SIGNS OF SPRING

Spring came early to the River this year! 

In fact, most of the winter has been warmer than usual. 

Cora sent us these shots from her office window to show

 how little snow has fallen on the North Shore Mountains.

This lessens our guilt about enjoying the sun in La Paz!

 

Bulbs sprang up and took their place in Duck Inn Bouquets 

with winter berries and greenery.

 

Those of you familiar with the Duck Inn know that we use it 

as an excuse to keep our Christmas lights up all year. 

Jill meant to add some deer to the mix this year, 

but by the time she got to Canadian Tire, 

all they had left were these bunnies. 

Here they are as part of the night-time display.

 

and nibbling the crocuses during the day.

 

The crocuses survived the attack and flourished.

 

 Primroses planted in Fall survived the Winter.

 

Our faithful Daffodils did not disappoint us this Spring.

 

Peonies put their shoots up so early that Kelly 

worried about their survival.

 

Camelias put on their brief show of colour and 

have already gone back to providing a green backdrop

 for Summer flowers still to come.

 

Roses are budding out against fresh young leaves 

on the riverside Weeping Willow.

 

Last spring, Cora gave the grass its first haircut April 1

….this year she did it in February....

 

 ….while Willow supervised from the safety of the deck!

We all hope that this lovely Spring is followed by

 a magical Summer!
 

 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

If you've been to the Duck Inn to 

celebrate a romantic occasion, 

you may have received one of

Robert Held's Heart Paperweights.

We started buying them several years ago from

his Art Glass Studio in Kitsilano.

Our Hearts overflowed the basket and reminded us 

of this print by Rebecca Davies, 

a dear friend and artist who is no longer with us. 

We think of her everytime we walk past the Hearts!

Robert Held has moved his studio to 

Parksville on Vancouver Island

 and has stopped making Hearts.

Our basket now looks like this.

While searching for something to replace the Hearts, 

Cora has been amusing herself by dressing 

Willow up in Heart necklaces!

She looks thrilled, doesn't she?

MEMORIES OF SNOW

IT'S JANUARY 2015!  

Jill and Allen have flown south to La Paz in Mexico 

where they have views like this sunset from their terrace.

 Cora and Willow the Cat are back at the Duck Inn, 

hoping for a snow free winter...although they loved

 this view from the office window  last year.

The swans weren't bothered at all by the ice on the river.

And It took more than a little snow to keep this

 hearty soul off the water.

One year, everything got a snow topping, 

and Jill's car almost disappeared.

All the garden sculptures were surprised by their new looks.

 

 Down on the dock, ponds and planters froze.

 

Snow fell on cedars,

willows,

 berries

 

and the ivy covered staircase!

Even the hockey player took a hit.

 Madly trying to keep up with all the snow was ALLEN, constantly shoveling and sweeping.

 

 

To Jill's dismay, he insisted on clearing all the roofs....

even the one over the dining gazebo.

 

CHRISTMAS AT THE DUCK INN

For as long as we can remember, the first weekend in December has meant parades of the Ladner Carol Ships on the river in front of our house and the Duck Inn. Years ago, when Allen still had his commercial gillnetter, the Stormy Monday, we would light up the boat and join the procession. Many of our friends had young children then, so each little person had a turn steering the boat. 

Picture a stately parade of 15 to 20 Carol Ships,

 with one little fish boat weaving back and forth as small hands grappled with the wheel!

Now we are content to watch from home, with a few friends over to join in the merriment. 

Here are some of this year’s ships.

The larger ships have church choirs on deck, singing merrily as they make their way to the Government Dock in the Ladner Harbour ~ where more choirs and lots of warmly dressed families welcome them.

Those of you who have been here know that we use the Duck Inn as an excuse for keeping our Christmas lights up all year. And then we add a few extra lights to mark the season. 

Allen, the ardent hockey fan, has to have this

 Vancouver Canuck lit up to help the team’s chances.

Every year we decorate a Grand Fir for the house 

because we love that Christmas Tree scent.

But our favourite tree photo is this one taken by Cora last year. When we took the tree down in January, it still had lots of life in it, so we put it in an oak barrel and let the rain and snow keep it fresh. It finally went out with the yard trimmings in April!

We strew the house with more lights to keep the winter darkness at bay.

And, of course, the Duck Inn  gets a holiday sparkle, too.

Each cottage has a fibre-optic tree ~ very hard to capture as the lights move constantly.

Here's the Water Garden

And Willow Cottage

And finally, Willow the Cat, gets the Christmas spirit!

 ~ or not ~