Spring?

I can't keep giong on and on about our freaky weather, can I? Seriously, in the past three days Honeymoon Bay has had well over 16 inches, or 40 cm. of snow. Yuk! I'm dreaming of this:





Photo from Southlands

and what do we get?? This! No kidding...
So a little more web surfing, garden planning, and dreaming of warmer weather.

Random

We're supposed to eat colourful food, right? Well, I think we eat well ... perhaps a little too much, but good food none the less. This cutting board is full of organic veggies ready for the stir-fry, and it was just so beautiful I had to snap a picture.
The pink and bright yellow is rainbow chard!

Here's a pic from last year. Rhubarb is just starting to show now, so I'll put a plastic cover over the bed for a few weeks to protect it from our very cold nights, and soon it'll be looking as good as this.

Eye candy! 
 It's fairly apparent that I'm itching to get into the garden. Today I went out to clear away debris, ... old clematis vines, and raspberry canes etc. Then inside for a warm cup of tea, as it's still cold.
Pretty Random today, but then again, so is my life!

It's March, which can only mean sheep!

I remember  ... long long ago and far far away... Grade three, actually. And every month we made a picture for our calendars. And the March picture was (always) sheep. Spring lambs, so sweet, and then they are let out to pasture, and March weather being what it is, they get all muddy.
I was surfing the net and found this fun site. Sheep and wool.

They have a yarn CSA. Community Supported Agriculture. Good on them. Hope you go to their page.
Yesterday I soaked a few Sweet Pea seeds, and today I planted them, just outside the office window. I feel very lucky to have found Renees Seeds at our local Buckerfields store. I've only grown the Spencer or Cuthbertson varieties, which are lovely, but I'm really looking forward to seeing these. I planted "April in Paris" and Cherie Amour". How can I go wrong?


Happy Spring Gardening!

Still Winter

A few days ago, the weather was almost Spring-like. Then we woke up to a lovely snowfall, reminding me that my gardening plans were a little premature!
I'd been looking through seed catalogues, .... gardeners' porn. Everything looks so good. Some of it had to be 're-touched' doncha think?

 I planted leeks today, and on my way to the shed, I did a garden walk-about. Look what I found! Cute little aconites. The other 'stuff' in the picture is my long suffering lavender patch. Poor things really want to be in the Mediterranean where it's warmer and drier. I so appreciate them in our garden.

Snow's here for a while, but these pleasures of early Spring are a treat.

Hellebores

Lovely Spring!

Here are some Hellebore's from wild acre blog Her photos capture these beauties so well, and her garden is so interesting, ... worth a visit! 

Garden Stuff

Just a bunch of cheery pictures to enjoy on a dreary day.

This years' date is April 29 (last years' poster), ...Dahlia Tuber Sale

Also, there's a great garden tour going on at:

Sooke secret garden tour

My computer is tired, so I'll stop frustrating it, and sign off :)

Open Studio

Last Fall I went to the Fleece & Fibre Show in Duncan BC, and there I saw lots and lots of inspirational vendors. As an admitted 'textile junkie', I was in Heaven! Raw wool, yarn and fabrics, knitting, spinning, felting and all that "Sheepy" stuff I love. I found I was really intrigued by Rug Hooking, and the more I researched about it, the more I wanted to try it.

I did take a workshop in Victoria at Blue Heron Studio and started my first project. Then the busy-ness of Christmas happened, plus I ran out of supplies, so my hooking came to a halt, ... until yesterday! Sunday I went to an open studio at Val Galvins' in Chemainus. What fun!

Supplies galore, and inspiration from the other rug hookers, and braiders, and some of Vals' finished work in every nook and crannie.

This is a corner in the studio showing braiding kits ready to go, plus completed rugs, both hooked and braided.

Inspiration comes from everywhere, and here on the coast, we see a lot of seaweed. This is Vals' rendition of Bull Kelp. My photo doesn't do it justice.
Most of the work is done in re-cycled materials, which is a big draw for me. Imagine turning the stacks of clothes, preferably made of wool, into a useful, beautiful rug. Lovely.