Garden in the Country -Over a Cup of Tea

Welcome dear friends, regular readers and new readers of HHL! It's been a whirlwind of activity for me this spring/summer ...trying to keep up with our gardens in the country while trying to manage the organizing of our home in the city.
If we were sitting down over tea today ... I would show you photos of the gardens a couple weeks ago..

The peony were as lovely - if not the loveliest this year ...and were a wonderful surprise to arrive at the country home to.

Of course the lilies and hostas were looking quite grande as well ...

and my beautiful roses ...oh they were showing wonderful green foliage and a magnitude of buds!!! As we left for the city after this visit I was excited that the following week we would return to a symphony of roses ....

For our tea today I'm serving a freshly baked croissant, and some juicy watermelon...

for the croissant there is also some rose jam from France ...

Today we are enjoying our tea ( by tealish) in this fine bone Royal Albert casual tea cup. I think its yellow background and floral motif is perfect as we are talking gardens.

Now that we are all set with cup of tea in hand and some treats ... lets get back to the country gardens ..fast forward a week...

On my return to the country gardens the following week I could see the lavender was coming into its own!

Can't wait to bunch some up and tie it with ribbon...

the butterfly garden ...starting to show pops of colour ...

As I made my way through the rose gardens ... I was greeted by these beauties....

 As I took a closer look at my beauties ... something  was definitely not RIGHT!

(click on photo to enlarge)

Where were all the blooms I had anticipated?  A good majority of the rose bushes looked beyond naked with leafless branches.

Closer look ... I was devastated to discover these .... I've heard about them , but thankfully had never had them strike my gardens. 

But along with the picked naked branches where there should have been beautiful rose blooms... were stubby remains ... like something had debudded  them... was it possible that these green worm like thieves ate the buds too? The mystery began ...

back inside ...Gabbana would not leave the window ...I quick look did not reveal her chipmunk friend that taunts her ( I think on purpose) nibbling away on a nut ...but she was persistent ..and Dolce then joined in on the stack out... a closer look revealed ... 

This little cute darling ....

But a glance out to gardens ... also revealed there was a bunny party going on in the rose garden...

YES .. THREE more bunnies were frolicking about in my roses .... could they be the ones eating the rose buds? and to add to the mystery our maintenance guy informed us that he had spotted deer in the gardens on a couple of visits.  So, I'm not sure who the rose bud thieves really are ... perhaps all (green worms, bunnies and deer) ...the mystery remains.

Have you had your roses attacked by any of these? What did you use to protect your roses and prevent further damage...

Oh and in case you were wondering ... there is nothing quite as luxurious as rose jam on freshly baked croissants..

With Love and Gartitude,


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Meditation in Nature

Nature provides us with the opportunity to realign our self with some of the deepest roots of being. During the warmer months of the year I enjoy my mediation in various parts of our countryside property. I hope these photos will inspire you to find a quiet, calming place outside to practice your daily meditation.

Early morning meditation in the middle of the gardens. The rose garden as my focal point with the butterfly garden at my back.

If I get outside early enough meditating by the bird feeder I am often joined by the early morning feeding feathery friends. And the view of the butterfly garden is my focal point.

My favourite area to meditate outdoors is on the bridge. The flow of the water trickling by mixed in with the singing of the birds is beyond peaceful and soothing. My focal point is the array of wild flowers that grow along the banks of the stream.

On days when the weather is too cool or too humid/hot to be outdoors, I am fortunate to still be able to enjoy a bit of nature. In my writing studio I meditate looking out to the courtyard between the house and studio.

Mediation is a wonderful way to start and or complete your day. I find that meditating in the morning gets my day off in a most productive way. Whether you mediate in the morning, evening or both (some people even add a mid day meditation to their day) does not matter - what matters is that you take 10-15 minutes each day to relax and clear your mind.

Some tips for meditating:

~ Choose an area outside or in your home where you will not be disturbed.

~ If you are starting out in the practice of adding mediation to your day start with 5 minutes and work your way to 10, then 15 and if you wish to 30 minutes or longer.

~ Sometimes when starting out it's beneficial to use a guided meditation (the internet is a great resource for locating some brilliant ones - and they are offered in various time lengths).

~ If meditating with just some soft background music; in nature or in complete silence - use a timer set on vibration mode to alert you when your chosen length of time is up. I usually set my Smart phone to 5 minutes before the end of my mediation and then a final vibration alert at 15 or 20 minutes (depending what meditation I'm doing)

~ You can sit on a blanket, pillow or chair. What's important is that you keep your spine in an up right position. If sitting try to keep your feet on the ground.

~ Eyes may be open or closed. If you choose to keep them open, lower them and focus on a spot (or object) in front of you.

~ Your mind will wander ... don't worry this happens. Thoughts will come into your mind, again that is ok - it happens. Don't try to stop them or get frustrate. Simply acknowledge them and then return your awareness to your breathing.

~ Do not try to control your breathing. Relax your belly and let the breathe flow in and out through your nose. 

~ Have a cup of tea or water near by to sip after you finish your meditation

 Is Meditation part of your daily routine?

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haring this post with:  Outdoor Wednesday - Cottage Garden Party - Fertilizer Friday - Farm Fresh Friday -Feathered Nest Friday  The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays  ~Twig Studios for Sunday Show Off ~   Mosaic Monday - Bloomin' Tuesday - Tuesday Garden Party -  

FINALLY....

After almost two weeks of record breaking HOT temperatures, we finally got rain!!

If it wasn't the middle of the night when the thunderstorm hit, I may have been tempted to go outside and dance in the rain!!

The roar of thunder and the ligthening show that lit up the room...

Where followed by the sound of gentle rain hitting the roof ... and then a welcoming down pour!

For the gardens are getting a much needed long and cool drink!!

If you are still in the heat wave click over to my

ATTEATUDE and Chocolate blog for a cooling great recipe!!

Country Garden Walk with High Heeled Life

Our move to the country a year after my accident brought many therapeutic and healing advantages. At times it also brought much frustration - as I felt useless, with all the renovations that were taking place to make our home more "new" me friendly, I was not able to help out (even though we had contractors, pre-accident me, would have been right in there, designer work gloves and all).

The grounds however was a different story...our property was a blank canvas, but deciding where to plant, what to plant - something that once had come so simple, for my city garden... now my brain just couldn't see the whole picture. People tried to say "You can't compare all this land with your postage stamp city yard!" but, it was more than the size difference - I really wasn't able to visualize and see it nor make a choice. But, frustration over my limitations, and determination to not let them take me down ... I just looked up... ask for a little help and started purchasing perennials ... with Mr. G's and friend's help we somehow got these plants in two gardens.

They would become what is known today as the Cutting Garden and the Butterfly Garden. Looking back to that first summer, I often shake my head at my stubbornness desire to maintain the gardens weed free. If you can imagine ~ a full grown women with her pink garden gloves, Ann Klein garden shoes, dressed in gardening clothes, straw hat and all ... laying/crawling on the ground weeding!!! I was not going to let my fatique be hero to the weeds.Yes, it must have been quite the sight (according to Mr. G - who after he realized I wasn't just laying passed out on the ground - for the hundreth time - it was something he wishes he had caught on photo - had he not been so worried and angry with me), thankfully living in the country neighbours cannot see into one another's property.

When we walk the property these gardens mean so much because they truly were cultivated from passion, love, and the help of guiding hands. So I invite you to come along on a walk of the gardens (these photos were taken mid June 2011)...

In our Cutting Garden, the peony are the first to greet us...

Our Butterfly Garden, named for the plants that attract butterflies.

The Lupin make their entrance long before the rest

that wait for the heat of summer....

Our Angel Garden was cultivated last summer (2010) and

is a beautiful place to sit read,

meditate or just become lost in one's thoughts.

This is the first garden to spring to life with colour and

offers a rotating variety of colour throught spring, summer and autumn.

Our newest garden is the Gazebo Rose Garden (this summer-2011),

we planted Golden Showers climbing roses,

I think they will look wonderful making their way up the sides of the gazebo.

We will also be adding more roses in the gazebo area, this year.

These wonderful Angels call our Angel Garden home, but are

visible throughtout the gardens. I know it is their help,

that enables me to create and enjoy these gardens.