Saying goodbye to May

Happy Sunday everyone! A little on the cool side for us today but we're enjoying the outdoors just the same. We had a friend over for lunch and ate outside. Last night, we had our first alfresco dinner of the season. It was nice.

It's hard to believe that the month of May is coming to an end. It's been a nice one though and fairly dry. Our garden is thriving. Last Thursday,  I added a few perennials to our back flower bed and "reorganized" the colour scheme. Our front beds are doing nicely, with the spring flowers in full bloom, such as the Jack Frost and the Creeping Phlox. The colour of blue and pink is beautiful. Despite all of our plants having survived the harsh Winter, our Maple tree and our Japanese Maple are a little on the slow side. They are alive and leaves are popping but it's taking a while. You can see the slow growth of the Japanese Maple in the photo below.

Yesterday, I bought a few strawberry plants and put them in a pot hanging over the rail of our deck. I can't wait to see how many strawberries we get. Our VegTrug is also doing good and we've already eaten quite a bit of lettuce. I use the fresh herbs all the time.

Last week was good, not too busy. I went to the gym four times.  I think I'm back on track. Having said this, it seems that my knees are giving me a bit of a problem. I hope it's not a sign of what turning sixty will feel like LOL! Russell is also back into the swing of things but his joint issues are still bothering him. Those aches and pains are not fun but it could be a whole lot worse.

Cooper and the Spice girl are doing fine. They are as happy as can be and have bonded so nicely. We have actually noticed how much closer they have become lately. They are almost always together. The only time that they seem to each want their own space is right after breakfast:  Spicy goes to the front room for her post breakie nap on the couch. Cooper stays in the kitchen for a while. Quite funny to watch their individual habits.

Not much else is going on with us. We're doing a bit of research for our upcoming trip to Italy in July. We've already had some good advice from many people, very grateful for that. Russell is getting his snow tires removed this week, the only appointment he could get since we've been back from Barbados.

I leave you with a few photos that Russell took of the garden, one of our pooches doing what they do best while we watch TV,  and one of me when I was a little baby. My parents had this framed photo hung above their bed forever, as well as one of my brother and sister. I thought I would include it in my blog just for old times' sake. I wish you all a great week!

The Creeping Phlox, a wonderful pink in full bloom
in the front bed.

The Jack Frost were the first to show color this Spring
in the front garden.

A more complete view of the front bed...the Japanese Maple
is a little thin on leaves but will fill in....everything
else is coming up nicely.

Nothing better than a full VegTrug...the lettuce is
wonderful fresh and the herbs are awesome.

Me, circa 1960, a cute baby. This photo hung
above my parents bed for many many years.

Cooper and Spicy snuggle during TV after dinner. They
know how to settle in for the evening.

Birthdays all around

Happy Sunday everyone! The first long weekend of the Summer is coming to an end. The weather wasn't so good this morning but it is beautiful now. The rest of the week is looking very nice also. I think I will get my planters done tomorrow. It's time, don't you think?

Today, we had my sister Lynn over for lunch, with her two sons, Sean and James, along with my brother Francois. We celebrated James' 20th birthday. It was a nice family gathering, with good food and good conversations. Thank you to Lynn for making the decadent chocolate birthday cake! Although we woke up to rain, the sun came out so we were able to eat outside. Cooper and Spicy enjoyed everyone's company.

This past week also brought another birthday...our big boy Cooper turned seven. It was a great day, filled with love, kisses, snuggles and a few extra treats. Coop enjoyed his birthday cake and insisted on sharing it with his sibling Spicy.  That made the birthday extra special.

This past week was good and quiet. We both went to the gym a few times, so that's a good thing. It is taking a while for us to get over our colds so we are still feeling a bit sluggish. This week will be better, I can just feel it.

Tomorrow, I will hit the garden centre and buy some annuals for our front planters. I also need to edge some of our flower beds. So, some gardening to do this week. It's taking me a while this year to get into the gardening mood but I think I'm there now. Everything has to look good for my friend Eve's visit in a few weeks!

Last Friday, I had my eyes checked. I was due for a thorough eye exam and all is good. It was also time for me to get new specs so I got myself two new frames, all Russell approved. Looking forward to a new look :-)

Not much else is going on with us. We are now doing the countdown to our trip to Italy, two months away.....it also means that I will turn SIXTY in about two months. Yikes on that but good on the trip!

I leave you with a few birthday pics from today and of Cooper's day. I wish you all a great week!

James, the birthday guy... 20 and all smiles with his big
brother Sean at his side.

Say cheese James...what a grand smile!

James contemplating his birthday cake wish while
Francois gives him a supportive high 5!

Spicy found the time to give James some birthday
loving as only she can!

Cooper making his birthday wish as he turned 7! What a
special boy he is....a loving gentle soul, we are
blessed to have him in our lives.

Cooper, always a gentleman, was sure to share his cake with
Spicy...yummy!

Glorious week ahead

Happy Monday everyone! I hope all the moms out there had a wonderful Mother's Day.  Our day was rather subdued. It was a tough one but I got through it with the love and support of my darling Russell.  With the passing of my mom just a few months ago, the pain is still raw but it gets a little better each day. Our thoughts were with both our moms, Russell's mom gone for almost five years now. Despite the sadness, our two adorable pooches brightened up our day with their usual antics.

The weather has been perfect since we got home one week ago. I heard on the radio this morning that we are having the biggest stretch of nice weather since March. I say it's about time. Reflecting back on the timing of our Barbados trip, we definitely prefer going away in April now.  Coming back to warm weather rather than more Winter is far better, for us anyway.

I got a lot of yard work done last week. The flower beds are clean, our plants have grown so much in just a matter of days.  Next weekend, I will do our planters. I may have to replace a couple of perennials that don't seem to want to come back. We'll see. Our VegTrug is full of goodness again, herbs and two kinds of lettuce.

Cooper and Spicy are happy to resume their outdoor activities also...spending more time in the yard chasing squirrels and on the deck, just watching the world go by.

I went back to the gym on Saturday. It was good to see my gym buddies again but the workout was not easy. I didn't push myself too much. I plan on going a few times this week. Russell went back this morning. It was also tough for him. He is recovering from a cold/flu that he's had since we've been back. Of course, I got it too. It must be all the germs in the airplane.

This week will be a bit busy. I have to resume some of my parents' estate work. We also need to clean the garage and windows. But the most important event this week is our Cooper's 7th birthday on Thursday. I have a birthday cake on order for our big boy. No doubt he will share his cake with his partner in crime, Spicy. It will be a fun day.

That's it for my blog this week. I hope you all have a great one, leading up to the first long weekend of the Summer!

Pansies and strawberries in the planter on the back deck...
nice combination, hope the strawberries are tasty. 

Partners on watch on the back deck....nothing escapes the
attention of Cooper and Spicy.

My Mom and me on Mother's Day 2017 at our home....
miss you daily, love you forever and all time.

Mother's Day visit to see Russell's Mom with
Cooper and Spicy.

A Barbados sunset as seen from the rooftop terrace of our
unit at the Southern Palms....spectacular!

The beach at Southern Palms reflected in a Lensball..."pour
me a Banks beer" memory.

Back on Canadian soil

Happy Sunday everyone! Here we are, back in Canada since Friday night. Our flight home was relatively good, despite the wind storm that affected most of Toronto. Landing was a bit rough but nothing to worry about.

Our last week in Barbados was as good as the first one. The ocean was much rougher though, as such, there was quite a bit of seaweed on the beach. This was apparently caused by a weather system hovering over the Caribbean Islands.  All in all, we had a wonderful vacation and we're more than ready to go back home.

Yesterday, we attended Shannon and Garrett's wedding at the Cambridge Mill. It was lovely and the venue was beautiful. The bride and groom looked so happy and so in love. It was good to reconnect with Margo, Shannon's mom, whom we hadn't seen for quite a few years.  It was also nice to see Gord and Karen and catch up.

This morning, we made our way back to Mississauga. We had a few errands to run while in our "old stomping grounds". We went to Terra, a garden centre that used to be a favourite of ours. We were specifically looking for two patio umbrellas and we found them.

Tomorrow, we pick up our pooches and head back to Montreal. We look forward to seeing Cooper & Spicy. We missed them a whole lot. They also had a great vacation. While at Camp Talemaker, Darlah thinned out Cooper's coat, a long and tedious process. She said she could probably fill a pillow case with the hair that she removed....yet he still has a full coat, albeit much lighter.

That's my blog for today. It will be good to get home. Have a great week!

A truly wonderful Barbados sunset as seen from the
Southern Palms.

The sky ablaze as the sun sets...no words can
capture the awesome color on display.

Rough seas as seen from our balcony.

A wonderful dinner at Primo in St Lawrence Gap,
a short walk from our hotel. Amazing setting, very
nice food and awesome company.

Margo and Russell on the dance floor
at Shannon and Garrett's wedding,
a very nice time at the Cambridge Mill.

Russell and I enjoying the post wedding
ceremony festivities.