tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post3228999038180129678..comments2023-10-11T04:09:53.564-07:00Comments on materfamilias writes: Better, not Older, right? Birthday with Flowers and Grandkids and Breakfast Cake, Not Bad at All!materfamiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-225968782470245712016-05-23T17:22:07.254-07:002016-05-23T17:22:07.254-07:00Aw, thank you!
And love that I have a birthday tw...Aw, thank you! <br />And love that I have a birthday twin on the island who's a bestie of yours.<br />Yes, the market is goofy -- even beyond To, unbelievably! But I'm taking your advice to heart, and trying to be a bit zen about the offer we're making this week. . . materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-23788667732359206962016-05-22T07:19:24.752-07:002016-05-22T07:19:24.752-07:00Your photos are improving all the time - which is ...Your photos are improving all the time - which is amazing because they started out so gorgeous to begin with. You ARE gardening with your camera. And I didn't realize, for some reason, that you have the same birthday as one of my best friends (also from Vancouver Island - Comox - how coincidental is that?). Best of luck with the real estate situation. I've seen many friends go through the same thing in another inflated market, TO. Honestly, moving in Mtl must be a joy :-) - until the winter, that is. Just remember that your perfect new location is waiting for you to find it. Once you do, all of the pieces will fall into place. So many peeps "lose" the first few bids, only to realize that it took those experiences to refine their needs and emerging desires.K.Linehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15350615302797686048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-92031840499367105402016-05-21T06:43:38.034-07:002016-05-21T06:43:38.034-07:00Never any need to apologise, Eleonore, and thank y...Never any need to apologise, Eleonore, and thank you for the birthday greetings.<br />I'm so glad you got your garden back and that it will be recoverable, albeit with some work. And lucky you, with that garden by the lake. . . <br />Yes, I am being radical, and I'm anxious about it but have already seen its liberating potential (will explain more in a future post, but letting go so concretely freed me to look differently at potential homes and focus on other important elements).materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-41781403956451291062016-05-21T06:40:52.627-07:002016-05-21T06:40:52.627-07:00Thanks, R!
Just as well for you that you're n...Thanks, R! <br />Just as well for you that you're not a passionate gardener, given where you're living now, although I'm sure there are surprisingly great gardens in Alaska. Still, there must be particular challenges. What a change Madrid's heat and urban density must be for you each summer!<br />materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-16308986488742778642016-05-21T04:13:44.889-07:002016-05-21T04:13:44.889-07:00Happy birthday! Sorry, I'm late again.
I was o...Happy birthday! Sorry, I'm late again.<br />I was out of a garden for two years while my landlord tried to take it away from me. I had to go to court to get it back, and now I am amazed (and grateful) to see how many plants have survived two summers of destruction and neglect. When I move out of this place I will probably do with a balcony, perhaps with a share of a community garden. But that is only part of the truth: there will always be the garden by the lake, I could naver give that up.<br />I read your instagram feed this morning. You are being radical - oh dear. Here's hoping it is all for the best.Eleonorenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-87607952531572593452016-05-21T00:58:11.375-07:002016-05-21T00:58:11.375-07:00The olive tree was a birthday present from my husb...The olive tree was a birthday present from my husband some years ago. At first it lived in our large, light-filled front hall but seemed a bit sad so, one summer, I moved it outside. You could almost hear it cheer. I brought it in for the winter when it promptly dropped its leaves and sulked. Figuring that olives are very hardy, I put it out again in the snow and cold of January. It has never looked back. Every year it is covered in tiny flowers and now there are regular olives, getting bigger each year. All the sites I have looked at say this is not possible. The tree ignores them.anniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09784336429060492455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-89392305151835717532016-05-20T15:01:59.527-07:002016-05-20T15:01:59.527-07:00I love the image you've sketched in your brief...I love the image you've sketched in your brief paragraph, Patricia -- it's very rich, you know. . . thank you!materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-9756184200013331412016-05-20T14:14:36.461-07:002016-05-20T14:14:36.461-07:00Belated birthday wishes!
I have a notorious blac...Belated birthday wishes! <br /><br />I have a notorious black thumb and am usually gone for large chunks of the summer for research so I don't garden. I do love the borrowed garden and am looking through strolling through some flower gardens in Europe again soon!Raquelitahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13138113830990586689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-44088830074793776512016-05-20T12:42:15.506-07:002016-05-20T12:42:15.506-07:00Wise plantings, I'd say -- foliage is so calmi...Wise plantings, I'd say -- foliage is so calming, and it's infinitely varied, much harder to purchase, in variety, than flowers. I'll keep this in mind. And the herbs. absolutely!materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-78251420506690649782016-05-20T12:41:05.852-07:002016-05-20T12:41:05.852-07:00I don't often do cake for breakfast, but I hap...I don't often do cake for breakfast, but I happily acknowledge its merits, and if not on a birthday, then when?!<br />Your tiny patio sounds perfect, and I'm sure I could be quite content with that -- really? olives on your tree? in northern England? -- Messy and happy and lush would be a lovely goal, really!materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-928316787988760222016-05-20T12:39:34.972-07:002016-05-20T12:39:34.972-07:00There is definitely a link between gardening and m...There is definitely a link between gardening and mental health! I know my mother's helped her stave off encroaching cognitive impairment -- or at least work off the frustration that accompanied that. I do wish society would catch up with changing demographics and provide more seniors' housing that included gardening possibilities.materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-41754109828249649092016-05-20T12:37:38.366-07:002016-05-20T12:37:38.366-07:00I do wonder how my personality would suit a commun...I do wonder how my personality would suit a community garden, but I think I'd try if I got the chance. We'll see. . . materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-68618327914549828032016-05-20T12:36:58.736-07:002016-05-20T12:36:58.736-07:00Thanks Lorrie, it will certainly be a year of new ...Thanks Lorrie, it will certainly be a year of new beginnings!<br />I know I will also miss gardening, although I'm determined to find some way of substituting. And like you, I'm very intrigued by the community gardens, the private allotment plots, and the even less formal guerrilla gardening. . . (as for the luck, yes, I'll take all I can get, ta!)materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-77027033163531570902016-05-20T12:30:29.321-07:002016-05-20T12:30:29.321-07:00Yes, 60s really, he died in 1971. The building was...Yes, 60s really, he died in 1971. The building was low-level, 6 flats in all, in a street of similar. Each building had a 'green' at the back where the laundry would hang and some also had space for gardens. I don't know if I'd call it urban, more suburban, very much on the edge of town, with farmers' fields within walking distance and a good view to a range of hills, the Sidlaws (called the Seedlies in our vernacular!). I guess that your daughter's community garden is what we'd call an allotment - I've seen them in Britain and in Germany. Patriciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05504513116873595049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-45890336426233514382016-05-20T11:39:50.867-07:002016-05-20T11:39:50.867-07:00Belated birthday greetings Frances! Just in from p...Belated birthday greetings Frances! Just in from picking some herbs on my condo patio. Downsizing the gardens was not as hard as I thought; after years of gardening, I realized I love the many different shapes and colours of foliage almost as much as I love flowers, so just planted trees in pots and put out herbs for picking.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-71477868467575463182016-05-20T11:38:42.610-07:002016-05-20T11:38:42.610-07:00Picturing your front door and the communal gardens...Picturing your front door and the communal gardens in your development makes me feel better about wherever we land, Brenda. And there are so many garden scenes we can enjoy without having to wield a trowel or secateurs, it's true. Hanging baskets are well within reach, no matter how small a balcony, but you're right -- don't brave the garden shop crowds 'til after this long weekend!materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-49175652038824825912016-05-20T11:35:54.823-07:002016-05-20T11:35:54.823-07:00Both of us with the same flower-of-the-month as we...Both of us with the same flower-of-the-month as well, then (remember those little calendar-books Hallmark used to give away at the drugstore? each month with its flower).<br />I'm looking forward to visiting your new-old garden someday. Window boxes as garden, I could do that, right? I love your European suggestions for keeping soil and flowers and vegetable-growing in my life.<br />Yes, I'm ready for the next phase myself, and I think it's coming to meet me...materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-89892560331800695242016-05-20T11:33:50.142-07:002016-05-20T11:33:50.142-07:00Thanks, Marianne. I've heard about badgers, an...Thanks, Marianne. I've heard about badgers, and I'm glad we only have raccoons, otters, and mink to contend with (the very occasional rabbit, released from pet-hood, and the gradually encroaching grey squirrel). <br />Planning might just be my favourite part of gardening as well, although oddly enough, I rather like weeding. . . materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-54292758225658207212016-05-20T11:31:23.041-07:002016-05-20T11:31:23.041-07:00Ceri, you will have to keep us posted on how wonde...Ceri, you will have to keep us posted on how wonderful this retirement is, and what you choose to do first. Anticipation.....materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-34439702384549286162016-05-20T11:30:39.839-07:002016-05-20T11:30:39.839-07:00Glad you appreciate that little hand -- I couldn&#...Glad you appreciate that little hand -- I couldn't resist the photo (one of many attempts as he kept shifting).<br />I'm so glad I was able to raise the kids in a big yard they could run around in, but I see that my urban grandkids experience other benefits and they do manage to get some time with Nature as well, if not everyday. . . btw, planting and pruning and pottering about is gardening knowledge enough, I'd say, especially if you enjoy it. But I see what you mean about it not being a top priority should you move, and I suppose I'm moving that way myself, although I have been quite an avid gardener for long periods. Changes. . . materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-55509564870777668202016-05-20T11:27:03.347-07:002016-05-20T11:27:03.347-07:00Nuisances though they can be (have had them in the...Nuisances though they can be (have had them in the house once! luckily only for a minute, but neighbours have horror stories of cupboard raiding), raccoons are undeniably photogenic -- lovely that your children got to see a creature so exotic to them -- up close and personal! --I'm glad you loved our city. On a sunny day, biking the seawall around the park, it's pretty spectacular, if I do say so myself. . . materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-10627544853313268522016-05-20T11:24:23.990-07:002016-05-20T11:24:23.990-07:00Thank you, Rosie -- it was a very good day!
Your g...Thank you, Rosie -- it was a very good day!<br />Your garden will wait patiently enough for your retirement, as long as you do that minimum weeding and pruning -- sounds as if you have a solid foundation in place with the trees, shrubs and paving. What fun you'll have adding more colour once you have all that retirement time!materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-22895758728341413892016-05-20T11:22:25.972-07:002016-05-20T11:22:25.972-07:00Interesting -- I like to bring cut flowers in occa...Interesting -- I like to bring cut flowers in occasionally and enjoy putting together a bouquet, but there is very much a part of me that can find that superfluous with all the gorgeous blooms outside. Sometimes, I'd prefer to leave them where they are and just enjoy them where they grow.<br />I've not bothered much with annuals for years, except those that are willing to seed themselves (nasturtiums just keep bringing their cheery selves back!)<br />If we had arranged things differently about 10 or 15 years ago, I could easily imagine aging happily into my 80s in a house with a small garden. I think it's one of the best ways to keep fit and happy -- and I love your idea that eventually you won't mind giving it over to the slugs and rabbits! ;-)materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-53324929248058547832016-05-20T11:18:59.536-07:002016-05-20T11:18:59.536-07:00Thanks, Dottoressa, for the birthday wishes.
You a...Thanks, Dottoressa, for the birthday wishes.<br />You are so right about the possibility of beautiful balconies -- I only have to imagine Paris! I hope I might emulate that, at least.<br />I love peonies! I can imagine vases full of them in your house -- the colour, the scent! Enjoy!materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-52668981216969657372016-05-20T11:16:55.836-07:002016-05-20T11:16:55.836-07:00I like your attitude, Ceri, and again, that notion...I like your attitude, Ceri, and again, that notion of the generosity of gardeners comes up . . . and oh, I do hope to be able to grow a fragrant rose again. . . Good luck with the control and the balance -- settle for the year after next? ;-)materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.com