Sweetness

It doesn't take long for the trees to figure out that Spring is here.  A few warm days with cold nights and the sap starts running. The maple trees are tapped and buckets are filling fast. The driveway is lined with mature walnut trees, and they have all been providing sap along the blue sap lines. The lines can be seen in the photo background.  The lines lead to a large tub in the little barn.

This is the third year for this home-made humble evaporator. It's constructed from a steel barrel lined with insulation and firebrick.  Some large metal catering trays, various pipes, elbows, a couple of valves, and lots of firewood.  It may look a bit rough but it works! Sap goes into the top pan, drips into the lower pans topping up the evaporating sap. 

When the sap has been reduced enough, it's cooled and frozen, and when there are enough batches stored in the freezer, it's finished into the sweetest yummiest maple-walnut syrup you have ever tasted!

Coltsfoot

The first dash of golden sunshine after the snow has melted. Coltsfoot.  Tussilago farfara.  A flower in the daisy family, flowers appearing before the leaves.  Claims that a tea made from Coltsfoot can treat respiratory infections, sore throats, gout, flu, and fever.  I haven't tried it so far, and probably never will.

The leaf is supposed to be the shape of a colt's foot, hence the name.  Some other names are tash plant, ass's foot, bull's foot, coughwort, farfara, foal's foot, foalswort, and horse foot. 

Ice . Ice . Baby

Lots of neighbourhood tree damage from the layers of ice, but all OK here. March is going out like a lion this year.... the same way he came in.

White on White

We've woken up to a lot of that white stuff recently, and when the snow removal truck clears the road, there's just nowhere to put the snow.... so it gets piled up in front of my house. Perfect for pretending I live near Mount Everest.

All this cold winter weather can be rather tiresome, so I decided I needed a boost of Springtime. 

A $6 bunch of tulips from the supermarket did the job. Now I feel like Spring might be getting closer.... and it's March tomorrow!

Dandy Lions Roar!

Some people hate them, and spend hours and hours battling them every spring. Some people tolerate them, some love them. I think they are like a field of sunshine.

The perfect medium for a couple of outdoor art installation projects.

Or a subject for a lino print.

And did you know that many parts of the humble dandelion are edible? Have you ever tried Dandelion Fritters? Now's your chance, while there are lots of golden dandelions outside, just waiting for you to pick them.

Dandelion Fritters

Ingredients:  4 cups of fresh picked (washed) dandelion flowers,  2 cups flour,  2 eggs,  2 cups milk

Mix the milk, flour and eggs and beat until blended well.
Warm some olive oil in a skillet on the stove (keep at medium heat). Holding the underneath of the flowers, dip into the batter until totally covered in the fritter batter then place into skillet, flower side down.
Once they are brown, flip and brown the other side. If need be, continue flipping until the batter coating is light brown.
Remove from oil and allow excess oil to soak onto a towel or paper towel.
Eat plain or drizzle with maple syrup, honey, or even roll them in icing sugar while they are still warm.
Be creative – add your favourite spices or herbs to the fritter batter!

Forest Ramble

The York Regional Forest trails are coming to life after a long winter. We walked part of Holledge Tract.... mostly flat, just a couple of small slopes. The woodland flowers are blooming.

Sessile Bellwort uvularia sessifolia also known as Merrybells or Wild Oats

Wood Anemone  anemone memorosa

Bulbous Buttercup ranunculous bulbosus  also known as St Anthony's Turnip!

Trout Lily erythronium americanum  also known as Adder's Tongue or Dogtooth Violet.

Spring is Sprung

Most of Spring is finally Sprung.... leaves are starting to appear on the bare trees and the April showers have boosted the brownish dead-looking winter grass to be a vivid green, and of course now dotted with pretty golden dandelions. 

The little garden in front of the train station is blooming with tulips, glowing in the sunshine.

The daffodils that were planted around the pond two years ago have started to multiply. The weather has been perfect for them... cool and rather damp, so the blooms last a long time. They wilt when it's hot weather in early spring... and so do I.

Meet Larry, Curly and Moe.  They look very happy sunning them selves on this flat rock at the edge of the pond, but sadly when I walked past a day later, someone had removed the rock.... so now where were the turtles going to bask in the sun? I hope someone will provide another rock for them.

As soon as they heard the click of the camera, all three sploshed back into the water, double quick. Obviously camera shy. 

Update: The rain raised the water level and I couldn't see the rock.... of course it's still there. Who would want to nick a rock? Sometimes I can be so dense.

Out and About

The spring weather has finally warmed up which means that I can go for longer walks without wishing I hadn't made such a foolish decision to leave the comfort of my fireplace! I strolled along the newest portion of the Rouge Urban Trail, from Reesor Road to Durham 30 and back. The trail is easy walking, and suitable for strollers and wheelchairs too, and of course bicycles. Lots of families out with their bikes enjoying the sun.

Teasel - Dipsacus fullonum - this is a dried flower head from last year, still spiky and sharp. Teasels are actually part of the honeysuckle family. The spiky heads were formerly widely used in textile processing, cleaning, aligning and raising the nap on fabrics.

Coltsfoot - Tussilago farfara - one of the first splashes of colour to appear along the trails after the snow melts. The leaves, which appear much later than the flowers, are supposed to resemble the shape of a colt's foot. Not a native plant, and was probably introduced from Europe with the first settlers.

Rows of a crop that may be Winter Wheat, but I'm not certain. I just liked the uniformity of the rows, and the first real green I have seen since winter left.

Spring Sunshine at last!

Finally, the month of May has delivered some blue skies and sunshine. The temperature got up to 21C for the first time since October 2019, and I sat out on the deck wearing summer clothes! WOOHOO!
Last fall over 200 daffodil bulbs were planted on the slopes around the pond. I have been anxiously watching those tiny green shoots appear above the ground, and getting taller each day. Buds started to appear but the weather was cold and windy and we even saw some snowflakes in April so the buds stayed tightly closed. But in the sunshine today.... WOW! Gorgeous.

My two artist groups have been on hiatus since March due to the recommendations for social distancing, so I have been playing with art at home. I have't actually tackled any serious painting, as I don't seem to be able to raise up enough inspiration or motivation. And our annual Art Show and Sale has been cancelled due to Covid-19.
However I have been playing with colours. I've been watching videos on line and have been impressed with a British artist called Dan Tirels who paints with plastic shopping bags, so I thought I'd have a go too. Make plastic shopping bags useful. Here are my efforts.

One afternoon last week I was playing with my home made gelli plate.... made of gelatin and glycerin... printing on Chinese rice paper. The faces are image prints taken from an old Vogue magazine. The bird is stencil cut out of mylar.  The paints are cheap dollar store acrylic paints. 

More prints to come as the gelli plate process is a lot of fun and keeps me busy all afternoon. Many of these prints have found a home in a pretty little book made of hand made paper that I bought at a thrift shop a few years ago.
I knew that little book would come in handy! It's going to be my Covid-19 memory book.

Day 28

Day 28 of me being isolated from the rest of the world. Ho hum.
Not much excitement in my life.... but this morning I woke up to SNOW! It's 9 April, should be spring, shouldn't it.... snow is not allowed! As soon as the sun came out, it all started to melt.

A couple of days ago I saw these little wild beauties flowering among the half-dead grass. Coltsfoot is one of the first flowers of the spring. Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) is in the daisy family and has been cultivated for its medicinal properties. Used as an herbal tea, it's said to treat respiratory infections, sore throats, gout, flu, and fever.  I wonder if it has any effect on Covid-19?

Another snippet of information that is important today is that today, April 9, is Vimy Ridge Day.

The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on Vimy Ridge Day:

“Today, we remember the thousands of Canadians who fought and gave their lives in the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

“The capture of Vimy Ridge was more than just a military victory – it was a turning point for our country. During the battle, soldiers from all four divisions of the Canadian Corps fought together for the first time. They came from coast to coast to coast – Francophones, Anglophones, new Canadians, and Indigenous peoples.

“On Easter Monday in 1917 – after carefully planning and preparing their attack – these Canadian soldiers battled uphill through sleet, mud, and machine gun fire to achieve one of the First World War’s most decisive victories. The innovative fighting techniques used by our soldiers at Vimy Ridge would also contribute to the final Allied victory a year and a half later.

“The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a defining moment for Canada, but it came at a great cost. Nearly 3,600 Canadians lost their lives, and over 7,000 more were wounded. It remains one of the bloodiest battles in our country’s military history.

“On this day, we honour the courage and sacrifice of those who fought at Vimy Ridge. Canadians remember who they were, what they stood for, and the history they defined. We also pay tribute to all our brave Canadians in uniform, past and present, for their unwavering dedication and service. Every day, they protect the fundamental values that define this country.

“Lest we forget.”

Staying Positive

I'm on Day 15 today on my own. I've been in touch with family via technology every day, and I've been out walking and chatting with my neighbours.... from a required safe distance of course. But the fact remains that we'll all be in this isolated situation for quite a while. It would be easy to get discouraged.
But there are many reasons for staying positive. Here are 4 of mine.

1: Look out of the window. The sun is shining and the sky is blue. It's still chilly out there, because after all, this is Canada, but Spring is on the way.

And as the ground warms up, last year's hyacinth bulbs are springing into life. I think they were given to me in a pot, and when the blooms died, I buried the bulbs. I'm so glad I did.

2: There are visitors to the neighbourhood pond this week, but they probably won't stay long. They are Hooded Mergansers, very handsome little birds. They are diving ducks and it's fascinating to watch them dive under water to catch fish, and then see them come to the surface a long way from where they went down. There were 5 males and 1 female, so the lady duck was getting lots of attention. Spring fever!

3: OlderSon delivered a box of groceries, fresh fruit and veg. Bananas, clementines, potatoes, broccoli, beans, fresh bread... I shall eat well for a while. Thank you!

4: Tonight and every Friday night, my neighbours will gather on front porches and driveways at 7:30pm to make some noise and to sing our National Anthem O Canada in support of the front line workers that are keeping us all going right now. Hospital staff, police, firemen, ambulance, grocery store workers, sanitation workers, government workers, many more. Thank you!
Update later this evening: The fire truck came by and flashed it's lights for us!!! The most excitement I have had all week!

Spring at last!

A few pictures just to prove that Spring is here in my corner of Canada.
And it's been a cool, damp, windy Spring this year. But I'm not complaining, it's been the kind of Spring that suits me very well.

I've eaten my first strawberry of the season and seen my first hummingbird at the feeder.

Spring!

The view out of my kitchen window about 5 minutes ago......

... yes, that's snow falling from the sky! In fact, it's been snowing all day.
Isn't Spring wonderful????

Frozen - not the movie

It's been a brutally cold winter. Temperatures in Ontario and Quebec were 7 to 9 degrees colder than average.  In Toronto, it was the first February in 75 years where the temperature did not climb above the freezing mark all month.

Ottawa recorded its coldest-ever February, with an average temperature of -16.8 C, shattering the former record set in 1979.  People on Canada's East Coast spent most of February digging out after record snowfalls. Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island was buried under more than seven feet of snow.

The five Great Lakes were 84% covered with ice. Niagara Falls was partially frozen, inspiring a crazy man with a death wish to climb to the top.

So we definitely deserve some spring weather. It was a lovely day yesterday.... blue sky, sunshine and above freezing temperatures.



But a new sprinkling of snow on the ground today, and grey skies. I've forgotten what green grass and spring flowers look like.

Green

After six months of living in a snow covered monochrome grey and white world, green is so pleasing to the eyes. And it all seems to have happened in the last 2 or 3 weeks here in the Great White North. Gradually the bare winter branches of the trees get that pale green fuzzy look, and then we have that first warm sunny day that we have all been waiting for, and everything bursts with new life.

The trilliums are blooming in the forest. White trillium is the official flower of Ontario, and is protected in provincial parks and conservation areas. Apparently, the seeds are dispersed by ants. Nice to know that ants are useful for something!

It was a gorgeous sunny day so I took TessaDog for a romp through Eldred King Tract in York Regional Forest. It has been such a cold icy winter that this was my first visit to the forest since fall. She ran and ran, having a wonderful doggy time. Can you see her on the trail?

We walked all the way to the pond which is a gathering place for both dog walkers and horse riders. At one point I counted 20 dogs tearing about at top speed, and 2 horses. I'm sure there were a lot of happy tired dogs later that day.

New beech leaves have such a lovely pale green against the blue sky. These leaves will turn a golden brown in the fall.

Flower Fantasy

Now that Spring is here and the long cold winter is over (until next time), most people start planning some colour in the garden, and I'm no exception, even though I only have a tiny front flower bed and some plant pots out on my deck. So I went to my favourite Garden Centre to spend some money. This place is a little further away than many of the nurseries near me, but it's well worth a visit.

One of these lovely purple hanging baskets followed me home, but unfortunately the plant was damaged in a recent hailstorm, But I have my fingers crossed that it will recover with a bit of TLC..

Just look at those colours. Makes me wish I had a large garden! And a handsome gardener to look after it all, of course.

Peach begonias.... gorgeous.
I also bought a rhubarb root, and dug up a corner at the back of my house and planted it in good soil next to a sheltered wall where it will get lots of sunshine. It's currently sending 3 shoots about 5cm above the ground..... so I don't think I'll be enjoying rhubarb pie this year.... but I'm looking forward to next year!

Spring and a Piggy

Spring has well and truly sprung. The past three or four days have been glorious. Blue skies and warm sunshine, and I can actually watch the new buds on the trees developing into those lovely pale green baby leaves.

Yesterday I did all the things that I love to do on the first real weekend of spring weather. I went to an art show... didn't buy anything except a couple of greeting cards, but we certainly have some talented artists in the community. I had a sort out of all the "stuff" that accumulated in the garage over the winter, and swept out all the dirt. Nice and clean and organised now! Next job: a much needed clean up of the inside of my car!
And I visited a few neighbourhood yard sales.... love doing that on a sunny Saturday morning. I found a nice boating life jacket for Isaac for $2 (woohoo! Bargoon!), and came home with this sweet and very dusty little piggy.

He cost me all of 75cents, but I'm convinced that if I took him to the Antiques Road Show, I would find out that he's a fabulous and unique example of Southern Ontario Farm Folk Art and worth a fortune....... hmmm... well, maybe not! Probably made in China last week.

May Day

Yes it's me.... finally! I seem to have mislaid my blogging mojo for the past few weeks. Probably because I ran out of things to blog about, and it was the dreary last months of winter. But May is here and I'm determined to get this blog moving again.

I've been keeping up with Postcrossing and have had lots of wonderful postcards from people I'll probably never meet from all around the world. It's a great feeling to open the mailbox and instead of bills, find a colourful postcard. Even OlderSon has joined!

And the big news around the City of Toronto is that the Toronto Maple Leafs (our ice hockey team in case you didn't know) are in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in nine years! Or is it ten years? Makes no difference.... as they last actually won the cup back in the1966/67 series.
Lots of support for the team in spite of huge prices for playoff tickets. Even the sign outside the neighbourhood church.....

First game is tonight, against Boston Bruins. Go Leafs Go!

Update: Sadly the Leafs lost the first game to Boston 1-4. Keep your fingers crossed for the boys in blue.

England Part IX - Springtime

Spring is a lovely season, especially the way it appears in the English countryside.
When I was little, I went every Easter with my parents and cousins to the the primrose woods at the end of the village to pick primroses. Each bunch of primroses was circled with primrose leaves before being secured with an elastic band and carefully placed in my mother's basket.

English Primrose - primula vulgaris

Some of the primroses would go to the local church for Easter decorations, and can you believe my mother would pack some of the primrose posies carefully into a sturdy box and send them by train to uncles and aunts in other parts of the country so they could experience the fragrance of our Devon primroses? And they would arrive at their destination the same day, just as fresh as when they left the woods. I don't think that could happen nowadays.

Baaaaa - where's the mint sauce?

The steep slopes of the Devon cliffs are covered with golden gorse flowers, or furze, as my dad called it. Gorse is in flower most of the year, giving rise to the old country saying "When gorse is out of blossom, kissing's out of fashion". Apparently, gorse flowers are edible, but I've never tasted them. If you want to try them, be careful....gorse has spiky thorns and can do you a lot of damage.

Common Gorse - ulex europaeus

The lovely blackthorn paints the hedgerows white in April. The flowers bloom before the leaves appear in the early spring. But this shrub has spines too, very sharp ones.

Blackthorn - prunus spinosa

The blackthorn is a relation of the plum tree and produces small bitter sloes in the fall. Edible, but you wouldn't want to! Better to brew up sloe gin instead.

For more about my trip to England, please scroll down to previous posts.