WE CAME HOME TO ROSES

We left behind the bougainvillea and palm trees of

 La Paz at the end of May and came home to 

roses blooming in our garden on the river.

The first one we smelled was this Lovely Lavendar Lagerfeld 

(named for Karl) by the mailbox.

We bought these Magic Carpet ramblers years ago because they were supposed to be groundcover roses, and we thought it would be lovely to have a carpet of little roses between the other shrubs. Our Magic Carpets didn't obey their instructions and climbed on our pergolas instead! 

This one near the mailbox loves the low pergola 

where the sweet peas grow.

This one, in the main garden, chose to climb to the top of the highest pergola and spread itself out up there. By mid summer it will have spread into our Japanese Apple Pear tree!

And this pink one waited until we pruned an unruly 

Climbing Peace and scrambled up the stalks to replace it!

In the main cutting garden, these two stalwarts have been blooming since April.

 They are the mainstays of our summer bouquets, 

adding their pink and red tones.

As you walk down to our house, two fragrant Olde English Roses have also reached for the top and put their blooms up on the roof of the canoe shelter and the greenhouse  so that you can only appreciate them from the ramp.

 We hope they will form a canopy 

around the canoes this summer.

Once you reach the house to check in, this prolific red climber, which we planted over 20 years ago, 

will tumble out of it's container to greet you.

And no matter where you are in our garden, or on our dock, you will find David Austen English Roses with their intense fragrances. An elderly specimen of this climber is in the planting bed beside the lawn, but we loved it so much that we had to get another to add to a pot on our dining dock.

How many roses do we have? We truly have no idea....

and some of those that welcomed us home looked completely new to us....as if they had been in hiding for years and decided that this spring was warm enough for them 

to chance an appearance!

NESTING SEASON

As our time in Mexico comes to an end, 

Cora is tempting us home with shots of

the latest Mother Duck to lay her eggs at the Duck Inn.

Here's the proud Mama, hiding away among

  all the other ducks on the Water Garden Verandah.

She choose to lay her eggs in the planter

 beside the little duck pond.

They seem happy among the vines that are 

just starting to come out of hibernation.

The soaker tub is handy if Mama wants to 

give them swimming lessons when they hatch.

It will be interesting to see how Mama 

gets them down to the river 

so they can swim away like last year's brood. 

Some human help may be needed!

Here in La Paz, we have our own nesting adventure. 

A pair of house finches has built a nest in 

our Dining Balcony lampshade.

It took a very tall ladder to get a picture of the eggs!

 Allen unscrewed the lightbulbs at the same time.

This is as close as Mama would let him get 

when she was sitting on the eggs.

But Papa Finch, with his red head and breast,

 was happy to pose atop the bougainvillea.

These eggs won't hatch before we go home, 

but we look forward to the baby ducklings!

WILLOW'S WORLD

 Ever since Willow came into our lives in 1999 

and enchanted us with her wide blue Himalayan eyes, 

we knew we would love her forever!

When she was a kitten, a neighbourhood cat scared her 
and that was the last time she left our property! 
Her outside world is our garden and docks 
and all the creatures she finds there.  
 When we see what lies beyond the yard, 
we are grateful that she doesn't wander away. 

This coyote, photographed by one of our favourite guests, 
is just across the river.

Willow, like most cats, has always been a climber

Our Weeping Willow tree has always been her special 
hiding place....and it was easy to choose her name. 

Now that she is in her Golden Years, she spends more time 
napping....on her favourite cushions
....and even on the stairs!

She still does lots of exploring on the docks, and 
her fascination with the swans has been lifelong.

Willow has several games she likes to play  with them. 
She can sit patiently for hours, watching the river,
 waiting for one of her beautiful friends to appear.

Her patience is rewarded...here comes one now!

It gets closer!

If Willow is feeling generous, she brings the Duck Food 
with her….it’s also her dry cat food and 
sometimes she’s willing to share! 

She likes to make the swan work for it though. 
First she pretends not to see her visitor.

Then she turns her back on it!

The swan comes closer!

Until it's too close for comfort.

Willow retreats a safe distance and keeps the food
 just out of the swan's reach!

 "All Right! Here's some for you!"

"And lots for me!"

" Now I need another nap!"

"Thank You, Cora, for taking the pictures!"

 "And for helping Jill and Allen choose my name! 
They are very nice people, but they would never 
have picked 'WILLOW' by themselves!"

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!