Relaxing on the deck

Hello dear friends,

It has been a lovely weekend here at the farm and I thought I would show you one of our favourite lounging areas.  We have always enjoyed time outdoors so when our renovations were being done we made sure to include lots of living space outside.  Our home has a wraparound veranda as well as a large deck outside the kitchen area.  When we first described our vision to our contractor he was astonished and wanted to make sure that we understood how much wood would be involved in creating this project.  We did understand and we love it!

This area is close to our koi pond and we love the sound of falling water.  We use a variety of plants in the pond including irises and lilies.  Annual water hyacinths and water lettuce help to provide some shade for the fish and absorb some of the nutrients from the water, acting as a purifier.

We have so many frogs!!  Frogs are a great indicator of the health of an environment so we are always pleased to have such a large assortment of them.

The koi pond originally had one waterfall.  As the water circulates it goes through a filtering system.  We found that it needed a second filtering system so added another waterfall.

And of course we have koi!

A few weeks ago we decided to replace the furniture on the deck.  For this area I love to use blue in keeping with a water theme.  We ordered a new love seat and arm chairs and I am pleased to report that Willow has taken them for a test drive and approves.

A blue lantern and candle holders reinforce the theme.  I purchased a set of blue drinking glasses and we have blue and white "Willow" china to use in this area.  If you are wondering our coasters become "lids" when outside to prevent bugs from landing in our drinks!

A little arrangement of hydrangeas.

We completed this area with matching umbrellas and umbrella tables and an outdoor area rug.

I had never heard of umbrella tables before so when I saw one I thought it would be a great idea.  I purchased the blue umbrella and the umbrella table but after we set them up I thought we should have a second matching set.  Now we have an umbrella and table on either side of the love seat.

We have little decorative blue anchor lights at the koi railing and at the barbecue.  

The lighting in the umbrellas along with the candles all provide for the perfect spot to sit in the evening, enjoy a glass of wine and listen to the waterfall.  Now I must practice my photography skills in the dark.  I have been using a tripod but must confess I havent mastered it and most of the photos are too blurry to use.  I really wanted to share what this area looks like in the dark!  Wishing everyone a great week.

Thank you for visiting!

Thursday evening at the farm

Hello dear friends,

I was later than expected leaving the city tonight so by the time I got home I thought I would just indulge in a little stroll around the house.  Do come along!

My husband was able to take a break from some of the other farm duties to spend some time mowing the lawns.  For the last few years we had contracted this work out but this year decided to take this job back.  While it is nice to have someone else reliably cut the lawn every week we were saddened by damage done to some of our trees in the process.  We also experienced several dog toy casualties-while the crew had perfected a pattern for mowing as quickly as possible we learned that they also dont stop for items in their path!  

As it happens I also enjoy mowing the lawn using my rechargeable lawn mower.  The lambs, chickens and ducks all enjoy the clippings and whatever is left over goes to the compost piles.

As our trees become larger this section gets more shade.  We have a small vegetable garden in this area which I feel will ultimately need to be moved elsewhere to allow the plants to enjoy more sunshine.

I havent used my little greenhouse in years.  It has suffered wind damage over the last couple of years but we have managed to retrieve all of the flying parts and one day will rebuild it.

The privy is one of my favourite structures.

Our final cut of hay will happen this Saturday and it will be round baled next week.  These bales are obediently lined up waiting for the colder weather when the pastures can no longer be grazed.

I love this echinops.  I purchased the original plant at the Horticultural Society plant sale and since then it has multiplied happily.  I will need to become more ruthless and either deadhead it or start digging out the new plants as they are popping up in some unwelcome places.  The bees do like it!

Lately we have remarked that our Ginko tree is very slow to bud out.  A closer inspection over the weekend has revealed that the tree trunk has been completely girdled.  I would imagine that the rabbits that are hopping about could be to blame.

Jerry the Rooster is so happy to have company.  All of the new hens have settled in nicely and everyone is getting along well.

Two of the three stooges are wondering why we are wasting time walking around when they could be having their dinner.

We have constant frog activity in both our koi pond and the waterfall pond.  Perhaps this weekend I will take a stroll to Lake Ophelia to see what kind of activity we have there!  

We have had a fairly busy summer so far at the farm and I have started and save several posts to share with you!  I just need to finish them up and post them for you.

Wishing everyone a lovely end to the week and a great weekend.  Thank you for visiting!