Category Archives: Summer

Summertime & Keeping it Real

When there’s deep snow to slog through, I complain. When it rains for weeks on end, I complain. When hot sun arrives and pushes the thermometer up past the 30C degree mark, I complain. Apparently I’m hard to please. LOL. After several days of suffocating heat, the summer solstice arrived today in delightful moderation —Continue reading “Summertime & Keeping it Real”

A Strange Start to September

“Don’t ever open by writing about the weather,” the workshop instructor warned. “It’s deadly.” Well, yes, I get that talking about the weather has been overdone. It’s a cliche. But these days it’s all I can think about. This is British Columbia’s west coast — what we locals often call BC’s rainforest — and yetContinue reading “A Strange Start to September”

Fire!!!

Nothing speeds up the heart rate like hearing someone shout, “Fire”! It instantly generates visions of an out-of-control blaze, and right now there are several of them burning in our province. Forest fires aren’t anything new here. Every summer lightning and human carelessness cause many hectares of land, trees and property to be destroyed. There areContinue reading “Fire!!!”

Time to tend the daisies

“Always have something beautiful in sight, even if it’s just a daisy in a jelly glass.“ [H. Jackson Brown, Jr.] .   No daisies in jelly glasses adorn my desk, but there are several clumps in the garden, braving a renewed blast of summery heat. On this last day of July I’m balanced on tiptoe, peering into AugustContinue reading “Time to tend the daisies”

Resilience – in gardening and writing

If you’re a gardener, ‘Lacecaps’ and ‘Mopheads’ will likely be familiar terms. They describe the two main groups of hydrangeas within which there are several different species and varieties. And that’s just about all I know about hydrangeas! On second thought, that’s not entirely true. I know that many of the varieties are sensitive to soilContinue reading “Resilience – in gardening and writing”

Simmering Down and Summertime Planning

Friday again. But not just any Friday … the last Friday of springtime. Grandchildren are finishing school for the summer season that starts this weekend, and all the mid-week meetings and organizations are beginning to simmer down. For those of us who don’t hold full-time jobs, summer is ‘me’ time, when there’s breathing room in dailyContinue reading “Simmering Down and Summertime Planning”

So much promise…

My first peony of the season opened on Sunday. I’ve been keeping an eye on the buds as they show colour and swell with promise, but this one appeared while I wasn’t paying attention. The clematis are showing promise, too, but none of the buds have opened quite yet. (The banner photo is from last year.)Continue reading “So much promise…”

Summer Snapshot: Serenity at Dawn

It is a good idea to be alone in a garden at dawn or dark so that all its shy presences may haunt you and possess you in a reverie of suspended thought. James Douglas   There is only one day left, always starting over: it is given to us at dawn and taken awayContinue reading “Summer Snapshot: Serenity at Dawn”