Almost June~

He's so photogenic:)

It was like they had planned to have matching clothes:)

Lots of gardening..some tea..some cups..some of my fave blooms..the Forget-Me-Nots,the lilacs,bleeding hearts and LOTV..all the pretty Spring blooms..Jack In The Pulpits..so many..it's feast or famine here.

Had a fun little outing..
Noah.his mom and I went to Alexandria..home of the Priest's Mill..

We had a nice lunch at The Quirky Carrot.. the staff was friendly and polite and welcoming.
I had a couscous salad..M and N had soup and sandwich combo..they loved the Sweetpotato split pea soup..desserts were brought home..

And right across the street is the mill where Eric Covington has set up shop..glassblowing.Sat was damp..wet murky when we  headed out..it set the tone for my pics:)

My daughter had thought Noah would enjoy glassblowing..through AirBNB she booked a class for Noah and she.I came along and took pics..Class is about 1hr +..individually.

She was right..Noah's interest did not waiver one iota.

Noah was so into it..and even into watching his mom's private class.
Staff could not be nicer..Staecy was so sweet ..she is an artist ,makes her own paints..gardens..and glassblows.

Gab (Gabriel) could not have been more patient and interesting and professional.He studies glassblowing in Mtl..must be advanced because he is already a glassblower:)

It is so hot in a glassblowing place..lol!!

I love the stone walls..all the equipment..the window..the glass items were beautiful and art is available too.

During the week..I made Marie's KManis..I love Asian inspired dishes..even though what I eat is not pure Asian..it's the Americanized/Canadianized type..I knew I would love this sauce..
Go see Marie for her recipe:)

I also made a DELICIOUS salad..

Recipe came from my daughter ..source is RecipeTins' Crunchy Asian Chicken Salad~
Above..a photo w/out the dressing..I did water my dressing down a bit mine was too thick.
I could eat this salad once a week.
So good!!
Used rotisserie chicken;)

If you are in need a of a good Blackberry Muffin recipe ..ths could be it..

I used greek yogurt because I was out of sour cream..and sprinkled a touch of cinnamon sugar on top.I made half the recipe and got 6 good sized delish muffins.

You can find the recipe here.


Garden Journal

So lots of blue mauve and pink as I wrote above
The peonies are in buds
A few Irises have bloomed
In the morning..I go see the girls..Caramelle..and Bcassine..only Bécassine lays these days..fresh water..food etc..and garden while J is on the treadmill..
I come in and have a Keurig..and indulge in half a muffin ..lol above..so good!!
I often bake earlier in the AM..in my pj's.I like that.
I bought alfalfa pellets at the Co-Op where I buy my chicken feed.
I used to put the pellets around my roses and clematis and have not in years.
Fresh bag..have done many of the roses..almost all the clematis.
I am excited to see that 3 hollyhocks I transplanted against the front fence..have taken..and no rust like at the back so far.These are the black ones..if they do well I'll add my fave pinks and such.
I like ..no ..love.. hollyhocks.
I ripped out some Weigela..(no wonder my back barks)..the leaves come out too late.
I have one summer per year.Let it be alive.
I read I should never plant tomatoes before the Lilacs bloom..lesson learned.
Using my petunia food:)
Some Miracle Grow
Garlic is perfect again this year.God Bless Garlic.
Perennial spinach ..up..here and there ..I just pull what I don't want..I had pulled so much last year.
I guess that's it:)
Some days are diamonds some days are dust in a garden.
Some days I am overjoyed with my garden and think How can I be so lucky to have this pretty garden(s) :) Other days I think..Who am I kidding:(? 

First few days in flip flops:)

Have a lovely weekend.

The Wedding~Scones~Ottolenghi's Lemon Loaf and Gardening.

My girls say..pardon Monique's ugly soaker hoses..until the garden fills in..it's visible..she wants it out..she never uses it:)

The Wedding~

Well I loved everything about it..


Everything.

Her simple dress..I can think of many a gaudy bride..

I loved her loose tendrils..

I appreciate  how it makes me content  inside ..when ..having met someone this week  at a store..the  person said:"She doesn't have grace"~ re the Princess of Sussex.

LOL.  Her reason..? "Because of torn jeans at Invictus."..and her hair...etc..

My  daughter wears some and IHAVEAPAIR.That is exactly what she said."She wore torn jeans.."


That same person that mentioned that to me this past week..was never  particularly kind to me.

She was rough and abrupt .And made some of my days miserable.

Long live loose tendrils and ripped jeans.
Long live the sermons..and the choir and Stand By Me.
Long live the Looks of Love..
Long live the MOTB and her daughter..
The Mulroney's twins:) The one missing teeth smiling so happily!!
I did not see everything..so I won't comment on some faces that could have smiled..

or teared up.
And let's talk about that archway of flowers:)♥

I won't point a finger at Harry marrying a divorcée.
I married a divorcé.
And was heartbroken when my church did not allow a wedding for me in my church.

I didn't know my husband when he was married..I met him 100 yrs later when I was 19..and he was already  divorced.
44 yrs later..we're still married..

And you would not believe my fairy tale wedding at the Justice of The Peace when he looked at my husband and said:"Better luck this time".
OMGEE the 70's.:(

Shame on you Mr Justice of the Peace.

Thank goodness my dear dad..did everything he could to make my humble backyard wedding reception..lovely.
The day was beautiful and bright..the lilacs were in bloom..
My family and very few friends were there..
A friend at the time made my very simple A-line eyelet cotton dress.
Thanks dad:)For my reception..the Steinberg's buffet..Mr.Blackburn who took photos.


I loved how happy they looked..did you see this video?
Who doesn't want to hear that.♥

Diana would be..and is..so happy for Harry.

As my mom would have been..as although she was not there..she had liked my husband a lot at the time.

That's what I will miss later..if we miss later..not seeing my grandsons..in their 30's..40's..happy with their lives and healthy..not wealthy..happy and healthy.

I did also enjoy the guest list and what they wore:)
The dresses ..the hats..


The gardens are coming..SO alive..but because things happen in stages in May..nothing is perfectly photogenic except snippets..

All my plantings are done..except if I find a new fuschia..mine seemes to have been DOP..:( A small one..and maybe some more nasturtiums to eat.

I made scones this week,a whole new way..not sure if the result is different..I had always read and made w/ very little handling..this method called for folding and folding and folding..like puff pastry..anyway..
they were good..

so if you want to try this way..
go here..I am always grateful to people who share~

I also made this little cake..how many lemon poppy seed loaf recipes can one have and keep?
But this one was from SWEET..I booked it out of the library..and Googled which recipes were keepers..this one came up..

 Ottolenghi's Lemon Loaf~

I baked mine at 325 Convection in one of my very fave pans EVER for about 40 minutes.I may have snuck it back in for 4 minutes at 320 Convection..Details..do the toothpick test.
I also added on fat tbsp of greek yogurt because my cream was not full fat..I only needed 2 lemons.
Mine did not sink one iota.

My pan is perfect for Mie De Pain..there is a cover that slides onto it..
It is from E Dehillerin,Paris,France..From my sweet young friend Lee-Ann..her husband Jon picked it out for me many many many yrs ago.It looks like new.It was made for this loaf LOL..:)

Perfect volume.

Garden Journal

All the planting done
Excited about petunias this year with a new fertilizer
Some crabapples doing better in our area ..some not as well.
Serviceberry and Flowering Almond almost done.
Jacques finished painting the fences..looks so clean.
Forget Me Nots in bloom..violas..lilacs about to happen..happening:)
Girls are happy to come to me.I keep snacks in my pockets.
So cute.Caramelle ..the largest..is definitely the one with attitude..you should see me trying to catch her when she won't come in..Oh lala.
Although the tulips were not my fave colors..nice show offs lol.but like annuals here.
My dear foxgloves have acted like annuals also:( Gone girls gone.

Jack In The Pulpits coming up..such darlings in the fairy areas.

Bon weekend~

~Mid~May~Many Blooms Month~

The next 2 trees were Mother's Day gifts:) Both are my favorites..the Serviceberry..white..when Caroline was expecting Lucas..so 13 yrs ago..

And the pink..a Flowering Almond..a couple of yrs later.May is their month to shine♥

Mid May..Mother's Day Monday..the Flowering Almond starting to bloom beautifully and my Serviceberry..so..May14th..
The crabapples will follow soon~
Then the lilacs..

After seeing Rose Cottage/La Maison Des Jardins..engulfed in snow for so long..I felt she needed a  rejuvenating serum:)

Donna had posted about her  charming bunting..

I had white plastic bunting but  I knew it would not last all summer long..

So I took some fat quarters..(each fat quarter makes 3 pennants..)..and sewed away..I used a wider double quilting cotton tape for the top..the pennants are stitched together..right sides together..then turned inside out..cotton wide tape sewn at top..

The earth is opening up to lots of growth..
I planted petunias in the flower boxes around the side..(you can't see them)..the front got hanging geraniums..(can't see..) and  begonias instead of geraniums in pots.. 
Soon the perennials will fill in this area..to the brim..some roses..clematis..seeds..it's all good;)

See what I miss come March? All this.If winter ender Feb..I would be thrilled.

I made another great little cake..this one is from The View From Great Island...
Strawberry Buttermilk Cake♥
Soon it will be strawberry season in QC..in the interim..we get the Costco ones that look like they have been on steroids;)


PS..never hesitate to give a tree as a gift..preferably..smaller..a standard or low growing..year after year..they bring such sweet memories to you.

Have a great weekend~

Mother's Day Weekend in Canada and the US~

It's grown since I took this pic:)It's a hero in my garden.

Lungwort..hate that name..so Pulmonaria to me..;)Even that is not attractive a name..

Happy Mother's Day weekend~to those of you who are mothers..or daughters..to people or pets;)

Same old same old here..gardens and teas and cookies..

Great new stamped cookie recipe from Mix and Measure on IG.

You can find it here..I put melted chocolate on the backs of some..

They are sooo good.

So partial to Dark brown sugar now.

The birds are flying around ..so busy making nests emptying my feeders in minutes..lol

Like my chickens..

Only 1 is a laying:(

A bit of a crab here re my Hunter boots..granted I bought them second hand..(like new)..but $$$.and we drove to Neverland to pick them up..

but I have worn them 20 times max..apparently black matte..prone to this..

let's just say they are now strictly GARDEN wellies.

I have  had Walmart wellies that have kept their youth longer than these..

Buy shiny..my daughters have shinier..no sign of wear ..

that's why I am rattling on..beware of matte.

Garden Journal

Bought some hanging baskets

Geranium

Begonias..

Bought ind.pots

Basil,begonias

Planted Seeds

Double Cream Nasturtium

Borage

and my Nicotina Seedlings

Moved some clematis..installed the new obelisks

Bought a Forsythia and a William Baffin..Planted..

Bought a waterfall campanula..planted.

Cleaned the driveway wild area up a bit..it's just unmanageable..a field of ditch lilies and ferns and weeds and Lily-Of-The -Valley..nothing you can eradicate..I tried..

I painted words from Ms.Rumphius on the weathered fence section.. 

Jacques said:"You should paint that fence part first"..I said:" no".

While I was stenciling the words with my Susan Branch vintage stencils..he came out and said..in French: "I suppose it adds to the charm that the fence paint is shabby"..and he meant it:)

10 points!

Things are looking Springy!