Category Gardening
Fourth of July!
This might have been the best weather I’ve had in Seattle for the 4th of July. The morning was chilly and cloudy, but then the clouds cleared and it warmed right up and it was just about perfect. Justin and I hosted a small family barbecue with his parents and brother on the roof, and […]
Snow in Seattle!
It’s the most snow I’ve seen in seattle dine moving here seven years ago! A few days of lovely white, with the city basically shut down, and then rain to wash it all away before we could tire of it. Exactly the right way to do snow, in my opinion. And now we’re done for […]
Flowers in wintertime
Oh hellebore, you lovely thing. Exactly what’s needed to lighten the midwinter darkness.
Christmas at the back door
Thanksgiving was lovely and I’ll put up some pictures when my sister sends me some… and in the meantime we’re moving full steam into Christmas! This year I decided the back yard needed some Christmas cheer. Little used in prior years, during the pandemic it has become my primary entrance. It’s cozy and private (surprisingly […]
Air quality
We’ve had a rough run in terms of air quality this past week. Smoke from the wildfires in California and Oregon has swept up the coast and sat on us like a cat. Gone the rosy mornings and hazy afternoons, replaced by chalky grey everywhere. And the air quality index has gone through the roof. […]
Fountain!
I’ve got the fountain in my back garden running again! I will spare you the gruesome details of all the slugs the size of my fingers that were forcibly spewed from the water shaft when the new pump kicked into gear… Instead, let’s focus on the delight that gurgling water brings to a garden. It’s […]
Fixing the fountain
One of my absolute favourite things about my house has been the fountains in the courtyard and backyard. They brought birds and movement and play of sound and light, and confirmed my belief that every garden, no matter how small or urban, ought to have a water feature. Alas, the fountains did not survive my […]
Second chances start with science…
Remember the Great Goldfish Disaster of 2020, when we discovered that my pond was essentially a cauldron of death? Well, I’ve decided to have a second go at it—only this time I’ve done more homework. Why do fish die? Maybe low oxygen levels in the water—add an aerator . . . Why else? Unhealthy levels […]
Weekend reset: mountains and flowers and cycling and a baby tapir!
I took a four-day weekend this week. My time on the covid-related project that has been keeping me so busy at work is coming to an end and my replacement is fairly well onboarded at this point, so it seemed a good opportunity to take a break and (at least start to) reset. Only, what […]
This is what happens
Sometimes you run out to pick up a few necessaries for grilling with friends on the roof and realise before you even get to the condiment aisle that dinner-plate dahlias should have been at the top of the list. An oversight quickly remedied… 😉 These are no shrinking violets! Let’s just say it’s a good […]
A More Gentlemanlike Manner 