[edmonton life]

It has been 10 months of first-time home ownership and 11 months since we moved from England to Edmonton. Gosh, lots has happened in that time (new jobs, travels, friends, marriage, a baby on the way...) but what we've been really enjoying is settling into our new ( 6 year old) home. Not only have we now been excited about organising a nursery for the little one on the way, but over the last ten months, just doing the routine house maintenance hasn't been a chore but a pleasure. At last we're no longer renters and keeping someone else's abode in tip-top condition; it's our own.

Last summer (mid June), as soon as we took possession of the house, I set about planting some trees and bushes. I couldn't believe that the previous owners had lived here 6 years and hadn't planted one thing...not a flower, not a seed! I quickly found out what plants could withstand an Albertan winter and am so pleased to see that our trees have survived. I was warned that our delicate lilacs wouldn't make it (though I did pick ones that were grown in Alberta and hardy for our climate).

So far, our cherry tree, maple tree, red ash tree, lilac bushes and willow are doing well. I'm hoping the apple tree will show more signs of life soon but it is in the shadiest bit of the garden.

This summer (hopefully this weekend!) I plan to start my raised bed in which I'll grow veggies.

Besides gardening, we also wanted to get our back garden fully fenced in. For some reason the previous owners didn't bother bringing the side fences all the way to the back of the house to enclose the garden. Yesterday, a brilliant retired carpenter came and not only built us our fence, but added on two gates. I didn't want just one gate...then you're stuck in the garden on one side. This is how it looks now. We'll be able to stain the new addition in a week or so once the wood has dried out a bit more.

As you can see, there are four hinges on each gate. These are extra wide gates and the additional hinges offer that much-needed support. Also, a few of those beams on top of the gates will come off, they're there also to offer support while the cement (for the posts) dries.

And this is the view from the bottom of the garden:

And yes, there are a few patches of slow-growing grass...I have reseeded but this dry Alberta weather is not the best for grass. I'm actually looking forward to it raining!

[st. albert farmers' market]

St. Albert is on the north western tip of Edmonton (have a look at a map here). For many I've spoken with it's considered to be a bit of a trek. I thought the 30min drive via highway with no traffic was super, especially compared to the usual 2 hours we enjoyed on the M25 getting from home to work in London. The St. Albert market is one of the signs that it is summer here in Edmonton and the produce on offer certainly attested to that! There was a great selection of fruits, berries, vegetables and of course cheeses and meats too. Along with all the edibles were housewares, gardening supplies, furniture and face painting.

[edmonton canada day 2009]

Some images captured during the Canada Day parade (note: unlike may day in England where we witnessed tractors as part of the parade, here celebrations are not complete unless there is a big truck)

[wedding!!]

I couldn't resist putting a personal note up here on the blog about our wedding which took place on Saturday the 13th of June. We married at Vineland Estates Winery in Vineland, Ontario (in between Toronto and Niagara).

We had an amazing photographer Judy who has already put a few photos up. I've added some to our wedding blog but here are a few tasters too:




This one of us in the car is my favourite!! My idea of a yellow mustang convertible didn't quite work out but Judy saved the day by letting us borrow her own convertible!! What a woman eh?!


***Am loving my bouquet!***



Isn't that background amazing? Tuscany or Vineland?




I love how Judy framed Steve's head in the triangle of the wine boutique:




This was a moment of pure relaxation! Wonderful!



Check out Keith's fab grin!


Judy knows me well....convertible lover AND shoe lover! Great way to bring the two together! (Along with my little piece of England - I got the shoes there!)

[absolutely amazing ottawa b&b]

I meant to blog about this earlier but...

While we were travelling around Ontario earlier this month we serendipitously happened upon the fabulous Home Sweetland Home b&b. So named for its location on Sweetland Ave. It's in the beautifully leafy area of Sandyhill; a short walk to the city centre, rivers, restaurants and parks. Brian, one of the proprietors acted more like a family friend, welcoming us into his home. He gave us a tour of the beautiful historic (1895) home (which is one of the cleanest places I have ever been!). In the morning we were treated to healthy grilled veg. omlettes, multigrain toast and a platter overflowing with sweet, juicy and ripe watermellon and strawberries. The fruit was so wonderful we think it was a highlight of our trip!

I mentioned to Brian that I'd blog about his b&b. I don't often blog about commercial enterprises but Home Sweetland Home was really more about a comfortable stay in a gorgeous environment with a very friendly host.

When in Ottawa do check it out:

62 Sweetland Avenue
Ottawa ON
Canada K1N 7T6
(613) 234-1871

[burlington lake]