:: plunging (calmly) into beekeeping

:: this most amazing gospel tune - getting major play here and sending shivers down my spine at the 2:43 mark

:: fancy new bristle paint brushes and acrylic paints in fun colours like yellow ochre, burnt sienna, and crimson

:: this striking flower - one of my favourite perennial purchases - that reminded me to splash paint on canvas (does anyone know what it is?)

:: phtalo blue-stained fingers from stemming a 4 lb basket of blueberries

:: friends and neighbors popping in unannounced and veggie trade-offs

:: Yoshi - still chillin’

:: the tantalizing juices of tomatoes, garlic and onions bubbling in the oven - come to me confit!

:: woodsmoke hair from big campfire drumming session under the stars last night

:: size 5 wide Brandywine Reds (and inspiration for, ahem, a soothing footbath for seriously swollen, over-worked feet!)

:: sun-kissed and sundressed

:: little European touches around Gothic Cottage that make me feel like I’m France or Germany - I just need fresh croissants

:: speaking of patisserie, breakfast al fresco with Charentais musk melon and Ritter Sport complementing the French/German patio experience

:: Gladiolas from Cathy and Kaj’s market garden - these eccentric flowers add a certain Art Nouveau flair to the place

:: an overflowing basket of my meatiest tomatoes starring in a pasta dish shared with sweetest Stacey

:: a very uncomfortable and grouchy Yoshi finally recovering at home after a week and a half at the vets - means watching over him but puttering around these walls, in the garden, and cooking for friends is so nice and chilled

:: the tall, friendly Rivers Edge Goat Dairy guy who shared his blueberries yesterday at the Farmers Market… I went back for more

:: the sound of wind whipping sheets dry on the line

:: thunder and lightening shows

:: a black and white weekend with Billie Holiday and Stan Getz - it never ceases to amaze me how certain music can completely dictate the mood (check out Daniel Levitin’s book This Is Your Brain On Music for more)

:: bonfire pit ready for more action

:: visions: of wildflower and goldenrod honey here next season stoked by my honey guru Stacey, of renovations complete next month, and of an unfolding adventure soon

:: laughing so hard to this brilliant video my belly hurt

:: Audrey Niffenegger’s newest installment of magical-realism

:: prepping for a seasonal feast with Tori and Nancy this eve - Rivers Edge goat and pork sausages, my roasted carrots and my favourite summer salad on the menu

Hope you’re loving your weekend too!

:: new cowboy hats from Nashville (the farm collection is growing!)

:: these oh so sweet tunes by Monsters of Folk, Blind Faith, and Dorando 

:: the calm before the Hillside storm - I so love the frequent visits and off-farm adventures, but boy do I also appreciate the rejuvenating solo time in this fresh country air

:: lots and lots of homemade iced tea sweetened with a friend’s uncapped wildflower honey

:: hot, sunny days broken by thunderstorms, long swims in gorgeous lakes, and crawling into cool sheets on crisp nights

:: gifts from the vinyl fairy: 3 old Bob Dylan’s, 1 Bob Marley, 1 missing Simon & Garfunkel and other goodies

:: the freshest smell of laundry off the line - so nice to bury your face into and inhale deeply… over and over again

:: new acacia wood patio table with umbrella and flowers blooming on the deck - hello work al fresco!

:: mmm - last of the fresh peas (shelled as we waited for Spain to finally score in the World Cup final)

:: first deer sighting in the field

:: munch-free veggies in the garden

:: bare feet

What are you loving right now? 

My pal and colleague Lindsay, also known as David Suzuki’s Queen of Green, was out for a visit this week. We also call her Mama because she has a green recipe for absolutely everything under the sun, including safe homemade cosmetics free of the dirty dozen harmful ingredients. Super-nurturing and mothering this one. And also full of entertaining stories. It’s no wonder she’s got a syndicated column in the Metro now.

Linz is also real farm stock. Armed with her fancy digital SLR she strolled around the farm and captured these images. I love seeing what others are drawn to here - their framing of scenes at Gothic Cottage is so different from my own. Very refreshing!

If you’re also coveting a fancy camera, enter David Suzuki’s Nature in the City Flickr photo contest. Happy snapping and enjoy the weekend!

The mustard has been outgrown and now the two and a half acre field is filled with a lush mix. I’m waiting for Michael to return to ID this pretty purple plant  - does anyone recognize it?

The other new appearances are the ripening barley and oats. Michael will harvest the grains and leave the clover for a green manure but for now I get to enjoy the view. So graceful in the breeze - makes for lovely scenery strolling through the field.

Love.

Everything is growing except weeds, which are almost decimated (for now) thanks to a recent session with the Ho-Mi Digger. It’s not a fully rounded-out garden with all bases covered but when I planted it I had the winter months in mind. Rows of mason jars gleaming brilliant red, bags of sweet peas in the freezer, and a basket brimming with onions in the cellar. I must admit though, a plan did not precede this garden. It unfolded as weed-free real estate became available. Not a method I’d recommend but well suited to my free-spirited bent.

Baby Matinas! Grow grow grow little beauties. I love how this year’s garden has taken shape, but it’s the tomatoes I’m rooting for and pampering most.

May growth spurts astonish you all this weekend!

My experience with raccoons is rather limited. The first involved a huge hole in the screen door at the cottage, and missing ground beef which was thawing in the kitchen counter. Not long afterward, I became adept at leaning weighted garbage bins against my cabin door at summer camp to keep care packages and tuck shop sweets safe from the midnight marauders.

While living in Toronto I grew accustomed to spotting super-fat raccoons. A few nights ago Ashley and I could hear screeching from her Beaches balcony. She told me the story of her mom waking with a fright one night: “Huck! A woman’s being attacked in the park!”, to which Ashley’s dad sprung to action and rushed outside in his tighty whiteys to avenge the woman, who turned out to be two raccoons. On Mike’s farm I was amazed that his strategically placed electric fence wasn’t even a match for the determined beasts, who decimated his small organic corn crop every year - when the corn was perfectly ripe and sweet, of course.

Conclusion: raccoons were the enemy.

On Friday, however, I had an up-close-and-personal experience with two baby raccoons. My friend Grant plays surrogate mom to orphaned coons every spring. Most have lost their mothers to cars (enemy or not, such a sad sight), and they’re placed in homes by a raccoon rescue group. Grant takes siblings home when their eyes still haven’t opened, and nurses them on homemade formula with a syringe until they’re weaned onto solid food and ready to be re-integrated with other raccoons and returned to the wild. While they’re in his care Grant, an outdoor environmental education guru, takes his wards into schools to reconnect kids with nature.

This little guy is just learning to walk and climb stairs - still a little unsteady but oh so curious and cute! He can steal food off my counter anytime!

:: the view from my desk - newly sanded and finished red pine plank floors in two bedrooms

:: the intense perfume of lilacs filling every room of Gothic Cottage from one tree discovered on the edge of my farm and renegade flower collection under darkness

:: the fruit of Ashley’s and my labour. A freshly painted bedroom - ‘Quiet Splendor’

:: most romantic, delicate new peachy leaves - I could live in this scene

:: a clean and fresh ‘Crisp Linnen’ sun room painted by my dad and ready for his easel (I waver between getting swept up in the romance of some paint shade names and busting a gut with friends over how seriously cheesy they are. Someone’s having fun creating them…)

:: collecting pea sticks for a thriving row of shelling peas

:: a kick in the ass - I need to stick to my guns and steer clear of non-sustainable meat, and tonight’s Ideas program on CBC radio delivered. I sat in my car after returning from yoga and kept listening in the dark with the engine off. No more prosciutto unless I know the pig was happy.

:: the field and forest slowly filling out in electric lime and emerald green (can you see the white clover growing?)

:: brand new music from Caribou, Dr. Dog, The Morning Benders, and Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros

:: little Mason jars waiting to be filled with tart rhubarb jam (does anyone have a delicious recipe?)

:: design ideas germinating from conversations and cool magazines that I would never find myself but discover in the homes of my style maven friends - leaves me buzzy!

:: Daffies on the scene!

:: apples from the farmers market still going strong in the cellar

:: dirty, grass-stained knees and elbows

:: the first teeny tiny furled leaves peeking through a sea of brown in the forest

:: this escape artist in the middle of the peach fuzz field (which is soon to be scratched and sown with white clover - anyone want to keep bees at Gothic Cottage this summer?)

:: the fabulous sensation of crumbly soft earth massaging my feet as I pad through the field

:: local artist Ryan Price’s hundreds of weird and wonderful mini illustrations

:: alternating between sandals and wellies. Spring!

:: eating oven-warm tea biscuits (my grandma’s recipe) on my great grandmother’s rosebud plate, while sipping tea from my great grandmother’s teacup and chatting with my grandma - a warm matriarchal hug!

:: Phoebes’ return - I can hear their telltale song here too, Tim

:: indigo blue and three new summer shirts that explode with the deep shade, as well as periwinkle (what are these little flowers? They were so common in Victoria but I can’t find them in my seed catalogue)

:: funk, lots of funk - especially this super-funky Gil Scott Heron tune

:: an overflowing Easter basket

:: seedling line up: potting mix, seed trays, scoop, seed packets, popsicle sticks and a Sharpie

:: new-to-me thick Persian carpet by the fire - more fitting for a cozy winter I suppose but boy do I get lost in the intricate design and rich colours

:: stretching - I mean really satisfying stretches that make you feel taller and more alive

:: Stevie Wonder’s ‘Songs In The Key of Life’ and ‘Innervisions’ - the lyrical genius’ best albums, don’t you agree? They never get old and there is never a bad time to play them

:: romance films (please pass on syrupy favourites!)

A sensational weekend of exploration, discovery, fun and spring unfurling in Toronto and at Gothic Cottage.

Yellow tulips have been replaced by red. Windows and doors are flung open by day and a fire burns by night. The grass is now bright green and the first electric lime leaves are unravelling. Magnolia and cherry blossoms were collected and intoxicating hyacinth held right up to nostrils. Fragrant, luscious spring.

Out of the corner of my eye today I caught activity on the sun-drenched deck. One fuzzy orange and yellow bumble bee and this little honey bee. So very inspiring to see a honey bee buzzing with me here at Gothic Cottage!