They should now be bushy when they grow the remaining 2 or 3 feet to block the Indian's view to my front window. The cedar hedge along their side is growing nicely and is about 4 feet high now. I will let it get about 6 feet high to block the view into my garden and to block out their parking lot front yard. The west coast planter has developed a bit of a tilt and I shall need to put a rock under the one side of it to get it level, again, I guess. Have to do the clean up at the street side of the hedge yet. And then the back, AND then I am thinking of taking down the front hedge to a manageable height... have to read up on how to do this.

‎Friday, ‎February ‎22, ‎2013
Well, Camera Traders made me an offer of $640 for the Hasselblad, so its back in the cupboard. None of Willoughby's people want it. I got the adapter and lens cap from Lensmate today.. this will allow me to put my 58mm filters on my new SX40 camera. Its windy and cool out with some sun... just like March weather.

‎Sunday, ‎February ‎24, ‎2013
Its been a rainy kind of day, no sun but warmish for this time of year. Pat went to a motorcycle defensive driving seminar and I took the opportunity to go to Butterfly Gardens. Was there from 1:00 to 3:00. Using the new Canon SX 40 HS with 35x zoom. Trying to do the AF with continuous shooting in P mode. Have the ISO at 400 and a class 4 card. It seems slow... have white balance at the H+ thing for indoor lights. At the end while running down the battery the colors are not coming out right. I changed it to sunshine and it seemed to work better. Could not pan with it to save my soul. Have to be careful of the zoom distance or it blurs if I zoom too far from the actual focal distance. Macro works not too bad. I have yet to get some of that good blurred background stuff working well. Ahh was fun. I have an annual pass at Butterfly Gardens for $22.45.

March 2013

‎Friday, ‎March ‎01, ‎2013
The temperature got up to 15 today and it was overcast. I got out for 2 hours and clipped back perennials at the back.. michaelmas daisies, germander and clipped back the fire thorn. Clipped the lavender at the front. The crocus field is about half up, there are white crocuses up in the front, the back and the side by the driveway. The wind flowers are beginning to bloom and so are the primulas, daffodils in bud, camillia in bloom. I made chilli yesterday, but the beans are not well enough cooked. I believe they need to be soaked over night. I like it, though. Today is going to be scallops, asparagus, and twice baked potatoe. I got the laundry done too.

‎Wednesday, ‎March ‎06, ‎2013
We had lunch today at Dunlop house with Valeria and Harvey. Last Saturday the 2nd, I was at the orchid show and brought home 3 orchids that are listed in the orchids garden list. One is a gorgeous miniuature moth orchid with variegated leaves, another small lady slipper with spotted leaves and it should have a round pouch kind of slipper. And a cattelaya called Pradit Spot "black prince". My pixie is about finished blooming. I learned that these cattelayas only hold there blooms for 3 - 4 weeks tops... so my Pixie is doing great. I have been spending a lot of time putting my garden up on google + in the gardening community. This is actually helping me get a bit organized with what I need to do out there, yet. I want to get it more into a lower maintenance. It is not too bad now, just a bit too much weeding in that front area where I took out the messy daisies that were taking over. I think I will encourage the blue fescue grasses to spread more. They seem to hold down the weeds pretty good. Am reading the Harry Potter books and am up to the 6th one in the series. Very nice stuff... and I hate to even think about the real world and some of the news. The economy all over is very bad. The mid east and moselum countries all seem to be in turmoil and killing each other off. Its all rather horrible. But here, in Canada, and especially at our house things are great! Megashot is very slow and much neglected by me. We have some new people who are doing a lot of good commenting and one guy is helping out in critique... great!

‎Saturday, ‎March ‎09, ‎2013
The day started with a light dusting of frost showing on the bird bath and water table. By noon it is up to 10 degrees and the sun is shining. I have misted the plants as usual. Spent quite some time reporting a phishing email on shaw.. checking lottery tickets, and looking at a gardener photographers web site. There is a notice from the rock and alpines about the guy being at View Royal garden club. No doubt they will be asking admission for his talk... he is very mercenary. I will phone them and find out ... its way out in view royal on the 28th... not sure its worth it as my garden photos are just as good as his... :)))) Must look up when our own show and sale is... if we have one. Not enough volunteers might be a deterent to the show going on... I am liking how the moss is growing on the waterfall and the plants beginning to fill in the rock necklace of the pond. Wish the little campanula would spread more... And this stuff is suppose to be invasive? I want to get a sanguinea canadensis (spelling) to replace the one I killed. And I want some new rhubarb, and I want some lily of the valley for under the deck by the thrashed cedar hedge. The bamboo I moved seems to be doing ok. I really should get a blog post done, too as my last one was Mar. 1st.. so much to do.

‎Sunday, ‎March ‎10, ‎2013
Watered the house plants. Walked my VIRAGS dues cheque to the mailbox. Posted 24 photos to the google plus and urban gardening thread. Its overcast but warmish 11 Degrees. Got a page or so of meet and greet done on Mega.

‎Tuesday, ‎March ‎12, ‎2013
My Pixie is finished blooming and I have the white moth orchid coming into bloom and the little mini one I just bought is looking fine! We went to Lund's today and to see the stuff ... old Bob Miller's hood ornaments that will be in the auction. I suppose there are treasurers there, but really not attracted to anything. still thinking I need to get downsizing. But I like things as they are. If I do more low maintence plants and more bark mulch maybe things in the garden will be easier. Its not too bad now. I have to get that front weeded and maybe get mulch put down. The moss garden is not too bad... the primula bed and that end of the back garden is soggy from all the rain. I wonder if I should clean the moss off the cement... but I like it.

‎Thursday, ‎March ‎14, ‎2013
Yesterday I noticed that the pump had quit running so I was out to fix it and found that the reset button needed to be pushed in. Did a bit of weeding at the front while checking for surviving lupines. Only found 2 of them. Today the pump had quit again. Unplugged it and checked for blockage ... it is clean from yesterday. Plugged it back in and pushed the reset button (it is on the outside of the house on our driveway side just below the electric meter) As soon as I pushed the red button in, the pump restarted.

‎Friday, ‎March ‎22, ‎2013
Got income tax forms sent off. Was cool today.. it froze last nite lightly. Pat got his gmail set up so he should be good to go to set up his little tablet... android from samsung. I hope I have figured out how to forward shawmail to gmail... we will see on my ipad tomorrow. . . fun an games. I am reading the Harry potter books again... I forgot a lot of stuff. ... guess I went tearing through them first time, like mad.

‎Sunday, ‎March ‎24, ‎2013
Filled the pond. Was out taking a few photos. Daffs, camillia, wind flowers, polyanthus in bloom. was about 10 today, some sun. We went to see the murial in a Ceceilia ____ park today. Not great. tried a sony panorama... don't think it worked either. We went to Dragon Alley off of Fisgard. Its all new and kind of interesting... similiar to what Fan Tan alley has become now, only wider. The seed store we went to look for whale beans seeds was just a pot seed store. calling it hemp of course. Smelled like they were smoking their hemp in there. On book 3 of Harry Potter.. am very tired again as I was up quite late and then up earlier than usual this am. Nothing on Megashot today.. couple of comments on gardening in google+... am going to bed to read and its only 9:30.

‎Saturday, ‎March ‎30, ‎2013
We have had a week of wonderful warm weather, but I have not been in the garden, except to look and fill the pond. Been doing photoshop stuff and a bit on Megashot. My new little miniature phal is in full bloom and so is my big white one. It looks good for Easter.

April 2013

‎Monday, ‎April ‎01, ‎2013
Was a lovely day. Yesterday we had dinner with Marlene and Art and family. So, now I can go out and garden... I put little plastic gloves on under my gardening gloves. They kept me cleaner. I mowed the grass and emptied it into the compost bin. I did some clipping of higher up cedar bows off the back hedge by the veggie patch. The trees are clipped back up to about 10 feet now. Using the long pole pruner. Clipped a couple feet off the top of the yew hedge at the bottom of the veggie patch. All this might let in a bit more light and rain on the garden. The green bin is getting pretty full with these branches. I redid one spot on the path at the back to raise the stones up a bit. The area around them had so much grass in it that I just dug it off and threw it on the grass under the apple tree. I added a piece of cardboard under the new stone set up and added clay from the trough I have left from Tara, where I had dumped some clay. The stones are higher now and should get some sand and pea gravel on them now and then the corsican mint should be able to grow really well on it. That path looks pretty good ... the curves in the path and the bottom of the grass patch look good. The wretched bluebells are spreading like crazy. I see the little trillium at the front is coming up, but the other two at the back seem to have disappeared. I have a new little species tulip in bloom... must get its photo. The plum tree is totally in white. There have been a couple of house finches on the deck and in the blooms... looking very nice. The magnolia is starting to bloom. I fed the front plum tree 2 spikes of fertilizer. I tried to reset the flow of the waterfall... we will see if it worked. I have been losing water out of the waterfall and having to fill it again every second day or so. I was out from 2:30 to 5:30. Halibut for supper... yum.

‎Wednesday, ‎April ‎03, ‎2013
A very nice day, warm overcast. Made beef tomatoe soup in the morning and walked to the lottery store in the afternoon. Not much done today. There was no curling today. The men's world is here in Victoria. I think Canada is in the lead.

‎Saturday, ‎April ‎06, ‎2013
Yesterday was a drippy day. Today looked out my front window to see branches of my burning bush ripped off and thrown onto my boxwood hedge. My plum tree at the back is dropping its petals on the deck.. looks a bit like snow. The world cup of curling has been happening at the arena in Victoria. I think this week end is the finals and Canada is now playing against Denmark. I think they have to win to be in 4th place. They WON. They play Sweden tomorrow for first or second place. Found a list of rockery plants from about 2 years ago and added them to the rock plant list, to nite. This afternoon after the curling game was over I went out and weeded the front stone path, the circle and all around the front inner garden. I pulled out all the blue bells I could find... and violets, too. These invaders are getting under control, slowly. I still need to weed by the bamboo.. lots of violets in there yet. The trillium is blooming, but no sign of the two at the back. Washed out both pair of garden gloves. I did not use gloves or hand lotion in my weeding, but my nails came nice and clean anyway... filed them down while watching curling... the 2nd game. Stew for supper. It was a fine day altogether.

‎Monday, ‎April ‎08, ‎2013
Was out for a couple of hours. Digging out dandilions and weeds in the back paths and some of the flower beds. Stuck a couple of the broken branches of the burning bush back into the ground. and stuck some of the big ones back up into the tree to block their view a bit. I see that one of the little branches that I stuck into the ground is going to grow. It will take a few years to get big enough to be a privacy screen, but it will get there. This bush grows fairly fast. Clipped the new growth back a bit. Watered the house plants. Some of the tulips are blooming, the daffodils, the windflowers, the grape hyacinths, the big hyscinths that are making the garden smell good, some violets in bloom... the ones in the front door roses behind the boxwood. Yesterday, while weeding a bit at the front I found another lupine in the front; but I should still get a few started again this year.

‎Friday, ‎April ‎12, ‎2013
I have made shrimp bisque, chicken noodle soup, a jellied dessert to use up the brandied blackberries. It has been cool and rainy most of the week. The magnolia tree is in full bloom. the plum tree has lost all of its petals in the pond and everywhere. The flowers are growing and so are the weeds, but it is all looking pretty good. I am trying to keep the blue bells pulled off or out so they do not form seeds, and I hope to slow them down a bit. Been reading Harry Potter books and getting to bed earlier.

‎Saturday, ‎April ‎13, ‎2013
Was to the VIRAGS show and sale. Was not a great show. Beaver Creek was not there due to his wife's illness. I got an impatients foliage plant, another pleione and some seeds for a red solomons seal, but it is different and 2 meters tall... don't care if the seeds grow. The other seeds are for peony maccalua... don't care if they grow either... 50 cents per package. Didn't win any door prizes. Didn't win the $55 million lottery either.

‎Tuesday, ‎April ‎16, ‎2013
We had a good sunny day for the Royal Roads talk and walk. I have a few bracketed shots of the Italian garden. The Japanese garden photos did not come out very well... just not the season for the Japanese garden. Monday I did laundry and read about the Face Book stuff... and so got a copy of a book about Zuckerberg on my ipad. Today I was out in the garden from 1 to 4. Warmer and sunny. Got the grass mowed and pulled off bluebells in the woodland. The trilliums seem to have both disappeared. Hope this slows the blue bells down a bit. They are crowding out everything.

‎Monday, ‎April ‎22, ‎2013
Last week end we were on the RROC fuel economy run arranged by Jim Walters and Deborah. Pat went out to Gwen's on Friday nite and we both went on the run on Sat and to the banquet at Howard Johnsons... was ok. Today was a wonderfully warm day. We were out to the western community mall to get a battery for a motorcycle, and some vitamins and stuff for me. Later I did a bit of weeding at the back and the front, and spread a bag of compost around the front area by the little rockery. The tulips are in bloom and the magnolias.

‎Wednesday, ‎April ‎24, ‎2013
Yesterday I started the hedge pruning and had a look along the Pee's side... cut a few branches back and the daylillies. Today was another warm day and I finished the hedges at the top, and the Pee's side. I have to do the ugly honeysuckle pilea hedge along the bottom of the garden. I ran the trimmer out of charge, so could not continue. I watered the house plants on the 23 also. I need to get some fish and have a look for the monarch plant .. milkweed. I must make a list as I can never remember the plant names.

‎Thursday, ‎April ‎25, ‎2013
skimmed off the pond. Planted a row of dill seed. There is sun on the vegetable garden in the morning. Mrs. Pee had the whole neighbourhood stinking of bleach this morning. Poor little lizard was sitting on the mossy rock in the Japanese garden gasping for breath. It did not notice me untill I was nearly on top of it. They usually dash away at the first sign of movement. I was nearly fainting from the stink. Was to Cannor and brought home 6 little gold fish @ 1.99, 2 seedling geraniums @ .99, 2 tomatoes @ 3.99..I think that is wrong, oh well, 5 perennials @ 3.99, hollyhock purple, delphinium blue, maltese cross, echinea pink, veronica spicata blue, basket stuffer 4 @ 1.99 2 fuschia, blue african daisy brachy.., 2 heliotrope, 6 pack of cosmos tall ones assorted colors @ 3.99, pack of 3 oriental lily @ 6.50, (1/2 PRICE) Gladiiolus 10 @ 4.80, Dahlia lavender @3.49. The dahlia, glads, cosmos will go to the veggie patch, and the tomatoes, hollyhock in the front rectangle with the other one, delphinium by the fig tree perhaps, Veronica and 3 lilies by fig tree. I need to clean up the rectangle on the Pees side. It has one peony and campanulas and ugly bluebells need to be cleaned out. All of the above subject to revision.

‎Saturday, ‎April ‎27, ‎2013
Yesterday looked like it should be warm out with temps around 15, but there was a very cold breeze. I wore 2 sweaters and my black toque to be out gardening. I filled the off white pot that I had under the deck with some garden soil, plus some compost soil mix, then put the 3 lily bulbs that were sprouting in the bag (oriental lily freckles) into the pot and filled the pot with a partial bag of topsoil, that I had on hand. I top this up with more compost soil, leaving the tops of the lily leaves sticking up. Hope they grow up nicely. I put this by the front step, by the iceberg rose. I should find something to raise the pot up a bit. I broke up the clay pot that Tara left... removed the achillea and threw them next to the boxwood and cedar hedge at the top of the inner garden. I left some of the bits of the pot under the dirt (next to the hebe at by the boxwood hedge) and transplanted the impatient that I got at the VIRAGS show into this dirt. It needs good drainage and moisture retentive soil. Maybe it can send roots down into the clay past the plant pot shards and gravel, for its drainage and moisture retention. I put the rest of the pot shards under the deck where billy bob and his kids have destroyed the privacy screen. I moved an old cedar planter from behind the clematis & delphinium and thrown it onto this pile of plant shards, an old cutting board and an emply yogurt plastic container.... the Pees should appreciate this nice display of garbage... just to make them feel at home. I started the clean up of the front rectangles and the ex-daisy field. I moved a piece of the bamboo to the back woodland, for future use or to give to friends. It was easy to dig out the last one and move it under the deck nexto the cedars to fill in the privacy screen. Hope this one works. If it does I will be putting this new little one in also. I have 3 yews branches put into pots on the veggie patch. I am going to transplant these into the place where the 'good neighbors' have destroyed my burning bush privacy screen at the front by their garbage cans. Now anyone coming to our front door has a grand view of their garbage cans. The yews grow quickly once established. I may have to remove the rose from that corner, but not sure I want to.... I want a prickly firethorn as a privacy screen there.... by the garbage cans... well, its what they deserve but I cannot quite bring myself to do that. I managed to get the front rectangle by our driveway weeded and added some compost to the front plants. I weeded a couple of feet of the front strip and added compost to that also. I check around the garden and remove blooms from the bluebells, except the ones in the rose bed and anything along parmars side. The ones in the woodland may be under control. I should be able to put down the cardboard to keep them smothered, later this year, I hope. The trilliums seem to be gone. There are thistles and morning glory back there that need to be sprayed with chemical. The saskatoons bloomed this year. Hope there is fruit on them. After talking to Pam (they had a 25th anniversary and we phoned them) We both said we may be turning our veggie patches into cutting gardens. The glads I put in last year are up in my cutting garden now. So, I think I will put the dahlia, the 8 more glads, the delphinium, the hollyhock, the veronica spicata, the lychnis (maltese cross), the cosmos, into the side of the veggie patch by the oak tree. The area under the fig tree is rather messy and is soggy all winter. I need to find something to grow there. The Corsican mint looks good under the stepping stones, and it fades into the moss of the moss garden after the polyanthus. The polys are looking really good right now too. The moss is slowly spreading under the deck. I need to define the space for sitting under the deck and put down gravel, perhaps after I have it leveled and get some blocks to hold back the dirt out of the lower sitting area. I hope to make this into a nice sitting area to view the pond, eventually... as I re-establish a privacy screen. Pat is talking of taking off a huge lower branch of the plum tree which will open the area up to more sunlight. The bluebells are rampant on one side of the pond. I need to establish a barrier to keep them on that side, too. I have a few more large pieces of wood in the garage that may work to give it that authentic logged off old forest look. Then I need to get some fireweed to grow there. The 3 peonies in the rectangle are slowly getting established. The 2 in the other rectangle are surviving despite the blue bells. I have campanulas in that bed, so will need to see what that bed needs this summer. Perhaps I should put the echanicea in that bed and hope it survives. I cannot seem to get one of these plants established. The valerine looks good, and the gas plant and the little hebe along the front of the hedge is doing ok. I will want some valerine in the rectangle too, as it goes well with the campanulas and the silver lychnis and pussytoes in front of the rectangle. The sea baby's breath looking thing can look messy, but it just needs more care. There are lupins coming up... one in the rectangle .. shall call it R1... by our driveway, and 3 or 4 in the X daisy field, and one in the pot at the back. The alliums in the inner garden are too thick. I could use some of them in my cutting garden, perhaps. The goldfish seem to be surviving so far.

May 2013

‎Thursday, ‎May ‎02, ‎2013
Since the 27th, I filled the pond and over flowed into the moss garden which works fairly well to water the moss garden, but it seemed to have killed one of the little fish. On the upside while looking at the new fish I saw an older bigger one under the marsh marigold. So, I do have fish surviving, afterall. The little ones seemed to be eating the moss under the mermaid when the pond was full. I had put my Cannor plants out in the day and brought them in at night, except one night I left them out. The Tomatoes and the heliotrope do not look too good. I will have to get new ones, I think. .. maybe a few nice fish while I am at it! Yesterday I transplanted them to pots, on the deck, though, adding compost. If they do not do well in the next few days I shall get new ones to replace them. The saga of the Davey Tree deal: On the 30th I called 3 places & Davey Tree to come to do some hedge trimming for me. All except Davey had answering machines, and only one got back to me when Davey had finished the job. So, on the 30th (i think his name was Neil) came over right away and had a look at what I wanted: Take down the front cedars to the height of the two behind the bench... looks like 10 or 12 feet, cut back the cedars by the deck back to the property line on the Pees side, take out the burning bush, lower the camillia to below the eaves, and cut it back to property line, cut down the cedars to house height at the back of the garden, (leave the two western red cedars), cut back the branches facing the house to the trunk of the liquid amber tree. The guy said he was the father of Tina of Tina and Rob who had lived in our suite some years ago. He gave me an estimate of $650. I thought this was reasonable so asked him when they could do it, he said tomorrow morning. Tomorrow morning is the day Pat and Jim get up at the crack of dawn and go to Red Deer. So, I was up and out of the tub by 8:20... just in time as the 2 guys from Davey Tree were in the driveway. They did a good job on everything. Billy bob was out there and the Davey guy asked if he could put his truck in their back driveway and Billy bob said in about an hour. They took down the cedars at the back garden to about house height and took back the sides to hedge width. They look not too bad, too! The lead guy from Davey (forget his name) remembered being here before to take down the big eucalyptus tree. He is very good and was the one up in the bucket and climbing the trees to cut off the tops and long branches. The Davey tree guys trampled my strawberries and Irises and rhubarb, and the glads that were poking their little noses up. The lead guy said to be careful of the strawberries, but I told him not to worry, that all the plants were expendable. No way they could miss hitting them with all the branches that were coming down. So, I brought in the rhubarb and chopped and froze it. Very thin rhubarb. I think I will move that plant to below the strawberries.

‎Friday, ‎May ‎03, ‎2013
Wonderfully warm day. Yesterday, I moved the rhubarb to just below the strawberries. I planted the 8 glads among the others in the area that is going to be my cutting garden. I put the dahlia tubers in. I could have divided that tuber as there were three of them... well perhaps this winter I will dig it up and divide it. I hope the old glads keep growing, even if they only produce leaves. I will be able to move them anytime to suit the cutting garden... as I have no plan made up yet. I moved a foxglove to near the yews. The Delphinium is going to go back in that corner also. The new hollyhock could go in the front with the other one in Rectangle 1 (my side) or it could go in the cutting garden. The veronica also was meant to be in the cutting garden. The delphinium and hollyhock will need staking. After moving the rhubarb and planting the bulbs, I watered the area. It was surprisingly dry for all the rain we have had. With the cedars cut back I should get more rain on the area. This morning I did a walk about the garden and see I have a lot of weeding and feeding to do. Shawna's side has a lot of dandilions and morning glory but for all that looks pretty good. The fish in both tubs are alive. In the pond I saw two older ones... so there will be babies this year, no doubt. I have not seen any little black ones from last year though. I am thinking I may get a new photinia and plant it closer to my house. I really liked the look of that bush. It made a very good screen to the view of their stinking garbage cans. I cannot decide what to do with the rose... I have room for it in front of Rectangle 1, but don't really want it there. Maybe back in the woodland where all the extras seem to thrive. It is not a spectacular rose. The Rhodos and azalyea along the Pees side are looking good. The topped camillia looks like shit, but that is nothing compared to how the cedars look. GAWD AHMIGHTY! Hope they enjoy the view. The camas was up with 3 blooms with bishops weed beneath it. My daylillies should be removed, I think... probably trash them. The Japanese anemone is coming up nicely. and the Jackamani clematis seems to have survived and is sending up a couple of shoots. There is a lot of grass in the flower beds around the old garage. The hydrangea does not look too good and has a lot of dead branches on it. The front garden is looking good. I need to weed by the bamboo. The old plieone has several shoots, the new one is poking its nose up, so it should survive. In keeping with my lower maintence, I am letting the ajuga spread. It looks very nice with its blue blooms against the reddish foliage, with the white iberis. I should add this combination to the area by the fig tree in the back. Was out in the afternoon. Transplanted the Veronica, hollyhock, delphinium, maltese cross, echineaca, and cosmos into the cutting garden. Mowed the grass and then watered the back again. Mowed a strip of the grass across the road from us and picked up garbage. While looking at the woodland I found that one of the trilliums is up and blooming...... yeaaaaaaaaa! The blue bells seem to be smothered, but I am going to cover the area with cardboard anyway. Put bark mulch on top of the cardboard.

‎Saturday, ‎May ‎04, ‎2013
I was awake at 4:30 and watching the sunrise. By 6:00 I was moving the orange trees down to the suite with a view to putting them outside.. not sure if I want to save any of them. Maybe one or two. Spilled some dirty water going down the stairs and vacuumed and washed that off after taking all the trees down. I am putting an orchid outside. It is too tall for the light garden and an ugly damn thing which had ugly blooms when it was once in bloom. The one with little red blossoms has two little blooms, so I guess I will keep that. Am contemplating cleaning out the light garden too. The cutting back of the trees is looking okay from my side. In the back of my mind I have a lot more of this cleaning up to do in preparation for easing into the downsizing day. By 10:00 I had made a fish chowder and shall shower and walk to the lottery ticket store before lunch. After lunch, if I am still energetic I should get more weeding done in the front. :-)) I think I totally lost the lottery ... but keep trying for that second half. I have been seeing butterflies... white ones, little blue ones, and what might have been an admiral. Back from my walk about 12:30. Had a look for the fawn lilies by the blue bridge off grange and found that people have been burning the picturesque old stump and throwing garbage around it. Just gross. It is now 2:18 and 24 degrees out. It has got to be time for a nap, as soon as I finish my fish chowder and yogurt for late lunch. Maybe later, I will get out to garden.

‎Tuesday, ‎May ‎07, ‎2013
We had 3 or 4 very hot days. Its cooler today. I watered house plants. Took the orange trees out and repotted one that I want to keep into a bigger pot. Then put 3 out at the curb in the smaller pots with a free orange trees sign on it. It is a lovely day out. Watered the back again. Pulled a few more weeds at the back. I think my next thing to do is going to be to put the cardboard down in the woodland, over the bluebells. I must keep after them as they are still showing blooms along that back area. Or maybe I will weed at the front and try to get that front strip looking good. There have been quite a few butterflies, lots of birdsong. Last nite I added Joshua Holders poetry to my web page. Have not been on Megashot.

‎Thursday, ‎May ‎09, ‎2013
Gardening in the aft for about 3 hours. Weeded the strip in front of rectangle 1. The lupine in rec. 1 has buds. There are 3 others in the strip. One may not survive the weeding. Clipped the little hedge with the newly sharpened hedge trimmer. Pat sharpened the rabbiting spade, the hoe, the loper, the hedge trimmer. Watered all around the front for about 3/4 of an hour, after. The crocuses are starting to brown, so I may be mowing that grass soon. The humming bird is back at the feeder since I cleaned it out. There are birds singing all day today. Was a perfect day... got up to about 21 tops.. was out with no sleeves top, so I should have a better tan than the usual farmer tan. Made the jellied carrot, raison, lemon jello, grapefruit juice salad this morning. Pictures of the garden... some bracketed... nothing great, I don't think.

‎Saturday, ‎May ‎11, ‎2013
Yesterday I made the strawberry and rhubard pie. We went to Howard Johnson's for dinner with Art and Marlene (our treat cause I did not feel like cooking etc.) We all enjoyed a nice meal .. guys had lamb. Came back to our place for a drink and pie. They complimented me on the garden and seemed to be impressed by the magnificant big tree peony. It IS indeed lovely. Art offered to prune the apple tree next spring. Very complimentary about the garden. This all helps me get over having cut the trees.. sigh! I need to get a new photenia (burning bush) to screen those awful garbage cans of THOSE PEOPLE, the tree terrorists. Yesterday.. watered the deck and patio plants, including about 6 green watering cans over the deck railing onto the cedars and things there. Then put the sprinkler on the back. I had watered by hand around the front on thursday. Downloaded my photos to computer and despite my notion that there was nothing good... I have some very good shots! So now I have a couple dozen on desktop to process! Well, also have Joshua's poetry page to add his 2nd poem to and then load to my web page. He has given me leads to all kinds of interesting programs for making videos, changing music formats (probably video too), and etc. I learned how to add youtubes to my page... just Share/embed/choose old html -- copy the code and paste it on the page. Works good. Not sure how to add his SkyDive videos, though. Can't be too complicated but I do not have time to learn it, right now. Megashot is so slow, I hardly go there lately... waste of time, I am learning nothing there, except how self centered people are. Saw the hummingbird touring the deck plants this morning... how cool is that?

‎Monday, ‎May ‎13, ‎2013
Rain yesterday. I made the bacon pie for supper, chicken soup and sandwich for lunch yesterday and today. This morning I made the coleslaw the way we like it, so have a jar of it there for eating. Also have jellied salads and fixings for a Greek salad, but need a red onion. Rain again today so getting the laundry done and more photo stuff.

‎Tuesday, ‎May ‎14, ‎2013
Perfect day. We walked to the school to vote and went to the Red Barn to pick up some lamb, and stuff for tomorrows dinner. Tonite is chilli concarne. After our walk I was out weeding paths, fixed the waterfall as the pump had slowed down cause it was getting plugged up. I don't see any fish.. Wonder why they never surface any more! The paths are not too bad for weeds... it just takes doing it. The violets in the front are slowly getting under control. Next war is on those bluebells.

‎Wednesday, ‎May ‎15, ‎2013
The liberals won the election with a majority and Christie Clark is our Premier. One Green mla was elected by the Gordon Head people. It is a fine day again. We got groceries, wine and my lottery tickets. I updated the 'Progress' page and loaded it. Made Greek Salad for with our lamb kebobs, fried onion/garlic potatoes, retsina and probably purple plum preserves over chocolat berry cups topped with mango swirl frozen yogurt.

‎Friday, ‎May ‎17, ‎2013
overcast cool day yesterday and today. Filled the pond and overflowed it to the moss garden. watered the house plants.

‎Saturday, ‎May ‎18, ‎2013
Cool and overcast again. I went out and mowed the grass at 1:00, taking back a bit more of the crocus field grass. It is quite wet, but I get it finished and do the back as well. Then trim the boxwood hedge a bit. From there I go to the Pees side and clean up the rhodos, and take out the brush = popcorn bush that is growing into the rhodo and the cedars. The bottom of the cedars on that side is slowly getting some green on it... very slowly. I dug out the daylillies from by the garbage cans and have put them out by the curb. Have about 12 bags of them, and a few under the deck to plant under there. Eventually I will go under the deck and remove all of that brush and plant the daylillies. The ferns and the sweet woodruff are slowly spreading under the deck. I was astonished to see the pond about 1/3 empty. I tried to reduce the flow of the pump, and then put a piece of rubber under the waterfall outlet to catch the water and see if this is where I am losing the water. That is a hell of a lot of water to lose... I just filled it recently and check it every day when I look for the fish. I heard some noise out there last nite but did not go check. I am going to leave the daylily spot barren for now. I have stuck a few photinia branches in there some time ago... The one I pulled out appeared to have a tiny root on it. I will wait to see if they grow and if any daylillies come up again. I got a bit rained on, and so put my garden clothes in the wash when I came in at 4:20. Showered and made Swedish meatballs and spatzle for supper... very filling .. last of the Greek salad and we are both too full for dessert.

‎Sunday, ‎May ‎19, ‎2013
Fine day. 20 degrees and bits of cloud. Went to A & W for lunch. Then I uploaded 7 photos to the CanAm gallery -- looked at Mary's photo from the CanAm. She shoots with a T2i Canon. After that I went out and remade the waterfall with a piece of rubber under it to try catch some of the escaping drips. Added more moss. It looks entirely different now and I have the mermaid back on top of the waterfall. Hope I stop losing water now. I took out a wheel barrow load of stuff off and from around the agave thing on Shawna's side. Pulled out more morning glory. The wisteria is in bloom in the western red cedars. The lilac is in bloom. The perennial geraniums along the driveway are looking good in bloom. The bleeding heart and some welsh poppies and the blue thing are in bloom along the garage. There are some of the tall bearded iris in bloom. A galardia that survived the winter is blooming. A few of the daylillies have gone... about 4 or 6. Making trout, oven fries, salad with avocado, carrots and parsnip baked, for supper.

‎Monday, ‎May ‎20, ‎2013
a perfect day for gardening. I was out from about 12:30 to 3:30. Put daylillies all over the garden, and used up the 5 bags that were left over at the curb. I watered them in, except the ones in the woodland. It is suppose to rain tonight. Did some more clean up under the deck when I was putting daylilies under there. I think the 2 yew branches I stuck in the ground are going to grow. I need to put some round up on that popcorn bush. It is popping up all over under there. Also need some round up on the woodland weeds. There are hoards of morning glory back there, thistles and black berries. and those wretched blue bells. My green bin is full and I still have a pile of brush under the deck to add to it. The waterfall seems to be running good with no loss of water over night. I am slowly getting more CanAm photos loaded and added to my Megashot.

‎Wednesday, ‎May ‎22, ‎2013
Yesterday was cool with bits of rain. I cleaned up under the deck, moving the chair and table, cutting out the popcorn bush, and I put the pot shards over the main trunk of the cut back bush. It is an artifact and maybe the lizards can hibernate in it. The compost guys were here yesterday in the am so I had an empty bin and have started filling it again. I have stuck numerous rhodo clippings into the ground. I have 2 yew clippings that look like they just might grow. Also have stuck cedar clippings in too... hope some of them grow and fill in the privacy screen. There are now quite a few day lillies too. There is a tiny fir tree. HA.. will probably move it ... maybe over to the park. The bamboo is doing ok, but not thick enough to screen much, just yet. I transplanted a Christmas fern to the Pees side to add some screening. I have the chair positioned to view the pond. I need to remove the delphinium. It is very floppy and not a very pretty one anyway. Probably go to the woodland. I cleaned up a bit along the dry stream and moss garden, but still have more of it to clean up. I believe I have a couple orchids in the moss garden... I hope they are the "___ bulbosa"(forget the name at the moment.... cripidium?) I watered a bit at the end of the clean up. It is actually going to be quite nice, I think. Ferns and lovely moss. The western bleeding hearts do well in shade too. AND the sweet woodruff is spreading and blooming right now too. It is looking quite nice. When we get back from traveling this summer, I am going to see about planting yews for screening the garbage cans. Hopefully, this will all look good in a few years for the sale of the propery when we downsize, if that is still the plan. Since I have quit eating that cholestrol pill .. Crestor, I have had no muscles aches. That is a deadly drug and not good for anyone. Thanks to Pat and his coffee guys for alerting me to this. Pat read a Times Colonist Doctors column about it just the other day, too. Very debilitating crap. The waterfall fix seems to have worked. So far the water level is the same. We had a fine day today, but I did not go out to garden as I do not want to have grubby finger nails for tomorrow's united way appies, thank you thing at the laurel point inn (?) The place with the Japanese garden. (should I ever host a megashot meet, this must be the meet hotel). It is now 10:30 pm and we are having a shower. The solar lights look terrifc, front and back. Made a huge pot of cabbage/veggie soup and have 4 frozen. I might want to take about 4 frozen soups along on our Sask trip, for lunches, etc. Pat is going to a swap meet Friday and might be over night there. So, anyway, I should get a lot of gardening done on Friday to make up for today and tomorrow when I won't be doing anything out there. All the garden needs weeding, of course.

‎Friday, ‎May ‎24, ‎2013
Was out in the garden for about 3 hours. I have weeded the inner front garden. The thyme circle seems to grow weeds that I need to keep picking out. Today I saw 2 honey bees on the blooming thyme. Rather pathetic. There are not too many weeds in the path. Clipped back the thyme and anything else that needed it, but the biggest problem is the weeds in between the stones, which is not too bad, actually. The leaf mulch keeps the weeds down and the little lizards keep the slugs under control. The plieone does not seem to be doing very well this year... no blooms and the two little plants seem to be dying. I have a beautiful black iris in bloom by the California lilac which is in bloom in sky blue color. Nice combination. It is not as high maintenance as it looks. Now to get the daisis under control... and the rest of the violets. Started reading Byzantium book.

‎Saturday, ‎May ‎25, ‎2013
Was out in the garden from about 1:30 to 4:30. Am finished weeding the area by the magnolia tree. Have to do the area by the bamboo next. I cut the remaining grass of the crocus field and weeded a bit in the rectangle #2 area. Pulled off morning glory in the cedar hedge. This is an ongoing process until I start using the paint brush and round up on the stuff. Pat says that Derek Hamlet wants more bamboo and he might arrange to come over and dig some of his own out. Not too sure about this.. I have one in the back woodland that can be dug up and taken. a couple by the edge of rectangle #1. Not sure where else I might want him digging. Was a coolish day, i was wearing long pants and the tattered gardening sweater. It looks good cleaned up. Now, if I could only say the same for the house. I just do not have the same ambition to do housework. Started the laundry tonite, after supper. Am tired, though.

‎Sunday, ‎May ‎26, ‎2013
Watered house and deck plants. It is overcast, coolish and bits of rain. Finished the laundry and ironing. Weeded a bit at the back in the little rockery. Then weeded the area by the bamboo, a bit of weeding in the thyme circle and then weeded along the front strip for about 6 feet. Was overcast and as it had been raining lightly the ground is a bit damp on top. Its dry underneath. I put a bag of compost around the front inner garden. Lots on the rock roses and in the west coast planter. I have seen a couple of rather large birds. Bigger than ravens, but the markings under the wings did not look like baby eagtles. Aside from these markings they were about the size of smaller eagles. There is a robin that is a regular visitor to the front and the two rufous sided towhees. A raven dipping something in the bird feeder on the deck. Some other bird song I do not recognize... and one that might have been the female grosbeak? Saw a humming bird at the siberian irises... just the dark blue and the light blue in bloom now. Been pulling grass out of them and the golden oregano. I have a few small bamboo runners .. I should probably dig them out for Hamlet.

‎Tuesday, ‎May ‎28, ‎2013
Raining off and on. Quite cool. Did nothing today, except megashot email and comments. Updated Adobe flash for firefox to work properly. We have a notification from Saanich that they are going to be making the park trail across the street from us... a map on the site: http://www.saanich.ca/CRT to meet Wednesday June 12 between 4 and 6 at the park (on Grange Road between Gerda and Loenholm) no map on their page as they said and they spelled loenholm wrong... feeble idiots. cc to Marlene Todd of Residents Association of Strawberry Vale, Marigold and Glanford and Gordon Fry, Director/President, Strawberry Vale Residents Association. The map shows a new asphalt trail starting in front of our house, and new trees with old ones pruned and remove invasive species.

‎Wednesday, ‎May ‎29, ‎2013
cold and raining.. only 14 degrees. Made borscht. Pat dropped me at Cannor on his way to the guys coffee clatch. I got 6 perennials @3.99, 6pk of snapdragons @ 3.99, tomatoe @1.99, 6 goldfish @1.99, for a total of 51.22 including 5.37 of tax. Perennials are: Primula vivalvi, charters mixed hollyhock, Royal Candles Blue veronica (should be dark blue), Maltese Cross (Lynchnis), Pink painted daisy, common camasa , she charged me $3.99 for another annual pack and I only got one little pink marguerite. Well hell. Phoned Pat and he came and got me.

‎Thursday, ‎May ‎30, ‎2013
Rainy but a bit warmer. I managed to get out for some time to put the new plants in. The maltese cross and the veronica in the back cutting garden. I have 2 veronicas and 2 maltese cross, a cone flower echinea, a pink daisy, a purple hollyhock and a delphinium, columbines, glads and one dahlia if it grows. I transplanted the 6 snapdragons at the front.. pink/orange color, and a little annual pink marguerite with the rock roses. I have to dig out bamboo from the hedge just behind where I want to put the new hollyhock. Hope I manage to get some good bamboo for Derek from there. Otherwise there is a lot of bamboo along the edge of the grass of rectangle #1. Should be able to get several pieces. This morning I made a mango mousse. It looks delicious. Mango, orange juice, lime juice, whipped cream. That has been 3 new receipes recently.. The cabbage soup, the prawn and oranges salad.. very yomm also. The salad needed stilton cheese which we have some of, and have prawns... but the reason for it was to use up the sockeye salmon.. and it worked very well in this salad with a few prawns... thrifty receipes that I saw in their magazine in the Dr.'s office.

‎Friday, ‎May ‎31, ‎2013
Sun and clouds today. 18 degrees. I got out for about 2 hours. Dug out some bamboo and put them into bags for Derek, with cedar duff on them to keep them moist and watered them. Used the big shovel, the axe and the pruner. Shook some of the brown stuff out of the cedars. Clipped the spirea back. Watered at the front a bit, mostly to water in the snap dragons. My butternut squash plants have disappeared. Wretched crows probably got them. Am reading Byzentium... not exactly a cliff hanger. Doing up the 2012 Can Am photos.. to send around maybe to all the people from last year... was 50 or so of them, apparently.

June 2013

‎Saturday, ‎June ‎01, ‎2013
Cloudy, sun and about 18 degrees. Mowed the lawn Watered around the back with the hose after washing off the mower and moving some of the leaves around the patio. Derek is going to phone tomorrow about when to get the bamboo. Tom Mellor was by for a visit after supper. Diane was not over this time.

‎Sunday, ‎June ‎02, ‎2013
Was awake at 5:30 and watched a little brown bunny hopping around the front garden sniffing things. It did not seem to find anything it wanted to eat. Derek was over about 10:30 and got the bamboo shoots. Hope they grow for him. After lunch I was out in the garden until about 5:10. I had no sleeves and the knee length pants, so got more sun again. I finished cleaning up the rectangle #2 and in front of it. Pulled grass out of the little honeysuckle hedge, pulled some irish moss out of the thyme circle. Put a bag of compost down on the front strip under the plum tree. The spread of the compost is very thin.. I could use another 2 bags there. I have 2 bags of it left behind the garage. The peony in Rec. #1 is looking very very good this year. It has a pinky center and outside petals of white. Has more blooms to open. The other two peonies in Rec 1 are slowly coming along. The second one witll bloom this year. Looks like just white blooms. There is one other peony in Rec #2 and it is doing poorly. I have what looks like a species peony at the back by the fig tree, in bloom. Not a very nice one. I think I may have got that at the VIRAGS show and sale one year. But, it is blooming! I trimmed back the little juniper by the front step. Then I watered all around the front garden, hosing down the cedars. I think they look much better for it. While watering, I see there are 2 big fat bamboo shoots by the heather next to the bamboo. Well, will get out my axe and shovel again. I don't think I will keep this one. Next I want to clean up along Shawna's side and put the debris in the green bin. Tara and Freyja are going to be around about 11:00 tomorrow. Don't forget to give her the mail.

‎Monday, ‎June ‎03, ‎2013
Tara for lunch and visit till about 1:30. The child is very active and growing like crazy. 20 inches, maybe? After they left I went out and cleaned up the edges of the strip between Shawna's and my place. The green bin is packed down and full. Shawna likes the Virginia Creeper. I saw the swallow tail butterfly flitting by today. I am working on the Can Am photos... slowly getting to the end.

‎Wednesday, ‎June ‎05, ‎2013
Was hot yesterday. Pat took me to Brentwood Bay nursery and I got 16 flowers and a strawberry for $71.92. After the nursery we went to the Co-op for lottery tickets and Pat got the Van in to have its oil change and all. We need a new belt too and maybe a battery. It goes into Joe's shop on Monday for the belt. 1. Dianthus Neon Star and 2. Dianthus fire witch - both transplanted in the front of the rectangle #2 border. Frangrant plants. 3. Homestead purple verbena (trailing).. very pretty. I need to get this into a pot.. maybe West Coast Planter. Should make a good cut flower too. Planted it in the back pot that has the geraniums in it. 4. Rose Wine Meadow Sage (Salvia Nemorosa 'Rosenwein') - fragrant and butterflies. Planted on the down side of the Magnolia. Will make a good cutting flower too. 5. Gaillardia Burgundy - butterflies should like it, & cutting. Planted in the cutting garden. 6. Iceland Poppy, butterflies & cutting. In the cutting garden. 7. Hellenium Autumnal - Helen's flower. red and gold looks nice, cutting. 36 inches. Planted in the cutting garden at the back near the oak. 8. Blue Balloon Flower - Platycodon grandiflorus, Astra Blue Planted by the smoke bush 9. Geum- Blazing Sunset.. red cutting, I think I will plant it in the inner garden at the front with the baloon flowers... and remove the lavender that is not doing well add more compost. Left the lavender and planted by smoke bush. 10. Asclepias tuberosa - cutting and butterflies.. milkweed. 24 inches. Planted this at the top of the cutting garden where it gets most sun. Happens to be by the dahlia which is up. I will move the dahlia maybe, next year. 11. Liatris - purple spikes - cutting, butterflies. In the cutting garden. 12. Monarda Fireball (Bee Balm) dwarf... shaggy flowers red 12 - 18" butterflies, cutting, hummingbirds. In the cutting garden. 13. Aquilegia (Columbine) Ruby Port.. a lovely wine, double puffy flower. planted this one in the cutting garden by the yews. The columbines are doing great all over the garden this year with a wide variety of colors, even a white one. 14. Delphinium Black Knight Pacific Giant hybrid. will need staking, violet blue flowers/black bee, cutting and I know the humming birds like them too. Planted in the cutting garden next to the cement blocks and the yew trees. The humming birds like the siberian iris and foxgloves, and seem to check out all of the flowers. 15, Aster Wartburg Star, Aster tongolensis - lovely blue and gold daisy like flowers. Butterflies should like this one. 15. Wallflower Cheiranthus Orange, fragrant. Planted it by the Magnolia with the other wall flower. Started the sprinkler at 4:30 when I came in. I cut back some of the wisteria, but it still is going up into the oak tree. I must cut it back. The shoot that is up the western red cedars is enough wisteria blooms. Clipped back a bit of the hedge along the garden and dug out dandilions and other weeds. I should see about thinning out the irises. There is an ebony iris in bloom by the california lilac. Beautiful thing. I must give it more bone meal. I have 7 plants left to do. I had them standing in water while we had lunch to about 2:00 when I went out again.

‎Thursday, ‎June ‎06, ‎2013
Planted the seven plants that were left. I added some compost to the ones that were not in the cutting garden. In the Cutting Garden, I hoed out the little weeds. Watered the back last night. I went out at 12:30 and was in by 4:00. I moved a piece of the fennel with a big root into the cutting garden, next to the irises. I moved the fern that was growing by the dry stream. It came out in two pieces so have them planted under the deck .. one by the house and the other slightly higher up. The chair has a view over the dry stream and lantern to a small window to the cutting garden. I will have to cut out some of the leaves of the big plant (forget its name). The dry stream looks much better now, as the ferns were getting big and dominating the whole area. The moss is looking fairly good. I weeded a bit in the round stepping stone path. The mint is doing great, but getting some little grass in it. Have to keep after it to get it all out. The violets are getting under control, around the garden, slowly... have to keep after them, too. Watered around the front when I finished the transplants. Left the hose on Rectangle #2 for quite a while. The water was running down the street. That grass does not obsorb the water like it should when it is so dry. Doing some of the laundry and getting more photos done for the Can Am. Reading a short history of Byzantium. . fairly boring. Rectangle #1 and its front strip are looking pretty good. The Gertrude Jykl rose is in full bloom. I am trying to keep the hedges that were cut watered. I should drag the hose up to the deck and do the ones by the deck, too. Watering from the bottom is what I am doing now. I think the 3 yews in pots on the garden are going to be good for by the garbage cans to block out the crap. Will wait until the rains start to put them in. In the spring of 2014 Saanich is going to be doing the garbage pick up of kitchen and garden green waste in one bin and the plastics and anything uncompostable in another bin. I guess I will be letting my guys that are doing the green bin now, go. I hope they get to work for Saanich. I will see how big Saanich's bin is... I might want to keep the Community Compost guys for the summer months. May to October... maybe. I like the dirt bags too. My old compost bin that I have not used for some time now, is about half full. I should be able to use it for grass clippings and the weeds from the bin on the garden. Next to do is the beds by the garage and the woodland. Hopefully be finished before we go to Sask on about the 24th, 25th, I think.

‎Friday, ‎June ‎07, ‎2013
cooler day. It rained 1/10 inch over night. I did not get out to the garden today. Finished the laundry including the bedding, watered the in door plants, made mousaka and greek salad, did up 10 large photos of freyja and her mom and sent them. Been a good day. I was busy all day. Have about 28 photos to do for the CanAm and then send out to email... hmmm have to get the 50 emails. The solar lights in the garden look terrific at nite. Very bright now that there is some sun. We made a plan for the beginning of our Sask. trip On the 23rd Pat will be at the Victoria Swap Meet in the AM. He will have the van plugged in and the fridge cooling. I will start packing the van... food, etc.. and we should be ready to leave on the 24th to catch the early ferry. So, 2 weeks from Monday..... I did my nails today and they look good, despite the gardening. So, 2 - 3 days to get my nails in decent shape... the hair is another matter, altogether.

‎Saturday, ‎June ‎08, ‎2013
Was a perfect day for gardening, but I spent the morning doing photo stuff of May photos for a blog post. After my popcorn lunch at 2:30 ish I went out to the garden. Got the bed beside the garage ... both sides cleaned up... mostly. Needs to be looked at some more. The green bin is full and I have to stump it down with the big hammer. Was in at 5:10, showered and made left overs supper by 5:50. After supper Pat took his Model t (started good) over to the mall... some people still going...he says it will survive. I was out getting some garden photos when he returned and so got him too. He was good enough to stop while I shot him. :-) Photos are bracketed. Took off the protective UV filter and will see if I get the greyish stuff on the bracketing this time. Got a mosquito bite while out by the pond... and I bought 12 new little goldfish this year. There seem to be these tiny green mosquitos above the pond. What I really need is a couple of dragonflies! I hope the milk weed grows so I can get some monarchs next year. I must try get the showy milkweed that Dave Dube recommends... must check his youtube for the latin name. Humming birds are around, pretending it is their garden and what do I think I am doing there? Caught a glimpse of a rat in the cutting garden again. Probably coming from that open compost bin next door. Shitheads need to learn what is attracting these vermin. Hope they get some in their house for their edification. I don't feel like leaving my deck door open without sitting next to it to see that no rats are getting in. My old compost bin has not been used for kitchen waste for years. It is about half full of old compost now. I will be able to use it for grass clippings and leaves when Saanich brings in its new two system garbage pick up by sometime in 2014. So, I think I will renew my community composting, for 6 months during the summer to take care of all the branches etc that I get in their bin and Saanich will probably bitch about it, and I probably will not have enough room in their bins. This really sucks. I should be allowed to support the local industry, if I want to, and not use their forced services. ... what happens when these dorks go on strike, or they decide I have been putting out branches that are too big, or something they consider invasive material? My community composters take anything I put in the bin and leave me a compost bag. Watered the deck plants and watered more under the deck later today. I seem to have one yew transplanted branch that is going to grow. Today was world ocean day. Hmmmm..

‎Sunday, ‎June ‎09, ‎2013
Was out from about 1:00 to 4:30. Weeded and clipped shrubs under rhodos, under the fig and all the other shrubs along the round stepping stones path and over to the entry to the vegetable patch. Did some little repairs to the moss garden and transplanted some stuff under the deck. I got a wheel barrow full of clippings. The green bin was heaping and I had to stump it down to get the lid closed. Ten more days until the dirt bag people come to take it away. Watered at the back... that sprinkler is not doing a super job. I saw the swallowtail butterfly on the rhodos but did not get its picture. This area is looking really good and smelling super with the corsican mint filling in around the stones. Don't know why those little grasses keep growing in it. Just have to keep pulling them out I guess. The calendulas and some of the cosmos are blooming, the rhodos, the roses, the pinks, columbines, peonies, thyme, the lavender. After lamb kabobs and greek salad.... Potted on a couple of the orchids. Dumped the one with ugly orange blossoms. I should repot the violets some day too. Next thing to do is the Japanese/moss/pond area.

‎Monday, ‎June ‎10, ‎2013
out to dead head the roses and get new stuff for the boquet. .. daisies and a rose. Weeded around the front path and pulled grass out of the golden organo. Dead headed irises. Derek came and got the bamboo while we were away to the west shore mall to get a battery for the bentley, lottery tickets and yet another backpack type bag for me. My new little red wallet cost twice as much at $19.99... the back pack was 9.99, and a cover (tight fit) for my ipad was another 5 or 6.. $40 after tax. blah. My really lovely hydrangea appears to have some sort of fungus. The leaves are all wilted. I think the name of it is hydrangea aspera. I have no idea which fungus it is. very sad to see. I think I will have to clean up that area behind the garage... maybe put some easier care nicer plants in there instead of the daylillies and sweet woodruff. The winter jasmine is straggly too. The fern is huge and the lily of the valley shrub has grown much taller. So, maybe a nice rhodo.They seem to be much easier care than the hydrangea. There is grass growing in there too. It looks like some animal about the size of a dog sat on the daylillies and crunched them down. There is a flattened spot about the same size on the grass at the front by our driveway. Strange stuff. The garbage can just went out tonite, so it was not the can that did this.

‎Thursday, ‎June ‎13, ‎2013
Have not been getting gardening done. It is cool enough, and no rain, but have had other stuff to do, it seems. Today was shopping at the market on yates street, lunch at Arby's in Mayfair, shopping at Thrifty's, then to .... to get the round up spray. Buckerfield's is not it, as Buckerfields is on Keating Cross road. I checked the van for clean... it is fine. Will just wash the pillow cases, and reload all the bedding and food. We had lobster for supper, with corn and new potatoes, coleslaw, bottle of wine and cheese. Must be at least the 4th feast of the week. Tomorrow is salmon loaf.

‎Friday, ‎June ‎14, ‎2013
Got out this afternoon for a couple of hours. Have cleaned up the irises behind the garage, put a half a bag of compost down on them. Filled the fish tub and watered around the back, a bit. I have the sprinkler on the cutting garden for 3/4 hour.

‎Sunday, ‎June ‎16, ‎2013
Today was model T days Barney Oldfield organized by Chris and Louise, with Anne and Rocky assisting. maybe 14 turnout. Andy Jones won the garish trophy. Ma Oldfield, Rob and a neice there to present the trophy. Yesterday, I removed the yellow jasmine and dug over about 3 feet of the bed behind the garage, trying to get out all the bulbs whether bluebells or scilla... they all look alike. Hope to finish this before we go to Sask. Have to pack on the 23rd to leave on 7 am ferry on 24th. Go out on yellowhead and back south route and maybe see Waterton again. We have to be back for our train trip, though. Sent out links to the last years Can Am... compliments from Bruce E and Hopkins today, and one from Tomaso by email. So, they are looking, but only at the thumbs as the views are not growing.

‎Tuesday, ‎June ‎18, ‎2013
Yesterday we went to Sidney in the Bentley, had lunch with Maria and picked up our train travel stuff. Lunch was superb. We saw another Bentley... but that's another story. Maria gave me the Mickey Mouse she had in the travel office window. Wow.. Mickey looks good with the bears. We had a fine dinner of cod fish. Later we had a good little shower. The rain gauge shows just one mark of rain, but the wood and ground still looks wet and we have clouds today. Hope we get more rain. I don't want to have to water ... have packing and stuff to do for our trip to Sask. We saw Cathy after 1:00 and went over what she does to moniter our place while we are gone and how much we pay her, etc. $20 a day for 5 days a week. I mowed the grass and watered at the back with the sprinkler and at the front by hand. It seems like we might get a shower again tonite. tomorrow I will do laundry and take bedding out to van, and the canned goods, books, anything I won't need in the house.

‎Sunday, ‎June ‎23, ‎2013
The sun was out today. Did some weeding and watered around the back.. patio, under deck, on deck. I cut out 3 long bamboo shoots that were growing in the cedars and a couple of roots ... one running out the bottom of the thyme circle, and one in the honeysuckle hedge by Rectangle 1. Weeded the stone path.. those little orange flowers are everywhere again. No doubt they will continue to be ... as I am sure I did not get all of them. And by the time we get back from Sask they will have gone to seed. We leave for Sask on Monday at the crack of dawn, of course. I have some of the stuff packed... just food left to take out tomorrow. The fridge is plugged in and cooling. There has been horrible flooding in Calgary, and other towns along the Bow River. .. All the water is heading for Sask., so we will need to be mindful of where the floods are happening. I think the North Battleford area might be in for some trouble... maybe Saskatoon, too. Wish we could just stay home. Last nite there was a wonderfully weird full moon for the Soltice. I took quite a few bracketed shots of it. This little camera did a fine job.. the Canon SX 40 with 35X zoom. there was a spectacular huge rainbow the next morning... added them to my blog ... soltice moon post.

July 2013

‎July ‎19, ‎2013
We got home on 17th. I have about 3GB of photos, including RAW for the dslr and some bracketed for hdr processing. Was a good trip. Spent about 10 days with Fran, Colleen and John could not make it due to family problem. Colleen has osteoarthritis and was doing poorly when we stopped overnite, but she made us breakfast in the am. we arrived at Frans for her bday on the 28th, went to georgies to get more plants, went to Greenwater, were out to the chinese cafe for a dinner, she did some cooking and so did I. We went to Manitou for the Meehan dinner and dance. Fran stayed in the hotel and did great, even managed to get a shower. We stopped to see a friend of hers on the way back to Wadena. Had chicken from the place across the street and Pat got a stomach ache from it and Fran was not feeling too good either. My symtoms were more mild, and about a day later. So, we have not had KFC since... even though this was not kfc. We had the lamb kabobs the next time and then were on our way to Regina, and Dan and Corols place for 2 nights and 2 out dinners, and to see the tunnels in MooseJaw. They are doing ok. Tyler is as usual. Carol broke her wrist when she was out at Tara's earlier... nerve damage by the time they got it fixed properly and she is having physio ... it is improving. After Regina we headed for Wateron and finished off by going through the US on highway #20... winding scenic route. We did not go through Glacier Park as the road was said to be over crowded with contstruction too. The bit of #49 that we took was quite enough adventure for me... very windy... and narrow road. The rest of #20 to Port Angeles was great with a few photo/rest stops. Cathy Bryant looked after the place and we pay her $20 a day for the days she comes in... so $320. I have got the washing done, but not the ironing, watered the house plants, they look ok, watered a bit on the deck, but needs more. The lawn needs mowing but my leg is complaining so I think I will rest it some more before I do more stairs, etc. Today and last nite I got the Kasparsky anti virus working, after many silly mistakes. Next time I will just renew on the automatic renew. The credit card has a number that looks like a 1 and is really a 7 ... nearly drove me nuts... then had to learn that I needed to uninstall the old one before activating the new one....... geeez. Downloaded all my photos and formatted cards. The computer will not take large cards... I think I should start using my cable hook up for my new SX 40 camera and use the new fast 16 GB card. I registered us with the presidents club at Freemont hotels... apparently you get wifi accessess wtih them and can have air miles but I did not specify an airmile place... we get the Visa points. Pat used these Visa points to get our flight over and back with Harbor Air... registered on line and got us some fantastic rates and used the visa points. Cool. We are allowed 25 pounds luggage with them. There is no wifi on the train, and Pat is liking his nexus tablet, so he should be able to get good wifi at the fairmont hotels we stay at .. hopefully. We had a wild flower walk at our campsite just before Waterton, so I have quite a few photos from the windy walk. Got a new teddy bear... it has a butterfly net.... at Fort McLeod. I think it was a lunch stop.

‎Saturday, ‎July ‎20, ‎2013
Warm day, cappicino first time in about a month. Got runners polished, deck plants watered, watered the cutting garden, watered a tiny bit at the front. Weeded a bit of the grass out of the corsican mint between the stepping stones at the back. Filled the pond and turned on the waterfall. The grape needs trimming back, as does a lot of the stuff. The glads are a gorgeous color. I must be sure to save them. The delphinium in the cutting garden did not amount to much. Must save the white columbine seeds. The calundulas might go to seed. The bamboo is growing at the front... must get it cut off. The grass needs mowing, but not sure if I will get it done. A strawberry plant has sent out runners. . . at last. I think the rhubarb is looking a little happier now, too. The compost guys left a bag of dirt... this is not clean compost, I am finding. Lots of weeds and grasses in it. My knee feels ok. Am trying to rest it without overworking it. Am going to bring a bandage along on the trip, in case I need it. We went over some of the stuff today. I can have only 25 lbs of luggage on the harbor to harbor flight, so am leaving the big dslr camera at home... probably won't have time for it anyway. We are up at the crack of dawn every day and go sight seeing in some very high places. I might try to skip the gondola. 44 floors of overlook in Vancouver might be a bit much in a glass elevator too... eyes closed for 40 seconds.... can take tylenol before, maybe. have 3 gb of photos to look at!

‎Wednesday, ‎July ‎24, ‎2013
I managed to get the laundry, ironing done. While cutting back the grapevine and the fig tree, I was pulliing grape branches out of the eaves trough when the wasps attacked me. I have a sting just above my left eye. Thank heavens they missed my eye! I put after bite on it and it looked ok for the rest of the day, just hurt a bit. It was swollen when I woke up today. WE have treated the wasps at the front drain pipe to some raid just at sunset as they were all getting in there. That one worked really well. I hope Cathy has no trouble with these back ones. I cleaned up the leaves on the back sidewalk by the garage and cut back more perennials along that area. The lawn mower did not start. It has a reset button, so, I think I now have it reset to charge. At least it sparked when I tried to plug it in with its little plug in thing. I will see when i get back, if it does not work will take it to a place that fixes them. I sprayed the bamboo that is growing into the grass where the crocus field is, with roundup last nite and hope they are done in when we get back from our train trip. We leave tomorrow on the harbor to harbor flight that Pat arranged with our visa points. We can only have 25 lbs of luggage each, including carry on... so this has been a struggle to get within my 25 lb. limit. Pat has 6 lbs left to use up with our backpack day bag. We can get stuff at a drug store over there, if we need stuff, like mouth wash, or get our scotch before we go onto the train. It is going to be very close to the limit for both of us. I hope they let us fudge it a bit on our weight.... a lb or 2 for each. I cannot imagine what they do for really fat people... probably have to take the ferry. Tara sent a note that the Grants are in their last week and could we come for a bbq... said so sorry... they are doing fine... grants will probably be back at Christmas time, and Carol and maybe Jordan and even Dan might be out sometime in the Fall. We missed John and Isabel who made a one day flying trip out to Victoria with Kelly and Allysa. Tried to phone them, but no one home. Well, it will be the long weekend in Aug when we get back. The weather is suppose to continue as hot as it is. Cathy is good about watering stuff ... so only a couple of plants have died in the new cutting garden. They can be replaced. The glads bloomed and were a lovely wine red color. I will keep them! The strawberry has sent out a long runner .. 2 of them actually and the rhubarb still has its little leaves. So, the strawberries and rhubarb should be good next year, I hope! The birds always get the saskatoons, it seems, and the strawberries. I watered the house, deck and patio plants, and the back cutting garden. The vetch is in bloom in the grass and the grass is really tall at the back. I have a bit of weed and feed left and will probably treat this back area to it sometime in August when we get back. I put ice on my swollen eye and it seems to be working to take down the swelling. Thank heavens. My new teddy bear is named lucky and he has a butterfly net. Got him at Fort McLeod where we had a lunch stop, but did not go see the Fort. We saw it the year we were to the Pincher Creek Ford meet.. maybe 2011. I have 3 GB of photos to process. Well there will probably be some deletes, but the bracketed shots take up a lot of space. C'est la vie

August 2013

‎Monday, ‎August ‎05, ‎2013
we got back yesterday mid day. It was nice and cool in the house. The plants seem to be doing ok. They got a down pour of rain one of the days we were away, and it seems cooler temperatures since. The plums are ready to eat, we have started them tonite. Cut the roses back and watered at the front a bit. Cut the lily blooms off and got a yellow mark from the stamen, on my hand. It washed off. I am doing laundry and have the house rather warmish from cooking and laundry. I have culled a few of the bad photos, but still have lots to take out. The symphony splash is on tonite, but we are not going. Too tired now ... I imagine they are playing at 7:45 though.

‎Thursday, ‎August ‎08, ‎2013
Watered the deck plants and clipped back the plum a bit. We are eating plums every day now. The lawn mower will not start. Pat says he will get it a new battery and sharpen the blade. One more attempt at chargeing it now. It was hot today.. 27 or 8. Filled the pond too. The grass at the back is quite long and green, as Cathy and I have been watering back there. The cutting garden looks as bad as the vegetables did.. I shall give it more compost, I guess. The strawberries are sending out runners. We are going to the HCP arts and music and auto on Sunday. They want us there just before 11:00 and leave at 5:00. 6 hours will be a long time if it is hot out. Apparently there is a beer garden. There is a little cafe with salads and a few things.

‎Friday, ‎August ‎09, ‎2013
We went out to Can West Mall and got the 2 batteries from all battery - Chris - for the lawn mower..(Yardworks 14 in. ) they are 20 amp and 24 volt.. I think. Was about $170. Pat left the old ones there and when we got home to set right to putting them in the mower AND sharpened the blade. This mower is going to be better than ever now. We cannot find the manual or the papers for when we bought it, but Pat figures about 4 years ago. So these batteries have lasted very well. Was 27 degrees again. It is not too bad in the house with the screen over the skylight and all the trees for shade. I made the necessary pages to update the travel page on my web page and loaded them. Someday, I will get more albums done. Its an on line list of our travels anyway. And the car stuff starting a couple of years ago. Tried to learn something about Dropbox this morning, but did not get very far with it. Did up photos for Pat of the Wadena town office that used to be RCMP building. The plums are ready and we have been eating them all week. The garden is very dried out, with cracks in the soil. Once I get the lawn mowed I will start watering in the evening.

‎Saturday, ‎August ‎10, ‎2013
well, I have had quite a day today. I spent the morning trying to get my computer to display web pages like it used to before I went to Sask. I find it is the new Firefox making stupid adjustments. So to fix it I had to change my icon size to medium. Now the pages display ok, but everything is way smaller. Craps. Why do they keep changing things? I then searched out why my Recyle bin won't give me a total of all the files sizes ... it seems on Windows 7 Microsoft has decided this information should be in a hidden file. How bone headed. Wonder who makes these decisions. Then I searched my computer for Climate Change files and have made a folder for it... its a start, I guess, on this community in Megashot... maybe. The afternoon was much better. Since it was a decent temperature... 20.. I got my old pants and shoes on and went out and mowed the grass. Then I mowed the gout weed on Parmars side. After clipping down the gout weed and trimming back the day lilies I got out 4 stakes, watered the ground by their garbage cans and pounded the stakes in to hold 3 plastic plant trays as a fence... ugly as hell, just opposite the garbage cans. Maybe that will keep them off .. you see the burning bush that the tree guys took off at ground level is growning again. This 'fence' should protect it and hopefully make it grow towards the sun on my side. I will have a definite pruning line for it now. I think there is another one of the sticks of the bush that I stuck into the ground that might catch hold too. It is further back towards my house than the original one and might suffice to cover the view of the garbage cans if it grows up. Next summer Saanich is going to have its green garbage pick ups in place, where we will need to put our bins out by the curb. They are on wheels, so Pat sees no problem with it, as it will work the same as my green bin and cost less. But I won't get the compost bags. Guess I will just have to have Cannor deliver stuff again. I pruned back the Simplicity rose in height. Hope it branches out more. Watered the back cutting garden and also the Japanese pond area. We are eating plums and they are falling off the tree, so ... I suppose we won't get them all. I still have old sauce left, so won't be making more ... well maybe a couple of jars, next week. After supper I got a bit done on Megashot. The other night I did a couple of pages of meet and greet... should soon be caught up with that, if I keep at it.

‎Sunday, ‎August ‎11, ‎2013
We were to the HCP garden party. Left at 10:30 in the 1912 Torpedo Roadster. Got parked on the field and were there until 4:00. Was light rain before we left, but the brass did not get any rain. I went around the gardens at least twice. It does not look like their gardens are faring much better than mine. I find that there are altogether too many 'things' in the Japanese garden... too many bridges, too many bamboo pole fences, too many little pagoda things, too many lanterns.... All in all it gives a cluttered appearance. Not enough moss or open space to balance all the busy stuff. Pat got a wasp bite and not a good lunch. My lunch was very good. I finally found Jack Cooper's art kiosk and got the Mad Hatter at $60.00. We had a beer in the beer tent , chatted with the car people for a while and went home. Good day, mostly. Am tired... lot of walking in what became a fairly hot day after all. There were only 8 cars. Apparently there were far more on Saturday. My ratty 'fence in front of the garbage cans still stands, protecting the red little bush. Lots of plums on the ground. I noticed that the piece of the mounding plant that I transplanted back to the little rockery is still green. It might even survive! There are lots of strawberry runners. Perhaps they will be good next year. Japanese garden, and every where, needs weeding and dead heading. Did quite a bit on Megashot again last nite, and now have about 120 gmails from mega to look through... more you do, the more you get to do.

‎Tuesday, ‎August ‎13, ‎2013
I got quite a bit of stuff done yesterday. Found the Yardworks Lawn mower operators manual, but no bill in it, so don't know when we bought it. At any rate the new battery fixed it and it works great now. I keep the manual in the drawer under the teddy bears, along with the cordless pruner manual. Did some laundry, and some vacuuming, and some megashot stuff. I brought in about 3 dozen plums and made 3 plastic boxes of puree. I left the skins on, added a dash of rum and a bit of sugar, boiled for a couple of minutes, then pureed them in the kitchen machine.

‎Thursday, ‎August ‎15, ‎2013
Yesterday we visited Peter and Audree. Peter made and served a fine roasted chicken lunch. Picked us up from the ferry and delivered us back. He is not walking so good, but is still pretty sharp. Audree has gone down hill more. glad we saw them for the visit. They gave us a bucket 3/4 full of little crab apples. I have put them through the juicer and have 5 cups of juice. I added about 3/4 cup of water. And boiled about 15 minutes with 3 1/2 cups of sugar. I sterlized 6 jars of about 1 cup each and put it into the jars, covers on, and put the jars into some very hot water for a while. I think they are all sealing, so I should be able to put this jelly away in the pantry.

‎Friday, ‎August ‎16, ‎2013
Well the jelly is still liquid. Pat got me some pectin and I will use 1 envelope of liquid pectin. I was out in the garden deadheading and cleaning up the dried out stuff. Cleaned up along between Shawna and our driveways. Deadheaded along the front and cut off all the montebretia stems, all over the front garden. This took me until 4... so three hours. I watered the cutting garden and am now watering under the deck. I have the hose nozzle on to run under the hedge to water the rectangle by the Plum tree at the front. Will give it a good soaking and continue moving the hose along the hedge to water it. It is looking really good and will probably survie the haircut it got earlier this late spring. It has been cloudy with mere spits of rain yesterday. Got up to 23 today and then the sun came out. Am up to page 4 in doing meet and greet on Megashot.

‎Tuesday, ‎August ‎20, ‎2013
It has been cooler, cloudy but no rain to speak of. I have finally got the jelly to jell after 3 tries. I was only out to water at the front and fix the waterfall at the back. Watered a bit at the back. Been playing in photoshop and learned some good stuff. Have megashot meet and greet caught right up. Were to dinner at HoJo on Sunday with Art and Marlene. Lunch at Arbys in mayfair food mall today with Pat. Good day. Reading more Sherlock Holmes on ipad.

‎Wednesday, ‎August ‎21, ‎2013
It is up to 25 degrees. Watered the house plants, deck, and patio plants. Filled the back water tub. Watering the front plum tree, watered under deck and Japanese area, watered the cutting garden. They have started making the deer pasture into a park. Mann Excavating have dug out most of the blackberries, the pampas grass, apple trees, rose bushes. Guess its going to be made into 'natural' park. We will see.

‎Friday, ‎August ‎23, ‎2013
Today I am doing laundry. We went to the Greek Festival... early and just ate and came home. I had taken my car keys out of my purse, took the red purse out and just took some cash and my camera. Upon getting home, I found that I do not have my house key. I searched everywhere for it. The only thing I can think of now is that it fell out of my purse at the Greek place... but I think the zipper was closed, so it is lost somewhere in the house. I searched everywhere though. I really am distraught about this. The park guys have dug down about a foot and half and have filled this almost to the top with crushed rock. They took away the black berry trash. Pat says they also took away some of this dirt they dug out. Probably to their yard, he figures. Was going to go get pictures but it was sprinkling rain a bit, so stayed in.

‎Sunday, ‎August ‎25, ‎2013
Yesterday we went to the Greek festival place. After running me around from pillar to post they finally gave me my keys; saying we run a tight ship here. So, embarrassing. I asked just about every person I could find before they gave them to me. So, I am finally over it. Was up too late again last night too. Today was a lovely day. We have picnic stuff .. chicken and 2 salads from Thriftys, for the Polo game. It is a charity deal to support the Mustard Seed. David Stocks who is a Rotarian, I think, arranged for a few RR and Bentleys to be there. We used the 'walter table' an old lacey looking table cloth, white plates and proper cutlery with blue cotton napkins. We were all puttin on the dog and having fun. I wore my old garden hat with pants and sweater... really should have had a long dress thing with it. The polo game was fun. Some ok pictures. There were people who paid $100 or $50 for fancy tea, with tables set with white linen and china cups... none that matched... ahem. We have eaten 2 figs so far, and I think we have come to the end of the yellow plums. There are a few purple plums and more figs, if I can only find them.

‎Wednesday, ‎August ‎28, ‎2013
I made 9 packages of Mulligatawny Soup today... double batch. I made 6 jars of 2 1/4 cups of chicken stock and 5 one cup jars of chicken stock.

‎Thursday, ‎August ‎29, ‎2013
Made 8 packages of Cabbage (diet) soup, and saved 3 jars of potatoe water with meatloaf drippings. Should make good soup stock. The Mann Excavaters took away their machines today. I guess they are finished and it is now up to the parks people to finish it. The trail is gravel packed down over drain rock. I emptied 1/2 inch of rain yesterday and the gauge now has 1/4 inch. Looks like the Autumn rains have started, at last. It definitely is soup making season.

‎Friday, ‎August ‎30, ‎2013
made 4 pkgs of Seafood chowder and 2 jars of vegetable stock from the scraps, an extra carrot & celery. we had another 1/2 inch of rain. had a fig from the garden for supper. Made schnitzel today too. I am very tired as I was up way late finishing the great gatsby book on ipad. Today was a nice day. We shopped in the morning and had yesteredays soup for lunch. Was good. The Mann Excavaters have taken their machinery away ... guess its up to the Parks people now.

‎Saturday, ‎August ‎31, ‎2013
Prepared, and froze 4 parsnip soup - delicious, 4 roasted root vegetables (one to eat) - delicious, and 18 cups of vegetable stock and 2 pkgs of spaghetti meat sauce (and one to eat). It has been a very nice day outside, but I am in my soup making mode. I have lots of veggies left over for supper, and have cup of soup each for tasting at lunch time.

September 2013

‎Sunday, ‎September ‎01, ‎2013
Made parsnip, pecan and cranberries = 3 pkgs, and Ratatouille - 6 pkgs, 5 one cup jars of ratatouille stock. There was too much liquid in the ratatouille, do not use chicken stock, it is just not necessary. So I have a few cups of tomatoe/vegetable stock. Should be good for cooking rice or quinoa, or in soups. Lots of food value in it. It has been a very nice day, but I was in doing the cooking stuff, and now we go out to greek festaval.

‎Tuesday, ‎September ‎03, ‎2013
Yesterday was another nice day. I was in the house making minestrone soup, sausage and rice casserole, and getting the rice and meat ready to make cabbage rolls. I have 8 blue pkgs and 3 one litre pkgs of minestrone soup frozen, and 1 potatoe soup. After lunch, I finished a stage of the soup and then walked over to the Red Barn. Things are really expensive over there . Today after lunch I made the three and a half 8 x 8 in. pans of cabbage rolls covered with tomatoe slices and covered that with cabbage leaves. Baking at 360 for 3 hours. I will let them cool and put the foil pans into a plastic bag before freezing. Was up too late again. Talked to Cyrus on skype text and listened to some music on youtube by Roger Waters... incredible lyrics and music. Seems to be part of Pink Floyd "What god wants - 3 parts, Every Strangers Eyes, etc.

‎Monday, ‎September ‎09, ‎2013
It is a lovely day. We got back from the Island Challenge yesterday in good time. It was an excellent run, very well organized by Joycelen and Derek and all the helpers. Fine banquet and Sunday was breakfast at the Duncan Fair. We left for home after 12:00. I picked 4 figs and a bowl of grapes. Pat had a tomato from the deck plant in his sandwich for lunch. 7 pkgs of Fran's Seafood Chowder frozen today Spent the morning playing on my ipad, in particular collecting free books about the Romans. Figured out how to move them around and delete anything I no longer want. Library and use the 3 horizontal lines at the top right, then can edit and move or delete.

‎Tuesday, ‎September ‎10, ‎2013
Beautiful day! Walked back from lab. We tested the Prairie Seafood chowder and its good, along with crab cakes from Thriftys for lunch... both very good. After lunch I made the split pea and ham hock soup and have added 4 pkgs to the freezer. We now have 49 days of soup packages and the freezer is getting full. I have a couple more soups to do yet. We are eating grapes in salad and as fruit. I bought a new book at the used book store and have $1.25 credit left with them. Not doing any computer stuff today.

‎Wednesday, ‎September ‎11, ‎2013
We had a record breaking temperature of 30 for this day. It is the 9/11 day from 2001, so 12 years ago. I did not do any soup today, but spent my time playing with photos and getting the I AM one done up and printed for Fran. It really looked pretty good, after much work to dodge the shadows and get the colors right. I somehow got it to print on the whole page on photo matte paper. I did one of the train picture but had a lot of trouble fitting it on the page. Pat mailed it. I found a note about printing A4 and copied it to the prints folder and into the photoshop tutorials Hope I can find it again and understand it. I discovered that I had ruined my Danube gallery on my web page, when I loaded the 12 model T stuff... never name the photos 1 2 3 etc. put some distinctive letter before the numbers so that it will not mix up the albums. I need to redo the model t photo album with new photo names.

‎Thursday, ‎September ‎12, ‎2013
A beautiful day. Made 5 pkgs of squash, quinoa, pesto soup

‎Saturday, ‎September ‎14, ‎2013
Yesterday I made 4 pkgs of shrimp bisque with one to taste .. very good. I am using vegetable stock as I do not seem to have much chicken stock left. I made about 8 cups of beef stock, with some vegetable scraps in it. It tastes pretty good too. It can be substituted for chicken stock, but will add a meatier taste. I used a fish stock and vegetable stock on the shrimp bisque. When serving add a tablespoon of brandy in the soup bowl and a chopped green onion on the top. We had 3 purple plums for supper last nite. Old theiving Mrs. Pee was out there the other nite checking out the plums. I was yelling out the window, to Pat telling him that old mrs. Pee was checking out the plums... he was downstarirs and I had to repeat it a couple of times. She certainly heard me, cause I heard someone over there ask her if she took any... could not hear her answer. I am sure she would have taken some if there were any there to be taken. My freezer and the fridge are pretty well full but there is still a couple more soups I want to make. I will remove that old plastic litre of black berries and make jam out of it and free up some space and then should be able to get the next soup, beet and fennel, in there somewhere. Also want to make some borscht... beef stock will be good with both of these. The 18 bean soup should be good, and I also want to find a pureed squash soup to make... so that will be 4 more soups to make. I will be using up the duck and a roasting chicken which will make more space and more stock. Made 2 beet and fennel soups to freeze, and 4 little fennel stock jars. I was out in the garden from 11:30 to 2:30. Mowed the grass and mowed across the street past Shawna's place. Swept the grass off the street. Cut back some blackberries . Then in my garden I cut back the old yarrow at the front. I really must get the golden yarrow, the ones I have are not very nice. There is lots of the purple verbena bodanaris at the front. Cut back a bamboo, and a sprout from the purple plum. At the back I cut back the wisteria and some of the lilac. Have a boquet of michaelmas daisies, verbena, ferns on the deck. Too messy to bring in. I cleaned up a bit around the grape and the fig. there is a yellow water lily in bloom on the deck. I cleaned out the filter on the pump as it was running kinda slow. I need to cut back the thorn bush and Pat will take down the messy arbutus for me sometime. I need to get out the pole pruner and take down a big black berry that is invading at garage roof level, from Shawna's side. I cannot get it from her side as that part of her yard is full of blackberries and thistles and god knows what else. It was once a nice piece of lawn, when we first moved here. Our park is coming along. Still waiting to see what trees they are going to add. Not sure if I will move the douglas fir over there or not.

‎Sunday, ‎September ‎15, ‎2013
Was overcast today. Made 5 packages of bean and vegetable soup. I used up all the blue packages, so won't be making the borscht just yet. Made a bunch of little jars of blackberry jelly with pectin (was 3 1/4 cups of juice), and 2 one cup jars without pectin. Made the 2 cups with the second run of the blackberries through the juicer. It has more pulp and no pectin. If it does not jell, we can always use it on pan cakes or as a sauce to accompany the meat dish or ice cream. None of it jelled, so we have a lot of little bottles of blackberry sauce for all the trouble. Its good with just plain frozen yogurt. The deep freezer and the fridge freezer are full with jars of crab apple jelly and a few pickles left in the cupboard. Used up all my blue packages, I cut back more blackberry bushes across the street and cut back my white rose. I have been on my feet all day and am quite ready to sit down, but it is time for supper. Pork roast, new potatoes, apple sauce and onion, red pepper mushrooms made in the roast pan, and pork gravey.

‎Tuesday, ‎September ‎17, ‎2013
Between yesterday and today, I cleaned the light garden and its plants, repotted some of the African violets and threw one out. I seem to have space for at least 2 more plants. I moved the basket and its junk out to the deck. I threw out a straggly cactus. Tomorrow I will feed them. The hae maria is in bloom, two phalenopsis - probably the $12 orchids, are in buds, and the pot. Lisa Taylor Gallis 'Nora" (BLC. California Girl X Sc. Beaufort) has 2 buds. I have 7 phals, 2 from the original dominion seed house purchase.

‎Monday, ‎September ‎23, ‎2013
Got back from Can Am yesterday. Emptied an inch of rain out of the gauge today. It was 13 and cloud/sun. Got trays from Canadian Tire for the orange trees. Just muddling about today... grocery shopped, reading, Murdoch on TV. Reading news on computer... Kenya nasty mall shooting by terrorists.

‎Wednesday, ‎September ‎25, ‎2013
Was a fine day today. Sun and about 15 degrees. Did a few chores, found another soup recipe in the am. Made the supper (tuna surprise) after lunch. Then about 2:30 went out to the garden. Cleaned out the orange tree pots, and brought them into the suite by the window. weeded a bit in the moss garden, cleaned up the little area in front of the magnolia tree. Have a bouquet of michaelmas daisies on the table in my room. the daisies and the heather are in bloom and are looking really good. The compost bin at the back is about half full. I think I should start using it again as I won't be getting dirt from my green bin guys after Jan. 1, as Saanich is starting its green garbage pickup. My light garden is looking really good. The yellow phal. has opened one bloom. Tomorrow promises to be a fine day again, so I plan on getting some gardening done in the am and pm, hopefully.

‎Thursday, ‎September ‎26, ‎2013
Another beautiful day. Gardening from 2 to 5. Was wonderful to be out there. Weeded around the magnolia tree and the iberis over to the grass along that side. Could not do the back of that bed as the michaelmas daisies are covered with honey bees. Weeded the stone path up to the entry to the thyme circle. Weeded and edged half of the thyme circle, and the front half of the inner garden bed. Cleaned out some of the lady's mantle and added more stones along the meter maid's path. I can keep the violets mowed along that path. The violets are not spreading too badly. It helps to keep them weeded out of everywhere. The bottom of the thyme circle needs some work. The verbena bodanaris seems to be seeding itself around rather prolifically. I need to keep after the white daisies.. there are still seedlings coming up. The bamboo has a few shoots that need to be taken down. The shoots in the lawn that I treated to Roundup seem to have stopped growing.. Yeaaaaa! I think Derek has enough bamboo. :-)) The heathers are in bloom and look good. Must prune them back in the early spring. I have been giving my roses the cut up banana skins. I am not putting any of these weeds into my compost bin. I don't think my compost gets hot enough to kill them. The daisies and the other plant around the sundial are looking very healthy. I might have to move some of those daisies to keep them from crowding out that rhododendron type plant. It is suppose to rain for the next 4 days... Guess I will have to get started on the house cleaning... ewww... should do windows, dusting and vacuming. Pat talked to Dan Cyr last night and they will be coming up sometime in November he said.

‎Friday, ‎September ‎27, ‎2013
The cement guys came and pumped cement under the parts of the driveway to bring the slabs up to an even level. They were here from 8:30 to about 1:30 or 2. They gave us a quote of $1595 plus tax. They will give us a quote on powerwashing it all and filling the cracks with some compound. It is going to look all new and clean if we go for that, which we probably will. I need to edge the grass and get the creeper off the cement at the front. I will take the moss off the back and put it under the deck. All this to give the place some curb appeal. Never know when we might decide to downsize, so we might as well give the place the appearance of being kept up, now while we can.
It was raining and cooler out. I have to start the house cleaning as well as get this cement clean up done. I have a few more receipes I want to do... can always plug in the fridge downstairs for more room, if I have to. Tomorrow is suppose to be rain and wind. Oh Oh. I put the hummingbird feeder out... just in time to have the wind empty it out.

‎Saturday, ‎September ‎28, ‎2013
Is raining. At 1:00 I emptied 1 in. of rain out of the gauge. Made a delicious squash / onion bisque and have 3 pkgs for freezing. This replenishes our supply of soups to 64 days. I have added two cups of the delicious squash salt cinamon stock. We have about a pkg of squash bisque left for supper.

‎Sunday, ‎September ‎29, ‎2013
I emptied 1.5 inches of rain out of the gauge this am. The rain was pouring down heavily last nite and actually woke me up, even though I went to bed at 3:00 after playing in photoshop to create the dracula file for next month Playtime on Megashot. About 4:30 we started to get big winds so I made supper early and have started the laundry in case our power crashes. I took photos of the light garden and watered it all. The miniature cattelaya has 2 buds open. The yellow phal has 2 buds open and a few more to follow. There are 2 more phals showing buds and the hae maria still has blooms. The humming bird was at the newly filled feeder on the deck today, but it tipped in the wind so I don't know how much is left in it.

‎Monday, ‎September ‎30, ‎2013
Emptied 1.5 inches of rain and by 7:00 there is another .5 of an inch. We had a couple of those loud downpours today. I made vegetable whip and have 2 pkgs left to freeze. I made borscht and have about .75 of a litre left in the fridge to eat. Freezing the vegetable whip. I made 10 plastic old cottage cheese, etc. of vegetable stock... probably 15 cups. I am going to plug in the downstairs fridge to keep some of the stuff as my freezer and fridge freezer are both full.

October 2013

‎Wednesday, ‎October ‎02, ‎2013
Emptied an inch of rain out of the gauge. I have been cleaning up the house. Wash windows, wash everything down and put on some pledge, furniture polish. This does wonders for the doors and our pathetic woodwork. Have the 2 back bedrooms finished. We had chicken last nite so I made chicken stock... have 10 more cups of really good chicken/vegetable stock. I have started up the fridge downstairs and have the latest batch of vegetable stock and the chicken stock in there. Have moved a few of the other stocks (beef etc) down there too. I have been spending some really late nites... actually early mornings at my computer playing with photos, and then reading some... Am reading about Jane Boleyn. This story about the wife of George Boleyn, brother to Anne Boleyn, is totally opposite of the one by phillipa gregory. Have made a Halloween creation from Draculas castle (2005) and the soltice moon and a few bits I borrowed from on the internet. Tryng to drum up some interest for the Playtime community for Halloween.

‎Friday, ‎October ‎11, ‎2013
Finished the great house cleaning today! Included cleaning windows, washing, dusting and polishing woodwork and furniture. Fed and watered the light garden 2 days ago. I cleaned this up before I started the house cleaning and the plants look terrific. Made the baked butternut squash into soup with apple, spices, onion. I have 2 to freeze and one left over to eat, probably on sunday. I made a delicious Norweigen creamed cabbage the other day. It has nutmeg in it. I added apple. We finished off the last half of it tonite, along with one of the saved spaghetti sauce... which is just the right amount for us to eat for supper. It was delicious. My list of soups says I have now made 70 pkgs, but we have eaten some and the list will be at about 63 when I add these 2 in again. I made a bunch of chicken stock and vegetable stock and had to start up the fridge downstairs to keep them frozen. We have a nice bunch of stock to use. I used one cup of chicken stock and one cup of spicey vegetable stock in the soup tonite, so it disappears fast enough too. I have been spending quite a bit of time on Megashot and have a bit of activity going on in the Butterflies community and the playtime one for halloween. Dave Dube is going to mail me some milkweed seeds... for monarchs. I was reading about the Viceroy... it does not need that poisonous plant because it mimics the monarch. Hard to tell the difference, but the Viceroy is smaller and hops around more erratically. The next thing on my agenda is to get the creeper and the moss off the cement.. and edge the grass at the front by the crocus field too. Lots to do. Going to make a double or triple batch of breaded wing drumlets and take some to Marlene's place for the Thanksgiving dinner. We bought doubles of the serving tray and the little things to put dipping sauce into. I shall take the wings in a tinfoil pan and the sauces in jars. Then warm them in the oven and the microwave when we get there on Sunday. Guess the family will be there. We have Leslie's blog in Sweden. I enjoy her writing and it is interesting stuff about what it is like to live in Sweden.

‎Tuesday, ‎October ‎15, ‎2013
Had a nice dinner at Art and Marlene's on Sunday. On Monday, we had a nice sunny day. I got about 3 hours of gardening done in the afternoon. I did the edging along the grass by the road and put the bits in the crocus field under the plum tree. Hope they grow. I mowed the grass first. Put the clippings into the old compost bin, so perhaps I will have some good compost in a year or so. The bin was half full. I have 5 bags of the compost I receive from the dirt bag people, but won't be getting that any longer when Saanich starts their garden garbage pick up. I had the long pole pruner out and cut off a big ugly blackberry that was invading from Shawna's side and hanging over the garage. Cut off some firethorn branches and a couple pin oak branches. Cut down the buddleia to about a foot high. Eileen/ Pat and I skyped. They might come out to the island some time. Today I scraped moss off the back patio area and put it under the deck. Hope it takes hold and turns into a nice moss garden. The cement guys are suppose to come and power wash it all and fill the cracks. We like moss but apparently it is not a good idea to let it go, as someone could hurt themselves on it. Anyway, this power cleaning will add to the curb appeal should we ever want to sell it, in the near future. I clipped back the michaelmas daisies, some of the ferns and that little bush by the water tap/plugin. Cottoneaster. The leaves will be falling soon. The creeper is a gorgeous red, so I will not cut it back until it is finished its show. It will grow again. The cyclamens are spreading. The ones on shawna's side of the garage (woodland trail) are finally blooming. These plants are spreading and popping up in odd places all over the garden. I see the nerine has a new plant too. I do not recall having got another one of it. Sure hope it is expanding too. Nice bright pink flowers across the sidewalk from the blue michaelmas daisies. Am very tired today. Tonite we had the pork loin chops for dinner. They turned out sooooooo good.

‎Wednesday, ‎October ‎16, ‎2013
Another lovely day. About 14 degrees. I got out in the garden by 1:30 and was out till 4:30. Finished edging and weeding the thyme circle. Weeded the rest of the stone path and the area around it in all the little beds. The inner garden looks good! Now, all I need is corsican mint between the stones of the path. I will do the front rectangles next and the strip in front of them. That moss looks like a lovely green carpet under the deck. The leaves will soon be falling and then I will mulch them with the mower and put them in the back compost bin, or on the vegetable patch. I broke my weeding tool today while trying to pry up a bamboo root. I want to get a few things .. bags of dirt.. as I have an empty plastic pot where I will want to plant basil next year, on the deck. Am thinking of taking out the delphinium and maybe the clematis by the pond so that I can see the pond from under the deck in that chair, but will rethink this. I want to empty at least one more pot to put parsley in it on the deck. So, am thinking that one of the willows can go down by the pond, where that pathetic delphinium is now. If I take out more dead wood on the plum tree it will get more light. First I need to weed and renew the back garden beds. Dave Dube is sending me some showy milkweed seeds and another kind of milkweed. I stratify one of them and will be planting some to start indoors and some will go outside in pots and be carefully marked. Not sure where I will be putting all these plants if they grow. I should be able to get monarchs from the butterfly garden but will check for sources if the plants grow... maybe even in the year 2015, as I will be growing the plants in 2014. They will need bigger pots than I put the lupines into, as I did not have a great survival rate of lupines on transplanting. Will see what comes up next year. I think I should empty the butterfly/humming bird planter into the cutting garden, as it has run its 2 - 3 years and is not now a great show. The heliotrope was excellent this year. Very lovely fragrance and it comes back if blooms cut off and watered and fed. The geraniums were good in the pot on the patio and that verbena looks good. I wonder if it will over winter. I should try keep them over in the garage.

‎Thursday, ‎October ‎17, ‎2013
Another sunny day. Got the ironing done this am. and out to the garden by 1:00 back at 4:00, a totally beat bunny. I have raked a broken branch out of the liquid amber tree. Removing daisies and violets from the area by the bamboo. Then cleaned up the rectangle by our driveway... it needs some compost on it. I think the peonies are heavy feeders. Must check that. The veronica looks good. I might remove the montebretias... they flop over everything... or maybe I will put up a wire cage arond them. The hummingbirds do love them. The hollyhocks in the bed look good, but are not multiplying... hmmmmm might have to get a couple more. Removed a bamboo and put it into the back garden for now. So, tired, but continued cleaning up the strip in front of the rectangle, mostly just removing clover and daisies. The thyme is looking good and the achillea is turning into a forest. The Verbena bodanaires is in bloom, with bees, no more skippers though. I found that I have some weed and feed in the garage. Added a few scoops full to the strip of grass along by the rectangle, up to the end of the strip in front of it. This area is thick with daisies, and that is my best grass... so hopefully this will get rid of the daisies without hurthing the grass. Probably go to jail if the CRD catches me using chemicals. This is taking longer than I thought it would. Hopefully will be finished the front on Saturday. Then should have another week to do the back. The soil is still damp from the big rains we have had. There was a heavy fog early this am.
There are lots of people using the new trail. Since I had the hedge cut down, we can see them. The children seem to take the trail from Gerda over to Loenholm as their route from school. Interesting that I do not see too many of them on Grange road, now. That trail is very attractive. Can't wait to see what trees they are going to add. I hope they add the 2 sumac that are growing in the corner, by the water hydrant.

‎Friday, ‎October ‎18, ‎2013
another perfect day. I made a pureed carrot soup in the morning, and made up 3/4 litre of vegetable stock. We had the soup for lunch and have one left over. As I have the mulligatawny unfrozen, I think I will freeze the carrot one. I made muffins after lunch, we will test them for supper. I was out to the garden by 2:30 and back in at 4:30. I got the daisies out of the grass and have weeded the front strip up to the spirea bush. I have decided to dig out all of the daises from the other side of the bush. I might move them to the woodland, but they are difficult to keep under control. I am not sure the butterflies like them either. There was a huge bumble bee at the verbena ... the bees and skippers like that stuff. I used a bag of compost on the rectangle by our driveway. That bed is quite clean. Hope this encourages the peonies to grow. I have one lupine in that bed and two in the front strip. 3 out of 22 survived the transplant... not great. Guess I should plant the seeds where I want to see them grow.

‎Monday, ‎October ‎21, ‎2013
Got nothing done on the weekend. Was cold and grey on Saturday. My muffins are not a success. We went to the Beestons with the other RR & B's for soup and bread. Was a lovely gathering. We are going to make one of the soups .. the Irish broth one... has oatmeal in it, spinach. We had supper at the Keg taking our $50. card that we got at the Polo meet. Today was overcast again but warm enough, once out there working. I was out by 1:00. Cleaned up the front strip from the bush to the plum tree, removing all the daisies. I transplanted one big one in the back woodland area. That rectangle will get all the daisies removed, too. They are as bad as violets with seeding everywhere. I removed the leaves, but the rectangle still needs a bit of work. I skimmed the leaves and duck weed off the top of the pond. Most of the leaves have fallen off the plum tree at the back. There are humming birds around. The moss under the deck is still looking green. The daisies where I put down the weed and feed are black and I think dead. Stuff worked like a charm. I missed a couple or three... will dig them out by hand after the rain starts.

‎Wednesday, ‎October ‎23, ‎2013
another fine day. Was out from 2 to 4. Checked the rectangle by the Pees driveway. Cleaned out a wheel barrow full of leaves and put them in the old compost bin. Then cut back the St.Johns wort and the creeper along the driveway. The crackman, Chad stopped by the other day and we are going to hire him to power wash the driveway and fill the cracks. It should all look as good as new. I forget what the power washing costs but the crack filling is $15 per foot. Could get to be expensive. The green bin is full of cut back creeper and st. johns wort. I had a wheel barrow full of dirt and leaves from this operation that I threw down on the bed along beside the garage by the wood land path. The cyclamens are doing great along there. I have another old dirt bag full of leaves that I want to compost down a bit before I add them. Am not sure if the clippings are all dead in it yet. I will cut back the red hot poker along there yet and should be finished along there so the guy can power wash it. Said he would call in a couple of weeks. His truck is broken. So, tomorrow I should be able to start on the back.. probably mow the leaves off the grass first. We went to the school and had a look at what Saanich is planning to do with the Panama Flats area.. keeping it in the alr.. making a change in the flow of the river, taking out the berms and hopefully getting rid of the stench. We don't smell it, but apparently some people do. There is a little oak tree in my cutting garden. I am going to smuggle it into the garry oak growth. It really is an English Oak. Won't they be amazed.

‎Thursday, ‎October ‎24, ‎2013
Made up the Irish Yellow Broth soup that Pat had at the Beestons .. chicken stock, finely chopped carrort, celery, onion, simmer and add oatmeal and spinach. I added buttermilk to mine to eat it and was delicious. Was out in the back from about 2 to 4:30. Cut back more St. Johns wort and the red hot poker thing. Dug out a few dandilions along the driveway. It looks not too bad. Mowed the back and put the mulched leaves and grass into the back bin. It is full now too. Then cleaned up a bit in the woodland, digging out blackberry or two and some lemon balm, cut some of the fern fronds off the sidewalk and chopped them up for the woodland path. This might work, but I should get all of the fronds off that sidewalk. After supper I found a couple of good sites from the Saanich site. I bookmarked 2 of them... one where I can get milkweed seeds, the other was about mushrooms, and more.

‎Friday, ‎October ‎25, ‎2013
Got out at 1:11 today and in by 4:11. It is overcast and quite humid, no wind so is really rather nice. I started cleaning up the stone path and got half of it done. Also cleaned under and around the surrounding plants, of course. So, clipped the seeds off the rhodos, clipped down the browning ferns and took out some of that plant that is suppose to be tri colored and has reverted to all green. It has a lovely aroma when its cut or stepped on. cleaned the clover and grass out of the moss and corsican mint. Cleaned up the leaves, but there are lots more to come yet. Cleaned some of the dirt and tree debris out of the garage eaves trough. The moss is looking quite nice... I have to get the leaves off of it. Am planning a duck dinner for us and Strudwicks for Sunday, so tomorrow will be a house day. ‎

‎Saturday, ‎October ‎26, ‎2013
Another nice day. Made apple sauce this am. The dinner is on Monday, so I went out in the afternoon for a couple of hours and finished the stone path at the back up to the bamboo. There are still leaves on the plum tree so hopefully they will be mostly down by Wednesday. Hopefully the sun will hold on for another week. I have some really nice moss on that path by the bamboo. The weeds have a hard time growing through moss, it seems. Or maybe it is because the moss is growing on a rock.

‎Tuesday, ‎October ‎29, ‎2013
Yesterday was the big dinner. It went well. We have half a pie, lots of yam, a bit of califlower left. The califlower had a sauce made with a cup of the cooking water, 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, half a lime juice, and a teaspoon of tumeric. That was pretty good. It jazzed up the califlower nicely. We had a cup of the yellow irish broth, coleslaw, cranberries. Appies of lox trim on cream cheese on rice crackers. After dinner and till about 1:00 am I made vegetable stock and duck stock. The yam/califlower stock is delicious. The duck stock is good too. Have 6 odd plastic containers of the yam stock and 6 blue pkgs of duck stock and a litre plastic pot too. I am getting all the dishes cleaned up and doing the laundry. Chad is working on the driveway and making quite a lot of noise, so I really don't want to be out in the garden. The sun is shining but it is a bit cooler today. It was only 2 degrees last night. Geee... should have covered my tomatoe... one still ripening out on the deck. There are more leaves down, but still lots to go.

‎Wednesday, ‎October ‎30, ‎2013
It was cooler today. I did up a photo of Bow Lake and sent it to the CWF annual contest, landscapes. That is the second entry. I cannot find anything that says we have to shoot our photos for the month in the particular month. Chad has power washed the driveway, and is working on filling the cracks. He should be finished tomorrow. This is going to cust us $3,000 plus. Pat came home from his coffee meeting with the motorcycle guys and announced that Bevan woud give me $1000 for the Hassleblad. So, he can have it. In looking over the email from the camera shop guy, I see that is approximately what I would have got for it if I had left it on consignment with that shop. So... fine! When it is a done deal, I will take all reference to it off of my web page. That photography page is a bit weird. I should correct it... maybe make all of it just under the 'series' stuff... will see....

‎Thursday, ‎October ‎31, ‎2013
Well, Joy figures Bevan should have a look at what he is buying before he jumps at it. Pat sent him the list and they will come over sometime next week. Let the anticipation grow. Ha! Dirty Fingers would be proud of me putting the twitch on Bevan. Just kidding. I was taking it easy today as I was so very wound up yesterday. Watered the house plants and the orange trees. Chad was by and did some more work. He will finish up tomorrow, weather permitting. It looks nice, if you like cement. The creeper and other plants will soon be growing over it all again. Cleaned up my bookmarks a bit today. I can find NO indication that you need to shoot the photo the same month you enter it in the contests. Of the CWF that is. Took a few photos... nothing spectacular. We have had about 40 kids tonite... more than last year.

November 2013

‎Friday, ‎November ‎01, ‎2013
Overcast day. I got the plants and milkweed seeds from Dave Dube. Have a showy milkweed in the big pot. and 4 smaller plants... probably should have had them in the house, but the leaves mostly came off by the time I got them planted. Dave had started them in the house or grow room. I have lots of the showy seeds, so will start some in the house, too. I have 12 Davis variety in the fridge being stratified till about Dec. 7th or 14th. I have 6 pots of davis with 3 per pot, and 8 pots of the showy parachute ones, with 3 or 4 to the pot, also out side. I have lots of seed of the showy the ones with the parachutes still on them... These seeds do look different, so there is two kinds here. Oct 22 (10 days ago) Hi , I'll be sending the box out today. Inside will be a bag of Showy and one of the Tropical. Also is a small Showy plant I pulled up, hopefully it will survive. I was also starting some of the Showy under my lights and sent one of the cups that has 4 little one's in it. They are about 4-5 " and they were started about 5 weeks ago. They are very slow growers. Hope they won't take too long getting to you. Guess I'll need to fill out a Customs slip. showy milkweed asclepias speciosa Tropical Milkweed - Asclepias curassavica I think this is the Davis
I also have a ascelepias tuberosa from Cannor These plants can be very toxic. Be careful handling them. http://www.evansonart.com/milkweedsale.html

‎Saturday, ‎November ‎02, ‎2013
We went out to the ferry to catch the 1:00 but the ferries were all being held back due to the winds. After about a half hour of waiting, they announced that there would be no ferries sailing. This from cbc: In Victoria, wind speeds were expected to reach 70 km/h near Juan de Fuca Strait, while similarly strong northwest winds are attacking the Strait of Georgia over western Metro Vancouver. So, I put the pork chops in half an hour early in anticipation of a possible power outage. I rescued my tomatoe from where it fell to the ground. Has some bumps that I cut off and hope it ripens a bit, or we will have to have fried green tomato. After returning to home from the ferry, we had lunch at Cherries, in the little mall on wilkinson. Good soup. The place is busy and Jack's was closed till 4:00 on Saturdays. crazy opening times in that place. Someone in Victoria won 25 million in the Max lottery last nite. I won nothin'. Pat won nothin'. But when I bought a 6/49 scratch I won $14 today... then spent another $3 when cashing it in. It cost me $10 plus the $3 .. so I made a dollar! wow. Last time I was out I cashed in on $15 and took $6 home after buying tickets. Will wait to see if I won anything on the 649s tonite, to keep ahead of the game. I cannot seem to settle down and do anything ... my day has been disrupted. Don't feel like computering. Am reading the Lady of the Rivers by Phillippa Gregory. Its a good read. She writes very well.

‎Sunday, ‎November ‎03, ‎2013
Put potting soil into 12 plastic large cups with holes in the bottom and a bit of cut up styrofoam egg carton in the bottom, and then added 4 or more seeds of the milkweed. The ones with the parachutes still on them. I think they are the ones Dave calls the showy showy milkweed asclepias speciosa. I have these in the house by the light garden. I need room in the tray for the ones I am stratifying... to be planted Dec 7th or when I can't stand it any more. I read somewhere that they don't really need this stratifying... makes no difference. I am going to have a terrible time finding the 12 seeds in the mix. Emptied an inch of rain out the gauge from over the week end. We did not seem to get the big winds promised to us, even though the ferries did not sail. There was ice on the water table and frost on the garage roof this morning.

‎Sunday, ‎November ‎10, ‎2013
I've been in bed for a couple of days with a very nasty sore throat and cold. Couldn't eat for 2 days so lost a couple of pounds. Guess there is one good thing. I am just getting over it, but still have the sore throat and phlem and drippy nose. I have entered my turks cap lily photo in the CWF monthly flora contest.

‎Tuesday, ‎November ‎12, ‎2013
It was about 14 today and overcast. I put my hoodie on with the top up, and the green sweater over top of it and went out to rake leaves. It was good... just warm enough. I still have a bit of the cold, but it seems ok since I got in. I was out from 1:00 to 3:30. It sprinkled a bit on me. I raked the leaves off the rock plants at the front and piled them on the top grass path. I mowed the bit of grass by our driveway, and then ran over the leaves to mulch them. I don't know where they all disappeared to, but when I went to empty the mower bag there was very little in it. Strange. The grass path does not seem to be heavily covered with leaf bits. There is still about 2/3 of the leaves to fall off that front tree. It is putting on a spectacular show. The roses both still have blooms. The silly magnolia seems to be putting on buds. After finishing the front I raked up the fig leaves and put most of them into the green bin. They don't appear to be a whole lot of leaves, either. The fig is bare, there are still some grape leaves to come down. The apple is finished and the plum tree. There is still a lot of leaves on the English oak. They are a good golden color this year. I raked leaves off the path and its ground covers, and off the moss garden and the pond paths. Raked around the apple tree and threw these leaves here and there under cedars and in the woodland, without mower mulching. Was good to get the leaves off the grass and moss. I planted more milkweed seeds in a couple of milk cartons and put them out on the garden path. I still have the back to weed, and that bed to finish digging over behind the gargage. Putting fern fronds down on the woodland path is working fairly well. They take a long time to decay. The pond is quite clear so did not skim it today. The moss under the deck is looking really good. I think it is going to 'take'. I need to clean up around the pond, so I can see the waterfall from under the deck, in my chair.

‎Sunday, ‎November ‎17, ‎2013
It was a sunshiny cool Autumn day. Pat watched the Eastern CFL Hamilton v Toronto game in the am, and we watched the Calgary v Regina game in the pm. What a game! Sask won and the Grey Cup is in Regina this year next Sunday! It is probably sold out... not even any scalpers tickets available. I have started the "July" album for my old web page -- Gardening. I have 160 photos picked and arranged in an alphabetical order. So, it will be like June with 10 per page... 2 rows of 5 per row. The June looks good. July will be different in that it will have a series of things like bugs, where June is mostly full faced flowers with names. So far I have 2 pages (20 photos ready) We had beet and fennel soup for lunch, and arctic char for supper... boiled new potatoes, baby carrots, salad of course and pumpkin pie with marsala for desert. He said he had a good birthday Day. The light garden is doing fine, with the white, yellow, purple phals blooming, and another one in bud. The Hae Maria discolor has had huge stems of blooms for more than a month. The new little cattalaya is finished and Pixie has 3 blooms that seem to be lasting longer than usual. I have been feeding and watering them more often. The orange trees are in the suite -- 4 of them... where I keep it just above freezing. They look ok. The milkweed seeds have germinated. Tall stringy things beside the light garden in plastic pots in a plastic tub. I made the mistake of planting these 'tropical' ones thinking they were the 'showy' variety of Davis that originate on the West Coasst and grow at lower altitudes. I have lots of the tropical seeds left to plant in the Spring. Well... I have 12 more Davis being stratified in the fridge and will be ready to put into pots in early December. The African Violets are doing fine... lots of bloom and clean leaves. I have been up way late or should I say early 5:00 am reading this crazy Phoenix series of sci fi by Saunders that I bought on my ipad. I read the Diana Princess of Wales .. after separation book... name escapes me on ipad and have the hard copy of the first book by Andrew Morton... Diana her true story, in hard copy with lots of pictures. I really don't think I should like being a princess. This is all escapism to try to ignore the world economy which seems to be in a transition stage. We have all been infected by the doom and gloom virus. The Phillipines were hit about 10 days ago by a fierce typhoon that nearly wiped them all off the map. There are millions of people without food or lodging. But there are billions of them to feed, all living on those little bits of islands. They export people, and Canada is better for most of them who have moved here. They work and earn here and send money home... and just keep on breeding. Mount Vesuvius errupted again. It is an active volcanco but no threat to Sicily. Their own private light show. Amazing. Mother Nature is truly grand. We have little earthquakes that are deep in the ocean and we seldom feel them. I do wonder if they are popping up islands that have not been charted yet. Outside more leaves have yet to fall. I have the back grass raked off, but there are oak leaves still up there. The front will need lots more attention yet, too. The front tree was glorious in the sun today.

‎Monday, ‎November ‎18, ‎2013
Did the ironing this am. It is a coolish day and bits of rain. After lunch I raked leaves and got them off the grass and off the rock plants. I am slowly getting the July photos tweaked. Have 4 pages done. There will be 16 pages.

‎Wednesday, ‎November ‎20, ‎2013
It froze last nite. The hummingbird needed food thawed out. I set out a new one and have the other in the house to melt to put out tomorrow. There are actually 2 hummers. Very sunny day but cool. I have 8 pages of the July album finished. .. 8 more to do, and then there is the fixing it all in note pad. Watered the house plants today. Amazing blooms on stuff when I fertilize them. Wish the cactus would bloom.

‎Wednesday, ‎November ‎27, ‎2013
was a lovely day 12 or 13, no wind, no rain. Raked leaves at the front. Cut the fern back off the woodland sidewalk so I can get to the compost bin. Put the fern fronds down on the woodland path. Was out from about 2 to 4. The moss under the deck that I moved there from the patio, seems to have gone brownish. Cleaned up the moss garden a bit. There are still lots of leaves to come down. The mulched leaves do not seem to be going into the mower bag. I must have a look at what is blocking it from getting into the bag. I have been reading... the first diana book by Andrew Morton, in hard copy and the next one is an ebook. Morton does not seem to believe the murdered her theories. Also reading the Phoenix Conspiracy series. Am on the 3rd book. The fourth is out. Apparently there are 5 of them. Today I sent to abe books for Katharine by Anya Seton... about Katharine Swynford... I have the sample as an ebook. The hard copy is used paperback and costs about $3 less than the $10 ibook. have caught up my megashot meet and greet and do not feel like doing much else there. I am working on the July album of my old web page for Gardening. I have 6 more pages of 10 photos each to tweak, then make the album and do all the html stuff like on the June album. The photos will be 5 to a row with 2 rows and each large photo has 550 height.

December 2013

‎Monday, ‎December ‎02, ‎2013
Light frost last nite. Over the weekend most of the leaves fell off the front tree. Pat used his machine to clean off the step and the grass. He put the mulched leaves in the green bin. I was out later for about 1.25 hours. I took a few of the mulched leaves out of the green bin and put them on the rhodo at the back and some in the compost bin. I raked off the plants and the hedges and ran the mower over these leaves. I added them to the compost bin and the woodland back edge. The trail with the chopped up fern fronds looks very woodlandy and sounds swishy to walk on. I have put more dirt into the milkweed plant pots and watered all the indoor plants, including the orange trees. The light garden looks pretty good, and is still fairly clean.

‎Thursday, ‎December ‎05, ‎2013
We have a bit of snow today. It was cold when I walked to the park pond yesterday.

‎Friday, ‎December ‎06, ‎2013
Below freezing all day with bright sun. Changed the hummingbird feeder. Learned how to use the quick select brush and then used the inverse selection and the layers palette at the bottom.. click on the half black and half white thing and find the black and white to create the black and white on the inverse. Can play with the reds, yellows etc to get tints and colors, contrasts, etc. The tutorial made a black and white, saved it. Then selected the colored part and used the move tool to move the colored piece over the black and white. This inverse thing is way easier.

‎Sunday, ‎December ‎08, ‎2013
Just above freezing today. Walked to the lottery ticket store. We are going to Swans for my birthday with Jim and Sheila. Pat cleaned the leaves out of the gutters today. I think we have our new cell phone figured out. We can get a Nexus 5 from Telus for $99 with a 2 yr contract. It might cost a bit to get it unlocked but I think I might want that... We will probably go for the same $35 a month deal as we have now, depending on the answers to my questions about gps use, hot spot use... are they considered data useage? 3 1/2 pages to do for the July album...that is 35 photos yet to tweak and resize, (out of 160) then I can make the album and start the html fixes... hope I can finish it before year end..

‎Sunday, ‎December ‎15, ‎2013
2 nites ago I saw a deer in the old deer pasture. Watered and fed the houseplants yesterday, including the orange trees. Its warmish out... up to 10 degrees. I have the front cover, January and february done of my calendars. We got new ink and I have just replaced the yellow and the cyan.. more to do soon. Learning how to print them to fit the page the way I want them is taking up a lot of ink. I think I can do a 13 by 17 inch page on the printer... I must check it out someday. The guy at London Drugs said I had one of the best printers out there and that it is new... well.. seems it is a few years old... Trevor got it for me when he built my windows 7 computer. I have xlm pages in OFFICE that I found on the internet... no Canadian holiday dates.. just American. Am looking at buying the EZ calendar, book, etc maker... it looks pretty cool. This Office program does a lot of stuff too. I really think I could make web pages with it. And then there is the Adobe PDF stuff, I should learn.

‎Thursday, ‎December ‎26, ‎2013
We have been having some very nice above zero temperatures and a bit of light freezing over night. We had christmas eve dinner with Marlene, Art, Anya, Mark and the kids. and then played canadian trivia with art and marlene after the young people went home. We had the christmas day duck, pats pudding and all the stuff on christmas day with just pat and i... was good, but I weight 2 pounds more from all this eating and drinking. Pat and Don were to visit for an hour or so a few days ago. Was good to see them. Told them about the empty suite and could furnish it for people if we had any of them coming out to spend a few days. I really think they are considering going south to arizona for the winter now as Marie and a friend have a place down there somewhere. We have to go up to Shawnigan to see tara and andy tomorrow, as the Grants are out from Scotland.

a couple of days ago there were a whole flock of robins in the back garden. They cleaned all of the berries off the holly tree and the firethorn. We have 2 humming birds here this winter. My calendar is slowly coming along. Have Oct, Nov Dec(1) January 2015 and the back cover with the moon stuff to do. I will need ink again soon. ‎Saturday, ‎December ‎28, ‎2013
Have to change my links to victoria hort society: http://vichortsociety.org/ hort center of the pacific: http://hcp.ca/

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Welcome to the bottom of the page

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Continue on to Journal Entries for 2014

Back to Journal Entries for 2012

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Annual Gardening pages

January - we occasionally get snow.
February - more rain, and some bulbs up
March - first spring bulbs blooming
April - rock plants blooming, grass needs mowing, fruit trees blooming
May - the garden is in full swing
June - lovely warm days of medium temperatures and roses in bloom
July - we need to water a lot in the summer as we do not often get rain.
August - the Fall perennials starting to bloom and fruit is ripening
September - harvest time in the vegetable garden and time to plant the winter garden
October - glorious fall colors and sunsets, fruit ripening and rains begin again
November - sometimes a lovely month with the Fall colors and warm rains
December - more rain, the garden is mostly greens and browns, very peaceful.
Water and Japanese Gardening - I built my pond with its 8 - 9 foot diameter
Fruit and Vegetables - grapes, figs, pears, apples, plums, and vegtables
Garden paths and Garden art - I have converted most of the lawn to gardens and paths
Rock and Alpines - I have a few small alpines in various spots around the garden
Woodland garden - I am trying to establish a few indigenous plants in this area.
Indoor gardening - orchids, cacti, African violets
Bugs - butterflies, birds, animals
From the Market - photos of bought produce or flowers
At the Show - there are a number of gardeing shows I attend annually
Mushrooms, lichens
Boquets - Creating flower arrangements for the house and for show is an
added benefit for creatativity as well as visual satisfaction.
Miscellaneous - in case I cannot decide where something belongs
Annual Journal Notes - This is the first page of the annual Journal Notes excerpts beginning in 2012 when I began to keep my garden notes on my computer. See the bottom of this first page to go to the Journal Notes for the next year.
Annual Journal Notes 2013 - This is the page of the annual Journal Notes excerpts beginning in 2013 from my garden journal . See the bottom of this page to go to the Journal Notes for the next year.
Annual Journal Notes 2014 - This is the page of the annual Journal Notes excerpts beginning in 2014 from my garden journal . See the bottom of this page to go to the Journal Notes for the next year.
Annual Journal Notes 2015 - This is the page of the annual Journal Notes excerpts beginning in 2015 from my garden journal . See the bottom of this page to go to the Journal Notes for the next year.
Annual Journal Notes 2016 - This is the page of the annual Journal Notes excerpts beginning in 2016 from my garden journal . See the bottom of this page to go to the Journal Notes for the next year.
Annual Journal Notes 2017 - This is the page of the annual Journal Notes excerpts beginning in 2017 from my garden journal . See the bottom of this page to go to the Journal Notes for the next year.
Annual Journal Notes 2018 - This is the page of the annual Journal Notes excerpts beginning in 2018 from my garden journal . See the bottom of this page to go to the Journal Notes for the next year.
Annual Journal Notes 2019 - This is the page of the annual Journal Notes excerpts beginning in 2019 from my garden journal . See the bottom of this page to go to the Journal Notes for the next year.
Annual Journal Notes 2020 - This is the page of the annual Journal Notes excerpts beginning in 2020 from my garden journal . See the bottom of this page to go to the Journal Notes for the next year.
Annual Journal Notes 2021 - This is the page of the annual Journal Notes excerpts beginning in 2021 from my garden journal . See the bottom of this page to go to the Journal Notes for the next year.
Annual Journal Notes 2022 - This is the page of the annual Journal Notes excerpts beginning in 2022 from my garden journal . See the bottom of this page to go to the Journal Notes for the next year.
Outline of the garden changes - This is the first page of a series of three giving a tour of the my garden.
A description of the garden rooms - This is the second page of a series of three giving a tour of the my garden, and showing the creation of the garden rooms as well as some of the renovations over the years.
Annual Garden changes photo albums The third page of the series will be annual photo albums of the changes in the garden for the year, beginning in 2009.

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Annual Photo Albums

• Garden 2022 - Put in 2022 stuff here....Finished.


• Garden 2021 - Put in 2021 stuff here....Finished.


• Garden 2020 - Put in 2020 stuff here....Finished.


• Garden 2019 - Put in 2019 stuff here....Finished.


• Garden 2018 - Put in 2018 stuff here....Finished.


• Garden 2017 - Put in 2017 stuff here....Finished.


• Garden 2016 - Put in 2016 stuff here. magnolia bed reno.


• Garden 2015 - drought, pond edges renovations,


• Garden 2014 - Put in 2014 stuff here milkweed, pond reno....Finished.


• Garden 2013 - Put in 2013 stuff here....Finished.


• Garden 2012 - Put in 2012 stuff here....Finished.


• Garden 2011 - Put in 2011 stuff here....Finished.


• Garden 2010 - Put in 2010 stuff here....Finished.


• Garden 2009 - Put in 2009 stuff here....Finished.


• Garden 2008 - Put in 2008 stuff here....Finished.



• Garden 2007 - Put in 2007 stuff here.



• Garden 2006 - Put in 2006 stuff here.



• Garden 2005 - Put in 2005 stuff here.



• Garden 2004 - Put in 2004 stuff here.



• Garden 2003 - Put in 2003 stuff here.



• Garden 2002 - Put in 2002 stuff here.



• Garden 2001 - Put in 2001 stuff here.

Links:

(VHS) Victoria Horticultural Society: http://www.vichortsociety.org

(HCP) Horticultural Center of the Pacific: http://www.hcp.ca

(VIRAGS) - Vancouver Island Rock & Alpine: http://www.virags.ca/

Victoria Orchid Society: http://www.victoriaorchidsociety.ca

Native plants: - http://russellnursery.com/natives/

Plant photos by common name: - http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/browse_imgs/plant_com_1.html