Father's Day Dinner at the Farm

Hello dear friends,

Last week we celebrated Father's Day at the farm.  It was one year and 6 days since my father passed away but we thought we should celebrate regardless.  As my husband and brother are both fathers we thought it would be a great way to combine and honour both!

The weather has been unseasonably wet and cool and along with those conditions we have mosquitoes.  Absolute clouds of them.  So while we love to eat outside we decided that we would have to be inside.  We set up shop in our partially completed dining room.

My mother is very partial to shrimp.  Traditionally we have steak.  And since my brother, his partner, and my husband and I are tiny foodies I like to try new recipes.  We had fettuccine that was tossed with assorted types of cherry tomatoes that had been marinating in basil infused olive oil with garlic and parmesan cheese and a corn salad that was made with red onions and an olive oil cider vinegar dressing.  I loved the pasta but the corn salad....not so much. 

I had prepared a large pitcher of ice water infused with lemon, lemon balm from the garden and kiwis.  We had home made croissants and candles just for fun.

The table cloth was a find at a vintage store.  I like to serve kosher salt in a pinwheel crystal liqueur glass.  I was gifted a number of little glass yogurt pots from a dear friend and used those to make a very impromptu flower arrangement.  So impromptu that while everyone was coming in one door I was dashing around the garden with snips of shrubs then sneaking in another door while everyone was getting settled.

The dishes are a discontinued pattern from Royal Doulton that I have had for about 30 years.  

This is Bridal Wreath Spirea.

This is an old honeysuckle that was already ancient when we purchased the farm.  Another little pot has a few springs of Centaurea Montana which is a lovely but ever so weedy perennial.  It is actually a cobalt blue but the candlelight makes it look purple.  And I love the vintage glass candle holders that were a Christmas gift from another dear friend.  

Thank you for taking a quick peak at my dinner arrangements and I look forward to having you visit again soon!

Late Spring Gardens

Hello dear friends, at this time of year it seems that the gardens are changing by the day!  It is also that time of year when the weeds are aggressively trying to get the upper hand.  This gardener has a plan so we shall have to see who comes out on top!  

Our koi pond is in essentially the same state of completion as last year....which is to say mostly but not totally finished.  We still need to add rubblestone around the outside walls of the pond and then will need to put flagstones on top to hide the edges of the pond and the liner.  Hopefully this project will be completed this year.

We planted mounds of tulips 2 years ago?  3 years ago?  I dont remember.

This Alpine Currant came to the farm from my parents' garden about 25 years ago.  Like so many transplants it performed rather poorly...then one day it came to life and now has a mind of its' own.  We dug it up and divided it and moved it around.  This division is on the road side of one of the sheep pastures.  When we bring the sheep back home many of them make a detour to take a mouthful of this shrub.   It has survived the abuse surprisingly well.

This photo is from a couple of weeks ago when we were on vacation and building the pergola.  I love the vibrant red from the red maple.  This is Jessie's Garden, one of the many German Shepherds we have had at the farm.  In the foreground is the statue marking Kodiak's garden.  Jessie and Kodiak were inseparable.

I love purple in the garden.  These purple tulips have been here for years.

Our puppy Abby thought it would be great fun to pick flowers and toss them in the air.  When I found them I put them in little vases.  

I do love our little garden privy!  It looks like an outhouse but actually houses the recycling and trash.  And it also has been home to other things that we own but have forgotten about.  A rake for example.  

This morning the weather was beautiful so I was up early trying to snap a few photos.  This was a view from our portico deck towards Crab Apple Grove.

Purple tulips again.

This apple tree shades our parking area.  At this time of the year it is so pretty but later in the season it drops apples on our vehicles!

One of the rather wild lilacs at the farm.  The scent is divine!

My husband has been working on the vegetable garden.  I confess to being much more interested in flowers than vegetables.

Our little garden arbour in the early light.

A view from the upstairs balcony towards the chicken coop.   In an earlier post I had lamented the passing of all but two of our chickens.  This week a raccoon feasted on our day old White Rock chicks.  A new supply of chicks have been ordered but sometimes I wonder why we go through the grief of battling wildlife.  Our day old turkeys are all alive and flourishing.  Of course once the frustration subsides it is really very gratifying to raise our own chickens.  

I hope you have enjoyed this quick little update!  We are being promised four straight days of perfect weather so I hope to be very busy working in the gardens.

Thank you for visiting!