Behind the Shed

There's an interesting area behind our shed that I can't get to, nor see, so Mrs, F.G. went out the other evening to take some pictures there.  It was evening and the sun was shining its long slanted rays across the ground providing beautiful light.  Lots of rich greens.

In fact this area is almost entirely green.  The Solomon's seal does have delicate little flowers, but the plants and the big ferns are totally green.

My favourite are the ferns, all Ostrich Fern, which are doing really well.  These were moved from our previous home, along with a lot of hostas.

The rest are Solomon's Seal, equally large plants.

They sport tiny slender blooms hanging down below the stems.

The whole area is full of rich greens, no showy bright flowers here, probably a good thing since it's in the shade almost all day.

She took one other shot showing the more colourful part of the garden, the Peonies, with a different view of the golf course beyond.

And I added this shot this morning showing another part of the garden that is mostly green - the huge hostas below my window.  You can also see the tips of some ferns, all of the area mostly in shade.  The bright green leaves coming up around two sides of the patio are all Day Lilies, which will change the appearance of this area once they bloom.

Down to the Harbour

For the first time this year I got down to the harbour, going as far as the little gravel beach I usually visit two or three times a year.  I always enjoy the never-ending changes in the boats down there, and it was a bright sunny day, although we're getting some pretty hazy skies and a smell of smoke from the distant wildfires.

I arrive at the edge of the inner harbour, the battered hull of the fishing tug W.H.Wheeler beside me.

This is that fishing tug - note the battered hull.

Further down at the marina docks was this very big motorboat, or small yacht, pretty fancy if you ask me.

And nearby a (relatively) small boat waiting in the lift sling, more my speed.

Lots of big sailboats still up on their stocks, waiting for either attention or a lift into the water.

Then I ride down the road all the way to the little beach, passing a few birch trees on the way.

Passing a few very nice homes with a view out over the water too!

No-one was at the beach; it's a school day and pretty cool too.

On my way home, at the opposite end of the harbour, I passed the 'blue box' (Harbourside Condominiums), where they are replacing all the balconies!  I've never heard of this on a building this size, but we know a couple who lives there, so we got the scoop.  At this stage all the balconies have been removed and they are ready to install new ones.  What an expense!

Around the Neighbourhood

A couple of days ago I took a short ride just down a neighbouring street.  Still lots I could find to observe, from dandelions to lilacs.  I particularly like the dandelion seed heads.

There's something about a dandelion gone to see that just attracts me, besides the promise of lots of flowers next spring.

This is the time of year when the purple, mauve and white flowers of Dame's Rocket appear in the more natural corners, here down the slope of the little stream valley at the end of our street.

It's often confused with Phlox which looks similar from a distance, but Phlox has five petals, this one has four which you can see clearly here..

A beautiful clump of Iris on the next block.

And further along the street a Lilac still in bloom.

Then I know a favourite spot where the bright yellow Buttercups lift their blossoms to the sun.

Finally, a variegated willow, nicely pruned.  There are always things to see if I slow down and look!

The Garden

As we enter June (I can't believe it!), the garden is booming!  We've had a hot week of sunny summer weather, and the greenery has just exploded.  Hostas are unfolding their leaves, Peonies are about to bloom, ferns have uncurled, and the small veggies like lettuce are being harvested regularly.

The first of our Rhododendron blooms is a spectacular shade of pink.

The first of the Lupins is blooming, a deep shade of blue.

This year Mrs. F.G. has planted the two lower planters to Petunias, for colour.

One of the self-seeded Columbines has come out as a beautiful shade of pink.

 

The lettuce and radish leaves are getting picked regularly.

And below me as I look out the living room window, the big Hosta leaves are unfolding, a small Christmas Fern in the foreground.

Busy Times!

I'm falling behind again.  There's so much going on in the garden, and things are changing so fast with our hot weather this week.  Mrs. F.G. has all of her tomatoes planted and lots of other stuff, but still lots waiting to go in as well.  I can't keep up with my photos.  And I've still got photos from the past two weeks to share.  So here's a smattering of things for your interest.

This is the big old Sugar Maple out in the golf course that our grandchildren discovered they could climb.  Both of them, as well as our daughter's partner were up that tree as often as possible, the oldest kid halfway to the top!  I've always thought that tree climbing is one of the great adventures of childhood.

We do have lots to share in the garden.  This Columbine is one of my spring favourites.  It just self-seeds, so we always have some, but we never know where they will pop up.

We went to Grey Roots for the 'Spring into Spring' event in the pioneer village.  Among other things they had a show featuring birds of prey, including this Bald Eagle.  Unfortunately the photos illustrate the limitations of my phone camera, which has an amazing zoom, but not much clarity at that level.

The apple orchards are in bloom.  You can hardly see the tiny white blossoms in this photo, one of the newest orchards following a big investment by an Italian company.  

Our recent drives to physio have also surprised us with the brilliant yellow blooms of the Canola fields.  And that's a smattering of notable recent observations here.

Along Nelson West

I sometimes ride down a stretch of Nelson Street West that doesn't get much traffic.  It's got interesting houses, old and new, including five of those old century homes I have written about previously.  What it also has is a lot of deteriorating pavement, breaking apart with small cracks that engineers call 'alligator pavement'.  And it's getting worse!  

There's one home where I can get close to this beautiful white Lilac.  It almost looked like it has passed its peak bloom.

There's also a wild apple tree on the edge of the small semi-wild stream valley.

I like these beautiful white Narcissus that grow in one garden that comes close to the road.

The house where I saw the Wild Turkey has this very bright patch of Tulips.  We don't grow Tulips because Mrs. F.G. has found that squirrels come, dig them up and eat them.

Before I got home again I passed this striking patch of Forget-me-nots.  These are part of a much larger patch that has extended into the nearby ditch.

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Now, forgive me while I rant about road conditions!  There is no sidewalk here, as in most of our neighbourhood, so I have no choice but to ride on the road.  And remember, I have constant nerve pain at the level of my spinal cord injury, which is emphasized with every crack I drive over.  Larger bumps are annoyingly painful!  And some bits of pavement are so bad I don't feel safe driving over them.  Take a look at this selection.

The broken grate in the last photo is bad enough that I could get a wheel stuck!

So there you have it, my rant against Meaford's widespread deteriorating roads.  If any of you know a local councillor, please refer them to this.  I will not bother you with it again this year, and I won't be riding down Nelson West anytime soon!