A dandy day

Today I saw more dandelions gone to seed in the garden. I enjoy them even when the pure-yellow petals have shape-shifted into these cottony orbs that scatter if you even blow on them.

"The first gold in childhood's purse...The wind-blown dandelion's gift" - Annie Rankin Annan [1848-1925]



A more keyed up day than the past two weeks. I got up before 6 and H and I were out of the house by 8 so he could do his trail run, joining a group of 40 serious runners from around the area. He dropped me off at the local mall so I could while away an hour and a half before the hairdressers opened. I finished a few chapters of Elizabeth Hand's Waking the Moon, while nursing an indifferent coffee and a thoroughly horrible croissant at the coffee shop (eventually gave up on both - I hate wasting my calorie count on bad food).

The salon appointment was a success, the stylist had a deft hand and added some nice layers to my hair, exactly as I wanted. There are cheaper salons in the area, but I thought it was worth it, as I certainly wanted a nice experience for my first hair salon trip in Canada!

I strolled around the mall afterwards, chatting with the Pinoy lady who runs the vitamin store, checking out a few shoes, jewellery and clothes boutiques. H and I later took a stroll around downtown, had a chicken Donair (tasty!), visited the hydrophonics shop (selling all the stuff you need to grow, ahem, "herbs"), a couple of organic stores, a thrift store, an animal grooming shop, pet supplies, and ending up at the local antiques store where we ran into not one, but three of his friends. Small town indeed. Something very comforting about that, and reminded me of the towns where I grew up back home, where my parents seemed to know everybody.

More buds and blooms in the garden. The rhodos aren't looking too healthy. My potted herbs seem to be doing OK. It was a bit cloudy, with drizzles in the forecast and the occasional sunrays peeking through the clouds. A soft, comforting spring day.

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Bleeding hearts coming along nicely...



The cherry tree out back is looking spectacular:



The dogwood was blazing red:


Crab apples! I want! I want to make jams and jellies when the fruit finally comes out!


And I wish the French lilac would blossom soon.