First Sweet Peas....

I don't I need to even say anything....you probably can smell these by just looking at them. Finally, 7 weeks late, sweet peas................

The bench

 In the summer haze, the air was very still today. Shady under the grape vines, grapes thick and massed in the heat. Even the beautiful white cat  decided to take a rest on the bench. In the shade. In the cool. In the middle of a hot summer day. Lady's Mantle runs thick and wild these days, and Creeping Jenny  is doing more than creeping. Overflowing. Bright yellow. In the cool. On a summer's day.

 As the afternoon progressed, the heat fell more heavily to the ground. It was cooler under the bench, on the concrete. In the shade. In the middle of a hot summer's day. The Creeping Jenny still running yellow and wild all round. Still bright yellow. White Cat like snow in winter.

As evening approached, the bench was empty. It was no longer the middle of a hot summer's day. Instead, it was the start of a summer's night.  The grapes still hung low into their leaves, the Creeping Jenny  bright yellow. Lady's Mantle  thankful for some coolness.  And somewhere, the beautiful white cat has ambled her way home. In the cool. In the middle of a summer's night.......

LOW TIDE

Low Tide.....today was the lowest tide of the year. Masses of purple starfish , taking advantage, or rather, being taken advantage of, by the humans who visit the tide pools. Humans just have to pick them up and poke at their underbellies.  Humans need to leave them well enough alone.

 This particular batch of tide pools is located at the end of larwood street in willow point, in Campbell River. Many people toddle over there to see the colourful sights. Sea urchins, star fish, oysters, etc.

 Like something out of a painting........something surreal with the pink star fish looking for a home amongst their purple breathren.

CAMPANULA TAKESIMANA

 The Campanula Takesimana is at its peak. Three colours this year....pink, white, and dark dark blue, that looks purple at times. Teh garden Club tour is on Thursday.  It will be full out by then.

 I actually joined one of the local garden clubs. Not the one that had the contest. This is another one. On thursday I will get the chance to go see other gardens as well, and the schmoozing will commence.

 Campanula blooms for about two to three weeks, depending on the weather, then it usually does not bloom again. Sometimes, if weather is really good, it will have a small blooming in September.

 Cranesbill with the takesimana.......................and curry. Love curry.

" value  my garden more for being full of blackbirds than of cherries, and very frankly give them fruit for their songs." (Joseph Addison 1672-1719 english writer)

FLUTTERBY

                                 Flutterby...................

                                  Fluttering...............

                                      Drinks......................

Fog. Lighthouse. Beach.

 Wonderful ,foggy, misty day looking across to Quadra Island. Just like fall. Oops. It's May, almost June.....well, we DO live in a rainforest.  Better look out the scarves, just in case...

 Stories Beach, shrouded in grey. This is Salmon Point, in the distance..............

 Tide was out when I was there. Algae, logs, rocks, crabs, everything but people.  This is just before noon. You can see the Canadian flags whipping in the breeze.

 Other half of Stories Beach. People bring their dogs down to run on the sand.

 Looking north to Campbell river. Again, on a few people braving the wet sand, in the middle of the day.

 Doggies found their ball. They were ripping across the sand like wild things: " Look at me! Look at me!" they were saying, I am sure.

                     Stories Beach outcropping. Tons of algae at this time of day.

 Silver grey and blue to the sand..........

More fog looming over the lighthouse on Quadra island........could even hear the foghorn cutting through the surf.

In the Light

 Eight months of work.....it's finally here. Yay. Celtic Crossover.  Now comes the fun part. We get to play everything on the CD at church services, weddings, the local coffee houses, etc. ad infinitum. So much rehearsal, so much time spent recording, till it was just right. So much time arranging, thinking, pondering, wondering how the melody would  work with  guitar. Trying to find music, then having to transcribe it ,since a lot of it was unpublished, reinventing the guitar part .
        Then when in two months of recording, having to go from room to room to find the right acoustics, good lighting, and quiet....always searching for the quiet.  Then more thinking, weighing each part of the recording, overdubs, underdubs, re-recording to get the right sound..... The list was exhausting. But so worth it. 
        I have finally figured out that I like ...no LOVE.....this type of music. It speakds to me. It has a languid quality that can be quite mournful. It's perfect. All that struggling musician talk is quite true. It's great if you do find the right music. It's even better if the music finds you.......

 The guitarist: Chris Coon, worship director at the local Baptist Church, plays guitar, mandolin, flute, penny whistle and a few hundred other instruments, and still sings and directs choir and theatre for the church, plus plays in the community with countless others.

The music: Lough Erin Shore, Gift of Falling, Mary Did You Know, Border Country, Rose of Bethlehem, A River Runs Through It, Stars and Midnight Blue, When Love was Born, Meeting of the Waters, The Patriot, God is With Us, May it Be......................yes, there are some Christmas pieces in the mix.     The music kind of plays itself. Like I said, it's even better when the music finds you......