Sunday Morning Stroll

Good morning dear readers, we have had several days of oppressive heat here in Southern Ontario with no real relief in sight until the end of next week.  Here at the farm the ground is quite dry and we could really use a good drenching of rain. So I thought I would take you with me on a little tour early this morning before it gets too warm.

At this time of year the garden seems to change daily.  The allium are now in full bloom.

This very old honeysuckle was here when we bought the farm.  The blooms are just starting to open and look...there is a pollinator!  A project this year is to plant more flowers to attract pollinating insects and I must of course learn more about all of the different types of pollinators.

Here is a bee checking all of the buds on a peony.

Another bee on a centaurea montana.  I love the electric blue of this plant but having planted it I find it a challenge to control its marauding behaviour.  Once established it is quite hard to get rid of.  I did read that bees are very fond of it so I suppose it must stay!

Here is  a view of the back of the farmhouse on my way to Lake Ophelia. The second floor balcony off the master bedroom is a lovely spot for an early breakfast or pre-dinner glass of wine.  During the day it is too hot and sunny to use as a seating area.  Fortunately we have many seating areas including the covered deck just off the kitchen.

Lake Ophelia is really a pond named after one of our many dogs,  This pond is home to a large number of frogs and as I walked around the pond I could here them jumping into the water but I couldn't find one to photograph.  The pond is also home to a large number of gold fish and receives a lot of bird visitors including a heron.

This pink water lilies were a gift from a neighbouring farm.  

Our farm provides habitat for many varieties of birds.  I spotted this one on my walk and believe it is an Eastern Kingfisher.  

Coming back towards to barn I noticed our white lilac in bloom.  We have two very larges ones that will need to be tackled to bring them into shape.  Several years ago they were nibbled on by our pygmy goats Bob and Bert and ever since they have always looked a little wild.

The sheep and lambs were not in the mood for picture taking today.  The heat is uncomfortable for them so they spend much of their day in the barn where they can enjoy the shade and breezes coming through the open doors.

I dont think the chickens enjoy this heat either.  These two ladies are laying their eggs for the day.

On the way back to the house admiring the fences going down our farm lane.  For the last couple of summers this view has been hidden by mountains of dirt that had been excavated for an addition to our old stone house.  Much of this dirt was used this week to regrade an area around the house.  We still have a mountain or two to move!

I hope you enjoyed this quick little tour and now I will be spending the rest of today in the house with the dogs escaping the heat.  Thank you for visiting!