If you’ve been reading for any length of time, you know that we have a serious love affair going on with the natural world around us. We love the garden, both floral and vegetable. We love the bog in all its ancient glory. We love birds, both domestic and wild. We love the woods and [...]
It never fails to astound me how a garden that is little more than bare ground and withered brown sticks in March can become so lush and full of colour by June. It also never fails to sadden me when, as summer progresses, blooms fade and wither and are done for the year. There are [...]
This week has been a week for visitors. B put a handful or three of birdseed on the deck rail and we’ve been beseiged by adorable little sparrows hopping all around in their excitement. We’ve also been visited by the larger and more stately mourning doves who gracefully settle on the rail and spend a minute [...]
We live in a suburb encircled by a shallow ravine that is home to beavers and woodpeckers and hummingbirds, among other creatures. We love wandering the ravine and watching it change through the seasons, but as wonderful as the ravine is, it just doesn’t compare to another natural feature that lies just a short jaunt [...]
Last week, I carried on a longstanding family tradition. Traditions are such an important thing, don’t you think? From such things are the rhythms of a family cemented together. Some come daily, like bedtime stories and morning snuggles. Others are a weekly or monthly affair, like Sunday dinners and Friday night movies. The best traditions are seasonal… and [...]
We grow a lot of things in our garden beds. Flowers, to be sure. Shrubs. Lilies, hostas, irises, and all sorts of pretty things just for looking at and smelling and touching. Food for the senses and the soul. But we also grow things that feed the body. Lots and lots of things that feed [...]
The garden has been a joy to behold lately, with things blooming everywhere I look. The garden is a riot of shapes and colours and the delicate scents of blooms and I find myself making excuses to be outdoors. Here’s my best excuse: Laundry. There’s nothing quite like hanging a load of laundry on the line [...]
School’s out, the sun is shining, and summer is officially here. I have proof: We went for a walk through the woods and down the road and ended up at the mini-golf course — a definite sign that summer is here! We like mini-golf. We don’t exactly play by the rules, but then again, when do [...]
Ottawa is an interesting city. Relatively young as cities go, it was chosen to be Canada’s capital city back when it wasn’t much more than a rough logging town on the banks of the river. But if you look into Ottawa’s early history, before the days when the French and English were battling it out [...]
I know, I know, “Kingstoning” isn’t a word. But it should be! Going to Kingston for the day is so much fun it deserves to have its own verb. A couple of weeks ago, we stopped in Kingston for the day, much to everyone’s delight. Our first stop was the waterfront, where there was a [...]
