A Busy Thursday

   There has been so much rain recently that the garden has been growing like crazy and requires a big cleanup. So no time for photos. Yesterday I managed to cut the back grass which had been quite waterlogged for several days. Today I tidied up a couple of borders and there are weeds everywhere that need pulled.

   Thursday is tennis morning at my local courts. Not many turned up, 7 in total, so I will have to contact some of the regulars that have dropped off. Cathy and I played singles for a while, stopped for coffee then got a third to play Australian singles - slightly less tiring. One of our regulars is injured and another couple are on a trip until the end of July.

   I was in the pool twice today, once after cleaning it (all hot and sweaty so felt refreshed in the cool water) and once later in the afternoon when it was much warmer. It is looking great. I hope I can avoid the algae of last summer.

   I have started a new book today, "The Daughters of Mars" by Thomas Keneally. It's about Australian nurses sent overseas during the Great War (1914-1918). It is a good read so far.

More Garden Stuff

   Today's post is all about my garden. Firstly, my small patch of rhubarb yielded 1 kg of fruit, enough to make a batch of rhubarb and ginger jam. It turned out really well but next time I might cut back on the ginger slightly. The recipe I used called for root ginger and stem or crystallised ginger (I used stem ginger). I think the root ginger, which I grated,  was a bit too much. There is still lots of rhubarb left, enough to make some strawberry and rhubarb jam and maybe a pie or crumble.





   Next, here are some more photos of peonies and roses, this time a climbing rose that flowers profusely and over several weeks. The peony is a pale pink and flowers just a bit later than the red one. It also lasts a bit longer as the buds open in stages.






   I roasted a whole chicken on Sunday and am still eating the leftovers. Yesterday I had a chicken salad as I was going out to a "Coronation Celebration" (anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953)  All the dances had some connection to the Queen or Royal Family. Then we had sandwiches and sweet treats.

   Today is chicken and rice - both leftovers but gussied up with an interesting sauce. I think I will use a balsamic vinegar and fig sauce called "Memories of Tuscany". Hope it reminds me of my trip to Italy.


  

First Rose

   It was too nice a day to stay indoors yesterday (so no post) but today is raining so I have fired up the computer before heading off to Starbucks for my morning coffee. This is not a regular indulgence but I have a coupon for a breakfast sandwich which is about to expire - so, use it or lose it!


   I have several rose bushes that are about to bloom but this one is the first. The rose was perfect yesterday but, unfortunately, will have become washed out with today's rain. This particular bush only has 2 or 3 blooms each year. I'm afraid I don't treat my rose bushes to any TLC - they just have to survive on their own.

 





 The primroses also only last a few days and don't like the heat so become quite bedraggled as the summer progresses. But right now they are blooming nicely. Most of my garden is perennials that come into bloom at different times in the summer. The only thing I have planted in the back are nasturtiums (from seed) but no flowers yet.

   Well, it appears to have stopped raining so I will take my chances and head to the coffee shop before it starts up again.

  
 

At the Splash Pad

   It started out cool this morning but had warmed up enough by 11:00 a.m. to get us outside. All James could talk about was the Splash Pad so that's where we headed, this time making sure to take a towel and swimsuit. James also brought me my camera before we left so I felt obliged to shoot some photos of him playing in the water.

    It turned out to be a little cooler than Wednesday so he wasn't quite as keen to get himself wet. However, armed with a stick (to prod the jets and investigate the outlets that weren't working) he was happily engaged for quite some time. Then back to the playground for some sand play with a little friend, then a trip up and down the mountain a few times.

   One last trip to the playground resulted in a cut lip when he slipped on the climber and put his tooth through his lip. There was lots of blood but no crying, just some spitting. Thank goodness I had brought the towel to mop it up. He was pretty wiped out by the time we got home - asked for a "piggy-back ride" on the way home. So it was a fast lunch then up to bed for his nap. After that there was just time to water the vegetables and check out the potato bin before it was time for him to head home.

   I clipped some bushes out front for half-an-hour, got hot and sticky and took a quick dip. The water was marginally warmer and I managed to stay in for several lengths this time. It was very refreshing!