The Garden on the Last Day of May

Our Little Zoo

When the Trio was small, I would take them on weekly springtime trips to the little zoo in our area.   Those weekly trips have fallen by the wayside with all of the commitments we have now, but inevitably they request one or two visits at this time of year.  We saw all of our animal friends on our most recent trip...  even a baby wallaby in his mama's pouch!

Dutch Clogs as Planters

Whenever we go to one of our favorite little seaside towns, I always look for these shoes.  I love the unique Dutch style these homeowners infuse into their house!

Strawberry Picking

While Auntie Anna was here for Sugar Plum's birthday on Saturday, we went strawberry picking!  We love to go to patch that is near our house...  The berries are so sweet and the farmer and his wife are very friendly.  Sugar Plum looked wonderful in her new hat!

Joyous Feast of Pentecost!

Blessed art Thou O Christ our God,

Thou has revealed the fisherman as most wide,

By sending down upon them the Holy Spirit,

Though them Thou first draw the World into Thy net,

O Lover of Man, glory to Thee.

Twelve!

Charlotte Beret

For the past few weeks, I have had a hankering to knit a beret.  I have made the Lottie Beret in the past, but decided to get the pattern for the Charlotte Beret, too.  Now I can knit simple berets in a full range of sizes.  This one is being knit from some label-less MadelineTosh in my stash and will probably fit our beautiful daughter.

Our Sweet Girl

This little girl is going to be twelve in just a couple of days.  Where did the time go?

Harbor Cap knitting

I was able to test knit a Harbor Cap for Fox & Folk this past week!  I used O-Wool worsted yarn in the Oyster Mushroom colorway.  I love how this hat turned out and am already looking forward to casting on another soon!  The pattern should be available on Ravelry in a few weeks!

Happy Things

 

I'm still riding high from the Royal Wedding on Saturday.  My favorite photograph from the day was on the front cover of Sunday's New York Times.  I like to read my favorite sections of the paper at breakfast throughout the week and I am saving the piece on the wedding for the last. 

While I was on my hunt for rose bushes to fill the pots on the patio, I visited a nursery by the ocean.  They didn't have what I was looking for, but after a long talk on roses with one of the sales ladies, she showed me the rose bush clearance section where one ragged David Austin rose bush was languishing.  For ten dollars, I was able to bring Charlotte home with me.  She had three buds and one is already starting to bloom.

We have a sun porch in The Rectory that really doesn't get much use unless we have a large church function.  Yesterday, our children moved in a side table, some folding chairs, and twinkle lights from the Christmas bin to play restaurant. Tonight, they are eating their dinner there. The best part about this set-up is that I can spy on them from my bedroom window and admire their sweetness without them even knowing.

Extreme British Decor

I've stung up this Union Jack banner from our Royal Wedding Tea Party in the Dining Room.  It might be a bit much, but I just love it!

Queen Elizabeth and Romantica Bolero

Of the five rose bushes we bought last June, only one made in through the winter.  I've spent the last few weeks slowly replacing the four dead ones.  I found two Queen Elizabeth rose bushes at Home Depot for $8 a few weeks ago and have been looking everywhere for Romantica Bolero rose bushes to replace the final two.  I remembered that there was a fancier nursery about half an hour away and was delighted to find that they had several in stock.  Happily, they were blooming and laden with buds when I bought them, so we have a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks!

Scenes from Our Royal Tea Party

A Dozen Cakes in 2018: May

 

I made a Victoria Sponge for our Royal Wedding tea party today.  I used a recently posted recipe from The Kitchn and while it looked pretty, it was dry and disappointing.  I spread strawberry preserves on the top of the bottom layer and topped that with whipped cream and sliced strawberries.  After placing the top layer on the cake, I dusted everything is powdered sugar and our daughter found a perfect strawberry to grace the top of the confection. 

 Do you have a Victoria Sponge cake recipe that you would recommend?

Preparations for a Royal Tea Party

The children and I went out to our favorite grocery store after lessons were finished today to buy several items for the tea party we are planning to enjoy during the Royal Wedding tomorrow.  We also bought some gorgeous flowers to grace the tea table and I spent a lovely few minutes arranging them in a mustard crock.  I have spent all the years of my flower arranging adult life avoiding baby's breath, but something made me pick up a little bunch to go with the tulips and hydrangea.  I have to say that I love how it all looks together!

Joyous Feast!

O Christ God, Thou hast ascended in Glory, 

Granting joy to Thy disciples by the promise of the Holy Spirit. 

Through the blessing they were assured 

That Thou are the Son of God, 

The Redeemer of the world!

Fun in Connecticut

We spent today in New Haven, Connecticut so that Father John could take on a video job at an Orthodox Church there.  While he was busy, the children and I walked around the area by Yale University.  We wandering into several bookstores, ate Chipotle for lunch and crepes for dessert at a darling little French stall in the shopping area, and took a stroll through the Yale Center for British Art.  It was a lovely few hours!

We decided to head home straight from Connecticut, which meant that we were driving from 3 pm to about 10:30 pm.  Most of the trip was spent driving through pouring rain, wind, thunder and lighting.  It was quite hair-raising.  about an hour from home, we got a bit ahead of it...  of course it hit again a little after we returned home and stormed all night!