189/365 (July 8, 2010) – I hate short transitions in weather…gradual is so much nicer. Three days ago it was 15-16 degrees. Today it was 34 out in Surrey and again, I spent 5 hours clad in leather boots, jeans, a black jacket and a black helmet. Oh yes, and I was sitting on a hot motorcycle through it all.
By choice.
I think I’m stupid or something.
185/365 (July 4, 2010) – The weather can’t make up its mind. It was cloudy here all day, but sunny elsewhere.
According to the newspaper, gardens all over BC are suffering (Worst Year Ever For Plant Diseases). Mine is no exception.
My Hellebore is covered in aphids and scaly bugs, and the aphids are starting to migrate to my newly planted herbs (was too cold to plant them earlier). The Bay Laurel has something going on, leaves are curling with some strange creature I’ve not encountered before inside the folds. I’ve been plucking off the affected leaves in hopes of containing it. The sage has powdery mildew attacking it. And because the aphids are so plentiful, so are the tiny little ants.
So, everything has been getting a healthy dose of Pink Solution in an environmentally friendly attempt at holding things at bay until the sun arrives…..
“They” say that will be tomorrow….
173/365 (June 22, 2010) – Supposedly it’s summer, I’m still waiting though. The sun did poke it’s head out today, but the forecast, which was for more sun, has changed again. What the paper says and what Environment Canada say are two entirely different things, not that this should surprise me living on the coast. Weather reports are somewhat vague and ephemeral.
On the flip side, with all the wet weather we’ve had since the Olympics…the ferns in my garden are doing great!
I didn’t do anything special to this image, a bit of sharpening, that’s it. The sunlight was behind me so the background was obliterated by the bright spot on the frond. So all I had to do was stop it way down and it ended up on blackness.
The history of our addiction to oil is nicely (or horribly) depicted in this music video.
156/365 (June 5, 2010) – I grew up not eating corn until August. Because that’s when the local growers in the Okanagan had it available. I spent so much time on my grandparent’s farm & orchards that I just knew what was available when. And that’s when I still expect it. And if it’s available outside of that season, I traditionally didn’t buy it, simply because it is never as good as when the local crops are ready.
So I didn’t expect much from this corn. But I was pleasantly surprised, it was very, very good.
I still try to buy foods that are in season locally, it supports the local growers, and I know the foods haven’t been transported huge distances, increasing their ecological cost.
But sometimes I break down.