I am trying to stay out of the way and hence am sitting at my lap top with a cafe creme.
Consciously trying to keep focused (busy) and let go of any anxiety associated with the chaos and noise that has been going on for the past few hours.
Not too sure where this post is going and whether it will be worthy of publishing but I do have a few lovely images to share with you...
This book in my Paris reading list was started yesterday and it has held my interest and was a welcome diversion while the plumbers were here trying to figure out what was wrong with our plumbing.
Turns out after hours of snaking and exploration and manual digging there is a hole in the sewer pipe that services our Humble Bungalow!
The backhoe will be excavating the rest of the pipe and the plumbers hope they can attach a new piece of pipe without digging up the front garden and tearing down the fence! (fingers crossed)
Let's take a look at the purple poppies shall we?
Aren't they beautiful?
So delicate and the petals are whisper thin, almost like crepe paper.
I plan to gather the poppy seed pods and sprinkle them in other parts of The Humble Garden for next year.
We have a purple iris planted in a pot by the front stairs.
The staff at the garden centre mentioned that deer do not seem to be attracted to the plant. So far the deer have avoided munching it as have been busy feasting on the tender new foliage of the limelight hydrangeas instead.
These sweet little flowers are a ground cover plant from my recent walk to Government House.
Does anyone know what they are called?
I thought they might be an ice plant but am not sure.
Variegated roses from The Rose Garden at Government House.
They look so pretty...
almost like an artist has mixed two paints together.
"Mother Nature's Paintbrush"
The cats have been quite stressed with the commotion here...
noisy machines and lots of men about.
Yesterday they were so happy when we let them out.
Pepper looks pretty relaxed here...
Chester looks rather sad...
perhaps he is thinking great thoughts?
Yellow Caution Tape...
Watch out for holes and broken pipes.
100 year old clay pipes
high tech tools
The underwater camera is on the job...
our pipe looks clear to the street but the City Sewer that services the street appears to be blocked.
So we have a bigger problem...and apparently the other neighbours will be having some problems soon if they do not fix it.
I called the city Water Works and they are on their way to unblock the main and will come back on Monday to scope it.
So we can flush, wash dishes and clothes and shower to our heart's content after they leave!
I have been distracting myself all day by baking a family favourite.
Great Nana's Bread.
Just waiting for the loaves to rise before baking.
Home maintenance is an ongoing responsibility and one that we take very seriously.
We have been planning to paint the house for several years and it is our summer project.
We redid the roof and gutters two years ago and the more minor projects are lined up for each year and then we have a major project every other year.
When an unexpected "oops" like the broken sewer pipe pops up
we have no other choice but to get on with it...
We may need to tighten our belts a bit in light of this unexpected expense.
Our savings account will need to be topped up.
I wonder if any of you have a great recipe for brioche?
I want to try my hand at baking some to enjoy with our home grown tomatoes.
I loved baking bread when the children were young and it has been years since I made a loaf of bread...there is something so homey about the smell of bread baking and it so hard to resist slicing into a warm loaf and slathering a piece with fresh salty butter...
YUM YUM!
Thank you for stopping by my blog.
Hope you have a fabulous weekend!
~ Be Well and Be Kind ~
39 comments:
I'm so sorry you're having to go through such upheaval, but it sounds as if you might be able to get away with not having your garden dug up, so that's good news, right?
And your house, at least, will be smelling wonderful right now, filled with the fragrance of fresh bread -- lucky family!
I am so sorry to hear about your expensive plumbing issue. We've been there. We have a small rent house on our farm and a few years ago its septic system had to replaced at a cost of $8,000--and that is for a house we rent out for only $650/month. Not fun at all!
Lovely flowers as always. And i loved seeing the photo of your bread baking. I do bake brioche and have used the same recipe for over 40 years--but I am not at all sure it is the best recipe. I started baking at age 2, using a 1970s bread baking book and have never changed recipes!
Hope the plumbing issues get sorted without too much damage to your garden. I live in an older neighbourhood with nearly 100 year old clay pipes and lots of large trees - with extensive root systems - the Router Rooter man is a frequent visitor to the area!
Love the purple poppies and irises - had a lovely dinner out with a friend tonight and we decided to walk back to my place afterwards - we passed to stands of super tall irises just growing wild - no idea where they came from and I've never seen them in either location before now - but they were a truly lovely surprise.
Hope everything gets sorted soon.
Oh my goodness! It sounds like a turmoil. Hopefully, your garden does not need to be dug up. I've undertaken a small area of our complex garden and I was looking for purple perennials. I think that those ice plants would be a attractive addition.
Big SYMPATHY from over here where we have been living life to the sound of saws and drills and all manner of tools. I know that it will all be much better around your bungalow and our old-new cottage....but the getting to that point is certainly a trial!
Oh dear. Plumbing issues are no fun at all. Hope it all gets resolved soon and without damaging your garden.
Breadbaking is a way to fill your home with lovely smells. Your poppies are such a beautiful shade of purple - mine are not yet blooming.
The aromas are mixed...let's hope the bread prevails!
Oh that might just be the recipe that I need ...if you care to share that would be lovely...only if you might consider helping me through the process. I would be most grateful....
We share the same heritage neighbourhoods...our clay pipes have been partially replaced and the City Crews are repairing the rest...all I have to say is that everyone has been very polite and professional....what more could one ask?
We have dodged the big bullet...no extensive garden dig but it will hit us in the pocket book....and MR. HB is so grounded when it comes to these issues that it makes me so happy that he is my bestie.
Oh my dear Pondside...we are living life large and it is so very LOUD!
I think a quiet walk and a tea might be advised...please as soon as you are free...and I will be there!
The bread is a welcome tonic for the ailing pipes...and thank goodness for technology and the ability to find the leaks!
Hopefully, their assessment is correct and your front garden will stay ...relatively, intact!
I always enjoy every picture you share of flowers...so delicate! Such colours! I don't have much colour in my garden at the moment so living vicariously through yours!
I'd also be interested in a good, tested, brioche recipe ...please share if you find one.
One of my favourite desserts is Apricot Bread Pudding made with brioche ...served with vanilla custard, ice-cream or cream ... Or all three! :)
Have a lovely weekend ...sunny here with a warm gentle breeze. Perfect for walking.
Rosie
I am sorry to hear about the sewer problem. We had a similiar problem in January and lost a entire flower bed. But, some dark purple/black tulips survived! Love your purple poppies! For an easy-ish brioche recipe, check out Abby Johnson's book The Weekend Baker. It is one oh my favorite baking books.
Glad to hear your sewer issues are resolved.
We just sold out farm and have to replace the old septic. I'm so glad we don't have to live there while it's going on.
I really love those variegated roses.
Having plumbing issues is stressful enough, but adding on the cost of repairing whatever is wrong makes it even worse. I'm so glad you don't have to dig up your garden. Hopefully the majority of the cost will be covered by the city since it sounds like the problem is mostly on their property. Would it be possible to count replacing the clay pipes as your big project this year, and put off the painting job for another year?
The dessert using apricots and brioche sounds divine!
Grey and overcast here today ad it rained hard overnight...there is a decent breeze for the annual Swiftsure sailing race.
Oh thank you Jean...I will see if I can find the book at our local library or book seller.
I love those deep coloured tulips...and black hellebores too they mix well with chartreuse foliage and remind me of those exquisite florals done by the Dutch Masters.
You sold the farm!
Where are you going to live now? Florida or at the cottage?
How exciting...a fresh start and a new space to decorate and furnish!
oh the painters have already prepped the exterior and we have committed to the paint job. The city is only responsible for clearing their main we have to pay for the rest...as they did not have to dig up the front garden and only had to replace a section of pipe that runs alongside our bungalow so we probably dodged a big bill! Mr. HB thinks it is not as bad as we originally expected. I can say that I am genuinely relieved...
Oh, what a drag! Major (and especially unexpected) home repairs are never pleasant. I hope they get everything back in order without too much additional disruption. We need to get serious about assessing what major projects need to be done around our little house, and begin planning for them.
What beautiful poppies. I have white, red and salmon pink but no purple. I hope your problems are soon resolved.
At least the pipe was polite enough to wait for warm weather. Around here all the pipes seem to break during January when you have to remove a few feet of snow before even getting to the frozen dirt. All of which add to the final bill and lengthen the time spent without plumbing.
Your poppies are gorgeous. I wish I could convince my father that my poppies aren't thistles. He keeps helpfully weeding them for me just before they bloom.
Hopefully the digging with not have any impact on your lovely and spectacular flower beds. Everything is looking so healthy and the display is amazing.
Hope your plumbing issues resolve quickly. Your bread and fresh tomatoes look delicious. There is nothing like homemade bread. The aroma fills the home. Fingers crossed that your next post reveals all plumbing is working A-okay! Susan
Not sure if anyone previously commented on the ice plant - but that's what we call that here! We have those - I love them! Beautiful photos! Hope your plumbing is back in order!
Always enjoy your garden photos - I think the unidentified plant may be either carpobrotus rossii or carpobrotus glaucessens, a creeping succulent prolific in Australia and commonly known as 'purple pig face'.
Very hardy and very pretty.
Lovely photos!
I'm sorry about your plumbing problems! It sounds to me that is better to hava a problem with the City street Sewer (ok,bigger problem,but they will leave your garden and home in peace,no?)
We had main street water line rift on the New Year a couple of years ago. It was a nice way to celebrate with all the neighbours and water company service !
Dottoressa
Sorry about the plumbing issues. Homes can be terrible expensive. In our new home, we are discovering all sorts of little surprises but nothing too crazy so far. Beautiful flowers. They would take you mind off worry. And fresh bread cures all ailments; I'm quite convinced.
There will be some digging in the front garden but I understand it will not be a huge hole...I hope to be home when they dig so I can save some of the plants. The city wants to install a clean out where our sewer pipe hooks up to the main city sewer. Good luck with your list of projects...even small houses like ours have issues!
I hope you can find some purple poppies as they would look lovely with your other colours...I could use a few of your poppy colours too!
Poppies are so easy to grow, that your father might perhaps consider them weeds?
Plumbing is working fine today (fingers crossed it stays working)...the city crews have been on the road all morning snaking and flushing and looking into the blockage...they are coming back to install a clean out in our front garden...they marked where it will be and two plants may have to be relocated. I hope I am here when they dig so I can save them!
Thank you...I thought that might be what it is called...
Oh my! purple pig face! What a name!
The city is going to do some more work as I mentioned in a comment above...
hope though that the city sewer that our new pipe feeds into is now clear!
Neighbours often rally around a common problem and it is nice that you got to celebrate together!
I am looking forward to seeing more of your new home and garden...you must be excited and probably have some unpacking, decorating and settling in to do before you have time to blog!
Leslie, we sold our farm; where we lived before we built "Hellwood" where we live now.
We kept the farm until we were ready to sell the horses, and we still had my little Paso Fino; Chico. We waited until he died. There was no way I could have found him a good home, as he was 23. He had Cushings Disease, that led to Colic. He was the most sweetest, gentlest, and kindest horse I have ever known.
Now I have two months to clear out everything from the farm. This summer is going to be endless work.
Your thoughts for your horse and his happiness are to be applauded...so sorry for your loss.
If I lived closer I would be there to help you!
I am a pretty good worker and enjoy a challenge.
Hope your summer has some fun moments too...
XO
Your thoughts for your horse and his happiness are to be applauded...so sorry for your loss.
If I lived closer I would be there to help you!
I am a pretty good worker and enjoy a challenge.
Hope your summer has some fun moments too...
XO
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