heart cockles

One of my fav authors, although I always realize how little I know whilst reading her books, and the last in a series of stories that I started reading when we lived in Edinburgh. C and I went to the library on a rainy day a couple of weeks ago and I stocked up. Since then, the computer went on the blink and my sister in law had to make an unexpected trip here as her dad was dying. He died the day after she had to fly back home, so we will see her again when she comes out to deal the his things. Sure makes you re-evaluate your life and your choices.

and suddenly it is mid-August.

From A Whistling Woman by AS Byatt.

...Ramsden saw the full moon hanging in the window and skylight, perfectly framed, hugely sailing, clouded, clear, clouded, clear, dizzying. He went out, purposeful and barefoot, slipping the back-door catch with confident stealth, striding silently across the farmyard, under the trees, which blackened the moon with turbulent spikes, and out on to the moor, where it sailed high, the shreds of cloud dropping away like dead skin, dead lashes, leaving the great silver eye staring blankly.

Ah ha! Finally, I have been able to read again. I know I have neglected my Voxers, but I have much to post at a later date - lavender harvest, nieces and nephews, cottage, food, etc etc. But in the meantime, here are some terrific words and phrases; I had to dogear the pages there were so many.

From 'Midwinter' by John Buchan:

• "Haud up, sir," cried a voice. "Losh, the beast's foundered, and the man's in a dwam."

• He cut himself a piece of pie and ate gobblingly.

• Let a romantic maid indulge her fancy and choose her own way of wedlock, for if she get not romance at the start she will not find it in the dreich business of matrimony.

• "Saw ye ever such a physiog, Edom?" he cried. "Dominies are getting crouse, for the body was wanting my lord to ride with him like a post-boy after some quean that's ta'en the jee. He's about as blate as a Cameronian preacher."

• hobbledehoys
• He was in a torment of disquietude... he did not despair of giving these chaw-bacons the slip.
• For presently the snow will so conglobulate that the road will be impossible for coach and horses.
• Plunderers of old wives' plenishing
  

You know who you are. Thanks to my American vox neighbours, I have significantly changed my view of the US.

Happy Independence Day.

 

or, as I remember from being a kid, Dominion Day. I worked ridiculously hard yesterday and finished my planting for my fifth design (yeah) and am taking today off. Huzzah. However, I am so stiff that I can hardly move. C also has the day off and I think we might just sit in the shade and read. We will most likely not go into town to watch the fireworks, who can be bothered with the crowds, and have a whisky instead. I heard that Vancouver is charging to watch the fireworks. Charging to watch the sky? Probably to keep yobbishness down, I figure. We were so lucky in NS, we could just sit on our back deck and watch the amazing display over the dykes. Even though Wolfville is a small town, there is a guy in town that makes his living designing firework shows, so it is always pretty great.

What is a garden without white? I am not a fan of the all-white gardens, but I can be convinced. Sorry Vita.

n a hot day. Tricky colour to place, but there is so much woodland that it works here.

I have been helping my client get ready for her daughter's wedding and we have been having a ball. And it finally feels like summer is here. Really here.

 

I know, we got back ah-ges ago, but it suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't posted any photos of the last days. Suddenly, it seems as if June is almost over and I can see things galloping ahead in the garden. Oh! Yesterday, I saw the coolest spider; it was one of those ones that is almost crab-shaped, and it had a white body with a pinkish stripe down each side and it was hiding in a Calla lily. I think it is a flower spider, which apparently can change its colours. Huh. I will have to investigate. Anyway, all of these photos seem to have shades of green in the background or deal with food.