Milkweed

 I love milkweed. So do the caterpillars of the monarch butterfly.

 The plant is considered a noxious weed.

But like the monarch, I love the look and smell of them!

Happy Retirement Ivan

I was asked to do a cake for a French teacher who is retiring today. A blackboard seemed just the thing. And an apple for the teacher -- with a little green worm poking out. (Couldn't resist.)

Art Fayre 2012

 This year's Art Fayre took place at the Glengarry Pioneer Museum last weekend.

 There was fabulous artwork all over the inside log walls of the Lodge.

I particularly loved Brenda Kennedy's laughing hearts. That my mini-house under it.

 Brian Schofield's amazing wood turned art pieces.

 Outside there were tasty snacks and Sigrun and Natalie were trying them out.

 Artwork was tucked into every nook and cranny. Above left were three of my small drawings.

 Natalie's bright pencil drawings looked great on the log walls.

 Meanwhile, there was more art to be set up outside.

 Sometimes artists were as colourful as their artwork.

 Over at the Big Beaver Schoolhouse, Sue set up a children's art display.

 Some of the kids took turns being the teacher...

 ...while self-portraits looked on appreciatively.

 Outside there were artists demonstrating how they made their art. Brian did some woodturning...

 ...while Gerdine used her chainsaw to create her masterpieces.

 There were more demos under the pavilion.

 And more artwork inside the Lodge.

Art Fayre. A great way to show off the museum in Dunvegan and the talents of local artists.

Dear Old Digitalis

My friend Peter and I share a favourite line from Howard's End. It goes something like this:

01:11:43 There's no clause in the agreement to allow subletting.

01:11:45 There you are. Read it yourself. That's awfully jolly.

01:11:48 - Thank you. - Yes. Especially that. Foxgloves.

01:11:51 Yes. Dear old digitalis.
01:11:53 Digitalis, sounds like a sneeze.


Okay, so it doesn't make much sense but I like the interchange.

Foxgloves. Mine from last year returned. Dear old digitalis has returned.

Summer Solstice

 We celebrated the longest day of the year with a bonfire at a friend's house...

...followed by fireworks. You gotta love summer. Bring it on!

Bird of Prey

 Richard and I spotted this red-tailed hawk in a field that was getting hayed.

 It appeared to have caught something....

 ...and off it flew.

 Past the men haying...

...and into a tree to eat its dinner.

Phoebes Fledging

 These three baby phoebes were in their nest, just about ready to fly..

 ...and the next think we knew, they were out of their nest and in mid-air.

This poor little fellow was gripping onto the log house for dear life but in a few seconds was airborne again.

Swimming Ducklings

Natalie and Gordon had a "judge the duck limerick" evening last Saturday and I made this crazy cake with edible ducklings and barrel.

Even more fun? The cake inside was vanilla and chocolate checkerboard!

Flying Monkey

My friend Jen, over at Adventures in Mixed Media gave me the most crazy gift for my birthday.

 A flying sock monkey! His arms are elastics which you pull on and let go...

 ...and he flings into the air and makes a howl of a sound too!

I got a real kick out of it. Thanks Jen. He's the craziest sock monkey ever!

Father's Day

 Yesterday was Father's Day and it reminds me to look at old photos of my dad who passed away in 2000.

Dad was a funny guy, a good writer who had a fantastic sense of humour and saw the ridiculous in things. I guess that's where I get that from. (He was a worrier too and I know I got that from him as well!)

And he was an animal lover and always had conversations with each of the cats. Here he is with Cinnamon. I miss my dad every day but I feel so blessed having had him around for as long as I did.

Mug Cake

I saw this package at the grocery store and I couldn't resist. A mug cake? Cake in 5 minutes? I had to give it a try.

 First you butter a mug. The package comes with two packets inside so you can make two mug cakes.

 Then you dump in one of the packets.

 Next you pour in a measure of milk...

 ...and stir like crazy.

 And then you microwave it for a couple of minutes.

Not exactly the best chocolate cake in the world, but it was warm (we let it cool a bit after cooking) and moist and not bad. Nice to sample but I don't think I'd want to try it again.

Flowering Time

 June is such a lovely month and especially lovely because of all the flowers.

 I have wonderful irises running along an old wooden fence.

 They have such wonderful colours and I love their shape.

 My crazy lupins. Every year they take over more and more of my lawn.

It's hard to believe this patch started with just two packages of lupin seeds I bought in Oregon about 10 years ago.

And then there are my salmon pink poppies, this year blooming on my birthday. Ten glorious blossoms, all opened in unison and now 10 more to follow.

 I love this time of year when the sun shines and the flowers blossom. Ahhhhh!