The Daylilies radiate colour across our garden, but a close look at individual flowers shows some interesting differences. I have my favourites of course, the first and last below especially, but you might have yours too. And never forget the work involved; the spent blossoms from yesterday have to be picked off every morning to keep it all looking good.
The dark purple one always appeals to me.Seasons in the Valley + Furry Gnome's Adventures
Wednesday, July 24, 2024
Monday, July 22, 2024
Back to the Garden
Before I bother you with some dry pictures of Meaford's historic buildings, (it is our sesquicentennial this year after all), I thought you'd enjoy a few colourful pictures from our garden. Here they are.
When I sit in the living room and look out the window, this is my view of the garden. Several different Daylilies and a pink Echinacea.The details of the view change every day, but it's always bright and colourful. The bright orange ones are 'Saugeen Sunrise'.
There is bright red Crocosmia at the bottom, the Echinacea as you move up, then the orange Daylilies and then the pale yellow ones.
Daylily varieties are separated by characteristics like how wide the petals are, how smooth or crinkly the edge is, and of course by their colour - here yellow with a reddish-brown edge, and an almost green centre.
Some people like the flowers all separated clearly, but Mrs. F.G. excels at mixing them all together. Remember, it is a 'chaos garden'. Doesn't this look like chaos?
Saturday, July 20, 2024
Crops and Cattle
On the way to Owen Sound to see the tall ship I started noticing the crops. By mid-summer they should all be growing well, while hay and perhaps some wheat might be already harvested. It would be a time when farmers would look out and pray for good weather over the next few months!
We both watch for the canola fields, they are such a bright yellow.Wednesday, July 17, 2024
The Tall Ship TS Playfair
The 'tall ship' tied up at the dock beyond the lake freighter looked tiny indeed! Beside the freighter it was short and small; I didn't know how 28 sailors could live aboard her! Of these, 18 would be new trainees, but aside from the First Mate and Captain, all would be 13-18 years of age.
The rear deck looked very interesting to me, with the life buoy, the life raft and the helm. It would be a busy place with people all moving around!
The helm seems like the centre of the ship to me. I wonder how responsive the ship is when it's under sail? It looks so peaceful tied up at the dock, but I know it sometimes gets rough on the lakes!
As for the rigging, that's totally beyond me. I'm sure there's a logic to all of this, but it would take me awhile to understand, let alone to climb the rigging and raise or lower the sails!
Monday, July 15, 2024
The John D Leitch Docked in Owen Sound.
Last weekend Mrs. F.G., saw that a tall ship would be docked in Owen Sound as it took on a new crew, and she thought it would be fun to go and see it, so we did. But when we pulled up to the dock we found ourselves right beside an enormous lake freighter, the John D Leitch.
This was our view was we drove along the dockside road. It's a big ship!The John D. Leitch has a reputation for having an enormous superstructure, and you could see how high it was when we pulled up, like a small 4-story apartment building.
When we pulled up and got out of the car, this was our view. The ship did appear to be enormous, nearly 800 feet long. It has apparently been docked here for the winter, and as you can tell, is empty, riding very high in the water. Based on the comments I've read, this summer's sailing may be its final year of sailing the lakes.
Like many older lake freighters, this one was scraped everywhere from passing through the locks. Those narrow diagonal plates were added in one of its retrofits.
The stern loomed enormous above the waterline. It sits so high that you don't even get a glimpse of the enormous unloading gantry that was state of the art when the ship was launched in 1967;
Saturday, July 13, 2024
A Drive Through the Swamp
A week or two ago we went for a drive, to one of our favourite destinations, the swamp north of Shallow Lake. We were watching for birds, but there was nothing to get very excited about, however, there were thousands of white /water Lilies. So Mrs. F.G. drove slowly along, puling over frequently, while I pointed my phone out the window.
We left the swamp behind and drove down the narrow rural road as we headed for home, with plentiful berry crops ripening along the way, including these wild grapes.