Hello Beautiful...

Today was Earth Day.

It was a beautiful day on the Island 

and when I woke up this morning and turned on the CBC,

they were playing a Sarah Harmer song about the Niagara Escarpment.

How fitting.

Our Earth is indeed in trouble and we have many miles to go in order to 

help fix things, slow things down and stop things from the cycle of destruction.

Of this I am more than aware of.

But call me a Pollyanna, an idealist, an optimist or whatever but today

I am celebrating the beauty.

I'm bound by the beauty.

I'm in awe of the beauty.

I'm inspired by the beauty.

I went for a visit at good friend Annie Boquist's house down the road...

I've written about Annie and her husband David 

and the amazing things they've done on their property here and here

and so here I go again.

Because they make the world beautiful.

We need that more than ever.

Annie has spent many, many years cutting back invasive species and aiding in

the propagation of the rare pink fawn lily or Erythronium revolutum.

I find that second word quite interesting because right now and for some time,

there has been a green revolution.

Like minded people are planting, growing, harvesting and caring for our natural world.

There is evilness and ugliness enough in this world and inevitably I here about it somehow,

but in my own way I am cultivating goodness and positive feelings

 by being with people like Annie in her pink fawn lily haven...

I am not ignoring the terrorists, the murderers or the pedophiles who rob this world

of safety and love but instead I feel I belong to a collective consciousness of peace and hope.

 "there's a natural mystic flowing through the air"

Bob Marley

Two other friends have come to visit Annie today and we all take a walk to marvel at this tiny  sanctuary by the creek...

The sunlight is lending gorgeous light to the forest...

 Fists of sword fern unfurl in the warmth...

...we head back to the house to have a peak in Annie's studio...

It's like a mad watchmaker/toymaker/magicians lair with ingredients to 

guide the imagination to conjure up...well...things like this...

Made from gourds Annie grows and all the marvelous bits and pieces in her studio.

Now, we mustn't leave without mentioning Marjorie.

Little, tiny legged Marjorie, who kept up with us like a trooper,

who now feels left behind...

"don't worry sweetie! we'll let you in!"

Safe and sound...

And indeed this part of this beautiful earth is safe and sound and peaceful and beautiful.

Thanks again Annie and David.

(thanks Gillian and Dianne for the visit and laughter too!)

Brand new 11...

Last week one of my nieces, Hannah, turned 11.

So on our beautiful spring Sunday, after viewing pink lilies,

I took her out to St Mary's church in Metchosin to see the white lilies.

I have brought this place to blog land before and at this time of year

it's a  temptation much too hard to resist and I must show you all again...

In amongst the sleeping souls, the carpet goes on and on...

We took time to read about the ones who've gone on and talked about 'Aunt Tracy' and

how much she would love it here...

When I can, I like to spend one on one time with my nieces and nephews.

It's quite the production to have them all together and this way I can

find out what they're up to and how their lives are getting on.

We went inside the little church to have a look at a fibre arts show and

to marvel at the beauty inside...

I love sun coming through leaded glass windows!

Another wander around the lilies and then off for lunch...

I love that even though Hannah is 'getting older', she still wants to run around like a 'little kid'.

This precious time between dolls and boys.

I gave her a little box of questions for slumber parties with ones like

"who's your celebrity crush" and

"if you had one wish for the world, what would it be?"

It was a lot of fun and we learned a few things about each other while we ate our calzones.

Next it was on to another tiny present...

These little fairy slippers are sold in our shop but you can
also find them on Etsy.
Nell makes these all by hand and they are PRECIOUS!!

I figured she has plenty of time for 'grown-up' stuff and the longer she can enjoy the

magical world of pink and sparkles...all the better.
Next we wandered down to Lazy Goat Land, a little petting farm behind the cafe...

They too are were enjoying the balmy spring day, looking froward to summer naps...

And what could be better to round off the day than ice cream

and a drive through the gorgeous Metchosin country side...

So life begins for a brand new 11 year old.

Lovely labour of lily love...

On Sunday morning I was invited over to the lovely Anne Boquist's house.

Norene and I walked down the road to see her lovely patch of lilies.

Not just any lilies, but native woodland fawn lilies.

And not just any woodland fawn lilies but

PINK woodland fawn lilies!

I've only ever seen the odd one of these in the woods so

when we got to Anne's....WOW!

...probably thousands of them...

She's been nurturing these babies for 20 years now and rightly should be proud.

Anne keeps the weeds and the bigger shrubs in check along the creek...

The effort has paid off in spades...mind the pun...

It's like a fairy wonderland here and I could have just sat here for ages...

It takes 7 years for these lovelies to flower from seed...

In amongst the glory of the lilies was some Indian hellebore,

 striking in it's broad, textured leaves...

Little pale, purple woodland anemones share the dappled forest...

A friend of Anne's, since passed away, who used to come see the lilies every year,

is remembered by the little angel.

Truly a magical morning...a good way to start Earth Day!

Clean whites on the line...

 magnolias dancing in the breeze...

 Welcoming warm spring sky...

 the frittilaria showing off her checkered hoods...

 I had visited Anne's house for the first time in the fall

so it was such a treat to see it at this time of year...

 Anne and David are getting ready to move out of the big house

 and into this rebuilt 1930's cottage they've been working on for years...

 Such an inspiring place to visit.

Now I must get rested so I can get to work on my garden!

If you want to see tales of my visit last fall, have a look here...