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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

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Movie review...

Last night we watched a great movie that came out for HBO TV several years ago.
Bill Nighy plays a reserved cabinet minister with the British government.
He's about to attend the G8 summit in Iceland to address the issue of mortality due to world poverty.
On one of his tea breaks, he meets Kelly MacDonald in a crowded cafe and so begins a quiet
unassuming relationship.
He impulsively invites her to come to the conference with him, innocently enough.
She knows little about the issue at hand, but quickly learns and makes her opinions
well known in the circles of politicians.
Not to Bill Nighy's liking or his boss.
Anyway I won't give away the end because it's a fantastic film worth seeing.
Damien Rice adds his music to the soundtrack as well as Sigur Ros.
Here's a little taste of what Bill Nighy's character is fighting for...


Monday, May 23, 2011

In the garden...

 With all of this cold, wet weather, the seeds are slow coming up.
We need some warmth around here.
Last year, Tom put in a big veggie garden in the front field, so this year we're 
hoping to get a lot more food from here.
 Right now it looks pretty bare, but hopefully, in a month or so, it'll look lush with life.
We are still having fires in the wood stove in the evening so that goes to show you 
how cool things are...
But things are moving along and the perennials and trees and shrubs are
looking quite lush everywhere. 
In the greenhouse, the seeds are doing well, but only due to
 a heated seed bed for them to sit on...
Sometimes I wish I had one of those!
 When we first moved here, we found this double, cast iron farmhouse sink in the bush.
It took 4 of us to drag it out and it sat behind the woodshed for 10 years.
(I had grandiose dreams of having it in my beautifully renovated kitchen!)
Anyway last year, with the help of my friend Clayton, we built a stand for it...
 and I spent an entire afternoon scrubbing the dickens out of it...
Talk about ELBOW GREASE!!
Now this year, I finally sealed up the drain hole and turned it into
a babbling little water feature...
(that's my friend Irma's lovely cement work on the front)
...complete with adorning broken dishes and beach glass...
Of course the stars of the show at this time of year are the apple trees...
This little orchard was here 12 years ago when we bought the place and although
the trees get ravaged by the bears in the fall,
(we do our best to discourage them, but they always end up getting a bunch)
during the late spring months
it looks simply beautiful...
After a good rain, and a bit of sun, the blossoms come out in all their glory...
Nestled amongst small patches of bluebells, it's one of my favorite places to hang out...
Hopefully it'll be warm enough to provide nectar for the bees.
I've been potting up lots of herbs in containers on the upper deck this year as well.
Although I love walking out to the main garden, glass of wine in hand, late afternoon sun,
to pick lettuce and bits for salad, it's nice to have some right at hand
in the midst of whipping up a culinary extravaganza!
I'm trying my hand at growing rhubarb in a big planter since I read that
it does quite well, given plenty of food and water.
We save all of our 'grey' water from dishes and such to water all the plants in pots around the house.
Being on a well, in the summer, we are very careful with the water we use and
try to use this grey water to our advantage.
So hopefully with the temps rising a bit, things will begin to thrive...
I watch farmlady's blog down in California with envy.
All of that sun and things so much further along than here...
but then I think...soon enough it'll be warm enough to bare the shoulders
and swim in the lake!
Summer's coming!!

Saturday, May 21, 2011

So far, so great...

  Looks like the adoptee's are livin' the good life!
 If you missed this story, you can read about it here.
...here
...and  here

Friday, May 20, 2011

Song for Friday...for the campers...

This weekend is a long weekend for some...
Here it's Victoria Day...parades, people heading out with trailers and tents...
...bbq's, cider on the porch...
The official start to summer.
And it's a glorious day!
Here's an old Bruce Cockburn song done by a pretty little lady from Newfoundland...
Have a great weekend all!
 

Monday, May 16, 2011

Bees...

Bee keeper Bob and his helper were out the other day trying to
take advantage of a non-rainy day.
The grass had gotten really high around the hives, so
he came out to do some maintenance. They don't like the sound
of weed eaters, so Bob and helper were in full regalia...
I stayed back a bit sans bee suit.
They're also taking some hygiene measures and using a synthetic
form of oxalic acid (naturally occurring in rhubarb leaves),
fumigating the hives for mites.
The oxalic acid doesn't harm the bees.
Mites have been the bane of the bee keepers existence and
have been responsible for huge mortality rates in bees.
Some honey farmers have been devastated and have lost 90% of their stock.
Bob was also explaining to me about the dangers of a cool, wet spring.
In particular, apple blossoms need a certain temperature to 
produce nectar...a.k.a bee food.
No warmth = no nectar = no food = no bees.
No bees = no pollination = no food for us.
Remember, 30 % or more of the food we eat is from honeybees pollinating flowers.
Think about that. 
Almost everything on your dinner plate is there because of a little bee.
And don't forget that gorgeous amber honey they provide us with...
So not only are we hoping for the weather to warm our skin and soil,
but also to keep our bee population up.
Seen here in happier days last summer...

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Book review...


If you've ever sat and wondered what your dog is thinking, then this book will 
grab you from the start.
I see so much of my dog Griffin in this story.
I will let Harper Collins give the review...

Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver. Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. Using the techniques needed on the race track, one can successfully navigate all of life's ordeals.

On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through. In the end, despite what he sees as his own limitations, Enzo comes through heroically to preserve the Swift family, holding in his heart the dream that Denny will become a racing champion with Zoë at his side.

A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life...as only a dog could tell it.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Song for Friday...for Aja

 
My daughter loves Patrick Watson and I love this song and I love her!
So without further or due...
Have a sweet weekend all!
(p.s...Watch his percussionist on 'glasses'... so great!)