Climbing Roses in Bloom

Everything feels rosy today.  

The climbing roses are in full bloom

and I get to spend hours with my writing group.

What could be better?

The Reds of Autumn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Autumn Reds

Wordless Wednesday

 

The season of roses

Tacit Tuesday

 

 

Today the trellis is full

of the fragrance of roses.

Flower Friday

 

 

 

 

 

Flower Friday

Thank you to the Solbak Family

Summer Whine

Summer Whine

Breathe in lavender

and roses, impossible

with a summer cold.

Sun kisses my skin;

comfort, caress and healing

for fever and ache.

Summer day singing,

leaves chat with the breeze.  I cough,

cough as chipmunks chirr.

I want to exchange:

tissues, lozenges and sneezes

for margaritas.

I want to breathe in summer,

be well and be well.

This is not an earth-moving poem but one which is reflective of my whiny state, of having a summer cold for the second time this summer.   I dream of being well again and enjoying the sights, sounds, tastes and smells of summer, and of writing better when my head is clear.

Signs of Autumn

Signs of Autumn

September ends.  This month flew by, full of warm fall days and cooler nights.  Leaves are changing colour as the gardens succumb to rest.  The hummingbird feeders are inside until next spring and the birdbath is seldom used anymore.

Wisteria leaves are starting to turn golden, then drop.  The red begonias are nearly done; another chilly night or two and they'll be gone.

Rose petals fall, making mulch-weeding a sweetly fragrant, almost pleasant chore.

After the wet summer we had, I am busier than usual outdoors catching up on gardening, readying for fall, thinking ahead to next spring and enjoying the balmy days, the ripened seeds and fruits, the perfect dream blue skies and refreshing promise of autumn in the air.

Roses and Dinner

Roses and Dinner

This week, we celebrated my brother-in-law’s birthday.  We invited them for dinner, and gave him a Montreux Rose bush from John’s Garden Centre, in Riverview.

He is a gourmet cook himself, so hosting him for supper is always slightly worrisome, though he is content to have someone else cook a meal and is generally accepting of any menu.  We tend to cook  simple, plain food, well prepared and lovingly served; he seems to appreciate those efforts.

We ate baked-brie with spiced cranberries and toasted almonds, along with crisply browned crostini, sliced apple and pear.

Gary barbecued butterfly pork chops.  I made a spinach salad with homemade dressing, mashed potatoes and green beans.  The recipe for “Carmel’s Superb Salad Dressing” --a marvellous maple vinaigrette is at the end of this blog.  Try it!

They brought desserts from Nanna’s Bakery on Mountain Road, Moncton—a golden butterscotch pie and still warm, a tart lemon pie.  The butterscotch pie was a bit too sweet but the lemon pie was excellent.  We’ll buy that one again, as Gary’s favourite desserts always involve lemon!

Since our birthday guest is also an avid gardener, we hope he will enjoy the rose bush, a hardy rose that should overwinter well in this climate.  

I think that everyone should have a bright yellow rose bush blooming cheerfully in their garden.

Roses are one of the world’s most beloved flowers.  Hardy roses are as easy to grow as any other shrubs, but they bloom for longer periods, so are well worth the effort.

We enjoyed the visit and the simple supper and anticipate enjoying the Montreux roses blooming yellow-gold in his garden.

Carmel’s Superb Salad Dressing:

Maple Vinaigrette

¼ cup maple syrup

¼ cup orange juice

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

1 clove crushed garlic

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Pepper

Blend all of these together in a blender

and slowly add ½ cup olive oil. 

This goes well with almost any salad.

The photo is mine.