Stepping out my back door of my little 1950's house

onto the old peeling deck

It's been hung with home-made green glass lanterns

made from old florists vases I've hung with twine and sewn beads on

A wooden hanger stained with green

holds peanuts and black sunflower seeds for the blue jays and other birds

Surfaces are messy with pots, for it's gardening time

The wind chimes have become tangled in the fuschia,

which will be busy with hummingbirds soon

Chives grow in a pot for use on the bbq,

and thermometer says the weather is fine!

I remember days gone by... when we had a dress up party

and it was hung with sari silks

and as night fell, we lit the many latterns

and laughed and played in the garden till late at night...

Oh.. I have to interrupt the present, and show some past.

I had pink hair then

We all dressed in silks and sparkly things and we feasted

There was belly dancing and pot luck food and many friends.

Here I am again, with my family member ash, my husbands other partner.
While my friend Roxy hangs sari's standing on the chair next to us

I miss the parties we used to have here

but it's too much to socialize like that for me now.

However the jewels in the garden are just as bright
in the blossoms of all the flowers growing there.

Let's get back to that tour of the garden
and the present day.

So then I stepped off my deck this morning

camera in hand, and proceeded to take a wander

through the garden, through the lens...

From the bottom of the steps

I can snap the back left half of the garden.

Where we've landscaped a little peninsula garden bed

which features the pink dogwood tree.

Which is now in full glorious bloom...

I could spend hours just gazing at it's vibrant blossoms

the contrast of warm pinks against the bright azure blue sky

is mesmerizing to me...

Then on the right hand side of the back garden, we have a large shed

with a concrete pad... and in front of it we've created a garden bed

Mostly a rose garden, though the tulips are busy there now.

In the foreground is the little apple tree we've just planted

it's been trimmed recently and seems happy

as it's started to bloom

the branches are being weighted down so they will grow outwards.

I'm looking forward to the roses climbing on the trellis against the shed

and all the other roses coming into bloom...

and the apple tree one day being big and covered in blossoms

and the fruit!

Iggy one of our pugs, the brindle guy... loves apples

He thinks apple trees are the best thing in the world

that they're trees that grow edible balls.

He loves to chase, and eat, apples.

Right now the tree is small, and has only a scattering of beautiful blossoms

but those blossoms bring the promise of more to come.

Spring growth is here... despite all the chaos and destruction in the world.

Spring endures...

So the over view of the view from the bottom of the back steps has been done...

Lets wander toward the back of the garden...

Here's a closer view of the back alley's fence. The bush on the right

are raspberries, as are the bushes cut off the right side of the pic.

On the other side of the rock is the goji berry plant.

These are also known as wolf berries,

and are incredibly nutritious, known as a 'super food'.

In between is a small fig tree, but right now it's leafless

so it's hard to make out against the fence...

Here's a closer view of the goji, it's being trained to grow along the fence.

There is a small fancy cabbage growing in the left bottom side of the pic

but you can barely see it.. it's a yellowy green patch.

(pictures of everything would be impossible)

Here you can see the fig tree better

as well as an ornamental grass we've planted by the boulder

The cats love to hide and chase behind the grasses,

the grasses were very much planted for cat ambushing escapades

What cats you ask... oh they're there

you'll see plenty of pics of them soon enough

they were stalking me everywhere I went in the garden

keeping me company, as were the pugs.

So now from the back of the garden, turning around

I face the back of the house

from the other side of the beautiful dogwood tree.

You can see the old deck, and in the bottom right corner

the hot tub where I do a lot of soaking

With 6 foot fences that soaking is done happily nude

Where I can soak in sunshine

or the starshine and moonshine while moon bathing

That funny looking thing on the left is the little apple tree,

if you don't recognize it.

At this point I really needed that bench.. okay, truth be told

I'd already sat on it a while, but then I sat on it again

Loki decided to sit with me.

To remind me to rest a while

he did his job encouraging me to break

by insisting on being pet and adored.

I snapped a couple of pics from the bench,

but soon the flowers in the dogwood peninsula

beckoned me to come closer

The flowers above are tulips, fancy tulips

with crazy colours and raggedy leaves

The ones that are so bright yellow and red striped

They remind me of circus tents

If I were naming this flower I would call it

Faery Circus

Look! The faery circus is in town, the tents are being put up...

Further in the garden bed are some peachy, yellowy orangey fancy tulips

past the broken Chinese 100 year old egg pot...

I love flowers that can't decide if they are yellow, orange or peach...

Mutant tulips, with extra petals and extra heads on the stalks

the garden.. has gone insane clown posse

Further back still are some miniature tulips, mimicking the larger red and yellow

I suppose they'd want to run away and join the circus too...

We only have a few of these, but I think the plan is to grow more next year

There is something amazing about big flowers...

and something amazing about small flowers too.

Speaking of tiny flowers... these grow in our lawn.

I LOVE them... the folliage is rich and reddish

and the flowers a vibrant violet.

If they are a weed, I welcome them.

The plan is eventually to have no lawn, only garden.

One of my favourite flowers in the garden are the peonies...

they are just starting to bud now. It will be a while still

before they open their blooms, but the number of buds is

astonishing. This garden produces like nothing I've seen...

We have blood red peonies, pale pink peonies... and white peonies.

The deep rich red peonies I love the most.

But right now it's the earlier spring flowers

mostly tulips, in the garden

Then there's these flowers I found at the garden center

They call them a type of 'butter cup'

I thought butter cups were just the wild flowers one found in lawns and meadows.

But these butter cups came in all different colours... I got orangey and reddy ones

They also have many many petals, which is a look I like.. lush...

They come back year after year.

and the tiny little grape hyacinth flowers...

which we didn't plant, but grow many places on the property.

I love these, these and the blue bells in the garden

remind me of childhood...

Because I loved to go and pick flowers

and places like empty lots and meadows

would have loads of grape hyacinth and blue bells

for big bunches of blossoms to bring my mother.

Sometimes it's the simple little flowers

wildflowers and weeds

that bring as much joy as big elegant expensive blossoms

All flowers in a garden are unique

and all are beautiful.

Then I needed another rest...

So lay in the wet grass and took some pics

and the cats and dogs insisted on some photo op time.

First it was Loki again... meeting my gaze across the peninsula

reminding me that perhaps I should take it easy and relax a while.

He's a sweet guy, and he keeps an eye out for me.

Who do you see Loki? Not just us two cats anymore?

Our other black cat Freyja on the way in for a friendly hello

A little nose to nose cat kissing, everyone seems mellow today

No big wrassle fests in the garden.

Freyja, also known as 'little cat' because she's a petite one

is mostly all black, unlike Loki who is all black.

Freyja has a hidden white patch between her hind legs low on her belly

She has a crescent moon, hidden there.

Her eyes are green, while loki's are amber yellow almost orange.

Her collar has half moons and stars on it, and his is plain.

There... now you can tell them apart. *smile*

Now Loki has gone off to rendezvous with the third member of the motley cat crew!

The fluffy puffy ginger terror... is called Odin. He's not full grown yet,

however he's already bigger than Loki, who's the oldest.

Him and Loki have a lot of boy on boy cat loving and grooming sessions

they are the best of pals, and often play together.

Little cat, Freyja is friendly with them, but a little more reserved

She still sleeps and cuddles and grooms with them

but she gets annoyed with too much rough housing from giant teen kitten Odin.

Freyja was more interested instead in flirting with me from the garden

while the boys played, hoping I might want to give her some love

instead of taking silly pictures.

The pugs were wandering around too...

Luna, is our black puggy girl. Technically she's 3/4 pug and 1/4 boston terrier.

So not just a pug.

She also was hoping maybe I'd put the camera down...

give her a few belly rubs and ear scritches.

Don't feel bad for her... she gets spoilt lovies from me all day long. :)

Yes, the regal pug... and not to be left out of things...

Iggy Piggy, St. Ignatius, the great and glorious Pig

This is a brindle boy of distinction who is very friendly

but very bossy and likes to tell you off.

He's chatty, more than yappy, as his voice isn't that yappish

more... well, hmmm, impossible to describe

If he had access to a ball of some kind

it would have been in his mouth and he'd have

been hounding me all morning.

My fur babies!

Okay... so, enough of a break for me.. lets wander some more

if you're not bored yet that is...

me, I can spend all day in the garden.

Turning back to look at the shed, I see one of the antique bird cages I've hung

The rose is climbing over it, but there is still plenty of access for birds.

We put seed inside and leave the cage doors open

the birds fly in and out and feed, and are safe

the smaller tiny finches will fly right between the bars!

No birds in the garden today for me to photograph...

not with all 3 cats in the yard and on the prowl!

To photograph birds, I need to be out when the cats are napping!

we haven't put a seed bell or tray of seed in that cage for a while

should do so, it's wonderful to see a dozen birds busy

in and around, in and out, clinging to rose branches and cage bars

I can't wait till the roses are in bloom...

some are starting

Mostly just the one in the pot by the back deck stairs...

It can't decide if it's pink, or peach, it's a blush...

This one is called a 'sandalwood rose'

and it has a beautiful scent.

I love roses... something so majestic yet innocent about them.

and the scent... so sweet and subtle.

We have in the rose garden by the shed...

white roses, red roses, pink roses

and purple tiger striped roses (I got for my birthday one year)

miniature roses and big roses, and climbing roses

I'm excited for when they come...

the roses and the peonies.

But for now, in that garden bed...

just more crazy fancy mutant tulips!

Look, the one above has a tiny bee or wasp of some kind, perhaps a mason bee

These are very beneficial for pollinating in the garden

they also kill pest insects, and are non-stinging

We're planning on building mason bee houses this year

to encourage more of them in the garden.

Lots of those warm multi-toned mult-petalled multi-headed tulips!

and also some more stripey frilly leafed ones!

So here I was laying in the wet grass with my camera in front of the rose beds now

shooting the tulips... and of course, Loki still following me close

wanders by...

What's this...

he wants me to show you whats down the little fenced off area

besides the shed along the side fence.

It's a little side garden leading down to the compost pile.

Loki feels I'm paying too much attention to flowers

and not enough to compost.

He thinks I'm hunting perhaps...

stalking in the grass with him

Maybe he's trying to teach me where

to go... come look for rats Mama!

the rats are down here in the compost!

I let my camera follow him down there, but I stayed put laying down in the grass

I watched him climb the pile and jump on the fence.

He stared at me a while, like a gargoyle.

Trying to psychically send me messages perhaps

that this

this is where the hunting's good.

He gave up soon and came padding back to me.Then Ash came out in the garden...

perhaps to check on me, they do that you know.

make sure I haven't fallen somewhere and can't get up ;)

They're not fooling me...

Freyja came back round, and Odin too, to join Loki, Ash and I by the side fence.

Ash had a mug of something with her... maybe milk?

Can we see... is it milk? will you share?

Milk's not good for most kitties.. can make them sick,

but a sniff and a quick baby sip doesn't hurt these guys.

Now Ash also follows me around in the garden with the furry family members

she however is more discreet.

Peeking along the side fence in the other direction opposite the shed,

has us looking along the side of the house too.

The side garden beds are planted with all kinds of things

Though only some are here with the spring

mostly tulips again, but some of the herbs are growing

Past the little gate opposite is an area that's been planted

vegetable garden here, tucked away.

Nothing to see in that front corner of the back yard yet...

except for messy rocky weedy dirt...

so I wont show more of it. :)

There's a twisty trunk little tree that grows along that fence

It makes bright red berries in winter...

but I don't know what it is

anyone?

Another antique birdhouse I painted hangs as another feeder

and a birdhouse I painted above it, which needs to be moved to a safe location

so the birds can use it again next year.

No birds.. wonder why...

Well if it were just the dog at the base of the tree,

the birds wouldn't mind, the dogs ignore them, so they ignore the dogs

but not so the cats.

Here Iggy is trying to explain that this type of tree is good for sniffing

While Loki is trying to explain that rather this tree is good for scratching

They share culture between them often

so we have pugs with feline habits,

and cats with canine courtesies.

Standing by the strange little tree and taking more pictures of Loki

I see a small dark grey rat in the grass

it looks like it could almost be sleeping, but for the open shiny eyes

freshly killed, compost pile?

Evidently if I'm not going to learn to hunt

I must be provided for.

I decided to opt not to take a picture of the rat close up.

and removed it instead.

So back to the garden. Along the side fence also currently in bloom

are some beautiful white bleeding hearts and some blood red carnations

they're growing in front of a thai buddha I have there.

I love bleeding heart flowers, and this evening as I write this

My husband Wolfe and ash are in the garden planting more flowers

some that look very similar to bleeding hearts with a big long hard to spell name

that are dark blood red and more exotic looking.

Looking forward to seeing them, as they weren't in this mornings garden!

So these little heart blossoms are the last of treasures from the garden

that I have to show you today anyways...

I hope you enjoyed wandering through my garden with me...

and that I didn't tire you out too much!

It was a long wander, it took a lot out of me,

so I'm off for a late dinner and a rest now.

Live in Love

Leila