leaves

Back east in southern Ontario I used to grow grapes in the backyard garden, well an attempt at it anyway! During the growing season one summer I decided to give the leaves a try, so I picked a few young, tender leaves and steamed them in the kitchen. Since I found them rather tasty, I continued to have some through the summer. If the Greeks use them in some of their recipes, so can we.

The photo above was taken in the backyard in the spring in the mid-1980s looking at the hollywood swing through the grapevine. The swing was one of my mother's favourite places to be when the weather was warm! - V

Hawthorne Park - Surrey - March 2007

view of a planting in Hawthorne Park

some spring heather (Erica) in bloom throught the gardens

some spring heather

summer heather (Calluna vulgaris) with some orange foliage

another view

No rain Monday and a chance to get outside to take advantage of the sunshine.

Scenes of Hawthorne Park - Surrey

These photos were taken Tuesday afternoon (February 27) at Hawthorne Park in north Surrey, BC. As you can see, the little bit of snow we had is melting. The day was partly sunny with some cloud. It was cool but warming up nicely. A pair of ducks was seen on one of the two ponds in the park (I think they are Hooded Mergansers but I'm not certain). The other pond was full of mallard ducks but a fallen tree did not make for a great view or photo. The first crocuses are coming up as you can see in the second image. The spring heather (Erica) is now in bloom as seen in the third photo. The last two images give you a better idea what part of the gardens at the park look like. As we get into spring, the azaleas and rhododendrons should come into flower making for a great show. There are enough of them to do just that.