Friday Favourites: Gardens, Bees, and Jam

 

A Rose from Government House - no names were provided

I love summer at home. Every day I wander through my garden to see what's blooming, where buds are forming, and how much everything is growing. I pull a few weeds, clip dead flowers, and encourage the vegetables to grow well. A few blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries find their way into my mouth. 

For me, the sensation of standing barefoot in the grass, bathed in warm sunlight while savouring the sweetness of a fresh-picked berry is the height of summer luxury. 

We've had some really lovely warm summer days, but today the clouds moved in. The temperature is 10 degrees cooler today than yesterday, not quite 20 degrees. A bit of rain has fallen and the ground welcomes it. I am glad for a sweater and socks.  

Yesterday I met with a cousin visiting from afar and we strolled through the gardens at Government House, home to our Lieutenant Governor, the King's representative here in British Columbia. The gardens are open to the public. There are ponds, vistas across the Strait, two formal rose gardens, and several areas with more casual plantings. 

Tim has taken up beekeeping and the bees arrived a few weeks ago. He's taken courses and belongs to the local beekeeping association, while I absorb tidbits here and there. The bees will live on our daughter's property and her two little ones have named the hives - if you look closely at the photo you'll see one is Dandy and the other is Lion. Clever girls. 

Tim set them up in one spot, but has since decided that they need more sun, so he will move them. I didn't realize that moving bee hives is a big deal. The bees adapt better if they are moved a greater distance than just 20 or 50 feet, unless he moves them just a foot or two over time. So he brought the bees to our garden this week. He sealed the hive at night and set them on the grass, then unsealed the hives early in the morning so the bees could orient themselves. When they first come out in a new location, they orient themselves by flying in loops and circles not too far from the hives before they zoom off looking for food. In a week or so, he'll do the reverse and take them back to the farm where they will re-orient themselves there.

We're replacing our raspberry canes this year, so we don't have many berries of our own. I bought a few to make raspberry jam. Oh, the sweet fruity fragrance of jam cooking! I don't remove the seeds as I prefer them on my toast, but my mother likes to make jelly and removes them all. 

Granddaughter Sadie turned 14 a few weeks ago and she had requested watercolour paints, which we gave to her. Now that school is done, she came over this morning and we played with paints, learning how to mix colours, and use the correct amount of water. We had fun together and the above projects are hers.

Last week was very busy with the book launch and company. Preparing food ahead is something I like to do, and I made this tart/sweet Frozen Lemon Dessert that we all enjoyed. You can find the recipe by clicking on the link. 

A Reflective Week

 

The days here have been comfortably full of the regular affairs of life, but threaded throughout I've been watching bits and pieces of the ceremonies in the UK. I wish I understand more of the meaning and symbolism behind some of the magnificent pageantry. I took myself down to Government House one day to sign the Book of Condolence for the Queen. There are several physical books in our province, as well as an online book. 

While at Government House I wandered through the gardens set on a hill high above the ocean. A sharp breeze had me wishing for a light jacket, and whispered of days to come. The fountain in the rose garden trickles a soft melody and flowers continue to bloom on the bushes.

Patches of autumn crocus (colchicum autumnale) dot the ground. They are also called "naked ladies" because their leaves emerge in spring, then die down, and in autumn, leafless flowers appear. 

I love a good-looking stack of wood. It speaks to me of cozy evenings spent reading by a fire. Our own wood burning fireplace has been converted to gas, and it's very convenient and clean, but lacks the atmosphere of a crackling wood fire.  

Autumn colours are beginning to show. In our area we don't get the vibrant glowing mass of colour that is more evident further inland. It's a gentler season of muted golds and orange, with a few flames thrown in here and there. 

I've been roasting and freezing tomatoes this week, and made a small batch of blackberry syrup for pancakes or ice cream. Our across-the-fence neighbour planted thornless blackberries several years ago, and encourages us to pick the ones that we can reach from our side. They are big berries, but sadly, they lack much taste, so boiling them down is a good way to concentrate the flavour. 

There will be a birthday party for 3 this weekend, and perhaps some garden clean up. So I'm off to fold laundry, bake a cake, and cut flowers for the house. 

What does your weekend hold?

Blossoms and Thoughts on Friday

This has been a lovely spring break. One week away and one week at home. I confess to having made a fairly long list of things to do during this second week, but few of them have been accomplished. 

There's been a little gardening, some sewing, a lot of reading, and definitely more daydreaming than usual. Tim was gone for a couple of days and when he's not around I tend to stay up too late reading and then drag around the next day.

Wandering around one of the many gardens in our city was on the list. Government House, where the Lieutenant Governor lives has beautiful gardens open to the public. (The LG is an appointed position as the provincial representative of our Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.)

It was a glorious day, full of sunshine with wispy clouds in the distance, the chirp of birds, and lots of blossoms to admire. I wandered along the pathways, stopping to watch squirrels play peekaboo with me, and smiling at a few other walkers. 

Off to one side of the property the fence is broken by one wall of a wooden building adjoining the grounds. Although I wanted to take a good look into the windows, I thought better of it, but from a distance it looks to be a gardening shed. The gnarled tree just beginning to bloom, an apple variety, perhaps, certainly looks well there. 

I tried a new recipe one night. Chicken breast halves, sliced cross-ways not quite through, with alternating slices of mozzarella cheese and fresh tomatoes inserted, then pesto spooned and spread over top. I baked those at 375 for about 20 minutes, then added broccoli drizzled with olive oil and salt, along with the leftover tomato slices to the pan and continued baking for another 15-20 minutes. It was easy and very good. I based the recipe off of this one from Eating Well.  Theirs looks better than mine...

Here in my own garden the pear tree is in bloom. I've seen few pollinators around, though, so I hope they are there when I'm not looking. Daffodils nod happily in the sunshine. Muscari stand sturdy. Hyacinths, blue, pink, and white waft their sweetness in the air. Tulips are mere leaves as yet. Green leaves sprout all over the hydrangeas and lilacs. It's a riot of life out there. 

Today there's laundry to do and a little cleaning. A regular physio appointment at noon, and sadly, a memorial service for a church friend, then a birthday celebration for Tim with family. 

I took the picture of Tim and our three children and put it up on Facebook. A few people wondered about the photographer behind the photo, so I added my own face in there, too, as a bit of a joke. 

A couple of weeks ago our Vancouver family was over and we had dinner together. It was just before spring break began and Tim and I were leaving the next day, so I told everyone we would just order pizza and I'd make a salad. 

Well, I got to thinking about other options and ended up making Greek meatballs, rice, a big salad, and lots of roasted vegetables, along with a raspberry cheesecake for dessert. 

The change of menu plan did not come as a surprise to my children, who know me all too well. One couple said they had placed bets on whether or not the pizza would actually happen; another said they wondered how long I had held out, and so on. They teased me unmercifully. What can I say? I like to cook. Besides, there were things in the fridge that needed to be used up before we went away. 

So for tonight, there will DEFINITELY be pizza!

On a Sunday in Spring

Charles Dickens knew spring well. He wrote, in Great Expectations "It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold; when it is summer in the light and winter in the shade." This was our weekend. Beautiful sunshine, but chilly air and when it blew, a biting wind. 

In the grounds of Government House all kinds of flowers are blooming in clumps and beds among the pathways and rocks. My camera worked overtime, finding colour and texture everywhere. 

The sun played peek-a-boo, but when it shone, how the light glowed among the petals.  

Not all is in bloom. The stark architecture of Garry Oaks reminds me that spring unfolds gradually.

Hellebores bloomed prolifically in the Lieutenant Governor's garden. I met her, Judith Guichon, walking with her dog, and we exchanged a smiling hello.

Warm yellow beehives stand off the beaten path. I studied them for a few moments and was happy to see a goodly number of bees flying about.

Today, Sunday, was warm and sunny. We switched to Daylight Savings Time last night. I think the combination of the mellow sunshine and the time change had us feeling a wee bit tired. Family came for Sunday supper and our children confessed to the same feelings. I'm not a fan of the time switch - choose one or the other and stick with it is my opinion. 

So many varieties of hellebores, and all of them beautiful. I've not had much success in keeping my plants alive and wonder what I'm doing wrong. Too dry in the summer? I'll be doing some research.

I'll be away from my blog for a few weeks, chaperoning a group of Grade 12 students who are going to a needy area in Mexico for a service project. We leave early Wednesday morning, in time to catch the first ferry at 7 am. By the time I return, I expect more spring growth to have burst out. 

Linking with Mosaic Monday, hosted by Maggie of Normandy Life. 

An Afternoon Tea

Several weeks ago, my husband brought home an invitation. It was addressed to him, plus guest. I hope he didn't think too long about his choice of guest, because I really wanted to attend the event. Afternoon tea at the Lieutenant Governor's residence seemed special to me.

This roaring fire was the first sight I saw as I walked up the few stairs to the entrance hallway. Crackling wood threw off welcome heat. Tim and I arrived separately, so I toasted my front and then my back while I waited.

I brought my camera and asked beforehand if photos were permitted. 

The tea was held in the ballroom, large and airy, with a gorgeous view over the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Olympic Mountains. Tall windows topped with stained glass representations of native plants lined two sides of the room. 

Crystal wall sconces glitter between each set of windows. 

Stairs ran up each side of the room to a balcony level. In the rectangular painted panels of darker aqua, the images in the circles are the Pacific Dogwood, our provincial flower.

I think there must have been a party earlier in the week. With balloons. They looked a little incongruous up there on the ceiling for this event. Here they are reflected in the tall (very tall) mirrors behind the stage. 

After a short ceremony to recognize a generous donor to our local Veteran's Care Home, tea was served. Lovely china cups decorated with the provincial coat of arms (also seen in the first photo on the outside of the house) were carefully stacked, ready for tea or coffee. Savory and sweet pastries were delicious accompaniments. 

Someone else came to tea, but she seemed to prefer vegetables over pastries. 
The gardens at Government House are open to the public and I've written a few posts about them, here, and here. 

As I left, Her Honour's car was parked in the porte-cochère, and I heard someone talking about luggage, so I`m assuming she was off on a trip after the event.

I'm glad I was chosen as the guest for this event. It was inspiring. The person being honoured at this tea was Rudi Hoenson who, as a young man, was imprisoned in the Far East, first in the infamous Changi prison, then taken to Japan. He was just one mile away from the Nagasaki atomic bomb explosion and suffered from radiation sickness. He immigrated to Canada from The Netherlands in 1956. His story is remarkable. The link on his name will take you to a short write up. 

Thoughts on Friday

The scent of mandarin oranges whispers "Christmas" to me. My parents would buy a box or two and keep them in cold storage in the basement. Each orange, wrapped in green tissue paper, had smooth skin that peeled easily, filled the air with exotic citrus, and tasted sweet.

Do you remember the wooden boxes? After the oranges disappeared, the box became any number of things - a shelf, a doll bed, the frame for a house. I think those wooden orange boxes started me on the path of a-box-for-everything.

For me, mandarin orange scent is Christmas, but for my children, who grew up in the jungle where mandarins grew year round, the scent reminds them of home. 

A couple of mornings ago Tim pointed out the full moon - in the morning! In the half light between night and day it shone fat and bright, framed by a few skimpy forsythia branches just off the deck. 

We're going through a cold spell - temperatures just below freezing at night, warming up to cool, but brilliant sunshine. Ice in the garden stays all day. 

I took a quick stroll with my camera around Government House on Thursday. How surprising, given the chilly nights, to see these fuschia plants so hale and hearty.

Rounding another corner on the path I spied hellebores just beginning to flower. Such beautiful creamy blossoms. 

Something else happened at Government House - but that will be a post for another day.

Back to the mandarins - what scents evoke Christmas for you? 

Spring Greens

Government House is the residence of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia - the Queen's representative in our province. The house is open for tours just one Saturday per month, or by special request. 

But the grounds are open every day (almost) from sunrise to sunset. Last Monday we strolled through the gardens. There is much to admire at this time of year - rhododendrons, camas lilies, fawn lilies, daffodils and tulips. 
  

What really caught my eye was spring green. It's such a fresh color, new to the world and full of eager brightness and vigor. Unfurling ferns and emerging leaves are the perfect foil for spring blossoms. 
 

These magnificent tulips caught my eye, too. So rich looking, don't you think?

Linking to Mosaic Monday, hosted by Judith of Lavender Cottage.