Parrot tulips are so beautiful...
their frills and variegated shades make them one of my favourite Spring Flowers.
They frequently flop as they open up and I regularly trim their stems and pop them into shorter vases.
This bouquet was an unbelievable price...
2 bunches at $2.99 each
I could not resist.
I took my Due Fratelli vintage leather bag out for lunch this week...
on the menu
Curried Vegetarian Wrap with chutney and a side of salad.
Its a treat having someone else prepare lunch and sitting in a vibrant cafe
listening to the chatter of the diners reminds me of Spring when I was in Paris!
The trees are looking like frothy pink spun sugar cones...
Do you remember those cotton candy cones at the fairgrounds?
I loved watching how the vendors made it look like they were making magic
it would be sweet and sticky and coat our teeth
somehow it didn't feel like a fair unless we had a cone of our own.
Took our grandchildren, Isla and Henry to the Garden Centre this week.
We bought some Spring flowers and planted them in pots.
One for each of them to tend.
I am hoping that they will love watching things grow and perhaps one day enjoy gardening.
My grandmother was an avid gardener and she showed me how to plant and propagate seeds...got me interested in weeding the beds and sharing in the harvest.
We would sit a shuck peas on her back porch in the sunshine...
such wonderful memories.
Isla is serious about watering her pink flowers.
Henry loves orange and he chose white and blue blooms as the accent plants.
A big yellow digger arrived on the scene...
this is the lot beside our Humble Bungalow!
Two homes are going to be built on this site.
I hope to have Henry over for a visit while this machinery is working so he can watch the action.
In other news we worked in the garden.
A new birdbath was purchased and installed.
Grampa's English peas were planted into pots and trellises were erected.
(popular with the grandchildren)
We dined on a tasty BBQ chicken with deli salads from the market
as the "cook" was knackered from all the exercise and fresh air!
With the leftover chicken
I am making wraps tonight.
~ Corn salsa ~
Roast 1 cup corn and 1 diced red pepper in a bit of olive oil and a tablespoon of brown sugar.
bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes
add 1 chopped green onion
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
2 tablespoons lime juice
Cook 1 large onion in oil until transparent on medium high heat.
Add 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar.
Cook on low for 15 minutes.
On a warmed flour tortilla
serve with chicken
(heated if you so desire)
top with BBQ sauce
add the onions
salsa
shredded lettuce or arugula
Dinner is ready!
Hope you had a great weekend!
26 comments:
What a lovely idea for a delicious lunch! And what lovely mops of red hair your grandkids have! It's really looking like spring in Victoria ... I'm hoping we have at least seen the last of the snowstorms here in the Ottawa area.
What a wonderful weekend. Full of good food and the joy and delight of being with your grandchildren...wish mine were that young again although they are enjoyable at every age.
Love the color of the tulips.
I just love those parrot tulips. Will have to keep my eye out for some here. My grandmother was also an avid gardener. She especially loved camellias, and they always remind me of her.
Such a great idea to create mini gardens for the grandies - get them started early I say. Our Australian grandson has grown a cotton bush at his place, and promised to bring me a ball of cotton :) Henry will enjoy the earth machinery, as most little boys love it. Hi to your beautiful leather bag, perfect for lunching!
Tulip tips from my Dutch friends (and they would know!): First, make sure the ends are always always in water. They even plunge them in water in the sink and cut the tips underwater.
Second, don't put too much water in the vase! You have to keep an eye on it because they will drink--refill every day--but just put a max of 2 inches. When you change the water, make sure the cut tips remain submerged.
Third, when the blooms start to swoon, use a sharp pin or needle to prick the stems (once or twice) just above the water line. You will see them straighten up.
Beautiful tulips and beautiful children.
Grandmothers are such a blessing for little ones. And they will remember the lessons learned and time spent all their lives. I know that I remember and cherish the memories of my grandmother. Your babies are so lucky to have you.
The parrot tulips are beautiful! I remember going, as child, to big nurseries below Marine Drive in Vancouver and getting primulas to care for. We used to have a patch to weed as children. Lots of schools at home have garden plots now. Some children, sadly, do not know how food is grown.
Love those floppy tulips - more beautiful than when they were upright. I also had a big gardening weekend, and my grandkids love to help also and watch the vegetables grow.
Red hair runs in the family...it must be the Scottish genes!
They grow up so fast don't they?
I remember when you took your granddaughter to Paris!
The camellias are in full bloom here right now... we do not have any in our garden but enjoy admiring them in the neighbours yards.
I love the idea of growing and harvesting cotton! Would love to see when he brings it to you.
Those are all great tips...thank you!
Thank you Marilyn!
XO
I think that I am the lucky one!
The kiddies are so much fun to be with...love my Grammy Days!
Love primulas...they come back every year and are very reasonably priced...I like the yellow ones as they are the only ones that have a scent.
The floppy habits make them even more beautiful...I am impressed by all your raised beds Kathy...love that you are growing lots of food and you live in a sunny state which makes it ideal.
Parrot tulips are absolutely gorgeous. Your grandchildren look adorable. My grandson used to water the flowers in my garden with his watering can, he’s 13 now and into basketball :-)
All that food looks delicious! Thanks for the recipe. Do you take yourself out to lunch and eat by yourself? I think that's a wonderful idea and could do the same - all my friends seem to think I'm nuts, though! Your grandchildren look adorable :-)
I am sure that Henry and Isla will want to water our garden this Spring and Summer when they come over and visit!
I do go out to lunch by myself...often I am out running errands and lose track of the time and I m hungry so I'll find a spot where they offer healthy food and sit down and catch my breath for a few minutes before continuing on with the things on my list.
Being alone in a cafe is not uncomfortable for me...I think it used to bother me but I have learned to relax and take pleasure in it. Maybe people will think I am nuts too!
What an lovely feel good post. Yes spring is really here.
Ali x
To keep your tulips from flopping in the vase, add gin or vodka to the water. (Cheap kinds, obviously) Their stems will not elongate, and they won't flop. Other cut flowers last so long with the same treatment that you'll tire of them before they must be tossed in the compost.
best, mary jane
Such beautiful tulips ...I hadn't heard of parrot tulips. I'll have to look out for them.
Thanks for sharing this recipe Leslie, looking forward to trying it when I'm home.
Take care and I hope your weeks proving to be a relaxing and stress free one.
Rosie
Hi Rosie,
Yoga practise has been quite healing...
I have missed it so much and have found a fabulous new studio with wonderful instructors.
You'll see in my next post what's happening in our "hood!"
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