At last!

Wine, cheese and tomato jam ready for cocktails on the deck.

 

Twelve novels downloaded to my tablet.

A hoodie in the bag. 

Toes in the sand.

Sunrise walks on the beach.

It all adds up to a week at the beach.  We're off in the morning, so silence from me for the next week.  A bit of lurking, perhaps, but no posts or comments. 

See you on the flip side.

Wednesday Workday

If we're going to work in the garden with any regularity, we all have to make peace with the rest of the critters who frequent the same spaces. 

I plant extra herbs for the rabbits and didn't complain when they ate lots of my new lilies.  I provide beer for the snails - oh, well, that's not so peaceful ... is it?

I have a mutual non-aggression agreement with Snicky Snake - the black snake who hangs around the front bed of hellebores, as well as the ribbon garter snake who spends the winters in my compost pile.

The are plenty of flowers for the bees and hummers, and I haven't run screaming from the yard in decades - you know, since i was about ten years old. 

So, it came as a great surprise when I got nailed on Sunday while clearing debris among the day lilies.  Have no idea whom or what I disturbed, but suddenly my arm was on fire and red welts were popping up from wrist to that area where some folks apparently have triceps.  Lots of Benedryl spray and a couple of hours and it all went away - much ado about nothing.  But clearly i invaded someone's space.

Ok, so it doesn't look all that bad.  But it burned like cigarettes on my arm!  Seriously

Sorry, whoever you are, I didn't mean to disturb!  I'll be more careful next time.

Flowers in the House

The second best thing about Flowers in the House is how much it has taught me about my own garden.  I always panic when Jane says it's time.  Then I start strolling and suddenly see possibilities - this week two variations on the same theme.

  

It's still zinnia time but the sedum are really kicking it in.  So this week we have the version above on the dining room table.  It's sedum 'Madrona' which has a more rounded form and a creamier beigy-pink flower that will eventually turn to bronze.  For it i found zinnias that were also a soft yellowy pink and some so pale that they look grey.  Add a few Ladies Mantle, a white dahlia and voila.

In the living room sedum 'Autumn Joy' is holding forth with blue-pink zinnias and a fall ageratum.  A brighter, bluer arrangement.

The left-overs made a nice little bunch for the mantle, with the addition of a few salvia 'Black and Blue'.  Honestly, I seldom cut sedum for the house... why the heck not?

And, it wouldn't be fair to forget my little reading table by my chair.  The big full blossom that is David Austin's 'Sister Elizabeth' and a spray of a little unknown pink mini-roses.

Please hop over to Jane's Small but Charming house and see who else would like for you to come visit.  I have the tea pot on, so please come back soon.   

The first best thing, of course, is you!