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...a glimpse into life on Vancouver Island, needle felting, photography, food, gardening, etcetera...etcetera
"Happiness always looks small when you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and at once you learn how big and precious it is."
Maxim Gorky

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Secret, sacred places...

I've been to this place many times but its been a while since I've visited
so I thought I'd give you a little tour again...
 ...down through the woods to the bend in the creek sits a little raft on a cable...
 ...we call it the pull ferry (its self propelled) and Griffs always up for the ride!
 ...it always feels like I'm passing through into another world...
 ...a secret world of childhood dreams...
The woods on the other side are deep and rich and full of life...
 Skunk cabbage grows big on these rain filled boggy paths...
 ...also called swamp lantern because of its gorgeous, strange, spiky flowers...
 I must cut through the farmers field to get around these spots...there's Annie's house where
I had tea that morning..."Hi Annie!"
In no time these grasses will be shoulder high and like tigers we'll sneak through in the summer heat..
 We went to Annie's this morning to see her pink fawn lilies ( you can read more about that here)
 and lo and behold there was some over here too just finishing up their show...
The false lily of the valley was a thick carpet all along the paths...
 ...just getting ready to show it's tiny white flowers any day now...
 ...meandering...
 ...nests of summers past...
Up onto the suspension bridge...
 Yes, that was where Wordless Wednesday was!
 Down by the swimming hole, the water is still too high on the riverbanks to walk
along the shore, but come July our toes will once again
be tickled by tiny fish in dappled cooling waters...
 For now we wander back through the woods...spotting evidence of the sapsuckers...
 ...witnessing the changing colours of the dying trillium...
 Instead of fading, her colours turn vibrant in one last show
...and if you follow an old road, past the weathered fence posts,
treading carefully across the rotting bridge you'll spot a tree...
...not just any tree...look closely...at the bottom...
 ...a sad tale of the woodcutter who loved his wife and child but lost them tragically and
carved his pain into the wood.
Actually I made that part up...they are my trees of mystery of which I know nothing
but I like to imagine him out here on a summers evening with
his tools and a beer...immortalizing those he lost
Heading back, I glance  once more down the secret creek 
and dream of warmer summer afternoons...
These places have become sacred, secrets to me and the few I choose to share them with.
They're worth the quiet whispers and unwritten maps, the places
where sometimes you just have to hold them close.









Thursday, May 1, 2014

Soap crush...

 Have you ever been in love?
(I mean with something, not someone)
Oh, sure, there's that great old '48 Ford pickup truck and dream houses and far away destinations
but I'm talking about life's simple, essential pleasures...like food and wine
and for us gals (and probably some dudes) yummy smelling body products!
 This is my latest crush...
 ...rose geranium hibiscus soap...
 ...smooth, bubbly, luscious, heavenly scented and all natural!
Guess what?
 It's made about 15 minutes from here in lovely Jordan River, Vancouver Island, B.C.
...in small batches to assure quality and freshness...
...beautiful, apothecary's style packaging...simple and classic.
Soap makers extraordinaire, Jordan River Soapworks, has perfected the art of making the most
lovely products....this sample of their black licorice soap almost
made me want to take a bite out of it!...
And it's not only myself who loves the stuff but anyone I've talked to,
including those with skin sensitivities who's used their product
has testified to how much they love it.
In fact Jordan River Soapworks products was inspired by the owners own skin sensitivities.
Not only are the soaps lush-a-licious but their line of other products
including body butter, lip balm, shaving soap, bath soaks and the most 
scrumptious gift sets are available. 
(think Mothers Day AND Fathers Day coming up!!!!)
You can shop online here or if 
you live in or near Sooke you can find their products
at Inspire...6711 Eustace Rd...right beside Stick in the Mud...best coffee in town!
Buying local? Buying organic? Buying cruelty free?
It's a good thing!!






Tuesday, April 29, 2014

a wee wander...

There's nothing quite like a wander around a garden in the spring, after the rain...
 ...the promise of a new season beckons...
 ...minuscule fields of forget-me-not rise above the soil
 ...a surprise from plants put in late last summer and forgotten about until just now
 ...little clouds of veronica and violets float through the carpets of wooley thyme...
 ...the graphic detail deep in the heart of a hosta...stunning!
 ...fern fiddleheads open like the hands of a dancer...
 ...the lovely nodding head of a native bleeding heart
 ...the evergreen clematis awake after the long winter...
 ...a forest of chives just about ready to burst...
 ...one of my most favorite plants after the rain, ladies mantel...
 ...the leaves seem impervious to water so it sits like a little, magical magnifying glass...
 ...a perfect bug watering hole!
 ...hardy succulents come alive again with the warmth...
 ...and of course the honeybees, ever present looking for early pollen
 ...the darling buds of May!
 ...fluttering bluebells welcome me at the gate
 ...coltsfoot flowers appear before the leaves
...and last but not least...the whiskers of a handsome iris bid you adeiu!