Sushi lunch with dragons for tea cup Tuesday

Today was one of those days, one which hasn’t happened in...like...forever, where there is actually nothing I had to do. There are always plenty of things I want to do but, just today, there was nothing I HAD to do.The sun was shining in the living room and I thought that what I’d really like to do is sketch, photograph, have lunch with C and check up on all you, my favorite tea cup Tuesday gals, and beyond.I grabbed my water dragons for inspiration and sketched some little garden flowers on more music paper and then it was lunch time.I love my water dragons. They are Victorian, probably from a water fountain in some old manor house in the Cotswolds, and cast from bronze. They were my Christmas prezzy from R last year. (Honestly, he finds the best prezzies) The mom’s a bit battle scarred and a piece of her horn is missing, but she has her tail wrapped firmly around her baby dragon, who is looking adoringly into her face.What better for lunch with dragons than sushi! Isn’t that the absolutely perfect lunch so you can keep sketching while eating?I made us some tea but C’s tummy still wasn’t 100% after her boat trip this weekend, and she chose to have a Ginger Ale instead. I love that I brought my children up without pop, except as a special treat for upset stomachs or restaurant meals.I love that they only choose a Sprite or Ginger Ale and don’t drink Coke/Pepsi or anything like that at all.But never mind that, after lunch we had our tea.I’ve inherited five slightly out of control clumps of Euphorbia Wuflenii in this garden and they have been spreading at an alarming rate. I mercilessly chopped back several stems and singed the ends and stuck them into two ironstone containers, one on each of the side tables. The tea cups I chose are Royal Cauldon ironstone and have a beautiful lacy, bumpy, flowery self pattern.For afters we had some mixed dried fruit and some Turkish delight. (Who can resist fresh Turkish delight, and the powdered sugar means no sticky hands!)So we were sitting in the sunshine, enjoying our tea and I kept hearing a sound like a soft clicking or maybe a pinging. I thought maybe the heating was on and the vents were cooling or something like that, and then I looked down beside my chair. I had moved the creamer and tea pot to the tray on the floor out of the way of my camera and forgot about them there.Yup, you guessed it...that scrubby cat’s nose is just small enough to wedge inside the creamer and lap up the milk.(And that was our very expensive lactose free milk too.)Oh Morgan, what are you like? :)Linking to Teri and now want to find and look at Kimberly's ArtJoyStuff, with Martha and thinking I really should Spring clean instead of dossing around today, with Sandi and loving her fresh, green carnations, and Bernideen and thinking, hmmm, a tea time mystery, what fun to read!

Weekend review on a mosaic Monday

There’s a local joke that goes:“What comes after two days of rain in Vancouver?”“Monday!”Yeah, it’s not that funny if it’s your weekend. Saturday I promised mom some help with a supper she was hosting at her house. Eight guests, I was the youngest; the oldest recently turned 99, several doctors, one lawyer, one financier.For me, there is no better way to combat a rainy Saturday and busy supper preparations than a visit to my favorite nursery Southlands Nursery. There, in the several greenhouses, are such fantasies as all my gardening dreams are made of.Later, back at mom’s I was inspired to make several arrangements from mom’s garden flowers and my father’s camellias which are in glorious bloom right now.Later we started the preparations and had a lovely time together,And, when the guests came, we had a wonderful evening.I wasn’t wearing any jewellery, (except my always ring), so mom and I went to the safe and she gave me her beautiful amber necklace. My father gave it to her. Sunday morning as the sun came into my bedroom, I lifted it up in the sunlight and marveled at the fire within.I’m linking up my weekend review with Mary from Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.

Random thoughts on Friday

This morning I woke up at 3am! And the worst thing about it is I was awake. I mean properly awake. I took a melatonin in hopes of falling back asleep before I actually had to get up at 6:30, and fell into a sort of half sleep, half dozing state and the alarm woke me up from a most horrific dream. (And I’m thinking, “what the hell…for this I don’t drink caffeine?!?”) :(What is it about bad dreams? What do you believe? I sort of think that it’s my subconscious trying to work out some situation I’m having problems with in real life, but if that’s true, what is my grandmother, now gone for millions of years, doing in my dream…and aliens in my house…and why won’t my cell phone work on their planet? Ok, well, maybe I understand that last one.So my brain’s not all that sharp today, I mean, insomnia and all those aliens hiding in cupboards eating all my apple jelly…so here’s a bunch of random thoughts from my fuzzy brain:1. To my mind, there’s very little in this world that can come close to the wonderfulness of crisp, white, air-dried cotton sheets. Can anyone think of anything better? (well, apart from the obvious: sharing those crisp, white, air-dried cotton sheets with your love later that evening)2. The previous owners plunked this lovely, rustic bird box on the top of the pole holding the drying line. A little chickadee family has nested there last year and has staked the box out again this year. It’s a perfect place for them because it’s a good 20ft off the ground and nothing much can get up there. The only problem is that the line vibrates the pole and the box, and the chickadees come storming out giving me the middle claw on their way to the neighbour’s huge copper beech, where they shout at me. So then I feel bad about using the line.3. So to make them, and me, feel better I filled up the bird bath with fresh water and the bird feeder with seed.4. I don’t really care who gets the seed though. Squirrels are just as welcome as are the crows and the rosy house finches, and the chickadees. It’s a first come first served policy round here. I know there are a lot of birders, (and my neighbours), out there who will argue that I should do my best to keep the squirrels out of the bird feeder, but I like the squirrels. I think they’re funny and love how they climb right inside the feeder and have their own personal banquet and, besides, everyone has to make a living somehow in this world.5. All my neighbours are swearing about and digging up extra bluebell bulbs with a vengeance. I don’t get that either. I’m saving them from the lane construction site and from my neighbours compost piles, and transplanting them all over the place. You know, I have a city garden and I just picked this large bunch of bluebells and it didn’t even make a dent in the flower beds. Besides, they don’t really last long, I think they’re over with by June for sure, and I want to enjoy them as much as possible.So I’m thinking that with my wonderful fresh sheets and the bluebells and my windows open to the night air, I just might get a good night’s sleep.Linking up with my new friend Nancy from A Rural Journal and to Claudia from Mocking bird hill cottage and wishing everyone an early bedtime, and a peaceful, long and deep sleep. :)

Dandelion crowns, a tutorial

I promised a few gals that I would show a tutorial for dandelion crowns next time I make one, and since I really have to mow the lawn, here’s a (long winded) how-to, with a much easier diagram at the end…so you can skip over the boring photos…lol. Dandelions have beautifully bendy stems, except for the super thick stemmed ones, and make fantastic, sunny ephemeral crowns.Step one: pick a handful of dandelions with as long a stem as you can manage.Pick up one with a very long stem in your left hand. This will be your base line. Pick up a second with a reasonably long stem in your right hand. Cross the stem of the right hand one over the stem of the left hand one at the flower heads. Hold both flowers at the “cross” of stems with your left hand and bend the right-handed dandelion stem behind the left-handed dandelion stem.Now bend the left dandelion stem, which is now perpendicular to the right one, towards you, between the two flowers.Bring the bent stem parallel with the right stem.Hold both the flowers in your left hand, pick up a third flower and loop the stem of the third flower over both the first two flower stems and between the second and third flower heads and parallel with the first two stems.Now you have three. Continue with another, and another…see how the chain is starting to form?Longer and longer it goes, careful not to choose dandelions with stems which all end in the same place. Try to vary the stem lengths.Within a few minutes you’ll have a lovely long chain.Cut a length of twine, grab a twist tie or even some sturdy grass blades and tie the beginning to the end of the chain.And find a freckle-faced princess. (Joking, she doesn’t need to have freckles, any old princess will do)Just not a Morgan princess!Here’s a quick diagram. Now go out and have some fun. When I was a child I was fascinated by the moss removal guide by expert lawn technicians, ( yes , I know I was a weird kid ) IT's for this reason that I spent most of my time outside. My cousin and I chained a dandelion chain all around our summer cottage. Took a month, the beginning was fluff by the time we got the end to it…but hey, we didn’t care.PS: this crown is very ephemeral, only lasts for a few hours.PPS. Works with English daisies and clover too but takes a lot longer.PPPS: Take loads of photos. :)

First lunch al fresco...with sunshine!

This week Chloe and I were optimistic about the weather and braved lunch out at the big rustic table. As she was still studying for her finals, C’s readings came for lunch too. Actually, lunch is a great time for us to discuss concepts and ideologies C is having problems understanding.Finals days require brain food and I made us some crab stuffed salmon, for the omega 3’s,fresh spinach leaves drizzled with the best balsamic vinegar, for iron and magnesium,and a couple of artichokes because it’s such a joy to eat with our fingers.This was such a good idea that now we want more meals outside. Come on sun! :) Have you had meals outside already this year? I hear it snowed in Ontario yesterday. Honestly!?!

A little miracle

Once upon a time, well, about 16 years ago, I did two things. Bought two blooming cymbidium orchids and saved a Blue Tick Coon Hound puppy from being shot. (Farmers in the country at my cabin didn’t want him and that’s what farmers in the country do apparently) We didn’t keep Sam, the puppy, because he wasn’t a city dog, but I found a lovely home for him with some lovely people, he a hunter, she a housewife, several children, living in the middle of BC. Each time I checked on Sam he seemed to be happy and healthy and living out his hunting breeding legacy.Where was I going with this?Oh yeah, Sam, not the city dog, ripped up both orchids in a fit of puppy play. I was going to throw them out but my aunt decided to try to save them.Fast forward to now. My aunt kept and babied the remaining plant, now one orchid for the past 14 years and kept threatening to throw it out because it would never bloom.After my aunt died I took the orchid home and put it outside on the back patio and brought it into the garage and then into the house for winter.And look!I can’t believe it! It’s given me seven beautiful flower stalks.Do you think that’s my aunt smiling down?

Tea under the old apple tree for tea cup Tuesday

Chloe is stressing to the max. She has her last final tomorrow morning and I couldn’t think of a better way to calm us both then tea under our old apple tree in the sunshine in the back of the garden.The back of the garden is also behind the potager, (A little ornamental veggie garden), where the sweet peas are beginning to make an appearance.Morgan likes to lie on top of the cold frame. I’m excited about our salad greens; they all look healthy and strong.C is trying to coax Morgan off the cold frame.When I bought this house, now almost two years ago, I also bought this very old, very huge apple tree. The tree was bound and practically strangled by a little boy’s tree house and was very poorly and I had concerns about it surviving. One of the first things I did, with Robert’s help, was dismantle and throw out the tree house, free the tree and enrich the soil.C then draped it with prayer flags and I hung lengths of wired crystal leaves and a glass gazing ball from the branches.Last year the tree rewarded us with a handful of blooms and three apples.My sweet friend and pastry chef Claire posted a fantastic recipe for banana bread and, as I had four dead bananas, I decided to try it out. It is true! This is the moistest banana bread on earth and completely more-ish and we couldn’t resist a couple slices for our tea. (Besides, bananas are supposed to have some super brain something to them.)There is a little marble and iron bistro table and chairs under the apple tree and that’s where we had our tea in Royal Swan Blossom Time cups.Aha, now Morgan has discovered there’s food involved and made her way off the cold frame. She loves “people food” and she’s especially fond of cantaloupes and avocados. (Strange cat)I love the gentle little apple blossoms on this china and wish I had more of the set.This was such a nice calm few minutes in our life today,And the banana bread went perfectly with the milky and sweet Earl Gray tea.As soon as she figured out she wasn’t getting any people food, Morgan fell asleep beside the gentians and the rescued irises. This year I planted a colourful flower garden around the apple tree except that I have no way of knowing what the irises will look like. It's going to be a surprise!The sun was shining, the tea was wonderful and above us, the apple tree quietly began to open blossoms.Linking up with Terri of Artful Affirmations and focusing on the good too, and to Martha and also feeling the spring in the air, and to Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage and loving her wish upon a star fantasy.

Ascending

The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring- cleaning his little home. First with brooms, then with dusters; then on ladders and steps and chairs, with a brush and a pail of whitewash; till he had dust in his throat and eyes, and splashes of whitewash all over his black fur, and an aching back and weary arms. Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below and around him, penetrating even his dark and lowly little house with its spirit of divine discontent and longing.Today I was the Mole.It was small wonder, then, that he suddenly flung down his brush on the floor, said 'Bother!' and 'O blow!' and also 'Hang spring-cleaning!' and bolted out of the house without even waiting to put on his coat. Something up above was calling him imperiously, and he made for the steep little tunnel which answered in his case to the gravelled carriage-drive owned by animals whose residences are nearer to the sun and air.So he scraped and scratched and scrabbled and scrooged and then he scrooged again and scrabbled and scratched and scraped, working busily with his little paws and muttering to himself, 'Up we go!Up we go!Up we go!Till at last, pop! his snout came out into the sunlight, and he found himself rolling in the warm grass of a great meadow.'This is fine!' he said to himself. `This is better than whitewashing!' The sunshine struck hot on his fur, soft breezes caressed his heated brow, and after the seclusion of the cellarage he had lived in so long the carol of happy birds fell on his dulled hearing almost like a shout.In case you're wondering, this Mole is standing on Quarry Rock in Deep Cove and now must descend to her car, which is way down there; just behind the sailing club.Happy Earth Day my friends. :)

From Saturday evening...how did that happen?

Holy smokes it's been one of those weeks where I have so many plans and feeling on top of it all,and suddenly the week just flies by!It's been a week of work like crazy plus a slight problem with my vision which has kept me away form serious camera work. I've been having trouble focusing my left eye, and it seems that, when I do focus it, the right eye goes blurry. Don't worry, it's temporary and getting better and my optometrist is on top of it.But for now I've not been out to take any brilliant shots and so have to tell you this story instead and bore you with my iPhone shots.Morgan...that scrubby little cat...decided to not use her litter box and use the downstairs terracotta tiles instead.Bad cat!This is her knowing that I know and she knows I'm angry with her. She's giving me the "do you feel lucky...well...do you?" look. I'm actually the only one in the family who can discipline her without losing an eye. (and I'm desperately trying not to laugh at her serious little mushy face)This phase only last until she blinks.Then she slinks away and gives me the wide eyed, "wasn't me, honest, I'm innocent!" look.When she keeps getting the "I know you did it stare", she looks around for a way out and...tries it on with the, "it was Milo! He's the bad cat!" look.And after a while I forgive her and she flakes out in the sunshine.Also, there was very little art this week. I did manage to sketch this little dragonfly. Dreaming of summer I suppose. I liked this little music paper of Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet. I loved the pattern of the notes it reminded me of a dragonfly with the calm quiet, one little twitch and then off in a frenetic flight.

Six out of twelve turned out absolutely deliciously! The seventh...not so much.

Chloe's going a little crazy just now with two finals this week. As it is, it's 9:30 pm and we're round the kitchen table talking out Kant's Categorical Imperative...like you do. I'm so glad I took my friend JoAnn's advice and made lime square cookies today happily using up six of the twelve scrubby organic limes Kerstie left me.I had a lovely time baking this afternoon. There's something so satisfying about one's fingers in the butter and flour and breaking eggs and whipping sugar into the golden emulsion. And the warmth and smell that comes out of the oven...no wonder we're still in the kitchen.But the resulting cookies are so fantastic that they deserve a proper sit down with a proper cup of tea.So while we are still here with our dueling computers and our Rooibos Earl Gray and our beautiful Real Old Willow Booths tea cups, let me tell you something......Make these! They are soooo yummy. And this is coming from someone who doesn't like limes very much at all.Do you want the recipe? Yes? Here it is then:Crust¾ cup plus 2 tbsp of flour6 tbs butter1/3 cup shredded coconut¼ cup fine sugarCool butter, sifted dry ingredients, (confession, I never sift, just fluff them up), crumble butter in with fingers, press into 8” square pan, bake at 350 for 20 minutes while you prepare the custard.Custard4 eggs¾ c fine sugar1/3 c flour1/2c lime juiceBreak the eggs into a bowl and whip them with the sugar, add the flour and lime juice and maybe grate some lime zest in as well. I didn’t cause I’m a big lime chicken. Take out the partially baked crust, pour the custard on top and return to the oven for 20 more minutes.Sprinkle 1/3 cup shredded coconut on top and bake for another 10 minutes. (Ok I sprinkled at least another ½ cup of coconut on top.)Let cool and cut it up and go make some tea.Oh, almost forgot, the seventh lime...C decided to make limeade. Not a good idea apparently. :) Seven down, five more scrubby limes to go.