The Little Patio Garden

The little garden has been keeping me quite busy with buying soil, mulch, more plants and pots to plant in. It hasn't rained much since I planted and I'm finding it hard to get the garden watered just right.  Behind the table there are more plants and plants in containers which I will feature as the garden matures. Many of the plants I bought were so root bound making it very difficult to get the water right where it needs to go even though I tried to break up the roots.  It's one of the reasons I'm spending more time than usual trying to make the garden grow.  I hope my efforts bear success and that everything will look a lot better in a few weeks.

Only two small strawberry plants are planted this year.  But I've been able to harvest a few small berries a few times already.  They make a nice little treat.  Maybe next year I'll be fortunate enough to find more strawberry starter plants or I'll get started earlier and plant my own seeds.  In the meantime I'm happy for what I do have and the little birds, bees and butterflies will have something to feast on.  I'm less happy about the big rat that ate all of my veggies last year before I could.  My neighbours only grow flowers so I guess he doesn't eat those. If my corn stalks grow the squirrel might come back. I really only try to grow corn for the squirrel to eat.

In the photo is a pile of my latest reading stash from the library. I've finished the book at the top of the pile, Bride of New France, about girls from a convent in Paris who make the voyage to Canada to settle with the men who came over before hand to trap for furs. It was a very interesting work of fiction based on history.

The other books are to whet my appetite for gardening in my small space.

Thanks for stopping by.
Enjoy your week.

Linking up with 

Our World Tuesday

A Beautiful Week

Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

It's been a fantastic week weather wise here in Vancouver.  

The photos I'm sharing today were taken with my phone camera on Wednesday April 25, 2018.

A house on my walk. I was drawn by the big cherry tree on the side of the house.

 I was surprised to see a number of gardens that were quite far along given that we haven't had a warm spring.

I didn't take many photos of gardens that day.
I normally wait for summer walks for garden photos.

Magnolia tree blossoms are almost all gone but they are so pretty.

In my last post I shared pink cherry blossoms. Today I'm sharing white ones.

These trees are very tall.

Whether the cherry blossoms are pink or red, I love them all.

Vancouver has an estimated 40,000 cherry trees and at least 54 different varieties of them planted throughout the city.
The first cherry trees were a gift from a sister city, Yokohama, Japan.

Joining in with 

Friday Foto Friends

and

Skywatch Friday.

Thank you for stopping by!

A Busy Week

Hi friends,

I hope all of you are well. I've been a little less present on the blog this week due to busyness.

Unexpectedly my washer broke down so that added to my usual workload. I cleared everything out of the laundry closet and sorted everything as well as wiped it all down.

Of course, the washer breakdown necessitating an analysis of whether repairs are worthwhile or whether a new machine is needed.  This in turn meant even  more time doing online research, telephoning washer repairmen, researching flyers for washer sales and so on.  It looks like I will have to purchase a new machine.  After talking to experts, reading reviews on line and speaking with relatives with similar washing  machines I feel rather fortunate to have had my washer working as long as it did.  Many people seem to get only 4-5 years out of a similar model while I had 10 years. Even so, it is really   shame that we live in a throw away society and that manufacturers and retailers have done so little to improve the longevity of machines.
Most of us have become aware that machinery and equipment of various kinds are no longer built to last even if they don't become obsolete due to technological advances.

While I was cleaning out the closet, I was motivated to complete a number of Spring cleaning projects.  Things get so dusty over the Winter despite regular cleaning.
It feels good to clean in nooks and crannies and get all the dust bunnies out.  

Several bags and boxes of items to give away were put together and photos taken so that various advertisements could be prepared and posted on line.  I'm always surprised at what people are interested in.  This time the large bucket of powdered laundry soap was a sought after item. And also some clothing which often seems to be the hardest for me to get rid of.

It is very time consuming to give away several different items at the same time.  It requires responding to emails and scheduling meet up times when it is convenient for both parties. Inevitably I find, that often those that are the first to request an item are the ones least likely to be reliable when it comes down to picking the item up when they say they will.  I still prefer to give things to someone who might actually use them rather than to throw things in the trash and add to the landfill.

  

  

Since Saturday the weather has been slowly improving with more sunshine and gradually warmer days.

Soon I will need to prepare the garden.
 In the meantime I've started some seeds, both flowers and vegetables. This is the first year of starting my garden mostly from seed. Usually I purchase starter plants because I'm often behind schedule.
This year due to late warming weather, I think I can garden in the old fashioned way which is how everyone did it when I was younger.

On the hobby side I've read a few more books and increased my year-to-date total to 21 books.
I've put together several completed books to gift to my hairdresser tomorrow. I usually get books on loan from the library but from time to time I purchase a novel or two from the thrift stores. I often return them to the thrift stores once I'm finished but this time I am happy to give them to someone I know enjoys reading.

~~~~~~~~~~

I had a huge surprise late last week when relatives arrived in town without  notice.  They were here on other business but managed to find time for a lovely dinner.  Eight of us dined, visited and laughed together at a local neighbourhood restaurant and we had a lot of fun.
  Considering they live so far away it was touching to know they made time for me.
This particular set of relatives always does.

Last, but not least it seems so many people I know have their birthdays in April and May.  This has been keeping me busy writing and sending cards and phoning far away friends.
It's always nice when someone remembers me on my birthday and I try to remember special days of friends and family members.

I'm enjoying the last days of the tree blossoms.
I missed out on a lot of them but there are still some beautiful ones around.
I hope you enjoy the few I've posted here in this space today.
I think this variety of cherry blossom is the Prunus kanzan or the Prunus serrulata.
Sadly the trees are getting rather old and I never see anyone pruning or tending to them but they are still blossoming each year and bringing a lot of joy to me and to others.

Linking with

Our World Tuesday

Thank you for visiting!

Signs of Spring & Transitions

Every man must do two things alone; he must do his own believing and his own dying.

Martin Luther 

♥♥♥

Thank you to all who left comments and sent messages inquiring after my health.

It seems that I've spent much of 2018 in the clutches of a cold or pneumonia or both.

I still have a touch of it. The weather doesn't help as it's been cold and sometimes wet.

Even so time marches on.

I can count on this tree to blossom first every year. It looks quite old.

I always look forward to Spring when warmer climates and clearer skies prevail and the blossoms unfurl in earnest.

But this Spring has started on a sad note.

I said goodbye today to a very dear and very long time friend. 

She passed 2 weeks ago of diabetic complications.  Her daughter arranged for services today as there are many relatives who had to travel far to be at the service.

It was a lovely service and my friend was noted for her long and faithful service to the church amongst other fine attributes.

I will miss her. Besides relatives she is one of the people I have known longest on this earth.

One spire at the local Catholic Church.

Also very unexpectedly my sister in law passed yesterday.

She suffered a brain aneurysm and was airlifted to Vancouver for surgery.

They could not save her.

I was at the hospital late into the night with the family as they made the heart rending decision to 'let her go'.

I am expecting that the funeral services will be as soon as possible. Several of my family members here will make the road journey on Monday for a few days.

~~~~~

Friends we never know what this life will bring us.

Sometimes we have a long journey in this life and sometimes we have a short one.

In all cases, it is made a bit easier in the knowledge that those of us with faith will meet again one day.

~~~~~~

It is almost one year since my own mother made the transition. 

She left in peace and contentment just as I know my dear friend did also.

That is a gift to the family especially when we know they have suffered long due to ill health.

Where they are now, they will not suffer again.

There are always Canada geese on the lawns in front of train station.

In my sister-in-laws case the end came very suddenly and totally unexpectedly.

It is harder to deal with loss in such cases.

My heart aches for her only son.

A few seagulls overhead.

Spring seems to be a season in which many leave this earth.

It is also a time of new growth and rebirth.

I thought  this new growth in the bottom of the tree trunk was interesting.

 I ask you to pray for the children and families involved and affected by these recent losses, especially for the children.

Also, my close friend's grandma Sally has been in hospital in Kenya for many weeks.

I ask for prayers for her and her family as well.

~~~~~~~

I hope you all had a pleasant Easter holiday.

I had a quiet but pleasant one.

I've started to visit some of your blogs again.

Please bear with me if I am a little slow to get to your posts.

I miss reading what you all share.

I like the light in this photo.

♥♥♥

Joining in this week with

Friday Foto Friends

Skywatch Friday

and

Saturday's Critters

The First Signs of Spring

The cherry blossoms are just starting to come out on one tree near my place. 

No signs of blossoms are yet visible in most of the other trees around where I live but it won't be long now. 

I had to use my Android phone camera which doesn't take the best of photos.

I couldn't help myself. I had to capture these blossoms because every year I anticipate the blossoms with eagerness and joy when I finally see them.

I hope to share better photos soon.

Happy Tuesday and happy week ahead.

I'm linking up with

Our World Tuesday this week.

Thanks for stopping by!