The other day, contractors came to put in new posts for the new fence we are getting. They used a great big noisy auger machine to dig the holes, and in the process pulled up a few big rocks.

After they left for the day, you can bet your bottom I ran out and rolled those rocks over to my patio

The big one is about the size of a volleyball, the smaller about the size of a grapefruit. The need to be cleaned up, but aren’t they just oozing potential for garden decor? I’m going to leave them outside for the winter, the elements can do the cleaning for a season, and come spring Ill decide exactly how I want to use them. I think that big one is going to be painted up and put in the sidewalk garden.

Speaking of gardens, despite the cooler weather, there’s still flowers (beyond the roses) hanging in there.

Both the sage and the lavender are having one last gasp and putting up a few small blooms

The various blanketflowers will bloom right to the first strong frost.

The chrysanthemums are looking fabulous, and the pincushion plants are still popping out flowers too

And last, but definitely not least – another toad lily has bloomed! Oh how I love these little flowers.

It’s hard to say how much longer the blooms will hang in for. The weather is definitely turning. If it weren’t for my collection of warm woolies, there would have been several days where I’d have had to turn on the heat! I’m trying to hold out to November though…

It was a tough year for my roses this year. First, late winter was harsh and I lost both Queen Elizabeth and Tournament of Roses.

I thought I lost Blue Girl and Chicago Peace too, but they both pulled through. But this summer was very hot and humid, and though Chicago Peace is normally a prolific bloomer in June and July, I only got a handful of blooms.

She always shines in October though. Making the most of the waning sunshine, she’s really in her glory now – popping out blooms everywhere.

It won’t last much longer. The frost will hit any time now. But I’ll enjoy every single bloom until it does.

About a year or so ago, I bought a special piece of pet furniture. It was bought specifically for Peno, as she likes to sit beside Dave as he stretches out on the futon, but there’s not really enough room for both of them.

He keeps the Cube beside the futon, and every night Peno joins him as he settles in for some TV watching. And while she does enjoy curling up on the top bed, she’s surprised us by also taking over the “cave” inside.

This is a cat who would never enter a hole unless she was sure there was another exit. We’ve had countless piece of cat furniture with caves and she’s never bothered with one until now.

Pretty much every afternoon I can find her snoozing in there now. And obviously, I’ve disturbed her! Such a bundle of tortitude!!!

It’s taking me a little longer than planned, but I’m finally getting the top of Sam’s quilt together.  The rows are assembled, but I still have to add the sashing between them, and sew them all together. It was a little tricky to keep everything straight in my mind, so I decided it would be best to stop, and do the rest another day.

I’m loving the look of it. The black sashing and bright colours make it almost look like stained glass. It will also get a border or two, to make it a little bit bigger. I’ll have to start looking for something for the backing soon.

While we only made it “official” in 2015, it was 16 years ago that he stole my heart and gave me his. No relationship is perfect, but over all, it’s been a rather sweet sixteen years.

Back in August, when I was visiting Krista at the Festival of Friends, she was eyeing up a booth full of tutus, and thinking of buying one for Wren.

I told her not to bother, I had tulle at home, and I was an experienced tutu maker.

Of course, it took me months to finally get around to actually making one, but as my vacation was nearing the end, I got the tulle all cut into strips.

I put on a good movie, settled in with the waistband wrapped around my knee, and started tying.

Wren is still small, so this one went much quicker than the one I made for myself in 2015. Before my movie was even over, the tutu was finished.

Krista has promised some pics of Wren modelling it soon – and when she does, I’ll share them with you!

Well, I didn’t accomplish everything I’d hoped to while I was on vacation, but I’m happy to say…

I got the first Burlington sock done, at the very least! The new stitch pattern worked perfectly. Knitting the leg just flew, and it was easy breezy down the plain vanilla foot.

Now If I can get the other one done by the end of the month, and set a date to get all my pattern photos, I’ll be well on my way to having the ebook ready by the en of the year. But before I get ahead of myself, here’s a closer look at that leg pattern.

It’s a take on the traditional guernsey style, but updated with a fresh bold colour. It will look even better once it’s had a little time to block. These pics were taken when it was fresh off the needles.

Now excuse me, I better get that second one cast on before second sock syndrome has a chance to set in.

Random thing #1:

While on vacation, Krista (Wren’s Mom) and I headed to check out a craft festival a few towns over. One of the vendors makes amazing handmade stuffies. I saw this sloth and fell in love. I couldn’t leave without him. Of course, as soon as I got home, Burton claimed him for his own.

Random thing #2:

The temps have been quite cool, and I thought all the butterflies were gone until spring. But the other week, I went out and discovered one last Monarch lingering on the Butterfly Bush. I hope it gave him enough nectar to finish his journey!

The main reason I take this week off every year, is that it’s usually an ideal time to put my gardens to bed for the winter.

Unfortunately, this year, I’ve not only had to contend with a bunch of other commitments, but also the weather. It’s been terribly grey and gloomy here, with a fair bit of rain.

But on Thursday, I finally got my break – a sunny day with weather just warm enough to work outside comfortably.

So with the help of my snoopervisors…

I got to it.

Normally, I remove all the dead stuff, cut everything back, and apply a nice thick layer of mulch. But with the warm weather going so late this year, there wasn’t much dead stuff to deal with. In fact, the gardens looked more like a tropical jungle.

So this time around, I settled for just tidying and trimming a few things back. I’ll save the mulch for when things have died back a little more and it’s easier to get in and around the plants. I also got my spring bulbs planted, and as long as Mr. Squirrel doesn’t find them all, we should have some real beauty come spring.

And while the gardens are getting ready for winter in their own way, there’s still much magic to be found.

 

My Home and Family rose has bloomed around. These beautiful tight buds open fully within a day. And they smell wonderful. I love all my roses, but I really have a soft spot for white ones.

The Chrysanthemum I planted in August is blooming again. I really hope it makes it through the winter.

If course the Sedum is still going strong. I have this Sedum everywhere – Samantha gave me a big clump four years ago. I broke it up and each piece is going strong. I’ve even given some away as it’s grown and spread.

Another Toad Lily as bloomed, and I have more set to open any day. They have tiny little flowers, but they are definitely my favourite fall flower.

This wild Common Chicory popped up by the walkway. These were everywhere where  I grew up in the country. It’s nice to see them in the suburbs.

And all that rain and gloom we’ve had has provided ideal conditions for mushroom growing. I don’t know if this one is edible, and I hate the taste of mushrooms anyway, but I do love it when they pop up unexpectedly!

It’s hard to believe, but it’s been a full year since Relic became an official member of the Wandering Cat Clan.

This is how he looked when he first showed up at our door in spring 2017

A little rough around the edges, with fleas, an upper respiratory infection and something wrong with his mouth. While it was always my plan to win his trust enough to get him to a vet, it was the sweet wiles he worked on Dave that made him a permanent member of the family.

Now he’s happy, healthy, and flea-free! But I’m afraid in the last year, we’ve made him a little too happy. When we had him neutered, he was a hefty (but appropriate for his size) 17 lbs. At his vet visit last week, he was an eye popping 21.5 lbs.

All that steady feed and all those comfy, safe naps have made him a little too rotund. It’s amazing how much can happen in a year!