The Fourth Day is Blackbird Day

It is time for four calling birds in the Twelve Days of Christmas.  There weren't always 4 calling birds.  The “four calling birds” that we sing about today were, at different times, “four canary birds” and “four mockingbirds,” and before that they show up as “colly birds” or “collie birds,” which is the archaic term for blackbirds.  And blackbird can refer to a crow, raven, grackle, starling or cowbird.   Blackbirds (grackles) are known for their colossal flocks in wintertime.  In December 2011 there was a flock of several million birds in Delaware.  They form a solid black carpet in the sky.  There are several dozen flocks in Delaware.  Some may travel to Chester County, PA or as far as Lancaster before returning to its nightly roost.  A large flock of flying blackbirds is a murmuration. Perhaps I may be able to see them next week when we are in that area visiting Longwood's Christmas Festival. We do experience big flocks in Niagara near the vineyards, particularly when the grapes are awaiting ice wine temperatures.  That's one way to tell the vineyard grapes are intended for ice wine - they  are usually covered in netting.  I was lucky to be driving on Highway 8 two weeks ago and a big flock was congregating.  I was able to pull over and get a few pictures.  This is only a small part of the flock as it was mostly on the other side of the road by then. Our second picture of leaves shows how Japanese Maples are still hanging on to their leaves - mostly are dull brown, this tree out front has a touch of orange against the snow.

Bees Come Down

I spotted the first blossom trees in Niagara.  But I have to admit I don't know what kind of blossoms they are.  I am thinking apricots.  I remember in 2012 when we had the mildest of winters, Ii saw apricots blossoms in March, and then there was cold weather so the crop didn't develop. I saw these trees across from the United Mennonite Home in Vineland. I went to Cherry Lane on Victoria Street, to see if there was anything blooming there.  Cherry Lane has quite a distinction.  This is a family where the tenth generation is farming.  But that isn't their fame.  What distinguishes their family is the development of the first red peach - Red Haven.  It's the best known one now. They also have a major processing and cherry brining facility. There's an overview of Niagara fruit growers here. Vineyards are showing the pink but at the ground level - this second picture is at Jordan Station. I think the flowers are a wild/weedy form of lamium.  I have a bit in my garden too. And I checked out my favourite weeping cherry tree on Niagara Street (across from Laura Secord High School) in St. Catharines, and the blossoms are showing pink. Have a Happy Easter and Passover Celebration.

Justin Trudeau and the Queen

Isn't it so great to have a Prime Minister who makes headlines for saying funny, witty things.  Justin Trudeau's toast to Queen Elizabeth told her he was the 12th Canadian prime minister to serve during her reign and his father, Pierre Trudeau was the fourth.  Her Twitter response was: "Thank you for making me feel so old",  It isn't every day that the news headline is a light-hearted remark. I took these pictures last Saturday - the last of the grape leaves on the vines.  These had red, orange and yellow in such intense tones.  I drove by later in the week on Thursday and everything was gone - the leaves and the colours.  It is so remarkable how quickly the colours can disappear.

August Grimsby Gardens

I live in a town of 25,000 in the heart of the Niagara Wine region.  Award-winning Tawse Winery is just 10 minutes away, as are a dozen great Niagara Wineries.  Grimsby started as a place of orchards - we're well known for our peaches, and our sports teams favour the name Peach Kings.

It makes sense that a town that was the site of the 1813 Battle of the Forty would have some lovely homes and gardens.  This first garden, with its park setting, is in fact located on Park Street - the road that travels up the escarpment.  Under the escarpment, with a full canopy of trees, this is a gracious and elegant garden with a stone bridge and natural waterfalls.

This next front garden, in town, demonstrates what August abundance is about - golden sunflowers and pink Echinaceas all crowded into a butterfly-attracting display.  The subtle fence makes a pretty boundary for the garden to overflow.

This grand house is on Main Street.  It is an example of using the garden to emphasize the distinctive elegance of the architecture.  White on white seems perfect here.

There are many more Grimsby gardens to come - and they span from the 1700's through to the present. A big boom in the 1950's and then again in the 1980's put the peach orchards on the outskirts.  Then the collapse of the peach canning with the last plant closing in 2008 resulted in more vineyards.  There are still lots of peach trees to see in the countryside.  There are great peaches at the market now - at the end of August.