My neighbourhood

One of the things I really like about my neighbourhood is going for walks

in the early morning or after supper just before sunset.

I catch such pretty lighting at these times of the day.

I loved catching the early evening sun behind these beautiful wild roses.

These yellow roses are really lovely too and in an area of individual houses

with lovely gardens and on very quiet streets.

One of my favourite colours in roses: a warm apricot colour.

Wild flowers pop up on the edge of gardens and I love to capture them too!

Delicate little Aquilegia appear wherever they are left to grow.

So dainty!

I often see these beautiful Delphiniums as I pass them by on my evening walks.

Their dark blue petals look like shot silk with reflections of pink and purple.

Bright red roses grow through the fencing - much to the delight of passers-by.

On Saturdays, I like to go down to the market. 

This lovely stall is where I bought the Gaillardia for my balcony garden.

This is the Spelt bread that I buy at the market. This loaf lasts me the whole week.

The strawberries are called 'Mara des Bois' and they taste like wild strawberries.

Fresh organic asparagus is lovely at this time of the year too.

Last week, we had very violent rain and hailstorms at the end of the day.

I managed to save all my flowers by removing them from the balcony edge,

but the Gaillardia still got a little beating.

Despite that, the beauty remains!

The new buds have formed beautiful blooms in the meantime.

Also just changing into the most delicious shade of raspberry pink,

my second hydrangea plant from two years' ago.

They are a good contrast to the paler pink hydrangea from this year.

My lavender is doing well and the bees are getting interested!

A golden yellow Zinnia with red and pink ones too and a cascade of Alyssum

shedding tiny white petals everywhere, but smelling like honey!

I have been crocheting

A chunky yarn couch throw.

I'm waiting for a yarn order to make it grow.

Teddy got a new granny square jacket too. Orange, to match his eyes!

To celebrate the Summer Solstice

I've crocheted a sunny Mandala

which I've called: ' Daisy and Buttercups and Changing Skies'!

Wishing you all a very happy Summer Solstice!

Do you do something special to celebrate?

I'll be taking a little blog break as I'm going to England for a visit next week!

See you sometime in July!

My Balcony Garden - June 2019

Today, I'm going to take you into my garden!

The month of June is a good time to see all the lovely colours and flowers

in my Balcony Garden!

These beautiful yellow Primula were planted at the beginning of March

and they have done marvellously well.

A huge favourite of mine are Gaillardia flowers, sometimes called Blanket Flowers.

I had them for the first time two years' ago

but couldn't find them last year.

I did buy three beautiful plants downtown in the Flower Market this year though.

Aren't the buds so full of lovely details?

So charming too when the petals start to form

They are doing so well

and the bees adore them.

I can see why!

My lovely purple Campanula, or Bellflowers, have been coming back for years

in a very big terra cotta pot.

So lovely to have this colour among the warmer tones.

My Edelweiss flowers are doing so well. Most of them are still in bud form.

I still need to find some blue Gentian to keep them company.

The Zinnias are looking lovely.

Three different colours in the same window box

Red

Yellow

Pink

Surrounded by deep blue Lobelia

and white Alyssum

There are dark pink and lighter pink Geraniums

There are peachy pink Begonia

and darker Begonia with frilly petals

My hydrangea, my Mother's Day gift, are turning pink

Aren't those tiny central flowers amazing?

Here is the view from one side of my balcony overlooking the road below.

I was happy to see how much greenery I can see, despite my urban environment.

I'm ending up with a collage of my geraniums that you can see in the photo of my balcony.

I hope that you have enjoyed this colourful visit of all the flowers that make me happy

every year.

Having a balcony makes living in a town very much more bearable.

In fact, I have the best of both worlds really 

with all the useful shops and other amenities in my direct neighbourhood

and the joy of seeing so much green and having the possibility of

growing all these flowers outside.

Do you like growing flowers and plants?

Perhaps you have your favourites too.

Let's Walk Along the Lake

On a hot day, there's nothing like a walk by the lake to make me feel cool again.

This is the port in the town of Morges.

The reflections and colours of the water make everything feel so harmonious.

A little border of pebbly beach and watching fluffy clouds collect over the mountain summits.

I love walking here where the river joins the lake.

The chestnut trees were in full bloom and looked so lovely against the sky.

The overhanging branches of a tree bring in some fresh green into the scene

 creating my favourite colour combination of blue and green together!

So glad to take you with me down to the lake!

Do you have a favourite colour combination?