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Wednesday 25 November 2009

Last Long Looks

It is easy to see that this little creature is not Mr. Mystery who has become famous or infamous for dropping by my garden. This is a cat of another colour ?
I think this furry visitor is a male so now I have to come up with another name .. Mr. Gray ?
He is hiding behind the dreaded lilac of misfortune .. the poor thing is slated to be coming out in the Spring and my hunt for the "Korean Maple" is my ultimate goal .. I will be heart broken if I can't get my hands on one .. this really is a serious mission for me !
For now .. Mr. Gray looks back at me wondering what is "she" going to do about me ?
When I saw this shot it struck me .. all of the browny? beige surrounding this amazing gray green lavender .. I saved the full sized one because some pictures just strike me and I know I will want to have them for matting and framing some day (when I win the lottery ? ;-)
What can I say about the Maypop monster .. Kathleen is totally amazed as am I .. we both started out with tiny "weedlings" not much more than 3 or 4 inches and mine has grown to monster proportions but yielded only ONE flower for all of its efforts ..
Kathleen .. once again .. if you are looking at this post girl ... avert your eyes ..
I just know it is hexed and will not come back next year .. or if it does .. it will once again yield the ONE flower mystery ??
I'm fascinated by all the curly cues ??
So .. another amazing feat is the little herb pots that are still surviving .. I haven't watered them literally for months .. just what ever rain hits them .. that is it ! .. the parsley, rosemary, oregano it is all alive still and I am in awe of it all : )
This oregano, which another gardener kindly let me know I was calling it thyme (oops ! red faced) .. in any case .. it started out green for the season .. then with a few cool nights it turned this beautiful burgundy .. you can hardly see the golden sage behind it but it contrasts so wonderfully .. I hope I can find it again next year !
This is when the afternoon light was spectacular .. it caught this wee shoot of the Maypop resting against the rough timber of the deck .. again the contrast in light , colour and texture just grabbed my attention.
Grace spoke of an analogy with these Hens'Chicks .. like teenage daughters scrambling to escape the mother hen .. that will stick in my mind forever now Grace .. it still makes me giggle girl !
Shadows in that afternoon light .. simply beautiful : )
The sky was absolutely cloud free .. such a gorgeous blue .. it was almost like the bare tree limbs were stretching towards the sky for a hug ?
Then the pale moon was hanging there .. seeing it in the afternoon light .. again it was stunning altogether .. now this evening .. the clouds rolled in and the rain is pounding against the windows. I'm sad I didn't get out more when that glorious day/afternoon was so beautiful.
But at least I have a few pictures to keep the memory : )

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Joy~~ You are so sweet! I have three muses for this hens/chicks analogy so it's very close to my heart. Your furry visitor must be a good hunter. In the second photo s/he looks poised to pounce. I dug out my May pop [it winters over fine here] a couple of years ago because it was chewing on the house, with intent to gorge, possibly swallow whole. Since then I've been pulling seedlings or runners, I'm not sure which. It's a nice plant if you've got the room for it. The first year I had it there wasn't even one bloom.
Your sky, moon and bare branches photos are very nice. "Limbs stretching to the sky to get a hug." Very poignant.

Mary Delle LeBeau said...

Autumn light can be the most beautiful. some of your shots reminded me of my favorite moments when the autumn light is just right. So beautiful.

CiNdEe's GaRdEn said...

Love the Hen/Chicks story(-: I will always think of that now too!!!
The kitty looks like he is really interested in what you are doing!!!
Guess what came to visit me last night?
A family of Raccoons!!! Mom and 4 babies!!!! Yikessssssss Not good. LOL
They wondered why the door was closed...Maybe it was because a week ago they ate 5 of my chickens? I knew they would be back. Those little evil bandits!

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

Wow - that oregano is gorgeous! If you find out the name of it next year, let us know. What a lovely fall pot.

Carrie said...

very beautiful photographs joy. I love curly tendrils too and the contrasts in your garden are superb. hope you get a few more days like that xx

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello Grace .. the thing I forgot was the "link" bit .. go figure .. I was a bit exhausted last night and DUH ? was the major influence working my body .. haha
I really don't know what to expect from this Maypop .. I'm going to make judgement calls next year if it survives .. but it has to throw more than one bloody bloom or it might be out on its roots ? LOL
I love taking sky pictures .. they become more prominent during winter since I have the lack of garden plants to photograph ;-)

Mary thank you so much ! I love different light contrasts .. and yes, there is something about the "just right" angle of the sun during that time which is perfect : )

Cindee OMG ! .. 5 chickens .. now that is a serious problem girl .. I would be a little crazy by then .. I hope it wasn't "her" with the kids in tow .. but I know how you must have felt .. that is terrible.
Hey .. how have the sunsets been ? ;-)

Carrie girl how are you doing with that rainy Irish weather ? I hope you have had a break in it too and have seen some sun ? ..You need the "light therapy" lights, they are very popular for northern Canadians that really don't get enough good light .. it can make such a difference in how you feel especially during these long depressing winter months !

Ms. S .. I will go hunting today in my plant tag box and see if I can find the proper name to this one (but some how I think it was tagged wrong because I kept referring to it as thyme ? LOL)

Kathleen said...

I couldn't avert my eyes if I wanted to Joy ~ I'm entranced by your Maypop. I hope it blooms like crazy next year. I don't know why, but I have a good feeling about it returning.
I think you have all these furry visitors because they can tell you're a cat lover. This one is really cute.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Kathleen .. my goodness this has been one strange vine for me .. and whats up with the single flower thing ? haha
I really hope it does return next year and does flower in multiple numbers ? haha .. that one flower thing was Twilight Zone material ?
This cat thing is funny .. I know my girls have had their admirers ..ahem ... they leave calling card at deck door .. naughty boys but this one was new to me so I had to "picture" him : )

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Wonderful set of photos. I love seeing cats peeking from behind leaves. I always want to sketch them.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Thanks Lisa .. I thought it was rather cute how he did that too .. I was happy to catch a few shots like this : )

Kerri said...

Our Indian Summer seems to be over too, unfortunately. So sad, but yes, winter must precede spring, so we might as well get it over with!
Your herb pots are still so pretty! Love that oregano (formerly known as thyme ;).
Afternoon light is glorious indeed.
I fed my Christmas Cacti a weak solution of plant food all summer, which they apparently enjoyed, because they're now gracing us with beautiful blooms. Maybe you could try that before you buy a new one....that's if you're willing to wait for blooms :)
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving..thank you!

Kerri said...

P.S. Your curious visiting kitty is a pretty one.
Love the hens and chicks analogy :)
I'm trying lavender once more and hoping it will overwinter in my garden this time. Lucky you to have some! Love that silvery foliage.

Anonymous said...

Loved this, Joy! Your moon shots are spectacular. Enjoyed the garden tour and "Mr. Gray" is a handsome fellow, indeed. Had myself a nice visit and thank you for your recent journey down to the states.

Tell your girls that my boys said "Hey!"

Deb

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello there Deb girl !
Mr. Gray surprised my husband .. naughty fellow was on the deck exploring when husband caught a glimpse .. so then I had to take a picture when he finally stopped at the fence after the right ? haha
Glad to see all is well at your neck of the woods : )

Kerri : ) I think that is probably what went wrong with my cactus .. I didn't fertilize , but hey .. I will now and see if I might get some for Valentine's Day or maybe Easter ? LOL
Yes .. I'm going to get to that bit about checking all of my plant tags from last year and see if I can nail what oregano that is !
Keep trying different zone hardy varieties for the lavender Kerri .. I didn't NOT think Provence would work but it is one of my favorites because of the fantastic long stalks for the flowers .. perfect for drying !
Foliage is pretty too with that green silver look .. and very fragrant as well.
Mr. Gray was a surprise, but he is a handsome fellow : )
Shooting in "warm" afternoon light is becoming my favorite .. late in the season ? LOL

our friend Ben said...

Gulp! Think Mr. Gray could be related to Miss Emma, Joy? If he'd, uh, courted a long-haired Maine coon belle... I do think there's a certain resemblance! Maybe he was just calling on his daughter hoping for a handout! And I think your Maypop is fantastic!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Holy Smokes 'ben' .. now isn't that a thought ! haha .. actually John said there was quite a resemblance .. but I think he may be just a little too young ? to be papa ? LOL
This Maypop has me stunned .. I just hope it makes it through or winter and flowers like mad next year ! : )

Marie said...

Beautiful photos :)
Sweet cat :)

Thank you for your comment :)

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello Marie ! I'm sorry I haven't gotten over to your blog more regularly .. you have so many beautiful posts .. I have missed them : )