Green Wellies

Family visit with a whole lot of loving going on...

Family visit with a whole lot of loving going on...
Originally uploaded by Green Wellies

Mom and Joe arrived the first week of September at the tail end of their Alaskan cruise. They only had a few days for this year's west coast visit, so my sister came here to join in the fun...lots of non-stop talking and laughing in this tiny cottage!
*this photo was taken by Gwen in July, on mom and Joe's wedding day

All in the family...

All in the family
Originally uploaded by Green Wellies

I've told this story before, but when my brother and I were young and summered in New Brunswick, we'd pick the black seeds from the base of the leaves on my grandmother's tiger lilies and throw them at each other. Nanan would come to the old screen door and yell (in a nice grandmotherly way) at us to leave her tigers alone. The minute the screen door slammed, my brother would be at it again, chasing me all around the garden. Years ago, my dad brought some of the lilies home and planted them at the cottage where they flourished. More years passed and then my sister got some from the cottage and planted them in her BC garden. When I moved west, she gave some to me. For a couple of years, they struggled. The very first bloom I got was when I returned from my dad's funeral in New Brunswick four summers ago. Now there are my Nanan's tiger lilies everywhere...flowers with family roots.

Everything looks better against the freshly painted walls

Everything looks better against the freshly painted walls
Originally uploaded by Green Wellies

The back room was the only place in my cottage that had old dark 60's wood panelling. The task of moving a huge old bookcase with hundreds of children's books on the shelves, pulling the computer desk with what seemed like hundreds of wires out from the corner and knowing I'd be climbing over furniture for days seemed daunting, so I procrastinated for years! Finally, I just went for it. The panelling took three coats of paint to cover, but I kept going.
Now I just love how everything stands out and can hold its own against the white walls. The teak bookcase, the old hickory chair and even the typeset tray seemed lost against the dark panelling. If I can find an A block at the thrift store to complete Aethan's name on the top of the tray, I'll be done!

Kindred spirits

Kindred spirits
Originally uploaded by Green Wellies

My friend, Jan, is coming from Ontario to visit. Actually, she's so much more than just a friend. We've known each other for 47 years! We met in high school, went to teachers' college together, shared our first apartment when we moved out of the family nests and backpacked around Europe for nine weeks, visiting her family in Denmark and my relatives in Leeds and Liverpool. Her brother owned my cottage before me and that's how I came to be living here. I simply wouldn't be the person I am today, if I didn't have her in my life. This photo was taken the last time she was here and she's standing next to my neighbour, Betty. Betty is in her mid-eighties, still gardens every day, teaches qigong exercises and meditation, and looks after her five-year old granddaughter four days a week. We laugh ourselves silly over the garden gate and can talk about anything. Wonderful women!

Rough around the edges...but it's blue!

Rough around the edges...but it's blue!
Originally uploaded by Green Wellies

I've always loved the look of old ladders leaning against walls. A few years ago, during one of my jaunts to the local dump, I found this bit from an old stepladder. I used it in the garden for plants to climb on. The other day, I sawed off the rotten bottoms, washed it down and brought it inside. It's rough, but still has its original blue colour and goes with the cottage feel of the place. The cloth is one that my son-in-law brought back from Jordan for me and the ladder is the perfect spot to display it.

Vermicomposter part two...

Vermicomposter part two
Originally uploaded by Green Wellies

Today, I added potting soil to the shredded newspaper in the vermicomposter bin and then watered it down. I'll make sure that the moisture level is just right before putting the worms in. I had the perfect piece of beach brick to act as a marker (the spot where kitchen scraps are dug in). If you imagine a grid with 6 squares, the marker will be moved each time more scraps go in. The plastic fork is less damaging to the worms than a metal one, although a plastic spaghetti scoop works well, too.

Vermicomposter part one...

Vermicomposter part one
Originally uploaded by Green Wellies

Here's the first stage of the vermicomposter that I'm making for the garden...shredded newspaper. I'll be adding potting soil to the mix. I drilled holes in the lid and around the top edge. I already have the red wriggler worms in the bottom of my garden compost bin and will use some to start the worm community going in the plastic container. The worms will be fed coffee grinds and chopped fruit and veggie peels and in a few months, they'll have worked their magic and I can harvest both worms and nutrient-rich black "earth" to add to the veggie patch. Then I'll start the process all over again!

Easter bouquet just for you

Easter bouquet just for you
Originally uploaded by Green Wellies

Here's a tiny bouquet of yellow primula to wish you all a very Happy Easter. May we someday see peace among nations, tolerance for the beliefs of others and be able to celebrate the joy of what it means to be human and living on the planet in harmony.

A real deep sea treasure!

A real deep sea treasure!
Originally uploaded by Green Wellies

Ken, my sister's partner, owns a diving company. A few years ago, on one of his dives, he came across a shipment of dishes lying on the bottom of the ocean. The plates were sitting vertical in the silt after the crate had disintegrated around them. He found about a dozen plates, mugs and a creamer and carried them back to the surface. He arrived at my sister's on Thursday with a wrapped package for me. This mug was inside. It's slightly worn on part of the rim, but is mint condition inside. Finally, after years of gathering odd bits of beach pottery, I have something from the sea that's intact! Even Jayne couldn't believe he'd given a mug to me. She said she doesn't even have one yet! I'm so touched by this incredible gift. Thank you, Ken. I will cherish it.

Just in case...

Just in case...
Originally uploaded by Green Wellies

In wake of the recent earthquakes around the world, I've been upgrading my own readiness kit. I keep this one in the house and I have another one in the car. We're told that we have to be able to handle 72 hours on our own in the event of an earthquake or other disaster. My neighbours and I have a designated meeting spot behind one of the houses...away from hydro lines and in a flat open area. We're now on the lookout for a small freezer to use as outside storage (not plugged in) that can be padlocked against bears and will be kept at the back area of my shed under cover for easy access. That way, we can all keep our kits in one place. It's rather like the west coast version of having a smoke detector (although we have those, too). We want to be prepared.