November 12th, 2018 |
Cave paintings on the island of Borneo showing animals and human hands have recently been dated back some 40,000 years, making them the oldest known example of figurative rock art in the world. (Details of the story can be found in various articles, including one here from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.) Think for a moment about how long ago that is. Forty thousand years. It takes my breath away. I've been fascinated by rock art for many years and have been fortunate to see examples in South Africa, Namibia, Australia, Chile and Peru. While the particulars
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Posted in Art, Design, Miscellaneous, Travel | 19 Comments »
October 30th, 2018 |
We are living in strange times. Walking through the woods yesterday, I came across an odd scene. A creature made of stone was rising up from the leaves. First came a head, shoulders and arms.... then a leg. First one leg ... then another. The legs stretched out longer and longer. I admit it, I ran. And as I left, I heard a crash. I ran faster and faster, only to find myself in the place I'd been before. And there was
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Posted in Miscellaneous | 11 Comments »
October 16th, 2018 |
Autumn is spectacular in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. Unfortunately I've had little time to enjoy it this year, because earlier this month we sold our condominium in Montreal where we've lived for the last 22 years. Cleaning and sorting and disposing of the contents has taken a lot of time and effort. In fact, it's been a real slog but thankfully I've had lots of help from family members. (Thank you, each and all!) Understandably, blogging has taken a back seat to household work. But this past weekend, I took a
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Posted in Glen Villa | 12 Comments »
September 30th, 2018 |
At home after three marvellous weeks visiting gardens (and friends) in England, I find much to criticize in my garden. After many years of travelling, I've come to expect this -- and to accept that a garden in Quebec's harsh weather conditions will never resemble an English garden, with its lush foliage and flowers, topiary and ancient walls. I've also come to expect that gardens other than my own will disappoint me. On every tour I've hosted, there has always been one garden I particularly looked forward to seeing. On
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Posted in Art, Design, Reviews, Travel | 13 Comments »
September 24th, 2018 |
Gardening in Canada can be frustrating. The range of plants available through nurseries or garden centres is minuscule compared with the number available in England. And seeing so many wonderful cultivars that won't survive in my Quebec garden makes me envious of England's more temperate climate. Still, for anyone who loves plants, a visit to a garden centre is always a treat. The group I was hosting on my final garden tour spent a few happy hours wandering around the Burford Garden Company, an Oxfordshire-based enterprise. At this time of year
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Posted in Miscellaneous, Plants, Reviews, Travel | 10 Comments »
September 16th, 2018 |
Over the last half dozen years or so, I've visited several gardens in England designed by the Dutch plantsman, Piet Oudolf. These include Bury Court in Hampshire, Scampston Hall's Walled Garden in Yorkshire and Hauser & Wirth in Somerset. Because I've seen and enjoyed these gardens, I was eager to see Oudolf's Millennium Garden at Pensthorpe Natural Park in Norfolk. (A review of Scampston Hall's Walled Garden is here.) Pensthorpe was Oudolf's first commission in the U.K. Planted in 2000 and up-dated in 2008, the Millennium Garden is part of a larger natural reserve.
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Posted in Design, People, Plants, Reviews, Travel | 10 Comments »
September 9th, 2018 |
On a sunny day, what could be more agreeable than strolling through a landscape designed by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown? Earlier this week, two friends and I took advantage of the fine weather to do just this when we visited Petworth House in Sussex. The landscape there is one of the finest surviving examples of Brown's work. Walking through the 700-acre park, the surroundings appear to be totally natural, but in reality Brown shaped each part of the land with his customary flair. [caption id="attachment_6709" align="aligncenter" width="4272"] This view from the
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Posted in Design, People, Reviews, Travel | 18 Comments »
September 3rd, 2018 |
I head to England today, where I'll be hosting my final garden tour. I'm sad about this ending, but at the same time, I'm happy to remember the people and places that have formed such a rewarding part of my life. And as I keep reminding myself, ends are also beginning. Before leaving for England, I took a walk around the garden at Glen Villa to see what's in bloom and to assess what needs to be done when I return. Generally, things are looking pretty good. [caption id="attachment_6668" align="aligncenter" width="4272"] The deer
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Posted in Glen Villa, Plants | 6 Comments »
September 2nd, 2018 |
This is a bumper year for mushrooms. On a short stretch of path in the woods, I spotted six different types. I didn't pick any or examine them carefully, and without noting the specifics of their gills and stalks, I can't identify them with certainty. Mushroom identification is tricky in the best of cases, and without being sure what each is, I definitely won't eat them. But the differences in colour and shape are interesting. [caption id="attachment_6660" align="aligncenter" width="1543"] Is this one of the edible puffballs? Maybe, maybe not.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6661" align="aligncenter" width="1444"]
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Posted in Glen Villa, Plants | 9 Comments »
August 30th, 2018 |
Last week we added two new bridges on the Timelines trail. They aren't large constructions but both allow us to keep our feet dry. The first bridge, near the end of the avenue of crabapple trees, avoids the ditch at the end of a culvert that goes underneath a road that connects our village of North Hatley to the neighbouring village of Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley -- formerly known as Katevale. [caption id="attachment_6611" align="aligncenter" width="4272"] Over time we've made this ditch deeper and wider by driving through it in a small all-wheel vehicle.[/caption] The
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Posted in Design, Glen Villa | 13 Comments »
