Kaleden

Yesterday we went to Kaleden for our walk, and then on to Linden Gardens. The flowers continue to extend their variety and attractiveness. On the water there were hundreds of blue dragonflies busy doing all their things that they do in their short but beautiful lives.

Blue Dragonfly

Hydrangrea

Echinacea with bee

Poppy

Hanne by Skaha lake in Kaleden

The bees were busy on the Echinaceas. The big white pom pom Hydrangeas really impress. All our cherries on our cherry tree are gone, eaten or dried up, but we sampled some delicious juicy black gooseberries, and a couple of apricots.

Roses

We have two kinds of roses outside our front door. A tree rose, that is starting up again after a couple of weeks off, and a new one that just came out yesterday with its first bloom. Previously we had several buds go black and drop. It looks somewhat like a Rose of Sharon ( Hibiscus syriacus Woodbridge ) but it doesn't have a central poker sticking out. Maybe it hasn't grown yet. Perhaps you know what it is.
Did you know the Rose of Sharon is the National Flower of South Korea? Did you know that the Rose of Sharon is a mis-translation of the Hebrew for "crocus" and that it first appeared in 1611 in the King James Bible? Of course you did. You looked it up in Wikipedia!.

Tree Rose, a little under the heat ( 32 Celsius )

?  Rose of Sharon ?

Our English visitors left for Washington State yesterday after lunch with us. They are flying to UK from Seattle today. They were quite amazed at our lovely summer weather! This is the weather for ripening all those different tree fruit we grow here, also related to the rose family...
OK Pat. I give up. Tell us how to punctuate your puzzle sentence:
" That that is is that is not is not is that it it is "

Their New Home

Our friends Inge and Jens invited us for a delicious lunch yesterday and to view their new place. They have just downsized to a nice condominium after successfully selling their house. They overlook a golf course so visitors have to watch out for errant golf balls!

No, the building is not falling down, it is called artistic licence...

View from Living Room

Jens and Inge on their balcony

View up the road from the balcony

There is a fine collection of spare golf balls in a bowl on their sideboard after only a few weeks....

'Tis

'Tis is a good book for your summer reading. By Frank McCourt (1999) it continues on where "Angela's Ashes" left off.
Interestingly the word 'tis was used until the 19th Century as a contraction for it is. Nowadays we are supposed to use instead the word it's which means it is, also it has. Strangely, in the 19th Century the possessive form was it's, so no wonder we're confused when the modern pundits say the possessive is its !
Some people even use the possessive form its' which can't be right as it is singular and its' implies it's plural! There, have I succeeded in pulling the wool over your eyes ?
Another interesting modern variation is using the apostrophe for plural, e.g Cherry's For Sale : Apple's For Sale...I have heard there are little men with paintbrushes and ladders going around deleting apostrophe's from shop sign's.......

Last Year's Grapes were three weeks ahead of this year's due to cool weather.( Possessive not Plural! )

Reminds me of a farm in France...

The English language is always changing!

English Visitors

Son Tim (center) Auntie Colleen (left) Uncle Peter (right) Hanne and Michael( behind)

Yesterday we had a visit from my son Tim's aunt and uncle ( his mother's side of the family ). Colleen and Peter come from Chesterfield and they are on a North American holiday. They have just experienced snow in Alaska, and are now recovering and warming up in the Okanagan. We had our evening meal together out on our sunny patio. The photo was taken by Tim's wife Jayne, our daughter-in-law originally from Sheffield. It sure is a small world!

Going Green

Lillies at Linden

"Brown-eyed Susans"

Lee Creek at Naramata

It seems to be all the rage these days to be going green. We have blogged before about green buildings in Penticton ( see May 23rd ), but so far here no retrofits yet. But today being the first of a new month, I will take the opportunity to remind you about what is going on. Time Magazine has put out a list of the ten top websites, so here they are. When I have finished this, I will get back to designing my new windmill to power my new Nissan Leaf electric car which I haven't bought yet....Enjoy the banner at the top and circle 24th September on your calendar....

Tinhorn Creek

Entrance to the Winery

Miradoro Restaurant at Tinhorn

View from the Winery Deck: Osoyoos Lake in the far distance.

Winery Deck

We decided to investigate Tinhorn Creek Winery in Oliver yesterday, seeing as the weather was perfect. Interesting name. A hundred years ago there was a gold mine there, and presumably it was named after the tin horns used to shake the dice when the miners got tired of gold mining. Unfortunately, a tinhorn is also "someone who pretends to be important but isn't" -someone cheap and showy. The winery certainly isn't cheap but is very showy. They have a fancy restaurant called "The Miradoro" which means golden view. Judge for yourself. It is run by a very clever chef from Vancouver. The architect for the winery is from Calgary. Now I don't like to be picky, but the roof supports on the restaurant deck get in the way of the golden view, and the sign on top of the gateway throws shadows on the signboard, making it hard to read. Elementary mistakes, surely, my dear Watson! Hopefully the Merlot and Chardonnay we bought are impeccable.
This was all a sideline.The important events of most of the day was in meeting up again with our two great-grandsons Miles and Nate, on the beach in OK Falls, in the water-park in Oliver, and in Linden Gardens in Kaleden. Miles, just over one, spent ages playing with gravel and rocks and old seed heads, and Nate, age four, found new friends to play with: a snail and a ladybird. We all had ice cream together...Sorry no photos, all on video.