The Pancake Bowl.

I have been spending much of my spare time studying, and because of that I feel that my blog is moving away from the original purpose I created it for - crafting. I haven't had much time to share the projects I have been working on, but I do hope to get back to that very soon. Final exams are taking place this coming week. Usually we would have been finished the semester long ago, but the strike that took place from November until February set us back. We are nearing the end though! I do have time for a quick update, though not related to crafting. This one is about a dear neighbour.

Al, my neighbour from three doors down, passed away last week. He was always very kind to us, and as the majority our neighbourhood has moved away from caring neighbourly relationships to closed off folk, he has been one of the ones who has stayed true. He was always up for a quick chat and a friendly wave. He had a cat that was easily mistaken for our Snowie. Sometimes we'd have to do a double take when we saw his girl running about the neighbourhood. Snowie is an indoor cat (except for the occasional supervised romp in the garden), so we'd worry she got out.

This morning his daughter was selling off some of the things they didn't want to keep, and I got this green Pyrex bowl.

It was his pancake bowl. It's scratched from the hundreds of batches of pancake batter mixed up inside - it was well loved. It reminds me of my mom's red bowl, and they are actually from the same set. Funny how each of them had only one bowl from the same set.

I am glad to have a little reminder of him, in the form of something I am fond of anyway. It is the perfect addition to my Pyrex collection, and the perfect memory of a dear neighbour.

In the Garden.

Things are growing around here, and now that the soil bee situation is solved (they don't sting, they enrich the soil, they can stay) there are more things preparing to grow. The weather has been a little off this year, the risk of frost is still present even though we're nearing the end of May, so extra care has been taken. Many a night have ended with the pitching of newspaper tents over frost senstive flowers.

The seeds have been sown in the warm soil of the 'bee bed'. This is where the beans and peas will grow. Until they do, I am enjoying the already flowering plants, both finishing and starting.

Tulips a little weathered from the rainstorms we've had.

Sweet little Forget Me Nots.

The Currant bush just starting to blossom.

It has also been nice to see others out enjoying the garden. This one has perked up quite a bit since she's been able to explore the backyard. Don't worry, she can't climb the fences.

And what dog doesn't love to roll around on warm grass? Many days to come will be spent outside watching things grow!

White Choral Bells.

Our favourite flowers - sometimes we just love the way they look and sometimes we have a story. This is mine.

We have a 'secret garden' of these Lily of the Valley behind the bushes infront of our home. My grandmother also had a garden of these hiding on the little walk beside her old house, among the moss and old garden stones. It's a little silly, but these flowers seem almost magical to me. The way the tiny, delicate bells sneak up in the hidden corners of gardens, hiding among tall green leaves. They were magical to me as a child, which was probably helped along by a campfire song we used to sing at Brownies...

White choral bells
Upon a slender stalk
Lily of the Valley
Deck my garden walk
Oh, don't you wish
That you could hear them ring
That will happen only when the fairies sing.

The little patch beside my grandmother's home was the perfect location for secret tea parties and pretend play. I wish I had a picture to share, but we seem to have photographs of every nook and cranny of her garden except for my favourite parts - the path beside her home where these flowers grew, the tree stump we'd use as a stage, the big rock in the very back, and the little path through the bushes to get to the pebble driveway. Her entire garden was magical to me back then, but the parts I loved the most are the ones I have only memories of. Sadly, all of her garden was torn out and replaced by a monster home.

It's not surprising that I'd want to keep these flowers close by while they're in season. I'd look more than a little silly crouching behind the front bushes, so a few stalks do me well. Of course I still stop to stare a little each time I pass in and out of my home.