Greetings & Good Morning. In this region the weekend was a perfect summer time, not too humid & just enough of a breeze to keep the insects at bay. Late Sunday afternoon we did get a heavy downpour of rain, which I was grateful for ... I'm house/garden sitting for a friend & it makes life so much easier than having to lug watering cans about!!
The garden continues to astound me with the abundance of bloom. My "Villa de Leon" clematis is coming into full glory. It's such an amazing colour.
We had a little adventure off the patio last week. I was going through the SPSH list & thought we could find a few good examples in a town north of us. It was a 40-minute drive & traffic wasn't too bad at all. We had a wander through the community gardens & on to main street which led us back to the gardens. There is a fair amount of ongoing prep for the upcoming Fergus Highland Games, a 3 day festival in August. They claim to be the oldest festival of its kind in North America (according to their Wikipedia page). We have tried for years to get tickets to the Friday tattoo - alas another year sold out before we could snag tickets. Although there are still lots of other events with highland dancing, pipes & drums & all things plaid.
I'll leave you this week with a request - does anyone have a good cold macaroni salad recipe they care to share with me?
Happy week to all & to all a good summer's day ... in 5 months it will be Christmas Eve!
I can't help with the macaroni salad recipe, sadly, but I can tell you that your photos remind me of Scotland. And your clematis is gorgeous! :)
ReplyDeleteIt is very rough & tumble landscape in some parts of the county. I am discovering that macaroni salad is not as popular as I would have thought (col).
DeleteHow interesting that you have a Highland Games nearby, is there much of a Scottish connection with that area?
ReplyDeleteFergus does have a Scottish background/history although not originally settled by the Scottish, it seems two gentlemen, were the primary developers, Adam Fergusson and James Webster, from Scotland. In1833, they bought a lot of the land & set up mills & other business in the region,
DeleteThey are also getting close to the Highland games in Glengarry, to the southeast of us.
ReplyDeleteIt's a grand way to celebrate history & connection.
DeleteI can't remember the last time I made macaroni salad, but it might be because I don't have a great recipe. If you come up with one, I hope you'll share it! I sigh every time I see your beautiful clematis--ours survived this year, but I think it will be many years before it compares to yours. Raining hard here now as I type this--we've had brief showers every day off and on for several days, but this is the first heavy downpour. The yard will definitely benefit from it.
ReplyDeleteI am discovering that macaroni salad is not a popular choice! I may have to resort to the one I remember & hope for the best! I do have one clematis struggling right now & I think it's because she is not in a place when she can have her feet in the shade & her head in the sun. We have been "enjoying" heavy rain downpours this July & like yours, my garden, lawn & trees are thankful for the deep drink to the roots.
DeleteYour clematis flowers are beautiful! Looks like you found quite a few items for the SPSH! I've seen a couple of possibilities when I was out driving, but, I've not taken the time to stop, park the car, and take photos!
ReplyDeleteSorry, I don't like cold pasta dishes, so, don't have a cold macaroni salad recipe to share. But, thank you for the reminder that it will be Christmas Eve in 5 months! A very timely reminder as those 5 months will disappear in a blink of the eye! I just made another batch of holiday gifts, yesterday! And, this year, I'm determined to make those holiday cards well ahead of time!
Bless you sounded very organized at getting your Christmas cards ready. I have a pasta & apple salad recipe that I use to make a lot in the hot weather, so may bring that recipe out again. My clematis are mostly doing well & I take very little credit, nature gifts me with their abundance of bloom.
DeleteSorry, can't help with the pasta salad - the only one I make is with chopped celery, red pepper and tuna, and lots of mayo! Hope you enjoy the Fergus Games. Now I have a rough idea of where you're based!
ReplyDeleteOh yes lots of mayo - I do have one pasta salad that calls for Greek yoghurt rather than mao for the creaminess. Yes I'm in Wellington County, not too far from Guelph or Fergus :)
DeleteWe have highland games here. It is rousing good fun!
ReplyDeleteI like all the pomp & pageantry that goes along with the "battle of the pipes". If it wasn't so darn humid, I'd be tempted to wear my own kilt to the parade, but 30+ temps I don't find wool comfortable (lol).
DeleteI've never been to a festival like that. Sounds like fun! I don't tend to eat cold pasta, but I hope someone offers you the perfect recipe :)
ReplyDeleteIt seems within my world, macaroni salad is not popular. I did eventually pull out one of my oldies, "Where's Waldorf" a cold pasta with apples salad. I will share on this blog later :)
Delete