Out of the Blue!

 

Oh my goodness, where did May go?  Time never stands still of course but you have to agree the merry month of May flew by on wings of busy little birds, wind driven rain - a lot here - and, for me, flying over and back to the West coast.

Now it's June and although no long trips are planned, perhaps some short drives into the countryside. To see the green and golden fields and farmland of this beautiful state will be a pleasant change. Brief times away from the garden outside the windows is sometimes refreshing.

My garden is perhaps at its best right now. The cooler days here were a blessing whilst we were overheating in a northern California early heatwave with every day in the 90's. Granddaughter Jasmin came by to water the pots which was perfect, and the remainder of the garden managed itself quite nicely. The figs are swelling and look especially prolific this year, dozens on each branch. The roses, buddleia,  daylilies, hostas, jasmin, honeysuckle, hydrangeas are all blooming and wafting their fragrance through the air, especially in the damp evenings we've been having. Even the carpet of perfumed wild ginger is smothered in white blooms and provides great ground cover in the shaded back garden.

Despite the very wet holiday weekend, a couple of evenings we dined in the gazebo, cool but not uncomfortable. Have been enjoying good home cooked dishes and eating healthy as we settle back into our routine. I have worked in the garden the past couple of days, weeding, trimming, removing the last of the spring bulbs leaves which had turned brown, pruning oversized azaleas and of course clipping hydrangeas for the house as there are so many blooms this year. They of course love the cooler weather we've had for nearly two weeks, and soaked up the rain. I tried the latest tip of keeping the blooms fresher longer - have you tried this?  After cutting plunge the heads into a bucket, or the sink, of fresh, cool water and swirl gently around a few minutes. Shake off the water, cut bottom of stems on a sharp angle and place into a vase/container of hot water.  These were cut last Friday so are now a week old inside the house - I refreshed them yesterday - and they still look amazing. Definitely great water lovers and the most beautiful flowers.

Enough of the blues, next time I'll add more color!

Shades of blue. . . . and travel ahead!

 This will be a busy week around the cottage and garden as we'll be leaving

 early next week for that first big overseas trip since the pandemic arrived!

Thankfully, I seem to be over the food poisoning episode, a really debilitating

 two weeks, and now feel up for all the preparations required for a long

 distance flight and spending time with my much missed family and friends

 in England.

MEMORIAL DAY weekend flew by even though we did little out of the ordinary.

Still staying cautious and away from crowds with travel coming up, we enjoyed 

the garden which is lovely right now. 

There were a few surprises. 

Sitting on the porch yesterday afternoon enjoying a cup of tea, a beautiful

 large deer bounded across the lawn in the sunshine.  A baby bunny nibbled

 on our freshly mown lawn.  A chipmunk flashed by my feet when I took a

 break on the back deck, while the usual large family of squirrels were

 omnipresent under the bird feeders. Butterflies are back and quite a few

 bees, both lovely to see. Birds have hidden nests in our shrubs and I hear

 babies chirping. The 'dawn chorus' is awesome and I love opening the

 windows early to listen as the sun comes up.

I've been cutting some hydrangeas to enjoy indoors, sharing some with

 my new next door neighbors. With the intense heat we are having (it feels like

 mid-summer) and which will reach 100F on Thursday, the lovely blue flowers

 will be struggling in the sun even though we'll be watering daily.

Here's to a pleasant week ahead everyone.

When you grow a garden.............

This past week you would have found me in the garden every day.  

Not sitting a lot, mostly working, but now and then taking a quick

break and making time for a little dreaming.

The weather held with plenty of sunshine, quite hot and no rain.

The felling of the three large trees along with stump grinding and

pruning of smaller trees, left a lot of areas requiring clean up, 

tidying and mulching. 

Today will be really hot, 95F and all I plan to do outside is some

watering on the plants in pots - mostly herbs - as the next several

days show rain off and on which the garden really needs.

How special it is to have flowers one has grown and can then

cut and arrange to enjoy inside. The hydrangeas are starting to 

fade fast from so much sunshine, their beautiful cobalt blues turning to

dusty shades of pink, grey, green, lavender . . . . . . pale but still lovely.

Have a great weekend.

Singing the blues. . . . . . .

Good morning from the garden.   

I popped out early for these photos, dew still on the grass, a few wispy

clouds high in the sky.

Something bright and beautiful is required as days of sadness and

concern are still most definitely on our minds here.

Living under nightly curfew - as well as still being cautious leaving 

the house at any time - I am finding more than ever that time in

 the garden is bringing solace and peaceful moments. I am truly 

thankful for this place and nature.

It's blue blooms time, and how beautiful they are right now.

Heat returns today with a high of 91F and full sun.

Watering, especially the pots, will take some time.

Right now it's perfect outside, later seeking a shady spot

 will be necessary.

Dear friends, be safe, be strong, stay well.

Garden green. . . . . and a new visitor!

Well, those expected gentle showers have turned into two days of very heavy

 downpours, especially overnight. Quite a difference in the garden colors, and

 even now, at noon, drenching rain still falls and steady breezes continue to wash

 off the dust and remaining springtime pollen. But enough is enough!  We are still

 looking at one more day and night with plenty more rain which we really don't need!

The hydrangeas love the rain, much cooler temperatures, and no sun to curl the

 edges of their perfect leaves and turn them brown.  The blooms are just starting to

 open, looking small but usually end up huge once all the tiny buds are fully open.

Some of my potted plants I've brought up on the porch, many don't need

 continuous watering for days on end, and seedlings certainly don't want to be

drowned or washed out of their small pots - basil mostly.

Oh, about the new visitor to the garden.  A surprising return of a chipmunk yesterday! 

 We had one named Chippy for several years who disappeared after hibernation

a year ago. This little guy/gal was running along the front porch yesterday morning, 

then headed over to the bird feeders and spent time with the squirrels - who tried

 to chase it away - but got along famously with this male cardinal as they

 breakfasted together.  I think we'll just continue using the name Chippy . . . . .

. . . . after all it may be the same one, just back from traveling!!!!!

Bad squirrel - we have a whole new family this spring and they are definitely a nuisance!

Just another garden wildlife story. . . . . . . . 

See you when it stops raining!

Hydrangeas and summertime. . . . . . . .

HAPPY CANADA DAY to all our dear friends across the northern border!

I spent time in the gazebo yesterday rearranging hydrangeas early in the

 day. . . . . .before the oppressive 95 degrees arrived along with distant storm

 clouds, and rumbling thunder. These days are far from my favorites - the older

 I get the less I enjoy the summer months.

If I lived in a cooler climate, with no biting bugs and the need to coat myself in

 insect repellent prior to stepping out the door, nights that cooled down, where

 flowers could survive more than a day, picnics perfect, the ocean refreshing, 

summertime would still be embraced as it was in my childhood days in England. 

 Dream on.

The beautiful shades of blue have faded so quickly now. 

We left for Ireland when they were just opening HERE, returned to find them stunning

 in deep shades of blue. Neighbors stopped to gasp and comment on their loveliness,

 and now, just two weeks later, hardly a touch a blue remains and we're into soft 

greens, greys, and a touch of dusty rose.

Not complaining, they are still so lovely and I have cut many (always early in the 

morning before the heat causes drooping) and have vases placed around the house.  

Some I hope will dry out and can be used in autumn and winter when there's very

 little to cut in the garden.

Gardens change. . . . . . . . gardening continues!

No place like it. . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . when you're feeling ill!

HOME, even when requiring some TLC because you've left it to collect

dust, dirty windows, and a dead mouse in a trap (I apparently forget to take

 one up prior to leaving), is the only place to be.

So I've played with my hydrangeas, bringing many in the house, moving them about, 

to brighten up these days when I've had little energy to do much whilst coughing my

 way into oblivion. 

I've tried to start organizing the many photos (and the stories to accompany them)

  taken in Northern Ireland and Ireland in order to start posting here. 

For some reason PicMonkey editor is causing me many problems - I'm

 still using the old version - so am thinking I need to spend time learning to use

 the new version which just has to be better. Or, I my have to just forget about editing,

and post lower quality photos taken with my iPhone used on days it was raining (often)

when I didn't want to lug a bulky camera around.

I hate change when it comes to using the computer - I'm afraid I no longer have

 patience or skills necessary for technical challenges - and am always nervous I'll

totally mess up and never be able to keep my poor old blog going!

But then I met an interesting published author in a lovely

 pub in Kilkenny and, after exchanging stories, he said I might

 well have a book in me. . . . . . . . . . . but that's a story

for another day!

Even Blogger appears to be having constant hiccups since getting back. 

That said, I must just mention that Internet/WiFi in Europe is so awesome compared

 to here in the US. The speed, even in hotel rooms with so many guests using

laptops, tablets etc. blew me away. I had no connection problems and was able

to do things so much faster. 

"HOME SWEET HOME" and "Singing the Blues"

Special Sunday. . . . . . for birds and Dads!

It turned out there were actually eight baby House wrens in that little 

nesting box on the front porch! How they managed to fit in there,

and sometimes one or the other parents would get in there with them,

I'll never know.  During yesterday's sunshine and perfect temperatures,

I spent much of the day sitting at the window, nursing one of the worst 

colds ever, watching these birds and getting quite an education.

This adorable little guy, No.4, actually decided not to fly away immediately 

spending about 5 minutes looking in the window from the back of

the porch chairs before flying off.

As darkness fell last night there were still two left in the box and they

tucked in for another night. This morning I dashed to the window at 

6:20 am and saw a parent feeding them. At 6:30 am the two of them 

were pushing each other out the entry hole and off they flew one at a

 time into the fig tree. Ten minutes later they flew back to the porch,

chirping for their mom I guess, then both flew onto the roof of my car

and from there into the back garden where hopefully the entire family

 was waiting to be reunited.

Returned home from Ireland to find the hydrangeas looking really fabulous! 

Apparently there was not only heat but also a lot of heavy rain here so 

everything grew abundantly. Need to shop for Boston ferns this week as

my two hanging baskets are still empty!

Hung the flags for Flag Day on Friday and decided to leave them up over

 the weekend as it's a special day today.

A very HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all the dads here

 in the USA . . . . . . and everywhere around the world

 where they are celebrated on this date.