A Touch of Autumn Changes

There's something to be said for a neighbour who has a gigantic maple tree. I enjoy all of its beauty over my back fence, with very little of the leaf raking. I'll have my share of that in front of my house.

Although most of my flowers have passed their prime, the geraniums are still happy to produce blooms.

 It won't be long before the garden will need a good clear-out.

Before then, though, there are still some 

tomatoes to pick, 

parsley to harvest, 

and roses to pluck. 

Other, more pressing, household chores also need to be done; it's time to unearth the paint brushes again, clear out the shed, and deal with the eavestrough.

Spring is generally seen as a season of renewal, but I find autumn has its own timetable of transformation, inner and outer.

Are you contemplating making any changes this season?

Before everything green fades away or turns to yellow, red, and gold, I'm linking with "Green Day" at Raindrops and Daisies.

Garden Fresh

Fresh picked tomatoes from one's own garden have to be one of life's simple pleasures.

Newly ripened, still warm from the sun, and flavourful.

Have a wonderful week.

I'm linking to "Mosaic Monday" at Little Red House.

Hollyhock Seeds: A Gift for Canadians

Last month, someone on my Facebook page asked if she could have some hollyhock seeds. Her plants were at the end of the season (in California), mine had yet to set seed.

It seems that getting a clear answer on whether it is allowable to send seeds over the Canada/USA border is not necessarily clear cut. Well, perhaps it is, but after being referred to about 3 or 4 government agencies, reading about the multitude of government regulations that applied to the importation and exportation of seeds, I admit defeat in getting a definitive answer.
 

 

That being said, if you live in Canada, as I do, and you would like some hollyhock seeds, I'd be happy to share. At least, until I run out of stamps.
 
If you're comfortable providing your address, just send it privately to:

mylittlehomeandgarden@gmail.com

Happy Almost Autumn!

A September Peek into the Back Garden

Yesterday, I took a peek in the back garden, just to check on a few things. 

Happily, the roses are getting a second wind.

I'm a bit surprised, given how dry it's been. At least, it had been, until the wee hours of this morning. That's when the heavens opened, the rain poured and the thunder roared; it's been raining most of the day. That's fine by me, but it's not an ideal day for the first day of school. 

Imagine...

excited children,

 indoor recesses, 

and hardworking teachers trying to make everyone, 

soggy or dry, 

feel welcome and engaged.

Let's head back to my peaceful garden, shall we?

For the first time, I planted some of these.

They're called "Kiss Me Over the Garden Gate". 

 No smooching will occur here; my back neighbour is married!

Time to move and get a few things done. I hope your day is going well.

With Thanks

A while back, I discovered a lovely blog called Ivy, Phyllis and Me! and became a follower, the first one.

Daphne, its creator, emailed me; she was very excited that someone had chosen to follow and wanted to send a present. I assured her that wasn't necessary, but that a postcard from her corner of England would be fun.

Instead, Daphne chose a beautiful book entitled "Flowers" by Janet Harvey Kelman. She selected it because she could tell, from my blog, that I loved flowers. I also love this book. The publication date isn't in it, but after a little investigation, it looks like it was published in the early 1950's.

What a treasure! Do you see the beautiful colour plate above? There are 48 of them! As for the sparkly items, I believe they must be from Daphne's trip to India.

Earlier this week, I mentioned Daphne's kindness on my Facebook page and several people went over to take a look at her blog. I'm hoping you'll do the same. Ivy, Phyllis and Me! is charming and you'll feel as if you've had a little holiday in England. And, really, couldn't we all use a bit of a holiday now and again? Besides, "one good turn deserves another".

Thank you, Daphne.

Given I've included a collage in this post, I've decided to link up with Little Red House's "Mosaic Monday". Mary plays hostess to a wide variety of participants.