I've got to say that with the June having been as cold as it was, we sort of lost any interest in gardening this year. So whatever has been growing in the garden after we initially planted it, has been doing so on their own. Strawberries have done well. Salad and beans somewhat, but not flourishing. Some of the flowers have finally started to blossom, a cornflower being the first one to bloom.
We went for a longer evening walk yesterday around 8pm. The sun was still quite high over the treetops, but making the shadows long. We walked past some fields of already yellow rye and barley, and through a cut hey field to say hi to some horses down there by the Haltiala farm, and back home in the warm evening sun.
It rained last night, so the ground and a lot of the flowers were glistening with raindrops this morning.
We've been eating strawberries from our own garden one here, another there, but today I collected all the ripe ones and there was enough of them for a little pie :)
We spent the weekend a bit over an hour's drive up north from Helsinki, in the countryside, by a lake. The days were a bit windy, but we got to enjoy a lovely light late evening when the wind died by ten. The night up there is shorter than down here, even though the distance is a mere 120km or so. There was a whole lot of flowers in bloom and the red currants were ripe,or even beyond.
Now we finally have some summer again. May be too late for most of our garden, but at least strawberries are doing good, as is our surprise violet and the hosta undulatas. The flowers I planted in May are growing in one pot, but not producing flowers yet, and nothing seems to be happening in the other flower boxes. I guess the birds have been eating our seeds.
Koriander, spinach, dill etc. have leaves turning red, like autumn foliage. Even zucchinis, that usually are rather good growers even in our colder climate, have really not been growing their leaves. A couple of them have started pushing out flowers, though. Salad is doing good, even now.
The red clover is blooming now, as are the hosta undulata and our rucola too. Mushrooms are growing through our patio, in the cracks between the planks.
I was away for a mere week. Yet, so much had happened in our garden in that short time! The medina chilis had started to turn red, as had the first cherry tomatoes. The green pepper and naga jolokia had started to grow their first fruits. Cucumber, aubergine and zucchini were hanging heavy with ripe fruits. Beans and sugar peas were ready to be harvested.
We harvested quite a lot of the stuff yesterday evening.
Beans we made into a side dish by boiling them and then adding oil and crushed garlic. Zucchinis we grilled, and the aubergine I peeled, sliced and deepfried. We also have more rucola than we can possibly eat, so we had some if that at the dinner table too. At least a small effort ;)
The sunny wall got hit by some hard winds, knocking the tomatoes and some other pots over. The plants are a bit leaning on each other now, but still they seem to be happy enough!
Last day in Las Palmas before heading back home. I walked to a supermarket for some last minute shopping and saw these palm trees with white flower shoots next to the parking lot.
A couple days ago we went for a roadtrip over the mountains of northern-northwestern Gran Canaria.
On the east and north side of the island the mountainsides are full of laurisilvas, eucalyptus trees, aloe veras with their funny tall flowers that grow sideways on the hills, canarian pine trees and such.
On the west and south side, the mountainsides are bare, with some shrubbery, different types of cacti and the occasional palm trees growing here and there.
I haven't seen too many butterflies fluttering about in our garden, except for white ones like this sitting on our potted rucola.
Visiting my mom in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria for a week, I took a stroll in the blooming courtyard of her appartment complex.
Blueberries are ripe, but it's been such a dry summer that they are small and hardly juicy. Strawberry season is almost over. Harebells are blooming.
A lone duck lady more or less lives at our summer place. It naps on our peer and comes to the yard to ask for some bread when the algae of the lake isn't enough to take away the hunger.
Our hosta undulata is finally blooming, after thinking about it for quite some time.
Just lying in bed before going to sleep, I all of a sudden noticed this little fellow inching its way on my blanket :D Summer brings funny things inside the house!
The first cucumbers were ready to be picked yesterday. Every other day there's a new ripe tomato. Sugar peas are ready to be harvested.
Zucchini keeps making flowers, and fruits too.
Salads and rocket are pretty perfect.
Oh, and there a tiny 1-2cm long baby beans on the bean bushes!
