So far this is not much of a June. We did manage to walk Sophie, between the rain showers – read “downpours” – but my husband even put the furnace on – if only to 18 degrees Celsius! This has been a very cool start the month.
Yesterday I wore shorts with my wool socks and sweater – today I went straight to the jeans.
No gardening this weekend – it just did not feel right. Next weekend I will get the bricks to finish the herb garden.
Enough of what this weekend is not – it is still a weekend with great walks and stuff accomplished.
Yesterday morning we took Sophie to Bowen park and walked all the way from the Millstream entrance right up to Bowen road. Then we walked down to the pool and along the road to the Rhododendron garden.
The Hailey Rhododendron Grove is still gorgeous – one bonus of a late and cool spring. Sixteen foot high rhodo’s covered in blooms; Carpets of fallen petals and glorious colour all around. It has been a couple of years since I walked through the garden and I had forgotten how incredible it was when in full bloom.
The walk along Millstream was pretty spectacular too. I took more than a few photos. It was a wonderful way to spend a morning walk. It had been raining lightly but by the time the walk finished the sun was shining and the garden was well-lit. Fifteen minutes after we got home it was pouring.
As a result, I got lots of knitting related “stuff” done yesterday. The Ravelry group has been started for the Edging the Pink KAL, as has the pattern and the scarf itself. I have also started one of the samples for a fall class. Yesterday I had a problem with focus – I jumped around from project to project! It was the weather I think.
Today was house cleaning – I must confess Tom did most of it! But I did bake a Strawberry Apple Pie. Spiced with cinnamon and walnuts, it smells so good – maybe I’ll just skip supper and eat pie. I would have to fight Tom for it – he loves pie. Not such a good idea. Before the house cleaning and pie baking and puttering around we went for a walk around Neck Point my favorite park inside of Nanaimo.
I ate my first Salmon berry and saw quite a few thimble berries starting. The tide was waaay out! We walked out the neck – there were many fishermen in boats out on the water this morning and just as many people walking themselves and the dog around the park.
Wildflowers were everywhere in the park: Columbine, Purple Stars (real name unknown), Honeysuckle, Roses and some others that I couldn’t identify! So much colour dotted thru out the park. The Thimble berries should have a huge crop this year, there were so many blossoms.
As we were heading to our car I saw a Hummingbird. It was picking fluff from a catkin. I got a few pictures but they are blurry. I should have changed the setting on the camera, but I was so excited that I didn’t think of it until the Hummingbird had left!
Happy Knitting
Lynette
PS more pictures in the slideshow!
Gorgeous photos! I am new to the Northwest, and have been wondering about the salmonberries. I was warned NOT to eat them by a cousin who has lived here her whole life. Are they worth gathering? There are so many here on our trails…
Hi there,
I love salmon berries – they are the first berry of the Spring/Summer. They are not as sweet as other berries, they do not have much time to develope sweetness, they are out too early, but they are welcome. I have never heard of any negatives attached to them, except the lack of sweetness! I do not gather them. I just sample as I walk! The thimble berries are next, they are small and thin, but can get much sweeter than the salmon berries.
Lynette