Black Raspberries and White Strawberries: Happy Summer Solstice!

 Tonight the sun came out at dinner time and we went out for sushi. I picked some of my shiso for chef and some nasturtiums that have been inspired to blossom by the rain. I noticed that some of our black raspberries and white strawberries are ripe!  Thank you bees.

Having been in a funk due to a five day headache, I haven't been out in the garden. It's made me a bit loopy, and I have been dreaming of lupins and vibrant red hummingbird sage. Today I finally felt the vise around my cranium ease off, so I dug up more of my lawn on the dry shady end and decided to sew it with lupins to improve the soil. I also added in Johnny Jump Up seeds, along with Anise Hyssop and Phacelia. I attacked the lamium and Spanish blue bells in that dark corner of the garden that drives me crazy. Face your madness head on, I say.

David Minter was on CBC One this week again, telling us it's not to late to plant veggies for fall if we use fast-maturing varieties. And we must also start thinking about fall planting, which is why I put in those lupin seeds. Some might wait until next year to germinate. Patience, my dear. In the meantime I still have seedlings in my porch!

 I am really in love with this particular mock orange bush. The owner must think I'm a spy or something as I have been taking photos of these flowers all week. Tonight there was a pollen beetle and a honey bee along with the various stages of lady bugs.

No, that is not a floral head dress--it is a bouquet behind my head!

Well, today our boy graduated from grade seven. I was impressed at how poised and dignified the grads looked, and how cheeky their speeches were. A few of them have been at the same school since kindergarten and we have grown fond of them over the years, especially when we have seen them performing at Christmas concerts for eight years, releasing salmon chum together in grade one (vowing never to eat chum!), gardening and making art with me in class. And in recent years we've seen them skyping themselves into our lives and playing board games in our living room. Good luck to you, sweet ones--full of potential and mischief. Happy solstice and safe journeys.