autumn colors in my Flatrock garden

Just a few snaps from last weekend in the garden.  

I haven't had much time to put up a proper post this week...hopefully on the weekend!

Cheers

:)

September Snow???? Oh No!!!

We have a common saying here about the weather- - -"If you don't like the season, wait a few minutes!"

Well, that saying certainly rang true this weekend...we had snow yesterday!!!! Yes - - - SNOW ! !

Check out the VOCM website here for yourself.  Here`s what it had to say about yesterday`s weather...

Mother Nature set some records in the province yesterday we won't be boasting about. You won't have to shovel it, but according to Provincial Airlines and Aerospace Meteorologist Brian Walsh, for just the second time on record since 1874, snow was recorded in St. John's in the month of September. The capital city recorded 0.2 cm yesterday.
Walsh says St. John's recorded its earliest autumn snowfall ever on Saturday, beating 0.3 cm way back on Sept 30, 1965.
And the capital was not alone, Gander recorded 1 cm of snow Saturday, which is the first September snowfall there since 2008. That's when 0.2 cm fell on September 24.
But take heart, we'll be back to sunshine and summer like temperatures tomorrow, but enjoy them while you can, fall is here and winter surely follows.

 *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

Just to make a point here- - - - our local forecast for the next two days.........

St. John's, NL

No Alerts in effect

Current Conditions

11°C

Observed at:  St. John's International Airport 

Date:  7:30 PM NDT Sunday 27 September 2015

Condition:  Light Drizzle

Pressure:  101.7 kPa 

Tendency:  falling

Visibility:  16 km

Temperature:  10.6°C 

Dewpoint:  7.3°C 

Humidity:  80%

Wind:  SW 24 gust 35 km/h

Graphic forecast 

Mon

28 Sep

 

21°C

11°C*

-   -  -   -  -   -  -

Tue

 
29 Sep 

 

23°C

13°C

Now, for those readers who don`t use the Metric system, bear in mind that 21 degrees Celsius 

 is roughly 70 degrees Fahrenheit.  

21 * C is quite a fine day in our province, especially for late September!  

But remember, that when the air temperature at the ground is less than 32 F, the 

precipitation begins falling as snow from the clouds. 

So, yesterday, the temperature here was around 32 F or 0 C, so like I mentioned earlier in this post....

if you don`t like the season...just wait a few minutes--ha ha!!

Looks like we are going to cruise out of September with sunny skies and warm temperatures!

 

Have a great week, everyone.

  Cheers

:)

Fall Stroll around the shore in Flatrock

There is never a dull walk around the shores or trails of Flatrock.  You literally should

 never leave home without your camera---at least, that's how I feel!! 

Here's why......

I didn't have the proper lens with me, to get a real good close up of this ship, as it 

cruised by right outside the harbor......

  I never get tired of looking at the rugged beauty of the rocks and cliffs.

These old dead trees are just gorgeous.....

Not many blueberries left now.  This is a berry pickers paradise though.....

 On my way back, I thought this looked so peaceful....

 As the sun started to set, it was just breath-taking.

Hope you all have a great fall weekend!!

Cheers

:)

Heard it through "MY" Grapevine....ha ha!!

When we moved to Flatrock last fall,  I really think one of the hardest things I left behind was my garden.  I just loved going out and roaming around, probably sipping a tea, and doing a bit of weeding.  Well, as it turned out, we bought a house that had an awesome big garden AND a greenhouse!!!!  I was absolutely thrilled that,in my greenhouse, there was a grapevine.  When we moved in, all the grapes had ripened and been picked, so I could not wait to see if we would get any this year.  Hubby did a little research, and cut back the vine, according to directions, and I was not impressed---tehe!!  I thought we would never see a grape.

Imagine my pleasant surprise when, not only did the vine start to grow back and fill out with lovely big leaves, but...........grapes!!!!  At the start they were pretty tiny though.  This picture was taken on June 14.................

We had such a terrible July here that I didn't even bother to take my camera back out to the greenhouse until July 23, but the difference was significant......

 Then, by September 13, they had grown quite a bit and were starting to change color...................

And here's what they look like today, September 23.....

They are quite delicious, and I'm finding myself out there every day--to check them (and have a little nibble).  Hubby is doing a bit of research now, to try and determine exactly what type of grape it is. 

Cheers

:)

Double Yolk Eggs

Hubby buys fresh eggs from a local farmer here in Flatrock.  

They are delicious, fresh and BIG!!! 

 Last weekend he came home with an extra BIG surprise....and it was a double yolker!!!!

Yummy!!

Cheers

:)

Homemade Granola

I love granola.  I add a sprinkle to my oatmeal, stir it into my yogurt and I often sprinkle some over the top of homemade muffins when I'm baking. 

I had loads of ingredients in my pantry and I had been thinking I should soon make up a 

batch, so this past weekend, I pulled out my biggest mixing bowl and starting throwing it 

together.  I use a recipe just as a guide for granola, as I add different types of seeds and nuts, depending on what I have on hand.  Of course, it is important to keep the proportions of dry 

and wet  ingredients in line with the recipe.

There are literally hundreds thousands of recipes online for homemade granola, so have a 

look, and try one that suits your fancy.

Here's how mine looked............... 

 Mix all the ingredients together well, to be sure the honey and oil coats everything.......

  Spread evenly on a parchment covered cookie sheet, stirring a couple of times while 

baking, to avoid big clumps, especially around edge of pan......

 Voila.....a beautiful glowing color, from that delicious golden honey...................

 Be sure to stir occasionally, until completely cool....

 Spoon into glass bottles, or any airtight container......

I can't wait to share these...Yummy!!

Cheers

:)

Foggy Fall day around Flatrock

Yesterday, we saw the last remnants of tropical storm Henri.  It was drizzly and fairly warm, but 

with lots of heavy fog. 

 I kind of like the fog sometimes.  It makes everything seem so cozy, like there is a vast blanket of white hung heavy over the hills. I needed some things at the supermarket, so I grabbed 

my camera and took the scenic route.

 Everything seems so still when there is this type of fog.

 You almost expect to see Sherlock Holmes step into the pathway in fog like this........

  Very peaceful and quiet, though.

Have a great week, everybody.

Cheers

:)

Sunrise over the beautiful Flatrock, NL

They say a picture is worth a thousand words...............................................

What do you think??

Cheers

:)

The Gooseberry---From Bush to Table

I love gooseberries!  

I think one of the hardest things I found when moving was leaving my berry bushes behind.  I was delighted to discover a nice big gooseberry bush growing in our back garden in Flatrock. 

The bush in Gambo produced the green gooseberry, and the Flatrock gooseberries are red---both delicious, trust me!!

I have been watching these jewels grow all summer, and so was hubby.....I had a hard time keeping him away from them!  I went out early today and picked about a liter and made a small batch of jam.

 There are still lots of berries that aren't quite ripe yet...

 yummmmy.....

I find that the best way to clean them is with a small pair of sharp, pointed scissors, 

to simply snip  off both stems.  

Wash them and pat them dry, place them in the cooking pot and sprinkle with a small amount of sugar......

and cook them on a long slow simmer...

 I usually mash mine down a little after they have been cooking for a few minutes....

 They smell superb while cooking, and I love the color when it is poured into the jars......

I use very little sugar so I keep the jam refrigerated.

It is delicious on crackers with a little cream cheese, on toast, or hubby's favorite way---used as a topping on vanilla ice-cream.

Cheers

:)