this garden rocks ...

pssst... want to know a secret??
if you are ever in victoria, british columbia... you do not have to visit
 butchart gardens to see spectacular gardens... 

there are absolutely gorgeous gardens at government house, 
the home to bc's lieutenant governor,
all free for public viewing !!!

the grounds of government house is 38 acres of unique ecosystems, 

boasting about twenty unique gardens, including:

the bc native plant garden

the sunken rose garden

the heather alpine garden

the iris garden

the woodlands

the cut flower garden

come with me as i take you through my favourites- 
the english cottage garden and the rock garden !!!

this collection of gardens is so beautiful and expansive... 

you almost need several day trips just to thoroughly study each one.

ian and harlow and i come and visit often, 

because it is only about a 25 minute walk from our house.

as you descend upon the english cottage garden,

 there is this spot that reminds me of cinque terre in the italian country side.  

this is probably because government house sits on top of a hill and this part of the 

garden is terraced, so you start with views of these beautiful orchards.

the english garden is spectacular, 

with a wide walking path, and loads and loads of gorgeous flowers

i love how this cottage garden is arranged... 

i love its informal style and how it is a mixture of ornamental and edible plants.

harlow loves it because of all the interesting smells...

to get to the rock garden, you will have to follow the gorgeous rock steps.

there are quite a few of them so be sure to wear good walking shoes.

but the ascent into the rockeries is well worth the climb... 

because the rock garden display is stunning.

this rock garden is tended by the heather socieity of victoria.
(all volunteer based)

you'll never come by a more colorful rock face, 

there is a different type of succulent growing in crevices everywhere.

it gets really warm walking through the rockeries...

but there are so many beautiful benches along the way.

the last time we were in the rock garden, we counted at least twenty benches, 

each of them in a perfect spot for a spectacular view

and there are lots of shady spots to cool off, so inviting ...for little furry friends.

the last time we visited, we found something that we had never spotted before....

hidden within this rock mound and 

cleverly surrounded by irises to throw visitors off of its track...

was this beautiful water feature !!!

it was such a great find... to discover something totally new in such a familiar place.

 

it was perfect... because harlow was super thirsty...

erica

xoxo

p.s.  i'm dedicating this post to my little sister eleah and her husband walti... who use to live directly across from these gorgeous grounds

thrifted threads: shorts and sweets...

it's what i wore wednesday again folks...
and i'm linking up with lindsey at the pleated poppy 

summer is here...YAY !!!

the temperature in victoria, bc has been hovering in the mid 20s - just perfect.
summer dressing is so easy...  especially if you skip the ironing !!!
for this thrifted thread post, 
i'm wearing short shorts and sweet little embroidered tops.

this first top has dainty little flowers embroidered in the front.

the hand stitching is so intricate... i fell in love with it instantly

it was a part of ukrainian dance outfit that i found in a thrift shop a few years ago.

i altered the sleeves that originally were long and cuffed at the wrists.

the shorts are denim and perfect for those like me with not so long legs.
i'm sporting the same pair for all the photos...

this second embroidered top has a much bolder colour scheme to it, 

it has a definite mexican flare to it... don't you think?

the flowers are not hand embroidered but i love wide the band of colours

this is another thrifted treasure from a few months back.

 

finally, another white embroidered shirt.... 

but this one has the softest, thickest cotton of all three.

i love it because the softer and thicker the cotton, the less the ironing it needs.

not that i've actually touched an iron in the last couple of years ..LOL

i found this top in a garage sale during the moss street paint- in, last summer !!

summer is short and sweet...

so for summer , i'm wearing shorts and sweets !!!

erica

xoxo

happy shared eightieth !!!

what do you do ...
when two very special people celebrate their birthday on the same day?  

make lots of cake, eat tubs of ice cream and celebrate !!!

 check out this ube/macapuno cake 
by cape bretoner chef esteban ...(a.k.a. more-flip-than-me stephen)
made with lots of purple yam and coconut...

july 8 is easy to remember at our house...

 because both lola and grandma were born this day

lola is another word for grandmother in the philippine dialect.

this year is extra special, because they both turn 80 years young !!!

you both live so far away from us,  

but we want to wish you both a special happy birthday...
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

what are the chances of having both grandmothers born on the 

exact same day, same month, same year, same century (maybe same hour)???

who needs fairy godmothers when there are grandmothers !!!

erica

xoxo

p.s.  i borrowed the wonderful idea of the letters on sticks from rubyellen from mycakies !!!