My Friend from Australia

 

     I have just had the most wonderful visit with a friend that lives in South Wales, Australia. She has just come back to Canada to see family and friends after a seven year absence. We had a wonderful afternoon and evening, reminiscing, talking, telling jokes and laughing. I can tell you that laughter really is the best medicine. It is amazing how you don't see someone for an extended period of time and you are able to carry on from where you left off the last time.  Friendship has no barriers.

     We had a lovely dinner and enjoyed time in the backyard before she had leave. She is on her way today back home. There are a few places that I would love to visit in the world and Australia is one of them. 

     This morning we have rain again. The cats have all been out and come back in for their morning nap. The beach is not in the plans. The lawn will not get cut either. That leaves housework and there is always lots of that

Love Always Kim

Lazy Summer Days

     I saw this picture and right away I fell in love with it. It is such a delicate picture. 

     I am sitting in the yard this morning. The cats have had their run and are sitting in various spots so they can keep an eye on the squirrels. We have three black squirrels; one mother and her two babies. I have found them annoying at times. They are veracious eaters and can reek havoc on any bird feeder that their little paws cannot get into. Our neighbour has a lot of feeders in his yard and he does not like the squirrels. They have provided a lot of fun for our cats as well as us. It is interesting to watch the game but you and I both know that the squirrels will always win. 

     The rain came again yesterday. The pond was swimming in the yard. When the sun finally came out it was very humid. We have had about six blue jays in our yard for the last week. They are so regal looking but they can be very noisy. The other day I heard the nuthatches again. We were blessed with seeing two woodpeckers in the pine trees. This morning I heard the chickadees. I have not put up the feeder yet. It is for the goldfinches and the small birds only. I will have to purchase some Niger seed. I love the little finches. They will make a nice addition to our pond.

Love Always Kim

Glorious Summer

     It has been a while since I have posted. We have received unusual weather lately. We have had a lot of rain. It has made it difficult to do a lot of gardening. The pond was put on hold. I have managed to get rid of a lot of the ground cover that I have been struggling with. I have had to dig down into the earth and turn it over and take the plants out with my hands. It seems to be working. 

     I have celebrated my birthday. I invited two best friends to have a pink tea party with me in the backyard. Everything was so pretty. I purchased a pink lace cloth from the closest second hand store. I put it over my white damask cloth. I used my Grandmother's dishes which are decorated with roses. I have delicate glasses with pink, blue and green accents. My one friend brought me a pink lily from her garden in a pink fairy purse filled with rose petals. My other friend brought me a single pink rose and baby's breath. It was a wonderful afternoon. We sat under the shade of our maple tree. There was a lovely breeze. It was a very memorable afternoon.

     I have been waiting patiently to clean out our garage. I want to use it as a studio. I want to paint our dining room furniture and the furniture that we use in our breakfast room. The picture above is one I found. I cannot remember where I found it. I fell in love with the picture. This is something that is doable in our dining room. I have a suite that consists of a rectangular table with one armchair and five side chairs. I have a buffet and a china cabinet. I have always wanted a circular table because I think it promotes more conversation than a large table. I will take before and after pictures and share them later with you.

     The picture below shows how I would like to decorate my breakfast room. We do not have the small side window behind the table. We do have a large window the same as in the picture that looks out onto the garden. We will be having a fireplace installed in this room soon. At the moment we have a pellet stove. It came with the house. It does not work the way that it is supposed to. I would never recommend to anyone to invest in a pellet stove after our experience this past winter.

Love Always Kim

June to July

     It is hard to believe that June has come and gone already. We had warmer and nicer weather in April and May. June was the rainiest June on record. I have been to the beach but the lake is really not warm enough to swim in. We stood in the water at the shore and the water was so cold that it made our ankles ache.

     Our backyard is really looking wonderful. The cats are having a lot of fun chasing each other. The love to sit under the bushes and then run out when the other cat it near. They are not at all interested in going outside when the weather is wet and cold.

     We have just had our "Canada Day" celebration. It is always celebrated on July 1st no matter what day of the week it falls on. This year is was Thursday. There was a lot of cottage traffic going through town on Wednesday evening so I suspect a lot of people are having an extra long holiday weekend this year.

     They always have a fireworks display down by the lake but we decided not to go this year. We put our flag in the front window and we had a nice barbecue. We started our dinner with salad and homemade sun-dried tomato dressing. We cooked t-bone steaks and had baked potatoes. I am just hoping for some really nice weather. We need sunshine and warm temperatures.

Love Always Kim

Wise Words

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to

mourn for the past, worry about the future,

or anticipate troubles, but to live

in the present moment

wisely and earnestly.

- Buddha

Happy Victoria Day Weekend

T

     This is the first long weekend of the summer season. The beach is only 15 minutes from here and we have a steady stream of cottagers on Friday evening and Saturday morning driving through town. Our little town seems to be the hub for canoers and kayakers. At one point there were three companies offering to let you canoe or kayak down the river. 

     The Mennonites have started their farmer's market again. They bring their wares and set up behind the arena. We see them parking their horses on the street behind our house. 

     I chose this picture today because the few lily of the valley that I have just bloomed. I picked the little stems and brought them in the house. They are sitting on the table beside the loveseat. They are so fragrant and the sweet smell meets my nose every so often and triggers memories of my childhood.

     Our weather all week was wonderful and we got a lot of garden work accomplished. Today it rained first thing in the morning. I am sure the cottagers are not very happy. There is a wonderful breeze coming in the windows now. The grass is green and the leaves are covering the lawn making it our oasis. To all of you, have a good weekend.

Love Always Kim

Hoping that Warm Weather Returns

     I had to share this beautiful ballerina in pink with you this morning. As I have said I love pink.Thank you Karen at the "Graphics Fairy". I am planning a pink tea party for my girlfriends. I think I will use this picture somewhere that day. She is too pretty to keep all to myself.

     We have had extremely wet weather the last couple of weeks. It rained so hard the other day that my fish pond is completely full of water again. I am going to have to start over. There was so much rain that there was a puddle extending beyond the edge of the pond into the yard. It took a day for the water to seep into the ground. The birds were having such fun in the puddles. Everything is lush and green; all of the plants are happy including the weeds.

     My lilacs are in bloom. I think that I should be able to cut some today and bring them into the house. My favourite flowers are, lilacs, lily-of-the-valley, peonies and roses. My peonies are coming up as well. I had a few lily-of-the-valley but I do not see them growing this year. I guess I will have to get more. They seem to be partial to the acid soil around the pine trees. 

     We have grey skies at the moment but they are calling for sun tomorrow. I know one thing we have had enough rain for a while. The river and the creeks are overflowing. Enjoy your weekend.

Love Always Kim