A New Lily

 
  Most of my blossoming flowers and bushes have very little perfume but today I was assailed by a very powerful aroma in my garden. I traced it to a lily in my raspberry patch - either I planted it there and the raspberry canes overtook it or those darned squirrels have been up to their tricks again. It is a gorgeous pink but will probably only last for a few days and it doesn't look as if there are any more buds on the plant. It's always nice to find something unexpected in the garden!









    The lavender is at its best this week, also with a strong perfume, but only if you get quite close or spray it with water.








   Another great day in the pool for the young ones! James took a while to get in but was hurtling down the slide before too long. The water was 81F and the air temperature a comfortable 27C. Natalie was in as soon as they arrived even though it was still pretty cool, and the boys joined her after lunch.

 

Canada Day

    Hey! Who's been eating my Canada Day cupcake? It definitely has a nibble out of it. Well, I ate it anyway and it was delicious - chocolate sponge with whipped cream topping. I ate every crumb.

    A special holiday social at the tennis club  today - round robin play from 10:00 a.m. to noon, then lunch; hamburgers and two salads, followed by more cake and lots of nibblies, coffee and lemonade. I will definitely need to go easy on my food intake for the rest of the week as I am still working on the cheesecake from Saturday's party. We were quite lucky with the weather today as it was threatening to rain (although not cold) all afternoon but it never materialized. After the food there were announcements and a lucky draw - no prizes for me this time. I headed home around 1:00 p.m. and had a nap before doing some garden clean-up. It was an ideal day for that - cool and no humidity.

    Right now fireworks are popping in the distance. Happy Canada Day to all Canadians at home and abroad!

In the Pool

    It was a great day yesterday as we celebrated Canada Day with a barbecue. All the kids were in the pool, although James took a while to decide to go in. He has to wear his floaties in the back yard, in case he falls in inadvertently.

   We had a great feed - BBQ spare ribs and sausages, roasted potatoes and corn on the cob. Everybody contributed a dish and we had "The Battle of the Slaws" -  two different coleslaws, but no winner declared. Both were delicious.

   For dessert I had dug out a rhubarb pie and a key lime cheesecake from the freezer but we also had Canada Day cupcakes which were a big hit with the kids.



  












 After dinner James eventually decided he wanted in the pool and they were all in for almost another hour while the non-swimmers cleaned up the meal and filled the dishwasher. By this time the water was warmer than the air outside so they were all reluctant to come out. A grand day was had by one and all!

A Good Book

   Just finished (in under three days) another very satisfying Donna Leon book, her latest, "The Golden Egg". It's a Commisario Brunetti detective tale, set in his home town of Venice, and comes replete with all the characters and plot lines that Leon's devotees have come to know and love.

   Rained all afternoon, quite heavily for a while, so the garden is once again very soggy. This is so unusual for this time of year but is certainly helpful in reducing my water bill! Now off to clean the pool as I have company coming tomorrow. The grandkids were in for a swim this morning, regardless of the inclement weather, but I have misplaced my camera, so no photos.