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Bellissima
Gosh the peaches and nectarines have been excellent this summer. We have eaten baskets and baskets of these delectable stone fruits. Freestone. Clingstone. Baby gold peaches. White nectarines. Give me a moment please to wipe the nectar off my chin. To make the most of the short season I have taken several trips to Niagara’s Twenty Valley. I like to get close to the source. The fruit out there is beautiful. Rows and rows. Acres and acres. Bunches and bunches. Oh hang on. Let me have a closer look. I suppose peaches aren’t the only reason to drive out to Niagara. The vineyards are at their peak! The vines are…
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Perfumed air
I have been stopping lately on my neighborhood walks. Simply to take a deep breath. And smell. The delicate scent of blossoms have been wafting through the air and it’s quite delightful. I do enjoy the bright springtime bulbs and woodland wild flowers like trilliums and marsh marigolds, but let’s face it, they are mostly nice to look at. Blossoms on the other hand, win you over with their fragrance. Right now, it’s the heady scent of lilacs in my neighborhood. I was also lucky to see the lilacs at the Royal Botanical Gardens recently. Apparently the Lilac Garden is “one of the largest and diverse collections in the world.”…
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My name is Scilla
Early spring blooms are starting to show their cheerful faces. Bright sunny daffodils, tiny crocuses, and delicate snowdrops to name a few. It’s still too early for the emblematic trilliums to blanket the forest floor. This will come soon. In the meantime I have been enjoying the masses of little purple flowers sweeping across grassy areas. A pop of brilliant colour shimmering in the green. Except every year I forget the name of this amethyst jewel. Scilla! Siberian squill is another name for this flower that grows from tiny bulbs each spring and multiplies easily. Cobalt blue petals hang from slender stems like a tiny umbrella. Inching up mere 4…
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Happy tweets
March 20 is the UN International Day of Happiness. As I wrote last year, it’s all about spreading the message of happiness and kindness (and I had some inspiration from a kind friend to do so!) The day is designated by the United Nations to recognize “progress should be about increasing human happiness and wellbeing, not just growing the economy.” I continue to enjoy the daily little nudges from the Action for Happiness app to remind me of ways to be happy everyday. Today’s message is “Celebrate the International Day of Happiness“. So happy International Day of Happiness! One topic that comes up frequently in the daily nudges relates to…
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Spotting painted rocks
Do you have painted rocks in your neighbourhood? Neighbourhood walks are the norm these days. Local is very local. So finding a new discovery on a familiar path really brings joy. Words of kindness. Cute creatures. Pretty flowers. Inspirational messages. The rocks are tucked along the path amongst shrubs, resting on stumps and nestled in tree trunks. Hidden just enough to make you slow down and take a closer look. Some have simple designs. Others are more intricate. They all make me smile. I don’t know who has planted these thoughtful ornaments. Thank you for sharing your positivity….and artistic talents! I hope you have these little drops of kindness in…
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A river of flowers
Peering down into the valley, all I can see is the earthy forest floor. Nothing remarkable. Mainly shades of brown. Decaying leaves, tree stumps, dead branches. I hear the faint hum of Bronte Creek in the distance. So far the path at Bronte Creek Provincial Park has followed the top of the ravine. It looks like a steep climb down. Down I go. Into the valley. At the bottom it’s marshy. The dirt path morphs into a boardwalk. On either side, the shallow water is still. Not even any gulping frogs. I continue along the boardwalk. There is a faint echo with each step on the wooden planks. I look…
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The emblematic trillium
The trilliums are blooming. Unlike the lichen prevalent throughout my neighbourhood, I have roughly a two-week window to catch these trilliums. A limited time to witness these short-lived blooms blanketing the forest floor. The white trillium is Ontario’s official flower. This much I know. The iconic petals embellish our driver’s license and health card. But what else could I discover about our provincial emblem? Let’s see. The trillium became the official flower in 1937. It grew out of a movement during World War I to chose a national flower to plant on the graves of Canadian soldiers overseas (though a national flower was not chosen). I headed over to e-laws…
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Neighbourly Moss and Lichen
In March, before the parks were closed, I went for a short walk at Balls Falls. Bright green patches of moss stood out in the otherwise muted landscape. I took several photos of the striking moss-covered rocks. But is moss interesting enough for a story? I had my doubts at the time. Well, here we are. Let me tell you about moss. Moss is a flowerless plant. It’s a simple plant structure and thrives in places where other plants can’t. Like shady damp areas. It can be mistaken for lichen. Lichen, however, does not have stems and leaves like a plant. It’s not a plant, but rather algae and fungus…
