Oh how the garden grows

Here are some shots of the garden...with being away for work and the rain, I really haven't been able to do much. The pond is much clearer though...I can actually see the fish. One compost bin is in place; it is amazing how full it already is.

The hollyhocks are taking over the garden but perhaps it will be delightful...I will just wait and see.

I love the greens...all the different shades of it.

HOLLYHOCKS GALORE

My attempt at a vegetable garden...no signs of life besides hollyhocks everywhere

One of my three cherry trees

Welcome to the garden, CB (Compost bin)

Rhubarb all over...at last count I have 6 plants of it

Some bulb plant...no flowers yet

Fern...ground cover. The fronds are about to unfurl.

I love the wooden rain barrels

Tried my "green thumb at herbs and tomatoes in the planters.

A view of the backyard...its even more green and lush now after the rain. It changes every day.

quick update

No pictures this week as the weekend seemed to zip by and honestly, I forgot to take any pictures. Also, a surprise visit with a dear friend shifted house work to another day. I didn't have a chance to do much besides more garden clean up. The front yard is done now.

I planted spinach, peas, onions and carrots. Zucchini goes in after the final frost which will probably be after the May long weekend. The garden is really greening up and this week is supposed to be warm 

Small electrical issue...the GFCI outlet in the bathroom has failed. The test and reset buttons seem not to function and since the outlet is connected to the light switch which means no lights in the loo. But before I call an electrician, I want to go buy a new vanity mirror that has a light attached so I can hit two birds with one stone. The electrician can fix the outlet and install the new light.

This week, I hope to buy the compost bins and perhaps patio chairs and table...we will see. I can feel spring!

Suddenly it's spring

Well, maybe.

On Saturday, my dear friend Claire came over and helped Jake and me cut down the garden. Payment of her advice and help will be in harvest goods. I may have been a wee ambitious and cut down more than I should have but oh, well, I am learning.

I forgot to take a before picture on Saturday morning but this will give you an idea of what we had to tackle

There is lots of green stuff already poking through the ground. No idea what it is but I guess time will tell. Lots of bulbs so they may be irises? And Jake found the compost pile from the previous owner in the middle of the raspberry bushes?? We think they just dumped it before they moved...all the more nutritious soil for us. But he did cut some of the bushes back to get to the rich soil. We were not sad though because those pesky raspberry bushes are enemy #1 in my backyard. Random shoots were scattered all over the yard and their roots are vicious. Jake and I dug some trenches and placed boards in them to help stop the spread of the roots at least a bit.

But it felt so good at the end of the weekend to see the fresh "slate". Here are a few shots of the work.

The two piles of waste...one will be for food/kitchen waste and the other for garden waste. Just need to go buy the compost bins now.

We found a random stepping stone on the garden path...interesting!

This will be my vegetable patch if spring and summer ever arrive.

The backyard post work...the bumble bee windmill is from Jake as a joke but I am growing fond of it!

Some flowers growing...no idea what they are

Another plant with promise...identity unknown

Claire created the plot for a vegetable garden so I hope to get the spinach, peas and a few other veggies in the ground soon. Using a seasoned gardener like Claire is so helpful with just practical know-how... so glad she came to help.

Then to top off the day, we invited friends over for the 1st BBQ of the year; still too cool to enjoy it outside but fun nonetheless!

My posse - Claire, Lynn and Punam

I also went to the fish store because the pond was getting murkier with more algae. Here's hoping the products purchased do their magic. Here's the pond in its current state...you can kinda see the orange blurs of the koi. Oh, the trials of a "pet" owner.

You're the inspiration

This post is a few days late because last week, we headed to the West Coast to visit some family.  We spent most of our 5 days on the coast with my sister Wendy. She has this cute character place in Strathcona, a neighbourhood east of downtown Vancouver.

I could write chapters on how Wendy inspires me in so many ways. Every time I am around her, I want to live simply, create beauty and dream of possibilities. But for this blog post, I want to share her decor style. She brings second hand treasures together in simply beautiful ways. I felt like I was staying in a museum or art gallery or photo set. Everywhere I looked, I was inspired.

You should really see her apartment in the late afternoon/evening light. It just glows. Unfortunately, I snapped a few pictures before we left early Tuesday morning so the light is terrible.

Speaking of homes, during a walk along the seawall, we saw floating homes moored in the marina. Now that would be cool. Although I wonder if I have the sea legs for it. Check them out. It was Jake's first trip to Vancouver and the Island. He now wants to move there; if I could live on a floating house I just may do that one day....but that is another post for another blog.

Father knows best...around the magic house

My dad was here last week and worked on some projects! Thank goodness for dads! There is no way I could re-pay him. He showed me how he did the fixes as well so if I have to do them in the future at least I have some idea on how to tackle them.

So thanks to my dad, here is a rundown of all the small and big things on his fix-it list for the magic house:
1) Ducts: He fixed the detached duct which was wedged way into the support beams. He lifted a couple ducts off of pipes and wires for safety purposes as well. And he spraypainted over some possible asbestos on the ceiling....he is my hero!

Oooh, look! The duct is no longer resting on the wires or the plumbing

Asbestos - now covered and no longer DANGER

2) Doors: He fixed my porch door by screwing the door post in so it wouldn't bow so much and then he planed the side of the door as shown below. He also fixed the door knob so it could turn and latch.

Now, just a little paint and all will be good.

He worked on the bathroom door so it would hang straight and latch. This is always good for a bathroom door as before just a light push would open the door. The screws on the hinges were just hanging there so with some fix-it ingenuity, he re-filled the wood and re-screwed the hinges.

Friends, you can now use my bathroom without fear

And he planed a bit off my front door so it would shut better as well. Things in a 99 year old house shift a bit over the years.

3) Drywall: He put up drywall on the basement wall at the bottom of the stairs. It really just finishes it off.  He was able to put a couple coats of mud up but I need to finish it. He even took out a couple of inches of insulation as the past owners had crammed too much between the 2x4s on the wall.

He also taped and mudded the nook under the back room that I use for tools.

4) Garden: He trimmed my apple tree. I need to do a bit more but I learned how to do it. And on top of everything, he took me to Home Depot and pointed out some gardening tools that would be helpful.

On April 30, I will tackle the garden. I have planted a few more herbs. i should get some tomatoes and other vegetables to get them started too. Oh spring, please come soon. The snow this weekend has once again deflated all hope.

The Secret (or not-so-secret) Garden

Take thy plastic spade,
It is thy pencil; take thy seeds, thy plants,
They are thy colours.
~William Mason, The English Garden, 1782

Here in Calgary, we just finished the first true week of spring. There is hope in the air and a spring in our step. This morning I spent some time looking at the garden and seeing what I should do with it. First, I looked at my koi pond. This feature is a big unknown to me but I figured out how to get the pump/filter going again. I skimmed the surface for excessive algae and pulled the winterized plants up from the bottom of the pond. It appears all eight of the koi survived winter. I trimmed the plants around the pond so the dead plants won't rot in the water. But the truth is I don't know what I am doing. I hope the pump clears up the water because it is very murky.

the murky water of the koi pond

A mosaic tile under the dead leaves

 I see signs of life around the garden. I started poking in the garage/shed at the back of the yard. There is no electricity in the garage so I haven't really had a chance to explore. Maybe next weekend...there are old doors and beautiful windows. It looks like there are rolls of canvas and all sorts of treasures. I can't wait. 

Are these strawberry leaves???

I think my compost will go here

A different view of my backyard from the garage

My front yard still needs some melting action

My dear friend Claire and I plan to cut back the garden on the last weekend of April so I may have a better idea about my plant inventory after all that fun. I also signed up for a membership in the Calgary Horticultural Society.  I am just waiting for my member card to get some discounts at local greenhouses. 


My dad is coming to visit this week. I did give him a list of inside tasks/fixes but it is supposed to be beautiful this week so perhaps a trim of the apple and cherry trees are in order!?!

My next task is to draw my garden plan, buy some patio furniture and create the path through the garden so it is not so muddy. Thank goodness for my star boots in this spring muck.

 One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides.  

~W.E. Johns

  

You're in pictures

So I finally have put the rest of my picture frames up on the walls (for now). I may add some, move them around etc but for now,  I feel even more settled into the house. Here are a few snapshots of the process...

Plus some other spaces I filled with other frames...

In the sunroom, I needed a big print to cover the electrical box...tada!

You may see the very snowy conditions out the window...we receive a mere 15 cm of the white stuff yesterday. But that made it a great day for doing things around the house. 

In other news, I am thinking about entering the Apartment Therapy Small Cool 2011 Contest. I just need a good photographer and stage my rooms a bit for the photos.

And my dad is coming to visit next week and has offered to do some handy things around the house. Can't wait! Which reminds me, I need to go order gyprock this week for delivery.

Until another update.