Wild & Weedy Wednesday: Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

 

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day is on Thursday, and October in Nova Scotia is quite colourful. The Lobelia above illustrates the 'out of season' blooms you occasionally find, in the garden and in the wild.  Below is a Phlox, and then a very late Bunchberry from the woods.

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There are always some late roses, right up to the first hard frosts. We have had a couple light frosts here, downtown, but nothing hard yet. 

My one foliage shot is this Kousa Dogwood, which has had reddish leaves all year long, in its sunny location, and now is at its most colourful.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day is a monthly connection for floral posts around the globe, facilitated by May Dreams Gardens. Go there on the 15th of each month to find dozens of links to others blogs, and see what is blooming around the world. Thanks!

Miscellaneous Monday: Jeff's Jubilee! 50 Years Old

I celebrated by 50th Birthday over the course of five days. Dinner and celebrations with family came a day early, on Saturday evening, with turkey dinner and so forth. 

The finale was Thanksgiving Monday, the day after, with some hiking in Kejimkujik National Park. 

It was a very nice day for walking - beautiful to the eyes, but cool to the body. Only got to about 13 C, if that. But barely a breath of wind.

Sharon and I decided we'd hike twenty-five kms, and added together that would be fifty. 

We put the invitation out to some friends, and Nancy was able to join us for the day. 

We did get in almost exactly 25 kms together, ending with a nice dinner at Jake's Landing.

Thank-you, one and all, for the kind birthday wishes and generous gifts of all kinds.

Scientific Saturday: Birchdale Retreat

 

Down in the woods of Digby County is a hundred-year-old camp or retreat centre called "Birchdale." I got invited to spend a night and a day their by my botanist friend, Alain. It was a 'work party' day, for a bunch of volunteers. Mostly firewood preparation and repair to a long boardwalk.

This place, for twenty-five years of its life, was once a Carmelite Monastery, Nova Nada. 

The setting is spectacular and extraordinarily peaceful. It was a great treat to be invited to spend a night and a day, and help out. I hope to visit again.

Theological Thursday: Home Hymn Sing

 Well, it was fun to have just a few folks over to sing some old hymns I selected. One of my own birthday gifts to myself this weekend, really!

The obscure pieces I selected were of interest to me for the music and sometimes the lyric. The one who sings prays twice, Luther said, apparently.

Thanks so much, Doug, Maggie, Mike, Alex, Joyce and Sharon, for humouring me for the evening. 

Wild & Weedy Wednesday: The Crushing of Flowers and Trees

 

The past week has seen some serious squashing of plants of all kinds, all around the house. The house is being painted, and the perennial borders are being trashed. That's just the way it is, I guess.

Cruelly treated 'Cruel Plant'

Levelled Lavender

Mangled Magnolia

Damaged Kousa Dogwood

The tragic trunk

  

Speaking of tragic trunks, to top it all off, the largest Elm tree, across the street, which has been dying this year, started to come down yesterday. Always sad, always inevitable... always a fascinating process, nevertheless. 

The grandkids happened to be arriving, and checked out the scene. 

Sacred Sunday: Canadian Association for Baptist Freedoms

 For a couple decades I have enjoyed the fellowship of some Baptists on the fringe of things here in Atlantic Canada. The CABF. We just 'met' for our fall assembly online. The next best thing to being in person.

Here, below, are the actual presentations, which were simply posted online for one and all to take in. The lectures are one hour each, and I found them quite interesting. The lecturer is one of the newer faculty members at Acadia Divinity College, Dr. Spencer Boersma. 

Family & Friends Friday: Steve & Nadine!

 

Well, it was a great visit from Sharon's old friends from days in Amherst. They came down to Digby, and we toured the Neck and Long Island. Finished off with a great dinner out. And did I say it was Nadine and Steve's 55th wedding anniversary? Congrats!