A Trip To The Country Market

More warm temps in the forecast for today and tomorrow...the weekend weather was pretty warm as well!

Mr. Seventies and I took a short trip to a Country Market/Greenhouse over the weekend...as he had a "bare spot" in one of the flower gardens..and wanted a few annuals to fill the void and add colour.  And since the market was having a 40% off sale...no better time to go!  We went before lunch..in hopes it wouldn't be too busy...and it was a good call.

We browsed the huge greenhouse first...oh the smell of all the beautiful flowers was amazing!!

Nothing I love more than a gazebo...

Beautiful hanging baskets...

I'm not a fan of water fountains...but this was very nice...and huge!

Even a "faux" home exterior...crushing big time on that arch!!

Not to mention...Laurel and Hardy!!  I remember watching them on television as a child!!

Next, we did a quick tour of the market area...so many beautiful items!

A delicious breakfast bar set up where you can purchase delicious coffee, tea & snacks!!

Part of the gift shop area...lots of unique items to choose from...

And an area where garden and cook books are sold...I see a few of which we have already...

And, outside as we were leaving...we had to check out the goats!   Yep....you read right.  Goats!!

Look at this little sweetie...Maisy!!  The have food inside the market you can feed them...there were a couple of cute "kids" giving them snacks!

They are so sweet and gentle...and very friendly!  I'd never been that close to goats before!

This cutie was pretty interested in munching on a bale of straw!

I ended up purchasing a "spray" for the front door!  Not that I don't love the basket arrangement I made earlier...it never quite hung right on the door.  This one is perfect!  And at 60% off...too good to pass up!

And lastly...our Red Prince Weigela is in full bloom!!  Beautiful shrub!!  

Peonies are Blooming!!

First of two peony bushes are a blooming with gorgeous colour!  I just had to pick a fresh bouquet.  Now I'm not the only one who loves peonies....so do ants!!  A trick I use, is once cut I plunge the flowers in a bucket of cold water and leave them for about a half hour or so.  Then rinse them again in fresh cold water...and that takes care of any ants that may be in the blossoms.  

The second peony bush has huge, pink blossoms...they resemble oversize cabbage roses.  Mr. Seventies reports it is ready to bloom any day now.  

We've had some intense heat the last few days...and while I'm not complaining...it's disheartening not to have the pool operational...yet.  I was assured it would be repaired this week...and my calls and emails have gone unanswered.  I'm going to give it until next week...and if the company does not respond...I will go in..request our liner deposit be returned...and advise they have lost a customer.   At this stage, we are losing valuable summer enjoyment...and if they don't intend to show up...we will check with other pool establishments.  Which likely means an even longer wait...but frustration is getting the best of us.  I understand it's a busy time of year, especially for pool companies...but a returned phone call or email...takes mere minutes.  Even after a visit to the pool shop did not seem to accomplish much for us.  

Update on my slipcovers...I shipped my old ones off last week and they arrived safe and sound at the seamstress'.  Yesterday, I ordered the fabrics (having them shipped directly to her).  There was a change of fabric choices...as the skirting material I chose was a polyester (cotton lined)..and she wasn't sure how the polyester would work with the cotton...once washed. 

Not wanting to risk too much shrinkage with the polyester..I decided to forgo it.   Still going with this fabric for the seat and back cushions...

And this navy twill for the body of the sofa and chair.  The piping on the cushions will be piped in this navy as well.  It's a very durable, heavy cotton twill....perfect for slip covers.

I really wanted to use this fabric for the slipcover skirts...but it states it must be dry cleaned..it's not really conducive to our needs.  

The seamstress is going to pre-shrink all the fabric prior to sewing them.  Depending on when she receives the fabric (shipping stated 5-7 business days)...she will get started on them immediately and they will be finished the middle of the month and shipped.

Much cooler air today...showers in the forecast.  The weekend weather looks great..Mr. Seventies plans to have mulch delivered and spread in the flower gardens!  We've already had spinach from the veggie garden!

Have a great weekend!!

Favourite Finds

Whew!  The heat has finally arrived here....and I'm luvin' it!!  29 glorious degrees...felt like 37 with the humidex.  Could do without the humidy....but unlike other provinces...we don't get weeks or months of hot, humid weather.  So I'll take it when I can get it...and today is going to be another scorcher!

Yesterday I spent running errands, getting my nails done, picking up dog food for Liesel...ran into my favourite decor store for a half hour or so of browsing!

How adorable is this kitchen towel?  Cute long hair dachshund sporting a top hat and bow tie!  I couldn't leave it in the store...so into my cart it went!!

I'm all about "scents"...sprays, candles and tarts are used daily!  I've purchased these pretty bottles of spray in the past...love them!

They had new sprays in stock....picked up a couple...oh my....they are delicious smelling!  And pretty canisters too!

I'm crushing on these mason jar candles...and they smell twice as awesome!  Next visit....I'm picking up one...or two....

The seventies called...and want this light fixture back...macrame is making a comeback I hear!!

I love this farmhouse butter dish...

My old slipcovers arrive at the seamstress' shop today!  So excited she will begin working on whipping up my new ones!  In the meantime....our sofa and chair are covered in throws and blankets!  I was very disappointed with the non-durability of the fabric....for the price of the pieces...the quality of the fabric was just not there!   I'm leaving the love seat slipcovers as is, for now....as it does not get used all that much and the fabric does not get the wear and tear like the other pieces.

Liesel and I are off for an early morning walk...before the heat sets in!!  

Front Steps are Stained

Happy Belated Canada Day!!  We had a low key weekend...content to putter around the house and property and get things done.  Finished the day off yesterday with a bar-b-que and fresh strawberries from Nova Scotia.  Island berries...will be few and far between this year...as a late frost caused a great deal of destruction to berry crops here.

While the rest of the Maritime provinces are enduring a heat wave...it was only 13 degrees here with a cold breeze last evening...and we decided to forgo the celebratory fireworks on the water front.  We could hear them...(and could Liesel and she voiced her displeasure vocally).

Mr. Seventies put two coats of stain on the front steps on Saturday...

I'm still waiting for another solar candle to arrive..in the meantime I added one to another lantern I had on hand..

And my whimsical "ool" sign is secured to the pool deck wall as you enter the pool!  

Mr. Seventies also decided to put a fresh coat of stain on the back deck steps...but will wait and do the rest hopefully once the pool is operational  With hot weather finally forecasted...hoping they do come this week and do the repairs!

I picked up a super comfy pair of casual sandals over the weekend...they are Josef Seibel sandals..I had a hard time choosing between brown or black...and finally decided on a black pair.  The are very easy to slip on and fasten...I'd been need a pair of casual sandals and these fit the bill.

Our potatoes in the vegetable garden are almost ready to blossom....the lettuce and spinach are ready now! (that's peas growing next to the potatoes).

And I marvel at the beauty of my Bridal Wreath spirea this year...simply breath taking!

And on that note, I'll leave you with a few more beautiful plants from the gardens...these blooms were covered with butterflies the other day!

Some hosts are huge!

Mixture of lupins and iris...we planted red lupins...hope they grow!!  Waiting patiently for them to make an appearance!

Have a great day!!

Repaving the Driveway

Nothing says glamorous like having your driveway repaved!  Just keeping it real!  It's been a few years since we've last had our driveway paved...and since then...the city has torn up and repaved the end of the drive three times over the years. (since they own the first x number of feet).

First time they tore everything up...including the front lawn..was to upgrade our area to add us to the city's sewer system.  Up until that point...home owners in our neighbourhood had their own septic tanks.   And regulations require home owners to have their tanks emptied and either filled with sand or removed from the property.  We opted to have ours removed...of course now we had the back lawn area dug up to remove and and the front lawn torn up to hook us on to the new system.  That meant putting in a new front lawn (at our own expense)...and the city paved the area of the drive they had destroyed.

The very next year...the city upgraded our neighbourhood again...to connect everyone to the city water supply...rather than each home having it's own well.  Again...the front lawn and driveway was dug up...and we were connected to city water.

Now it did not matter if you chose not to connect to either of these services...you were going to be charged a monthly fee anyways.  For example...the neighbours to the right of us...did not connect to city water...but they pay for it.  Go figure.  They will have to connect at some point...as we now have water meters and billed for the water we use.  Which is fine for us....we use less water than say a family of five so why should we be paying the same amount.  Cheaper to only pay for the water you use.

Where was I going with all this?  Oh...yes.  Once we had the lawn and end of drive repaired for a second time...the city decided it was time to put in new culverts and sidewalks!  So...round three!

So, now the end of our drive has quite a slope...as opposed to being flat...miserable during the winter when snow and ice builds up.

I've spend the last couple of weeks getting paving quotes from paving companies...and it turns out there is quite a difference in cost.  The company we chose, has their own asphalt plant...so there is no markup on the price like there would be if a company has to purchase the asphalt and make a bit a money on the mark up.  Quite a mark up it is too...to the tune of $600 or more.

So we chose the company that makes their own asphalt...they will level the driveway...put down a new layer of gravel base and then a layer of fresh asphalt.  Around the end of July.

And pool update...since summer has finally arrived here...of course...we want our pool up & running. I stopped in to pool shop...and was advised we are "next on the list".   Story of my life.   With rain in the forecast tomorrow and Monday being Canada Day...it's safe to say, if the weather is good...we won't see them until next week.  I was advised the new liner we chose in April has arrived..so weather permitting...keeping fingers crossed we will be functional next week.

Today is my grand daughter's high school graduation in Nova Scotia...so motoring across the Confederation Bridge to attend the ceremonies!

Flowers Are Blooming

It's hard to believe that our gardens look as amazing as they do, given the constant wet weather we've had for the past two months.  It looks like starting tomorrow...things will take an upswing with sun and warmer temps in the forecast.

I'm patiently waiting for the first of three peonies to bloom...the first one is a gorgeous cranberry colour.  We also have a pretty pink one, which blooms shortly after...and a new one planted only last year...will have orange blooms..which will need a few more years to mature.

Our rhododendron is showing off her amazing colour!  This shrub is years and years old...I'm thinking, since it doesn't get very big...it might be a dwarf version.  But stunning none the less!

We have Alium in two colours...white and a deep violet!  These multiply like rabbits!!  Mr. Seventies

has split and moved dozens of their bulbs...and they keep on growing!!

These striking beauties are known as Jacob's Ladder...we seem to have a number of purple or violet colours in the gardens...

And the Bridal Spirea is just starting to blossom!  And she will be stunning...long arches of white flowers...so reminiscent of a large bridal bouquet in days gone by!!  We paid about $15 for her from a nursery many years ago...and she has not failed us!!  The shrub next to her is a Burning Bush...will be flaming red in the fall!

Another view...the tulips have pretty much finished blooming for this year!

In the foreground...miniature Bachelor Buttons...they spread like wildfire...really filling in this garden.

The Iris have bloomed even more since taking these photos..Mr. Seventies is ordering a few more that come in yellow/orange!  Those will get planted in the fall...for next spring's bloom. 

As Hosta are thriving with our damp, cool weather!

There is lots more to bloom yet!  I suspect the Red Prince and Varigated Wiegelia will be next!

Look who I ran into at Home Sense the other day...look familiar?  Larger than the prints I ordered previously...and more expensive...and I prefer darker frames.  But adorable none the less!

The sun is out...hope to spend a bit of time on the deck this afternoon!  If the weather is as good as forecasted....Mr. Seventies will get the front step stained this week!  

New Slipcover

When a flyer arrived in the mail 3-4 years ago from a furniture store from the eastern part of the province...the front page displayed the very slipcovered pieces I had been longing and searching for!  In other parts of the world, slip covered furniture had been available for ages...due in part to Ikea I suspect.  But at that time, there was no Ikea store in the Maritimes...until about a year ago when one opened up in Nova Scotia.

After a quick trip to the furniture store....only to discover they only had the sofa in stock...and it, the love seat and chair would need to be ordered.  At the time...I wanted a neutral colour...so I chose the off white covers.  Then I waited patiently for almost 8 weeks for everything to arrive.

I have been extremely happy with the furniture itself...the covers...not so much.   The first piece to show wear is the chair...the stitching has let go along the top behind the back cushion...and the piping on the arms is really showing wear.  So, time to have a new cover made.  I'll start with the chair...and decide on the sofa and love seat at a later time.

Finding a seamstress has proven challenging.  One awesome lady is more than happy to ... but with one catch.  You need to deliver your chair to her location....which is outside the city.  As awesome as her work is...as she made slipcovers for my daughter's sofa and love seat...their furniture was gone for two months while she sewed them!  Since my current cover is available, it should be pretty simple to make a new cover using it as a template.  But that suggestion was turned down.
So..I kept looking....

I spoke with a local gal who has a sewing business...however I did not find her very helpful...as I have a specific look in mind...and she was showing me dark, tweed like fabric.  And customer service skills were lacking...as I did not have her undivided attention...she kept leaving me to answer her phone....and when a guy came in to pick up a sail she had repaired...she walked away from me and got into a lengthy discussion with him about recovering cushions on his boat!   She pushed a piece of paper in my hand, with a website for fabrics and her business card...and that was about it!  Oh...and the cover would take two months before it would be ready.  And a $35 home visit fee was required for her to "look" at the chair.

So much for shopping local!  Well...I tried.  I contacted a wonderful lady on line...who was so helpful and when I shared my vision..she loved it!   We spoke on the phone for at least 30 minutes!  And I can pack up my current chair and seat and back cushion covers and send them off to her...and she can use them for a template no problem!  (since I'd have to spend $35 for a local visit...I can send my cover by Courier for about the same cost or less).

Since I'm a huge fan of Waverly fabrics...these are my picks...for the seat and back cushions...

For the skirt....

And canvas navy for the body of the chair and the piping....

If the chair looks half as amazing as I think it will...I'm considering matching slipcovers for the sofa and love seat as well! 

Mr. Seventies had planned to stain the front steps on Saturday...but rain was forecast for Sunday and today (need a few good days for the stain to cure) ....  so he gave the back door a fresh coat of paint after a good wipe down to remove any dirt and dust.  

I can't believe this weekend is Canada Day weekend!  And we don't even have the pool repaired...much less up and running!  In a "normal" season...it would be operational on Victoria Day weekend in May...and we would usually be swimming by the end of June.  Not going to happen this year.  Somewhere I saw a prediction we are supposed to have a hot, dry summer...I think that crystal ball was cloudy!  

Motoring to Nova Scotia later in the week..our oldest granddaughter is graduating high school!  I can't even believe where the years have gone!  Looking forward to seeing her walk across the stage and receive her diploma!