Ahhh the roses are coming...

(Barnsley House in the Cotswolds, England)

They are in perfect juicy bud stage. A few have actually unfurled there beauty. Pictures will be coming. But for now enjoy the rest of the tour of Barnsley. Rosemary Verey's lovely garden. I checked it out on the internet, and now they are renting out rooms to stay in at this lovely home.
Can you imagine having a view of these gardens from your room?

There is my honey :) He was such a trooper looking at all the gardens I drug him around too. We did castles for him.

When I took this picture I had no idea it was famous. It looks like I just missed the bloom. It was a stunning alle.

The whole trip was a dream. And this garden was a perfect part of the dream.

Peace

David Austin's Scepter'd Isle

Peace... sometimes it seems so hard to capture when the storms of life hit. Sometimes it is just a little nagging wind here and there. Or a series of windy days that just don't seem to want to end. In many ways and in many circumstances life can come at us like the wind and try to rob us of our peace.

In my life those season and storms do come and go. The winds sometimes pick up and gust. Sometimes they just keep blowing a constant steady stream of air. If you lived in the Tri Cities you would know what I mean by that. The windy season has hit here. My roses are taking a beating, and they are just now in full bud stage. Their foliage was so fresh and perfect. Darn that wind.

But I know that some day the wind will stop. The roses will recover and bloom. Just like our lives on this planet. Sometimes we just must endure the season. In the mean time I have found that prayer really works to bring my soul to a place of peace in the midst of the storm. You really can cast all your cares on Him. He really does care for you.


When you pray do not forget the "accumulative advantage" of prayer. The effects of Prayer multiply as you pray more. John Paul Jackson


John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you that in me you might have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer for I have overcome the world.

In case you are curious if you read the rest of chapter you will find out who brings us peace, and Comfort (hint, hint) while we are on the planet.

Blessings to all and peace through the storms of life.

I don't just grow roses...

In our very first home I planted a vegetable garden. Oh yes I did :) I pulled the beginners classic mistake and planted about a dozen zucchini plants. When we came home from the beach, my husband went out to the garden to picked the ripe zucchini. I kept hearing him mumble something about baseball bats. I went out side to see what all the fuss was about and there on our patio he had lined up our zucchini from the largest to the smallest in size side by side, and indeed some of them looked like baseball bats. The line up almost covered the whole length of our patio :) Well I never made that mistake again. hehehe

When we downsized and built our new home that included the size of my garden. I still managed to squeeze in a tiny plot to grow some salad fixings. Nothing better than running out to the garden barefoot on a warm summer's eve to pick your salad just kissed by the sun. (see pic above)

Yes that is me posed 8 years ago at the entrance to the potager

When I think of the sweetest little vegetable patch I have ever seen, I think of the potager at Barnsley in the Cotswold's, Rosemary Verey's garden that we visited 8 years ago on our 25th wedding anniversary trip to England.

I was so charmed by the design, the boxwood hedges, the brick paths and flowers spilling out all over the place.

This reminded me of Mr. McGregor's garden in Peter Rabbit.

Fruit trees were pleached through out the veggie patch.

I also loved the bamboo staking.

Latest pictures of Sweet Pea

I will post the rest of our visit to Barnsley later.

What's Blooming on my window sill?

From left to right, cyclamen, millet, lemon grass, Thai basil, sweet basil, and a hyacinth bulb I have to plant in the garden.



It is a very crowed window sill at the moment. I am trying to get some special herbs started for some of my favorite Asian dishes. I love to use lemon grass in marinades for the beef in Vietnamese Summer Salad Rolls. I am also trying to get the Thai basil to root so I will have plenty of that for Thai Green Curry sauce. Of course the sweet basil is a staple for all things tomato and summer.


Here is a quick little dish that my friend taught me for Phad Thai . Very simple if you buy the Phad Thai sauce.

You just soften noodles in hot water, then drain. Toss noodles in a little oil in a wok or large deep pan. Add some sauce 2-3 TB. according to taste. I add a little water at this point so they don't get too sticky. Push noodles to the side and cook some scrambled eggs. Toss in a little minced garlic, some green onions, and a good portion of bean sprouts. You don't want to over cook the bean sprouts, leave them a little crunchy. At the very end you can add cilantro and fresh squeezed lime juice. You can stir fry some chicken first and make a whole meal with this. Finish with some ground roasted peanuts and slice of lime.

Hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day. We spent it in our backyard with the babies and Famous Dave's Barbecue take out...worked well for the little ones. While the guys tossed a ball, the women held babies...ahhh :)

I've got the sweetest little babycakes!

Baby Avey came home today! These are some of Megs first photos of Avey.


Eden was playing mommy today too!

I still can't believe I have a dark haired grandchild!

Avey and Eden's two beautiful Aunts. On the left is my daughter Jenna...see what I mean about the hair color ;) On the right is Auntie Ashley, Tyler's sister.

I will be back later this week to catch up on all your blogs. I have missed my blogging friends.

Meeting Avey

We met a sweet, sweet little petunia yesterday on May 1st. So of coarse Nana had to pick a May Day basket for her! Baby Avey arrived into the world at 7:09 pm last night with a whole lot of sweetness and a big bunch of love waiting for her. Avey weighted in at 6 lb.12 oz. 19 1/2 inches long.

She is spending a few days in the nicu. She had a little fluid on her lungs. Altogether though she seems quite healthy. We are all marveling at what appears to us some very nice dark hair!!! It may yet change and fall out. But I am so excited to see a baby with some Nana genes. All three of my kids were born with blue eyes and blond hair :)

Happy Birthday Christina Marie!

Join with me in wishing my dearest an only sister a Happy 50th Birthday!
Known to many of you in blogland as Knitting Mania! If you haven't met her yet, drop by her blog and wish her a great big FIVE O celebration.  She really wasn't in the mood...hehehe!  But maybe we can all help her to enjoy the day!

What's blooming this week

A dogwood planted last spring

Lilac's are this weeks favorite. I am so happy to see my lilacs putting on a bit of a show in my fairly young garden. I am in love with this flower. I have never had such good luck with these plants either. I have planted a few different varieties and I am loving each one of them. I spent my childhood climbing on branches and swaying in the breeze, in some very old what I would call lilac trees. One whiff of that scent and I am right back there to those spring days of my early childhood in New England.
They are just starting to pop open.





These are the old fashion lilacs I grew up with. The most fragrant as far as I can tell. Smaller blooms. This is the fourth garden I have had this lilac in. The original start came from my in- laws home. I have mangaged to bring a start with me to each new garden. Some plants become old friends. It has really taken off in this garden. For some reason this new place loves my old standbys. Now if only the roses will do as well?
And here are the results of my purple annuals purchased last week :}