The Lavender is Coming, The Lavender is Coming…

The lavender is coming, the lavender is coming…and I can’t wait to see my little patch of heaven all in bloom. Did you know that lavender has two flowerings per season? Most people don’t. The first and most plentiful flowering is in July and it lasts about a month. If you don’t harvest the flowers, that’s all you get. However, if at the end of the flowering you cut off the flowers from the plant, in August they will start new growth for more flowers in September. The second flowering is not as abundant as the first, but is nonetheless lovely.

This week I’ve noticed my lavender plants start to be fuller and the little tiny stems of future flowers  are pushing up.

Notice also that the plant is becoming greener and there are less dead looking woody branches. By the way, do NOT give your lavender plant a haircut! In the spring, it will look grey and half dead, but with the advent of warm weather and sunshine that dead looking growth will sprout new growth, making a larger plant.

Soon they will look like this:

I have lots of uses and recipes for lavender, which I’ll share with you as the summer progresses.

Lavender and Blueberries

I am going to call my hobby farm Lavender and Blueberries. Nice name, don’t you think? I picked it because that is what’s growing in my front yard. Two years ago I planted 60 lavender plants in four rows of fifteen, and now beginning their third summer, they start to look like something.

Now I know they look kind of dead right now, but just wait, in a few weeks all the new growth will show and they will fill out.

 

See, in 2009, before moving to Nova Scotia, I worked at a lavender farm in Quebec, Pure Lavande, and I learned all about lavender, its cultivation, uses and benefits. I just couldn’t get enough of the stuff. As happy as I was to move to Atlantic Canada, I was sad to leave the farm and my friends behind. So I decided to have a mini version of the farm right in my own front yard.

 

The other thing is the blueberries. I just love them! I had never heard of high bush blueberries before coming East, but Nova Scotia’s blueberries are second only to their apples. I had to have some in my yard as well as the lavender.

 

These bushes are starting their second summer now. Maybe we’ll get more than a cereal bowl full this time! There are ten bushes, of varying kinds of blueberries; some will bear fruit mid July, some in August and the rest in September. I wanted to have a steady supply of them. Now let’s hope that our feathered friends don’t get more than me!

While Strolling Down George Street This Morning…

While strolling the streets of St. John’s this morning, George St. in particular, I couldn’t help but notice all the bars, beer trucks and drinking holes. There was something for everyone, and I mean everyone!

The bars and pubs open for business at 12 noon, and that is when George St. becomes closed to traffic. As I passed by at around 11AM, there was a certain hustle and bustle of preparation for the day. Beer was being unloaded from trucks; pub workers were writing up the day’s menu, and tables and chairs were being straightened.

Now you know that George St has the most bars per square foot of space in North America; that’s a fact! So there was a lot of restocking going on.

I had always thought that these places were just for the 30-something crowd, students, and maybe some guys getting off work, but I found out differently this morning.

Check it out!

Here is the Beer truck bringing in some of what will be needed for the evening.

For  the men there are many places, but this one stood out the most:

Here’s a pub for the displaced Brits among us.

A lovely spot for people who are cautious and fearful;

Moving along, I saw a place for people who like to smoke while they are drinking.

Something here for the menopausal ladies.

Don’t want to leave the moderately religious out!

For the Nationalists:

For the snobs among us:

The Westerners need a place too!

If you want to be ‘screeched in’, this is the place to go. They have screeched in over 100,000 to date, at least that’s what the sign says.

Some people just don’t like beer or rum, so there is something for them too.

And for all the people who have no money left, they can always get more.

Everyone needs to go to George street at some point. It is really something to be experienced!

Outnumbered in Montreal

Have you ever felt outnumbered? I mean really outnumbered?

While visiting  my son the past couple of days in Montreal, I found myself alone in the apartment this morning, and needing what I usually need as soon as I wake up, I discovered that there was NO COFFEE on the premises! Well, to tell the truth, there was a little bag of chocolate flavored coffee at the back of the cupboard that my son took from my place about three years ago, but that was all.

I knew that if I didn’t get some caffeine in me soon, I would be burdened with a huge headache. (This is addiction at its finest).

So off I went to explore the neighborhood…that early in the morning there wasn’t much open, but I did find a nice little Indian grocery where the owner told me to go ‘next door’ to get a coffee, as he didn’t have any in his shop. ‘Next door’ turned out to be the Greek-Canadian Club. I didn’t really care, as I needed that coffee.

I boldly opened the door and walked in. The place was packed. Tables and chairs were scattered about with hardly a free seat. People were playing cards, drinking coffee and in general, having a nice morning visit.

And then I stopped; every head in the room turned to look at me…every Greek, male, grey head, that is. Imagine being so outnumbered! I’m not Greek; I’m not male; and I’m not grey (well for all intents and purposes).

Standing there, on the threshold of running out the door or getting that prized coffee, I hesitated but for a moment and then continued my walk to the back of the place where another grey haired man was just brewing a fresh pot.

We chatted for a moment and then I left with my 1$ coffee, steaming hot, in a Styrofoam cup. Success! Every head in the place turned to watch my exit, and then they resumed their card playing.

I went back to the Indian grocery store to thank the man and to pick up a few oranges. Three for 1$ looked pretty good to me. Back in Nova Scotia, they would have been 1$ each. With his cigarette, he pointed to my coffee.

“You have coffee, and I have cigarettes; each one to his addiction”, he said.

No kidding ‘eh?

Only in Montreal. I love it!

Will I EVER Get Over It?

My house is tidy and clean. There is soft music playing; candles are lit.The table starts to be laden with all kinds of goodies: Mystery Soup, Divorce Fudge, kafta, hummus, soda cracker candy, buns, garlic bread, vegies and so on. And the cake! Oh the cake! The counter has the wine, beer, and all the accompanying accoutrements. The coffee machine is at the ready…
In about a half hour twenty five to thirty people will come to celebrate my hubby’s 60th birthday.

I will be on plan, no matter what. No cake, wine, fudge or any of that stuff for me today. Just the soup. That will be meal # 3, along with a piece of bread and some Kafta.

Don’t think I am noble or exercising extreme self restraint. Please don’t.

You see…
I spent yesterday getting most of the food ready, and during that time you could say I had my free meal of the week. Heck, it was a free for all. It was the first time I have done that kind of cookin’ in many many months…and the results are out: I can’t handle it. I didn’t do any baking for Christmas because I was pretty sure I couldn’t handle it, but I thought I was over that by now. Well I’m not.

Six hours later…

Everyone has gone home now; the party was a roaring success, and everyone had a great time! Pretty well all the food and drink was consumed, and the noise level was incredible. Did I stick to my plan?

YES!

I found that serving everyone else gave me far more joy than the food would have. And the look of sheer pleasure on Dave’s face throughout was the best gift of all.

Happy Saturday everyone!

Christine

Things Mom Always Told Me

The other day I was at work when things were kind of slow and so I made the rounds of the shop to see what needed replenishing, rearranging, redoing or reconsidering. I spotted this sign that was all but hidden among quilts, frames and other goodies. I thought to share it with you…maybe some of it will resonate with you as it did with me.

Things Mom Always Told Me…

Don’t bite your nails.

If you’re sick just get up and go to work anyway; you’ll feel better.

Don’t slouch.

Take your iron supplement. You look pale.

Zip your purse.

You don’t need more than 4 hours of sleep.

Get the hair out of your eyes.

Stay away from horizontal stripes.

Don’t be jealous, it isn’t ladylike.

Write thank you notes.

Knowing how to roast red peppers will impress more people than you think.

Everything tastes better by candlelight.

Unexpected gifts are the most appreciated.

….and I saved the best for last:

If you must leave a party without a good excuse, spill something on yourself.

Thanks Mom!

Where Was God?

Do you remember a couple of weeks ago I wrote a reflection of 2011? My physical transformation as well as my better health  were evident to all. I wrote about things that everyone could see, like speaking in public, getting a job and getting my book out there. Oh, and losing weight as well.

But then I received an interesting message from my pastor. He said he’d be interested in how all this transformation had connected with my spirituality. And he asked me where God was present throughout. Well that got me to thinking…

You see, the Transformation process is very much a spiritual one. I guess I was so excited to share the outward changes, that I forgot to mention the inner ones.

So here we go…

I learned to forgive in Step 8 and I got rid of bitterness and resentments from past hurts.

Colossians 3:13:  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

I learned to be grateful, and to express that gratefulness daily, for everything from my relationships and physical comfort to just being thankful for a sunny day or flowers blooming. I expressed this daily.

1 Thessalonians 5:18:  Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

I learned to have focus and intention in my life, rather than just ‘going with the flow’.

Habakkuk 2:2 Write the vision; make it plain, so he may run who reads it.

I learned to praise others for their accomplishments and their handling of adversity. At the same time I learned to be transparent about my life issues, my failings and vulnerabilities.

1Tim 1:5  The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience…

I learned to accept responsibility for my own life and to let the people I love be responsible for their lives, rather than nagging and trying to change them.

Galatians 6:5  For every man shall bear his own burden.

I learned to treat my body as the temple of the Holy Spirit that it is, and to take better care of it by eating healthy food and exercising.

1Cor 6:19  Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?

As a serious person, I learned to see the lighter side of things, to not take myself so seriously and to laugh out loud.

Proverbs 15:15  …but he that is of a merry heart has a continual feast.

And as I received love and acceptance from my group, I learned to love and accept others, warts and all.

These are just a few of the spiritual benefits of transforming. Others include meditation, organization and giving back to your community. I have to say that as my outward self changed, my spiritual self transformed as well.

God was with me all the way, and He still is.

Thanks Tim, for the reminder!