….still not from my garden but maybe in a day or so
Flower of the Day – June 24 – Peony
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Category Archives: Toronto
New Flower of the Day – June 23 – Poppy
…..I love poppies, especially the flower…..the foliage not so much
Flower of the Day – June 22 – Rose
….I wish I could say that this beautiful rose is from my garden but alas it’s not
On our walk this morning I came across numerous beautiful flowers to share with you this week. My neighbourhood is a haven of gorgeous gardens. My poor peony plant still hasn’t opened completely. In fact at the moment it is looking rather sad. Hopefully in a day or two the blooms will erupt to their full potential.
Three block over the house on the corner lot is awash in pink roses.
Ode to my Pine
…..first you see it, well what’s left of it
…..and then little by little over the next four hours it starts to come down
….until nothing is left but a bit of saw dust
….and now my view has completely changed
Thirty five years ago
you were barely three feet high
You grew wide and tall
Your lower branches spread across the lawn
and encroached on the neighbour’s roof
trimming was a necessity but you continued to grow
until you shot above our two story house
You were home to birds, squirrels and racoons
You provided shade and nourished the soil
I cursed your shedding needles but
you always stayed green season after season
Your demise was swift, we barely saw it coming
Sun shines where before you provided shade
and our view is forever changed
Farewell dear tree
Rosestock or Rosethorn in the Rain
….aka Rosethorn in the Park
Almost every year since I started working at my school we’ve put on some kind of year-end show. For most of the 15 years that I’ve been at Rosethorn we’ve rented a portable stage and parked it outside on the school grounds by the hill. For a few years we booked the local high school auditorium when the cost of the stage became too prohibitive.
There was always something very special about putting on the show outside on a warm summer evening.
In all the years that we performed outside it never once rained during the show. Well the year we decided to bring back the show mobile we had rain. We were very optimistic and decided to go ahead with the show despite the forecast of potential showers. The sky was overcast for most of the day but the rain held off.
When we started the show there was no rain but after four classes had performed the rain began. When it looked like it wasn’t going to let up our principal gave the audience some options. Well actually she didn’t get past the first one which was to continue with the show. Everyone wanted to stay. The umbrellas came out and the children were pretty much dry under the roof of the stage anyway. Luckily the sound equipment and the operator were protected by a tent but our conductor/music teacher and the staff working with the children were exposed to the elements.
It rained for about an hour and stopped for the last few acts. Despite the soggy conditions the show was a hit and no one complained about getting wet. The teachers were glad that we didn’t have to come back the next night to continue the show and I think a lot of the families were glad as well.
New Flower – June 17 – Peony Bud
….Cee’s been posting peonies in full bloom but mine are still buds
Sunday Trees – 135
….for more Sunday Trees check out Becca Givens site http://beccagivens.wordpress.com/2014/06/15/sunday-trees-135/
On Wednesday of this week this grand old tree in my backyard is coming down. In the grand scheme of things this Ontario White Pine is not that old. When we moved into our house over 35 years ago this tree was barely as tall as me. It should have outlived me but some kind of boring insect infected the tree and it is beyond saving. When the arborist from the city came to check that we weren’t cutting down a healthy tree he said very matter of fact that the tree was dead.
What’s Blooming in My Garden – June 15, 2014
…..everything is a little late and when it does bloom it is short lived
Mini Iris
Yellow Day Lilies
Father’s Day – Part 2
…..honouring my husband with a little fun at a local pub
After spending lunch with my father yesterday, my husband and I drove back to Toronto and got ready to go out a second time. We made reservations to have dinner at a local pub and watch the Italy vs England game with our daughters.
We knew that the real action would be down in Little Italy but it would be next to impossible to get a table reserved unless we were willing to arrive four hours before the game. My husband is not keen about driving downtown or waiting for anything so we picked a pub closer to home. We knew that when we went there that we would probably be in the minority cheering on Italy in this part of Toronto.
We arrived 30 minutes before the game and the place was pretty empty but it started to fill up quickly. Luckily the table next to us was also filled with fans of the Azzuri but the rest of the place was clearly filled with English fans. Before the game started my husband opened up his Father’s Day gifts from me and his daughters. Unfortunately we couldn’t convince him to wear his Italian jersey. He said it was too small but when he tried it on this morning I thought it was fine. During the game J wore the shirt so that there was no doubt which team our table was cheering for.
The game itself was fantastic. So well played. No dives, dirty tricks or unfair calls. Yeah Italy! This afternoon I’ll be cheering for Argentina and tomorrow I’ll be wearing my Germany shirt and supporting my birth place.
Today has been a glorious day weather-wise. We’ve done a little gardening and our grass was cut and trimmed by D and his dad who will be coming all summer to keep our yard neat and tidy. Our son called from the Netherlands to wish his Dad a Happy Father’s Day and he spent some time speaking with me as well. Thanks B!
A Challenge – Doing Their Best
….but it wasn’t quite enough
Today we drove to the east end of the city to participate in the Girls’ Soccer City Championships. The sky was overcast but for the most part the predicted heavy rain held off. It was humid and during the second game we experienced a brief light shower. Earlier in the day the two teams that we would face off later played against each other. The team that lost challenged us to play if we didn’t win our first game.
Unfortunately our first game was difficult. The team we played against was our toughest competition to date and we lost 3 to 0. It was our first lost of the season. An hour later we played the second team to determine who would come in second. We were pretty evenly matched. In the first half no one from either side scored. In the second half they scored first and then we scored. The game ended in a tie and went into overtime. Have I ever told you how much I hate overtime, especially ‘golden goal’. The first team to score would win. The girls fought hard but it wasn’t to be this year.
You’d never know from the photographs that the girls were disappointed. Their sadness was brief and they walked away knowing that they had come a long way just to get to the city championships. We, their coaches and parents, were very proud of them. Bravo girls!
Mama Cormier 