Garden Landscaping Progress: tree and mulch

The scruffy area next to the foundation in the east side of the house is finally looking a bit better after I planted the second Japanese maple tree and too dressed with copious bark mulch. Probably not a perfect or permanent solution, but good enough for now. The wispy muddy grass just wasn’t doing it for me. Here’s the front;

And the side. 

And another very helpful dog. 

Garden Landscaping Progress: The Path

We have been slowly working in the landscaping around the house. Planting trees, including a small orchard, and trying to make paths and gardens. It’s all a bit haphazard. I hope it eventually comes together. I spent a few hours in the weekend trying to tie an existing brick path into the new granite patio. 

I did eventually get there. With help of course. 

The dog was very helpful examining my exceedingly amateurish brickwork. I ran out of brick and resorted to using bits of granite. It will do for now. 

Gardening with Cat

GrisGris has become rather fond of the outdoors. I’m surprised since he was born in an apartment and had never gone out in his life until recently. He’s taken to it like a duck to water. He does regular patrols for mice and enjoys chasing bugs. And generally hanging out. 

FlaxMobile

I was thrilled to be invited to participate in the FlaxMobile project. A local artist and farmer teamed up and with the support of the FlaxMobile have grown flax and retted it. Today we processed. I say we, but I was only there for a short time. Long enough to learn all the steps and be surprised about it. 

The farmer grew it and harvested it and cared for it in the field as it retted. The hand pulled bundles lasted through the process. The smell of the dew retired fibre was gentle and green like hay. 

There’s the FlaxMobile in the background and all the equipment that came out of it in the foreground. Theres two hackles in the foreground. 

Seeds are in the wheeled contraption. 

The finished line flax

Morning Ritual

 Every morning I need to do a little fun time with our dog Scapa. 

We play fetch around the courthouse lawn. Which abuts Fort Anne. Beautiful no?

Norwegian Selbu Mittens

I’ve knitted quite a few pairs of mittens from this pattern over the years. I haven’t tired of it yet. There is some thing about the repeating pattern in blue and white that I really enjoy. I equally enjoy wearing them as you can see from the worn out pairs I have. 

Rail trail Walks

Yesterday Scapa and I went for a nice walk along the rail trail that borders the Annapolis basin. We haven’t had a real frost here so the leaf colours are not particularly spectacular and many of the leaves have already dropped. Nevertheless, the north mountain looks beautiful.

And there are still wild apples on a few trees. 

GrisGris the Cat

We have acquired a cat and we call him GrisGris (grey grey). He has a love affair with the dog. The dog is still not very pleased about his residency. 

He’s decided that the dog’s den in the kitchen is actually for him. 

Annapolis Royal Gardens

One nice thing about a late morning start to my workday is that I can do things like go to the historic garden in the morning. Before the bees are really awake…

Autumn is Here

I’m gonna hafta move those pumpkins soon so I can start the kitchen stove. But for now, don’t they look pretty?

This is along highway 201. 



And this is our happy dog with the dining room fire. 

Foraged Wild Apples

The Hornbeam ‘Hedge’

We planted these hornbeams this spring to grow up a green fence/hedge/privacy screen for our hot tub. One has put in some impressive growth. 

Pumpkin time!

People decorate for fall here with pumpkins and fall chrysanthemums. We are on it! 

Handspun success

I organized and hosted a Fibre frolic at the Granville Ferry hall last weekend. I counted as a success, because the people who came had a good time, and I got some more yarn spun.  

It is a beautiful venue. I brought my antique production wheel and it had a good outing. 

Here’s some of the yarn I spun, washed and drying. 

Busy, Busy Bees!

Can you see them all?! There are at least ten. 

I love this plant because of all the bees it attracts. 

Sittin on the Dock

Day off work today and I wanted to spend a little time doing nothing. What a pleasure! Lovely sun, water and sky in a beautiful part of the world. 

As I was enjoying the view a boat hive into the picture. Idyllic. 

That boat is coming in for repairs. Annapolis Royal is mostly tourism, but there is a boat repair slip. According to my informant there’s just this one and three in Dogby for the whole basin. Or you’d have to go to Metgean. One out. 

Another in. 

Old News

Our house had old newspaper’s between the different floorings. Many are from 1944. Here’s some old news:

And new news? Some stories never change I guess. Anothe series that caught my eye was NS inshore schooner fishermen trying to ban off shore beam trawlers. I wish they’d succeeded! Instead the local MP said it would mean money and jobs… 

Yarn Stash

A small part of my delicious yarn stash is out on display. 

Bees in my Garden

The anise hyssop is a HUGE bee attraction. 

We think some of them are Eastern Common Bumblebees.