BailiwickStudio

It Begins

December has arrived, a month full of magic and sparkle. As a child, the magic came in seeing holidays lights, in laying in bed at night thinking of what might be under the tree, in writing the perfect letter to Santa, and of course baking and eating all those delectable cookies and candies.

 

These days, I still find magic in holiday lights - especially the twinkling variety - and I look forward all year to a certain holiday treat (that would be dark chocolate peppermint bark), and of course the best thing of all is the miracle of our Saviour's birth.

 

 

I'm just now finally getting around to decorating, which is usually concentrated on the mantle. I went for sparkly this year - tiny silver fairy bells, glittered trees and pinecones, snowy wreaths, vintage candlesticks, and hanging paper stars, all in silvery whites.

 

 

As hard as it is for me to leave Autumn and embrace Winter, having a snowy mantle to see as I pass by helps the transition. And this year we will have two wide-eyed little boys sharing our Christmas - so I expect the magic of it all will surround us from every side!

Linked with The Lettered Cottage for Christmas Mantles.

 

September, I Love You

I'm ecstatic to finally turn the calendar page to September. I'm always more than ready to leave August behind - the days have become too long and hot, my energy level is low, the garden isn't producing much of anything any more, and I'm simply ready for a new look. So, at the end of August I start my "fall cleaning". I've swept away all the dust bunnies that hide in corners, dusted the tabletops and bookshelves, washed the linens, sparkled up the kitchen appliances, organised cupboards and closets, and now I'm raking the first leaves that have fallen from the trees, all in anticipation for a month that seems more like the start of a new year than January does.

 

This September is especially sweet. Our son is coming home after nearly 6 years in the US Army, this very afternoon! We are so thankful and grateful that he is returning in one piece. He says he's ready for bigger and better things, so the start of September is definitely the beginning of a new chapter in his life. We're so excited. And now with him here and our daughter & Co in Washington state, we're all in the same time zone - and that is something to celebrate after they've been scattered around the globe for the past several years. No longer will I have to do slow math in my head to figure out if it's a good time to call.

Now that I'm in my Autumn mood, I'm on my toes waiting for that first hint of woodsmoke in the air, and weather cool enough to wear my favorite scarves and boots. I'm looking forward to early twilight, pumpkins, crunchy leaves, simmering soup and the scent of cinnamon and cloves. Is anyone else ready too? Let the season begin!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

 

One of the things I love best about our garden is the quiet noise and movement. The tree swaying and rustling, the birds chirping, the windchimes chiming, and the sunlight and shadows dancing. It feels like a busy garden, and I love that.

The veggies are still going strong...

 

 

But only a few of the flowers are blooming...

 

 

Perhaps all the others are napping and preparing for one last flurry of blooming before Autumn sets in.

How is your garden growing?

 

 

I'm linked with Cottage Garden Party #14 at Fishtail Cottage.

Our Hummingbirds

 

A few weeks ago we noticed a tiny hummingbird sitting on a nest in our favorite shade tree. Since then we've enjoyed watching the beginning of two new little lives. The nest is right over our heads when we sit on our porch swing, so we have a perfect view of the bottom of the nest, and we can watch the mama come and go.

 

Hummingbird nests are made of bits of garden fluff glued together with cobwebs and spiderwebs, and are no larger than a golf ball. You can read about them here. The first time we peeked in we saw two jellybean-sized eggs. Later, I taped a mirror to a stick and looked into the nest that way, and saw two tiny naked birds.

 

 

After that, whenever I'd try to look when mama wasn't there, she would suddenly show up and fly in circles near my ear as though she was telling me to LEAVE RIGHT NOW! So I'd immediately get off my stepstool and take my camera and my self back into the house. That little bird (about 3" long) is very bossy!

Now the babies are so big they fill up the nest.

 

Mama sometimes perches on top of them, but I really don't believe there's much room. I expect that soon she'll let them fly off, and we'll have two new birds in our garden. I hope I'll be lucky enough to see them taking their first steps into the world.

 

 

I'm linked to Cottage Garden Party #11 and Mosaic Monday.

Harvest and Hummingbirds

Our little garden is becoming fruitful. It had a rough start and although not everything grew, the veggies that did are doing very well.

Those zucchinis are always a surprise - I never see them growing, but find them already 10 or 12 inches long and ready to pick.

 

 

The tomatoes are a jungle, and require getting oneself right in there to find a ripe one.

 

 

We harvested the rest of the onions, a few zucchini, a handful of yellow tomatoes, some radishes, and jalepeno peppers. I'm still waiting for the eggplant! And now I'm happily deciding what to plant for a Fall harvest.

Nico would like a chocolate tree :)

 

 

We just discovered a very special resident in our garden. This sweet mama hummingbird is sitting on two tiny eggs (we peeked when she flew away, but she's back now). She sits right above all the commotion that the boys make when they play on the swing and with their cars and trucks, but she's very calm and collected. Her nest is the size of a golf ball and the eggs look like coconut jellybeans!

I'm linked to Fishtail Cottage today for Cottage Garden Party #9.

 

Midsummer Day

 

It's the first official day of summer and my garden is yielding it's first veggies. Yesterday I came across three yellow pear tomatoes, sunshiney and bright, but there's no photo because they went from the vine right into my mouth.

 

 

I'm sad to report that my garden has not been at it's best this year. Early on I found the new leaves on most of the plants being chewed full of holes, and I had to take measures against the rotten little invisible bugs that were doing the chewing. I've gone through two plantings of basil and both have withered and died after the bugs got to them, too. Half of the onions never came up, nor did most of the beets, and absolutely none of the carrots and parsnips. I'm such a novice that I don't know why this is. I'm just blaming those beastly bugs.

 

 

However, on the bright side, the tomatoes are growing wild and I'm happy to at least be looking forward to lots of tomato goodness. The zucchini is also doing well, as is the lavender after two years of being skimpy, and the stalwart rosemary has not let me down either. The jury is still out on the eggplant. So, I've won some and I've lost some, but I can still say that I adore summer gardening!

 

The Colors of Summer

 

Peony pink. Sky blue. Strawberry red. Beachy white. The colors of summer, that to me are so delicious when washed with summer sunlight.

 

 

I loved summer as a child - it meant school was out and the beach beckoned. We'd stay for hours, and would eventually yell over to the lifeguard "hey mister, what time is it?" when we thought it might be time to head home. That was then - now I prefer to stay off the beach in the summertime, but there's still that feeling of freedom in the air. There's much to do, much to enjoy, and much to capture during long summer days, not necessarily work-related things, but the things that make summer summer. For me, it's...

waking up to birdsong

making lots of fruit smoothies

throwing open the windows to catch the summer breezes

reading under my favorite backyard tree

catching the scent of roses and jasmine as you walk up to the front door

flea marketing on weekends

watching my veggie garden grow

and of course, setting out seashells to remind me of those other carefree days!

 

 

 

China Doll Pink

 

My petite China Doll Rose may be the smallest rosebush in the garden, but it definitely has the largest impact when it blooms. The branches will flower all at once with bubblegum pink roses.

 

 

This is just one stem!

I've paired it with cilantro which I know is an unlikely combination, but the cilantro is going crazy in my garden - one of the few plants that hasn't been chewed by some invisible toothy pest.

 

And to Beverly at How Sweet the Sound ~ Happy Fourth Anniversary for the celebration of PINK!

Maytime

 

It's May!

Don't forget to turn the page of your calendar! :)

 

First Roses

 

This is the first small bouquet I've picked from my rose bushes. I have a hard time cutting my own flowers because I love seeing them in the garden, especially in the spring when they're just beginning to bloom. Until they really go crazy with blooms in the summertime, I usually buy cut flowers at the market :)

These roses were so pretty I couldn't resist bringing them indoors. I had fun photographing them, and after that I had more fun playing with actions and textures. Now they look dreamy and romantic, too.

I can entertain myself for hours this way!

 

 

It's Mosaic Monday time - check out more mosaics at Little Red House!