Aberfoyle Antique Market

     Yesterday was the first day that the Aberfoyle Antique Market opened up and CC and I arose early, picked up B Lovely, and headed down to see what was on offer.  It was quite packed out and people were already leaving even though we arrived about an hour after the opening!  We did the whole circuit, but there weren't as many vendors as I thought there would be - they will probably all be there for the Spring Special Sale on Saturday May 12.

     The first thing that caught my eye was the above.  I thought it was some freakish, taxidermy, badger-purse, so I took a picture and sent it off to Mrs. Mop Philospher knowing her great taste in all things fashionable.  Of course, she was horrified and informed me that she would now be having nightmares.  It turns out it's a sporran AND costs $450 - crazy Scottish @#$#@$s!

     In another stall, I espied the above Aboriginal Diorama (no the record is not part of it), and memories of my childhood flooded back to me.  I had the exact same piece in my bedroom that my parents bought for me from god-knows-where.  In fact, I'm pretty sure this one was mine, and it was sold from under my nose.  Spooky, no?

Tres modernes lamps

     CC found a large Imari charger that was quite the deal for $375, but I talked him out of it as we don't really need another big piece of potentially-breakable china in an already-cramped space.  He did find a mixing bowl to replace a cracked one, a rice ware bowl (that I spotted hiding behind some bric-a-brac) and yet another rug - this one has ended up in the kitchen and looks great and is very comfortable underfoot.  B Lovely was Jonesing for some Fiesta Ware and we managed to find a few pieces for her - a cream-coloured Ewer and two Chartreuse Cereal Bowls.  Good work BL, but next time try and work down the price a little - Do You Mind?  I came away empty-handed, but did find another purse for Mrs. Mop Philosopher, one that would be guaranteed to NOT give her nightmares...

Henned Bag?

Sprung!

     It's hard to believe that just over a week ago the back yard looked like this!  Fortunately, it was a flash in the pan, and the snow had all melted by day's end.  Also fortunately, it didn't get too cold so the buds were safe.

     What a difference a week makes!  I can't believe how quickly everything is turning green and how quickly the buds, bulbs and leaves are popping out all over...

Scilla and Anemones

Species Tulips

Hellebore

Blood Root

     Stay tuned for more surprises coming up in the garden....

Sunny Monday

Crocus

     I took the day off, so it was a much-appreciated long weekend.  I got up early though, cycled to the gym, swam and cycled home wanting to enjoy every minute of sunshine that I could.  A friend who lives over in Waterloo, but who I don't nearly see enough of came over for a visit and we went out for a leisurely lunch for her belated birthday and got caught up on all of the gossip.  We had a nice walk back here, sat in the garden for a bit and then she headed back home.

Aconite

     In just a few days, a lot has popped up in the garden.  I even saw bees buzzing around the flowers and small swarms of tiny, flying insects, no doubt newly hatched from the soil.  The birds are also coming back and busily visiting the bird feeder and pond and the squirrels are fanatically trying to figure out where they planted last year's nuts. It's still quite dull out there but colour and warmth are definitely on their way!

Irises

Ice Day - The Day After

     So, the day after the Ice Day, I ventured out to see what sort of damage had been inflicted on the trees - quite a bit as it turns out.  Branches were down everywhere and the City crews were busy clearing the debris and loading it into the chippers.

     Especially badly hit was the Royal City Park. One entire tree (see above) fell over and there were many large branches down all along the river.  In some instances, you could see where the rot was in the trees, but there were also many healthy-looking branches that just couldn't deal with the weight of the previous day's ice.  A lot of creatures are going to be looking for new homes.

Ice Day

Darling Buds of April?

     Woke up at my usual ungodly hour of five this morning only to discover that there was no power in the house, nor in the neighbourhood AND everything was coated with a thick sheath of ice!  Well, no shower, no work, especially as the bathroom was pitch black and I probably would have killed myself. I also didn't know what the road conditions were like and couldn't listen to a radio to find out, so it was stay-at-home-and-chill day!  I informed CC and then it was back to bed to keep warm and get some more sleep.

Icy Chicken Wire

     Once we got up, and realized there was still no power, emergency measures needed to be taken - yep, we put on some clothes and went out in search of coffee and breakfast.  Luckilly, there were a few places downtown that were open and functioning, so we warmed up with coffee and food.  The sidewalks were treacherous, but at least everything looked shiny even if it had started to rain and the sky was grey.

     By the time we got home, the power was back on, so I had a long, hot shower and got dressed.  CC followed suit and then we headed back downtown to do some banking now that we were "connected" once more.

Heath

     I went out a few more times to take some pictures, hoping that the sun would come out which would have made for a great photo-op, but it stayed dull, grey and miserable and continued to rain most of the day.  As the day progressed, the ice finally fell from the branches and rained down on the ground.  I was firmly ensconced on the couch watching TV shows on my laptop and drinking herbal tea so was safe and sound from the elements.

Allan Gardens Conservatory

Burro's Tail, in flower!

     Last night, I stayed in Toronto for my book club and on the way over to the host's house, I stopped in at the Conservatory in Allan Gardens for a breath of fresh air.  If you have never been, I would recommend you stop by some time and check what's going on here: http://www.toronto.ca/parks/featured-parks/conservatories/allan-gardens.htm.  They had a display of Hydrangeas, but I went straight to the cactus room, to check out the various cacti and succulents.

     Many are planted in the ground in raised beds, but there are also some interesting ones in hanging planters.  I love how architectural they look and am always amazed at the varying shapes, sizes and colours.  I also, to my delight, found examples of succulents that I have bought over the years, WITH name tags, so now I know what they are: Crassula rupestris, Hatoria salicornoides or Senecio serpens anyone?

     There were so many plants that I would love to have cuttings of, and I did ask one of the workers there if they ever have plant sales, but it seems you have to be part of an organization to have access to any parts of the plants.  A good thing really, or there wouldn't be anything left there for anyone to look at and enjoy, especially when it doesn't look like winter is leaving us any day soon!

MORE plants!

     Some people go for a drive and bring home a box of kittens or puppies to fill their lives with joy, CC and I bring home a box of plants - cute little plants mind you - go figure.  We went to St. Jacobs, had a quick look around and were underwhelmed, so headed to Belgian Nursery, yet again, this time to find some more pots for our plants, but didn't see anything that grabbed us.  I did see some little Christmas (Easter?) cacti in colours and leaf-shape I don't yet have.  I already have white, white and pink with serrated leaves and pinky-orange with rounded leaves.  Now, I have red and pink with rounded leaves as well.  They have been forced to flower soon, so I just put them, as is, in larger terra cotta pots in the front window and will transplant them once they have finished flowering.  Just so CC didn't feel left out, I bought him a teacup African Violet in white that fit perfectly in the Celadon teacup I bought him for Christmas.  We are supposed to get more snow and it doesn't look like it's going to warm up in the near future, so this is our way of dealing with it.  I did see some Snowdrops and a lone yellow Crocus coming up in the garden, so there is hope.