Wet and Cold July.

It's July 24 and a balmy +8 outside.   Sorry to be complaining about the weather so much but really........it's suppose to be summer.   Didn't have one this year.   They say it's the worse July in almost half a century.   I've been burning wood all month and myself and everyone else are totally fed up.

We had heavy, heavy rain three days ago that lasted all one day and night.   It flattened most of my large plants to the ground.   I'm devastated.   My poor peonies as well.   They were looking so lovely with huge blooms.   This picture taken the day before. 

One of the rose bushes that's heavily laden with blooms and buds was brought to the ground.   Again this taken the day before.

All the plants that are on the ground, even when the sun does finally show its face and dries things up, won't recover.   Ah well, as my mother says, there's nothing we can do about it.   What amazes me is with all the cold weather the plants have been doing really well.

Here are some pictures taken when there were a few glimpses of sun.

Burnside.

This past few days I've had my daughter and granddaughter here once again but this time my granddaughters partner is here as well.  He flew in from Ontario last Wednesday.   This is the first time I've met him and the first time he's been to this province.   We're having a grand time.  They're been out and about each day coming back at supper time.   This past couple of evenings have been spent drinking wine and regaling each other with stories.   Great fun.   They're going back to the city this morning and flying back to Ontario on Thursday. 

The weather has been dreadful.   Cold and overcast.   No summer this year it seems.   I suppose we have to take it in our stride, not much can be done about it.

My daughter and I went off yesterday morning to take a few pictures.   We ended up in Burnside which is a community just a few minutes drive down the road.  

Burnside.

A Surprise for Me.

I had a wonderful surprise a few days ago.  My granddaughter who was suppose to fly in from Ontario tomorrow, changed her flight to an earlier date and no one told me.   So, my daughter and granddaughter arrived at my place and gave me the biggest surprise.  They stayed for a few days and it was just wonderful.  After supper one evening we went down to the beach.

Daughter and granddaughter.

Some pictures from around the garden.

The weather hasn't been very good at all but the plants seem to be thriving.  Not a lot of birds around these days either.   I'm hoping it's because they've gone further afield.   I miss the chick a dees and nuthatches as I usually have loads of them.   I did see a chick a dee the other day going off with a pile of nesting material in it's mouth.    

Brrrrrrr!

I think summer came for a week or so during May.   This morning it's +6C with the wind chill it's +3C.   It's been cold for sometime now with not much sign of let up.  Very disappointing to say the least.  Our summers are very short as it is.   Ah well, we can only hope for some warmth soon.  

Some good news, my granddaughter and her partner will be coming to visit me from Ontario in a week or so.   I'm looking forward to this.  Haven't seen her in some time.  

Despite the cool weather the plants are thriving.   I was a bit disappointed with the white lilac as there weren't many blooms on it this year.   I walked up for the mail a few days ago and noticed the neighbours lilac didn't have many blooms either.   Must have something to do with how winter or spring was.   My yellow Azalea out did itself this year.   Great huge blooms and the perfume coming from it is heady.   The rose bushes also have loads of buds on them.   Seems everything but me likes the cold damp weather. 

We had about ten minutes of sun a few days ago and I saw this Swallow Tail on the Azalea.   I ran for the camera and got these shots.

A few photos of the plants in the garden.

Normally I have lots of bees but have hardly seen any.   I blame it on the cold weather.  I did get this picture.