Monday

I went for a walk on Sunday through Hemlock Ravine Park. It is a lovely wooded area very nearby. Unfortunately it was heavily damaged by Hurricane Juan,  which ripped through here a few years ago. Large swathes of downed trees and open areas now. It used to be a very green shaded place but now the sun is quite brilliant in areas. All the downed trees have been left as they fell with the exception of a few that have been cut down for safety reasons and I think maybe spruce bud worm. What is so interesting to me is seeing the forest regenerate itself. With all the sunshine, hundreds of tiny wee evergreen trees are zooming skywards between the deadwood and there are the occasional hardwoods having a go too. There now wild flowers and grasses and areas that are swampy with no tree roots to sop up the water. Woodpeckers and songbirds flourish amidst this changing forest.
This park is where the heart shaped pond is that the Duke of Kent (Queen Victoria's father) had built for his Mistress Julie St. Laurent. There was once a large estate here long since destroyed by fire.

The rest of the day was spent doing household chores. Digging in the garden and planting. I bought some fragrant spearmint and rosemary, some parsley and planted them all in lovely ceramic pots. I popped in some nasturtium seeds around the spearmint and look forward to seeing their cheery orange and yellow faces as they grow. I also planted a deep purple delphinium and a gorgeous dark cranberry coloured hollyhock. I hope they live up to the pictures on their wee pots:)
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