Beginning to Bloom!

One of my favourite perennials in our front garden bed is beginning to bloom...

Japanese anemones! I just love them.

I see a lot of buds, so hopefully we'll enjoy a long blooming season.

Granny Square Day?!

Last Saturday was "Granny Square Day" - according to an online yarn store I get emails from...

I wonder what I was supposed to do to celebrate?!

I haven't made granny squares for a long time...

But I did notice these two creations in the mall. Both used timeless granny squares to make modern designs!

Woodland Sounds

Often in summer we leave a few windows open for fresh air.

On quiet mornings, bird songs - and the chattering of chipmunks - remind us that there's an active world out there!

Those who enjoy the sounds of nature - but can't open their windows - can still listen to forest sounds from around the world on a website called Tree.fm.

A world map is even provided to indicate where these forest sounds have been recorded.

Another kind of "virtual" travel!

Brockville Rib Fest

Last weekend, we drove to Brockville - a town on the St. Lawrence River - for their annual rib fest.

The live music was great!

The barbecued corn on the cob, blooming onion...

And, of course - the ribs - were a treat.

The views were spectacular!

So nice to be back... It's a great place to visit - especially in summer!

Storm Passes Through!

Two nights ago, a sudden, fierce storm passed through our neighbourhood - and at 10:35 pm, our power went off.

The next day, it was still off, so we headed over to our nearest McDonalds to have coffee and charge our cell phones. (For a while, at home, Terry was able to use a battery for a cordless branch trimmer to power his computer! Life is forcing us to be innovative!)

En route, we saw piles of downed branches...

Now we're back home, hoping that power will be restored soon...

Here's another downed tree on a path often used by dog walkers...

I wandered over to Earl and Mary's yard where part of a neighbour's tree snapped off, pulling down some wires.

There's lots of tidying up to do, apart from our loss of electricity!

It's been quite a summer - and we haven't reached hurricane season yet!

Interesting Names

I'm currently hiking (virtually) along the New South Wales coast in Australia.

The ocean scenes and arial views are beautiful...

When I switch to a traditional map view, I'm surprised by the mix of English and aboriginal names, like Wahroonga and Wallumattagal...

It takes a little getting used to! But then, we have that in Canada, too: names like Mississippi (big river) and Kanata (village or settlement)... (at times spelled "Canada"!)

Sunny Day in Merrickville

Terry and I recently drove to Merrickville - one of my favourite towns along the Rideau Canal. We hadn't been there in a while.

We actually thought that Canal Fest might be back, with its crafters' market and free canoe rides - but when we got there, there were lots of visitors, but no organized events...

... though at least one vendor  had set up shop outdoors!

We headed to our favourite bakery - Violet's On Main - and enjoyed some treats.

Then we went to the park next to the canal and watched boats going through the locks.

It's always interesting to see.

 

I was surprised to see more young women than men working on the canal locks this year. Opening the locks is a physically demanding job!

Before leaving town, we just had to have some locally made ice cream!

It was a perfect day... Ducks and geese were enjoying it, too!