Crispy Sunday

Socks, extra quilt on the bed, sweaters, and baking. Yes, I'm actually wearing socks and a sweater to go out early in the morning and had to put an extra quilt on the bed last night; it was that chilly. And I actually baked a rhubarb crisp today- unheard of for August. The coffee is on, the crisp is still warm and I give thanks to my good friend from whose garden this sweet fruit was grown. And tomorrow we'll be walking a few extra miles.

Morning walk

We had an invigorating walk along the river this morning; it was cool enough for a jacket and scarf. Some of the trees along the trail have yellow leaves, the rosehips are rosy red, and no Canada geese to be seen anywhere. The tennis courts were busy and the kids in the water park were bundled up in fleece jackets.
On our way back to the park the sun made an appearance and it was actually very hot. As we got closer to the train station, we wrinkled up our noses at the smell. Forgot about the horses.

Thoughtful Friday

Have only been blogging a very short time, but I add to my list of favourite blogs everyday. Bella Dia posts a favourite saying and picture every Friday and calls it, 'Thoughtful Friday'. So I thought I would give it a try also.



"The ordinary arts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than
their simplicity might suggest" Sir Thomas More (1478-1535)

Birthday Girl

Have spent all day making 30 lavender sachets for my Mom. She will celebrate her 82nd birthday in two days. Last time I visited with her I noticed that she still uses mothballs in her linen closets, her blanket chests and clothes drawers. These sachets will be much safer then the mothballs and may even remind her of days gone by when her own mother would layer her linens with tightly wrapped wands of lavender. Buon compleanno, Mamma.

Lots of tomatoes

We have had such a hot summer and we are seeing the results of that in our tomato beds.We have been eating cherry tomatoes every day, either fresh or done in a 5 minute sauce with lots of onion, garlic and parsley. Credit goes to Valodya for starting the seeds and doing all the planting, weeding and watering. If you come to visit, you will be treated to a tour of the tomato beds and you'll be going home with some tasty vine-ripened tomatoes. There's nothing quite like that.

Mailbox flowers

We returned from our evening walk and discovered a beautiful surprise in our mailbox; a small bouquet of flowers but no note. The well-wrapped bundle is a mixture of lavender, daisies, sweet peas, dahlias, cosmos and other flowers whose names I can't recall at this time. I inhale deeply of the sweet perfume and know in my heart that I will never forget this moment and the generosity of a dear friend. Yes, I know who you are.

Bowlful of treasures

Today at my favourite thrift store, I discovered some postcard treasures, the oldest dating back to 1905 complete with stamps and postmarks. It's always great fun to read the messages on these old cards.

The bowl in the picture is also a thrift store find; beautifully turned bowl of acacia wood. At the moment it holds some of my rubber stamp collection on my worktable.

Quilts

From our garden

This morning, bright and early, Valodya picked a bowlful of cherry tomatoes. With cukes and red peppers from the market, tonight we will enjoy a greek salad paired with an Australian Shiraz from
Banrock Station Winery. This is one of their Good Earth Fine Wines which supports conservation projects in countries all over the world.

Deck with a view

Enjoy!

New pin bag

I love my new pin bag made with an old wooden clothes hanger, (from my collection) thrift store bias tape, and new cotton fabric (on sale, of course) ; could not resist those butterflies.

Birdbath

It's amazing how something so small can give much pleasure. We have a family of finches nesting in our cedar hedge and every summer I put out the birdbath on the deck for them. It's not a fancy, store bought birdbath but a well worn terra cotta plate, a favourite rock from rambles along the river, and lots of fresh water. I have had to consult my Peterson field guides to western birds to make sure I had the right birds. I think I do.

Have not had much success in getting a picture of these little guys; both pictures were taken through the glass.

Clean-up creation

This is an on-going project- clean-up the sewing room. As a collector of many things, amassing my collections of buttons, stamps, fabric, beads, labels, postcards, etc is easy but editing is not one of my strong suits. So on a very creative day, I gathered some momentos that I have had for many years and decided to make a shopping bag out of an old tea towel embellished with patches, buttons, pin-back buttons, and charms . I' am very happy with my 'I love BC' bag. After that bag I made a few more and have them in my shop. Please take a look.

Saturday market

There is no better place to be on a Saturday morning then the Farmers market, especially after a refreshing rain to lessen the heat wave. Maura has offered to make her special tomato sauce for dinner so we bought lots of parsley, the Italian flat leaf is the best.

A basket of peaches and a watermelon for dessert, much more enjoyable when eaten on the deck as we watch the sunset.

And for Maura's last breakfast at home tomorrow, I will make a yellow zucchini frittatta sprinkled with cherry tomatoes from the garden. Summer and Maura-here today, gone tomorrow.

Three hearts

Yesterday at my favourite thrift store I found an unopened package of three cedar hearts.
The aroma of cedar reminds me of my childhood home on the coast.

Another hot day in the desert! Maura and I went out for dinner and then to the park to check out the craft market. We restrained ourselves from buying the journal made by a potter and the beautiful jade necklaces. Stopped by the house to pick up Valodya and went up the hill for ice cream but half the town had the same idea as proceeds from the sale go to charity.

Music in the park

Yesterday was a beautiful day! Started off with a blueberry coffee cake for breakfast. A little shopping at the mall; TG found some great deals on swimsuits at 50% off so she bought three.
We headed down to the park after dinner for the Men of the Deep concert. Lots of people and one ladybug.

Long weekend

It's been a wonderful weekend having the girls home. This morning I tried a Martha Stewart recipe- Peach and cornmeal upside down cake and it is wonderful. The girls and I took a walk along the river, then to Zacks for refreshments and even did a little shopping at 'VV'. TG found a great pair of khakis, Maura loaded up on paperbacks (got one free), and I scooped an Irish linen teacloth that needs to be embroidered and a t-shirt with a skiing scene that I will make into a tote bag.
TG is just about home. We've opened up the house to let the breezes in. It's been a good day.

Mamma Mia!

Welcome to my blog!

And what a fantastic day to make my first post; the girls are in town and after a long day of work and baking we headed off to see the late show of Mamma Mia. I got goosebumps listening to those songs! It took me back. I actually wanted to sing along but seeing it in the movie theatre isn't like going to it live - nobody sings along! Oh well, it was still so much fun.