The God Diet - If God Made It, You Can Eat It! lol! : ) THE Friendliest, Happiest Diet, Evah'! #TheGodDiet #PotatoChips!

The God Diet 

 If God Made It, You Can Eat It! lol! : ) THE Friendliest, Happiest Diet, Evah'! 

Clearance Items: Up to 50% off Select Ghirardelli Chocolates. Thanks, God, for the delicious Chocolate! lol! Yum!

Apple Crumble Diet 

Okay, so I've thought of this for years and years, but sometimes I'm really struck by how incredible our Universe is, how amazingly intricate and phenomenal our world is, the sheer beauty and symmetry of nature....

Take these apples (please! haha! Jus' reminds me of that old 'Take my wife....please! lol!)

Anyway, when I slice the apples in half - or, in thirds, today, even easier! lol! But when I slice an apple in half, I am blown away by the design - a Grand Design,if you will... it's gorgeous, and I am soo blown away by seeds, and seed dispersal... (make me think of a man who really gets around - bah'hahahaha! Or seeds on a tree - whatevs... we're all just seeds, sprouted out! I looove that!

You, Me and an Apple Seed!

You, Me, and an Apple Tree!

We All Come From a Seed - You, Me, an Apple and a Tree!

Anyway, I've been singing that all morning - lol! Life in my head - haha!

I just took the Apple Crumble out the oven - smells amazing in here - yum! If I could just get everyone to give this little Apple Crumble a try, think how much happier and healthier our whole world would be! 

So here's what makes me call it The God Diet - I really believe that if it grows naturally, it's good for you. It was designed for you to eat - and be healthy, soooo, why not work with what comes naturally, whenever and wherever you can, right? 

Oatmeal is one of my favorite things - add it where you can, see if that will make you feel good - if you have any reaction, skip that, try something else, but generally speaking, Oatmeal and Grains are very good for you - there are really only a handful of people who can't manage grains, that seems like more of a media thing, right now - but if it works for you, Oatmeal is very Heart Healthy, great for 'cleaning out your system' - err... you know what I mean! lol! But Oatmeal will act like a little broom, sweeping out your system, cleaning it all up - is amazing! Thanks, God! I love it!

Yum, Thanks, God, for all the great veggies! This is my favorite #MacaroniSalad 

You get soo excited, when you get a bite with a little macaroni, and a whole lot o' da Veggies!

Yum, Macaroni Salad!

Well,  have a ton o' delicious and easy to make recipes on my blog - and on my site, but I can't seem to access my website - so frustrating - it's live and online, over 1.7 million visits, but there's something that is blocking me from getting onto my site from this computer, for me to work on it, so, my blog is my focus, right now.... sooo.... hm, have to figure that out, fo' sho'!

Anyhoooo, you can scroll through all the pics on my Blog, find whatever delicious recipe you're looking for... you'll love them all, I love anything that's delicious and pretty easy and fast to make, AND, super-healthy! : )

Bottom line, try to minimize artificial ingredients, where you can (not to be nutty about it, some artificial ingredients are deeelicious! haha!), and try to add lots of yummy fruits and veggies, wherever you can - Yum! Thanks, God! Good Job!! : )

Yum, look what I just thought of having - was soo good! 

Cucumbers and Taco Meat - Simple and Delicious!

So here's how I happened to think of this new flavor combo - years ago, at a Queen's Alumni Party in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, they had these most delicious little hors d'oeuvres (hor-derves, if you will - I have another li'l joke, but it just goes downhill fro here, sooo.... hopefully, you're already making that joke, in yer own head - haha!) (Did you know the literal French meaning of hors d'oeuvres is 'outside the work' - or, and this is all me, now - not the main course - or maybe it is?? haha! Whatevs, just say, Something Delicious, a lovely little bite of something good! 

Anyway, they had a slice of Cucumber, a few drops of Hot Sauce, and a lovely fresh Shrimp - yum! 

Taco Meat - yum!

It was soo good, so, tonight I happened to think of a new way I can freeze the extra Taco Meat, that I make all at once, I get the giant package of Ground Meat (mince, if you're British - lol!), cook it all in the big pot, with a ton of Taco Seasoning - 8 tablespoons, maybe? I dunno, I pour it in... spicy is yummy! lol! 

So I was standing in the kitchen, my son had already added some Taco Meat to the left over Lasagna - which was delicious - I did that,last night - yum! 

 Yum! Taco Spaghetti! Try it, you'll love it!

So my son had already eaten, and normally I would just make a batch of Taco Spaghetti, or regular Tacos, but we were all out of cheddar cheese, lettuce, salsa, tomatoes (I'm still waiting for them to grow, sooo, they'll be ready in just a few short months, and I'll have to eat something else between now and then - haha!)

Anyway, I'm standing in the kitchen, trying to think of something to have with the Taco Meat, and thought of this - and it was sooo good - yum! Light, delicious, did I already say light? haha! So good! 

I just heated up the Taco Meat, put that in the center of the plate, then sliced the cucumber to put around the meat - all very lovely, then used the cucumber slices like little nacho chips - which would also have been delicious, just not as super-healthy! lol! Cucumber - it's Nacho usual chip - haha! I know, I'm sorry! haha! But it is good! Deelish! 

Now I think I'm gonna add everything to little cucumber slices! lol! And perfect for a KETO or Paleo Diet, in case you're trying that out... : )

Well, here's something funny - this is the biggest plate of the Real Baked Potato Chips that I could get - the second they were ready, they were gone - dat make'a me happy! 

And they all cooked at different times - I flipped them a bunch of times, to make them really crisp - yum!

So, they're just very thinly sliced potatoes - this was three potatoes - left over from our Thanksgiving Dinner - we don't eat potatoes very often, so, usually they grow their own legs, then I plant them out on the balcony - you can just pop potatoes in any soil, you'll have beautiful vines in no time, plus, new potatoes! Yay! 

I'm gonna look up all the Health Benefits of Potatoes, since, really, it's all the frying and additives that you would want to avoid, for potato chips, not the actual potato - with a li'l Olive Oil and Salt : )

Here you go! But, you already knew there were lots of Health Benefits of Potatoes, right? That's what makes them soo delicious! 

"... food ranking system qualified potatoes as a very good source of vitamin B6 and a good source of potassium, copper, vitamin C, manganese, phosphorus, niacin, dietary fiber, and pantothenic acid. Potatoes also contain a variety of phytonutrients that have antioxidant activity."

 My son heated up some already cooked and frozen Taco Meat, and he added a li'l Salsa to that - this is the amount of meat I had... 

 And how much for the boy - lol! And hardly any chips left, by the time I got over to his place - hahaha! That's a VERY good sign of something delicious! lol! 

 See how some of them cook faster than the others? Just take them off the cookie sheet as they're ready... and flip them before you pop them back in - yum!

 I just lightly covered the 'chips' with a little Oil - I used Olive Oil, but you could use any oil, or no oil - up to you, baby! 

See how they're translucent? I tried to let them sit for a second, make them even crispier, but they were sooo delicious, as soon as I took each batch out the oven, they were gone - lol! Yum! 

I gave them a little bit of Salt on them when they came out the oven, too - soooo good! : )

Grapes are from God, right? lol! ; )

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Cleaning Tips! Yay!! #SpringCleaning #Clean Your Shower, Bath Tub, Floors, Carpets, Ledges, #Windows #SlidingGlassDoors with Your Broom! #SoEasy! #NoBending #EasyScrubbing! #SoExcited!

Find the right pro for your project at Home Advisor

Clean Up with Store Savings, too! lol! 

Hello, Spring Clearance Deals!

All SORTS of Great Deals! A Li'l Something for You, and Great Gifts, too! lol! #Clearance

#Clean Your Bath Tub, Floors, Carpets, Ledges, Windows (why not, right?) With Your Broom! #BroomBroom - lol! 

#SpringCleaning! : )

#SoEasy! #NoBending #EasyScrubbing! #SoExcited! 

Ooh, I just tried washing the Balcony Windows with the Broom, a Squeegee and a Sponge - sooo fast and easy! 

I wish I'd thought of this, years ago - but, better now than never, right? Use your soft-bristled broom to clean your windows! Especially the bigger windows, like your Sliding Doors, and whatnot : )

Also, aren't those Primulas pretty? They're a great price, in the Spring, and give you a fantastic pop of color, very quickly! 

Broomie says, "Oh, hey, there you are... let's clean some windows!"

(Broom, personified... lol!)

You know when you're almost done with your Dish Washing Liquid, (which we call, Squeezy - lol!) just add a bunch of hot water to that, give it a little shake, 'spray onto the widow, use your soft bristled broom to give your window a good clean, then squeegee it off - or, just use a cloth, or newspaper, if you still have any newspaper - maybe a flyer that's come in the mail? lol! Or a nice soft cloth - one way or another, your windows are gonna sparkle, and very little work for you! Yahoo!! Another thing done! : )

I just sort of 'spray' on the water/squeezie/dish soap right from the Sunlight Bottle - I use the same thing for the kitchen floor, too - is very practical, and uses up the rest of the squeezie, too - Waste Not Want Not, right? lol! 

And then give the whole window a good scrub - you can rinse out your broom when you're all done, will be fine : )

And I didn't even rinse the window, I just squeegied the soapy mixture right off, but you could do two steps, if you feel like it - it's entirely up to you! : )

Omg, what size is my arm, now? I'm at the gym all the time, surely I haven't made my arm bigger, have I?? hahaha! Hope not! That's not the purpose of going to the gym - I want my old slim arms back - lol! But, anyway, is fun to do the squeegie, and you can pick them up at the Dollar Store, no doubt! ; )

It's hard to reach the corner, with all my wee plants on the balcony... streeetch! lol!

And there we go - all done! In minutes, at most... so easy, give it a wee try! : )

Sparkling! And super easy, too! 

No more bending - it's hard to bend down to scrub the shower or the bath tub, whatever you want to call it - lol! What a great solution to that problem! 

Okay, well I'm super-excited about this - I juuust figured this out, this morning - I was trying to remove some Comet from a corner of the bathroom, where I had put it down in an effort to get rid of 'something else' - yick! Anyway, I had also poured a little of the clear Toilet Cleaner on the Comet, and that had dried, seemed like it would be hard to remove, so I poured a little water on it, to soften it, then the broom happened to be handy, so I thought, well, I'll just see if I can loosen it a bit with my broom - and the next thing you know, it's all frothy and VERY clean, sooo, that's how I figured this out...

So, here's the trick, Use Your Broom to Clean Your Shower, Bath Tub, Floors, the Carpets, if you have a heavily used area, and your carpet is not too delicate, or a bright color... Anywhere that might be hard to reach - along ledges - you know that ledge on the way out to the Balcony or Patio, if you have Sliding Doors in your home : )

And then I tried using the Broom, wet, with a little Comet on it, but you can use whatever cleaning supplies you like - I am very partial to Bleach and Liquid Soap (we call it Squeezie! lol!), Sunlight, and hot water, to clean almost anything - is amazing... carpets, furniture, your kitchen sponges or clothes... but today I was working with Comet, sprinkled on, get the broom wet, scrub away with the broom, no bending, is THE best - and soo easy and fast! I love it! 

What a great little discovery, so I hope this works for you, too! 

 I Love Cleaning! lol! : )

Haha! You nkow those FunHouse Mirrors? Well, looks like that's me reflected in the Shower Handle - and if you don't have an ah'mazing Shower Head, I want to make a page to show you how to quickly and easily change out your Shower Head... but, just to say it quickly - you can literally just unscrew the Shower Head from the post that comes out the wall in the Shower, your new Shower Head will just screw right back on there - I replace the Shower Head, immediately, in every new place we're in - a Great Shower is THE best thing - it's wonderful, and I love a Hand Held Shower Head - very practical - and now for cleaning, too! lol! Not just you, the bathtub, too! haha!

See? All Sparkly and Gleaming, like a Shower should be, right? YAY! And so easy!

And I loove my very pretty Shower Curtain - I'll link you to my Decorating Page, then you can get a great new Shower Curtain, too, if you want to trade yours out, get a brand new look for your Bathroom! 

And you can even get a Curtain Rod that has a spring suction on it, so, free-standing curtain rod, you just literally screw it in place, like, you kind of roll the curtain rod until the the curtain rod tightens to the wall - is very easy, and if you place that really high, almost at the ceiling, and put on a very fancy curtain (a really long curtain, you can REALLY transform your bathroom : ) 

Aaand, you can use your broom to clean your kitchen and bathroom floors,

Just get the broom wet, add some soap, or Comet, or anything you like to clean with, is THE easiest and fastest way to clean your floors... wow, I wish I'd thought of this years ago - so easy! 

Wow, you might never need a Swiffer (although, who wouldn't want a Swiffer, so much fun! lol!), or a mop, again - this is so much easier! : ) 

All SORTS of Great Deals, just for you! Mother's Day Gifts, Gifts for Dad, A Li'l Something for You! lol! 

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Ooh, and I just got out my very fancy Italian Steam Cleaner, heats the water up to 365 Degrees, or something like that - like the Steam Cleaners you see on TV Infomercials, only mine is crazy expensive, me bought it years ago, is ah'mazing - today I want to see if it'll deep-clean the carpets, make them like new, again - lol!

I have a video that I made in a course I took, in LA, on How To Make Movies, and, at the time, I was completely obsessed with my fancy new Steam Cleaner, so that's how I chose the subject - lol! Not completely sure how to download (or, upload, I guess? haha!) the video of me cleaning away with the Steam Cleaner, but will see if me can figure that out!

Okay, I gotta get to cleanin'! : )

#Gardens #Victoria #BC #Canada #Flowers #Ocean #Mountains, Oh, My! #ButchartGardens #RoyalRoads #HatleyCastle #Walk With Ailsa Through The Gardens! (That's ME, in Third Person! lol!) #Birds!

Well, if you're in looking at gardens, it's entirely possible that you love flowers and walking, so... let's hope your walking is free (or a good price!), and your flowers are all gorgeous, too! lol!

And then don't forget that I get a wee somethin', somethin', from each sale - Thank You soo much!! Hello, more chocolates and flowers, for me, too! ; )

TRAVEL!! It's Fun! 

So, I am forever going for all these gorgeous walks, and I don't know why I haven't just taken you along with me, right? So, now, I'll start posting all my lovely pictures - well, most of them - lol! All the pictures you will love! 

My new favorite picture from today's walk, Saxe Point Park, 

Victoria (Esquimalt!), BC, Canada 

The Fall is so gorgeous in Victoria, BC, Canada - it's always so pretty here, on our beautiful island, Vancouver Island, but if you love the Autumn Colours, you'll love it over here! : )

 I soo love Tulips! : )

These Dahlias are well over 6 - 8 feet tall - how amazing is that? So gorgeous! 

Look at these gorgeous faces!! Flower Faces! Fall Flower Faces - FFF! : )

There are so many free parks in the Greater Victoria Area - and fantastic parks for children - of all ages! The new Water Park in Esquimalt, right beside the Rec Centre, is ah'mazing, the kids will go crazy! Wear your bathing suit! lol! : )

Rhododendrons, Azaleas, and Tulips, Oh, My! lol! Follow the Yellow Brick Road, right through the Gardens! : )

Let's Go For a Walk! : ) 

We were at the Butchart Gardens, just outside of Victoria, BC, Canada, in Southern Vancouver Island - is endlessly gorgeous, here - Butchart Gardens played a huge part in my decision to move to Victoria, BC - sooo gorgeous! 

Victoria has really mild weather, year-round - we even have Palm Trees! So cool, right? Palm Trees in Canada! lol! 

Okay, let's get going! Walk this way... (think Monty Python! haha!)

And Sooo Many Great Deals I've Put Together For You, Baby! You'll love them! 

Father's Day Gifts!  

Walk this way...! lol! Remember that old joke? A li'l funny! haha! 

How stunning is this orange? Wow, and right beside the pinks and reds - wow, is a sight for sore eyes, as they say (in Scotland? haha!)!

 Blue Poppies! Very rare, and so pretty! One of the restaurants at Butchart Gardens is called The Blue Poppy Cafe, I think... we love to stop at The Red Barn Market, just up the road to the right, along Wallace Drive, toward Victoria, and get the most amazing sandwiches at The Red Barn Market - so good! Great prices, and The Red Barn Market has a little area inside and on the balcony, as well as a nice selection of picnic tables, for you to have a seat and enjoy your meal - yum! You'll love it!

The whole area is called Saanich, so we call it, Saammiches in Saanich! haha! Or, Sandwiches in Saanich - either way, so good! : )

Fern Gully - so pretty! Very peaceful : )

The Bellagio's Little Sister? Maaay-be! 

 Isn't this stunning? Everything is stunning in The Gardens - sooo gorgeous! But this gigantor leaf was all by itself, in the middle of little leaves, so, of course, I love someone who stands out in the crowd - lol! : )  Dream Big, like this Gorgeous Leaf! : )

Through the Trees - I was going for, old growth and new growth - lol!

My favorite joke with these hilarious Tulips - Who has to get here REALLY early in the morning, with their tiny manicure scissors, to quickly cut a little fringe at the edge of all these pretty Tulips? hahaha! Makes me laugh, every time! lol! : )

Gorgeous, right? And can you see the Harbor in the background? Is it always 'no u', even for Harbour? lol! Well, you know what I mean - it's all so pretty, is just breathtakingly beautiful! 

Yay! Even more of my favorite Joke Tulips - that really makes me laugh, that whole image of someone out there, before all the guest arrive at the Gardens, carefully clipping the Tulips to make them all frilly! haha!

Okay, I hope you enjoyed our little walk through the Gardens with me, today! I'll post the rest of the pictures I took, today, in the morning! Hope you're having THE most Wonderful Life! See you soon! Ailsa : )

Travel! It's soo much fun! : )

All Sorts of Great Deals for you #FathersDayGifts! 

Okay, and now for the rest of the pics from our lovely walk in the Gardens, #ButchartGardens! 

The Butchart Gardens in May! It's gorgeous, year round! 

Stunning Orange Tulips!

 I love the height of this gorgeous tree!

A beautiful path! So colorful!

Stunning - orange flowers are amazing!

 Awww, my son, Aidan, kind enough to traipse through the Gardens with me! So Sweet!

Wow, Yellow Tulips with a beautiful pink tip... so gorgeous! : )

Beautiful Red Tulips with my favorite little, delicate Forget-Me-Nots!

Don't worry, pretty little blue flowers, we'll never forget you! lol! : )

Wait, do I already have this one? Haha! I really, really love the orange flowers! lol! 

Gorgeous pink blossoms, in a field of purple - soo pretty! 

You could plant your garden so it looks like a giant bouquet of flowers! 

These Red Tulips and little blue Forget-Me-Nots look like a beautiful bouquet of Roses, right? 

So pretty! 

I was blown away by how vibrant the red was in this tree - in May! That's amazing, right? So gorgeous! So Bright!

I was going for the Old Growth encompassing the New Growth... you like that? lol! I just liked the concept, in tree form! lol!

So pretty! Tulips, Baby!

Omg, how stunning are these white and purple tulips? I've never seen Tulips with this color mix, before - so delicate, so pretty! 

These are the same White and Purple Tulips - it was such a bright and sunny day! 

Lots o' Light in the Gardens! 

Omg, how stunning is this Purple Wisteria Tree? I loove it! So gorgeous! 

Spectacular!

Oh, these pale yellow tulips were soo delicate and pretty! 

Now I need to go haz me some butter! lol! : )

And then the beautiful Yellow Wisteria, right at the Front Entrance to the Gardens - go a little further over from the main path (I'm always straying off the main path - haha! Life is even more exciting, off the main path! : )

I think I'll get my daughter to do the filter thing, so you can see better what it looks like when you're right there - is remarkably bright and the colors are so vibrant - wow, no wonder we ended up just moving here! lol! : )


If you are a Birder, or you just like to watch little birds playing, or listen to their lovely songs, there are so many beautiful birds on Vancouver Island -

I was just watching some little Hummingbirds playing around my balcony - and in the trees, outside - so pretty! The trees AND the hummingbirds - lol! 

But Hummingbirds make me laugh - I just said to my son, these little hummingbirds, they're like the ADHD of the Bird World, and that made him laugh, so I thought, ha, that makes me laugh, too! 

  And, just in case you're new-to-me, I'm a Special Education Teacher, so I love my ADHD guys - I've got a special place in my heart for all my wonderful students, and anyone dealing with anything at all... Redirection is so often the key, and, skip what so many 'experts' say, and 'let' (I don't really like that word, either...), but be okay with your child playing their favorite games, on their iPods, PS4, WiiU, computers, TV, whatever devices they like the best - it's good for their brain, good for them, good for you - and you could easily have a little genius on your hands, and always keep in mind that the Gaming Industry is a multi-billion dollar industry, sooo, think of it as training for a potential career, if anyone else gives you a hard time about it - that whole thing about 'screen time' - bleah - that's so old fashioned, I canny be bothered with it. Hello, New Thinking! : ) 

Oh, and here's another little tidbit you, for some unknown reason, rarely get to hear about people dealing with ADHD - they are able to hold many thoughts in their minds at the same time - so they can accomplish great things - the focus will be there on what matters to them, at any given point, so sometimes you have to let them sift through all of their ideas, determine what's the most important - is sometimes tricky in a school setting, when something specific is expected, but if there is a shift change in how things are expected, that can be more useful in getting things done : ) 

Hope that helps! Ailsa! : )

And look who we saw on New Years Day, in the Gardens? Butchart Gardens, just outside of Victoria, BC, Canada... in case you just quickly scrolled down - lol! Soo many gorgeous little birds in the Gardens - and then, yesterday, we saw two amazing Eagles flying overhead, at the Fairway Grocery Store - of all the places to stand there, looking up... but they were gorgeous, huge, and so majestic! And then, I'm listening to all the little birds playing outside my window, right now - they're having the best day, ever! And the little hummingbirds are all crazy, they're all super-happy-excited, just to flit around, all over the place - hilarious! Highly entertaining for me! lol! 


And look who joined us on our walk, yesterday? So surprising, he just walked right up to us, joined our little group, and stayed with us for the whole walk - how cool is that? lol! Sooo gorgeous! Those feathers, and those colors - beyond brilliant! : )

Mr. Peacock, I presume? haha!

So gorgeous! This is over at Beacon Hill Park, in Victoria, BC, Canada - and I've never, ever, seen ice on this little pond, before - so surprising, but pretty funny to see the ducks waddling all over the ice - lol! They seemed to love it! Slip slidin' away-ay-ay... are you singing, yet? A little Simon and Garfunkel? lol! #Peacocks!

That'crrrazy, right? Snow and Palm Trees - who wouldda guessed? lol! We were shocked to see snow out in the Gardens, today, Butchart Gardens, since we don't have a drop of snow left over from our freak snow storms, earlier this week - usually, we're all covered in pink blossoms, by now! lol!

But we do have lots of lovely little Snow Drops! Yay! And the little blanket of blue flowers won't be far behind!

And now for the gorgeous (and FREE!) Gardens at Royal Roads University - Hatley Castle, out in Langford, BC - bring a loonie for parking, walk up and around Hatley Castle, there's a little gate off to the right hand side of the front of the beautiful building - it's little, there's a little sign to say Gift Shop and Gardens.. you can go in to the Formal Gardens, to the left, then come back toward the gate, go to the right, ENJOY! lol!

Japanese Gardens, a Rose Garden, is all so lovely and pretty, and completely free, other than the parking, and that's just a dollar : )

Isn't this photo surreal? This is actually the REFLECTION of the tree - the picture I took to get this shot is right below - how amazing is that? The sun was shining in the water, at just the right angle - I've never seen anything like it! 

Cool, eh? Ah'mazing! Like Trick Photography! : )

Aidan in a Tree! 

Aidan on a Bridge - lol! 

The trees are so beautifully sculpted - so lovely, covered in blossoms! 

I really, really loved this bridge - I love the 3 sections, and the reflection - and I looved the red tree off to the side - so pretty! April 18th, 2017 : )

Finally, I got to stand in the middle of a Daffodil Field - this is all I want to do, every Spring - haha!

Ailsa, Outstanding in My Field 

(Not really my field, but, it is one o' mah' fave jokes - lol!) 

Can you see these wee Geese? Out having a great day! Walkin' 'n swimmin'! lol! 

We were just strolling through the gardens, walked right past this gorgeous Peacock - they're all over the grounds - they love to just poke about, fly on top of things, spread their feathers - so gorgeous!

There's another little Japanese Gazebo - not sure if there's a technical term for it, but I'll find out, or let me know, if you know! : ) So pretty, though, very intricately built, beautiful features, right over the Reflection Pond : )

See all the blossoms, just beginning to open? We're late, this year, about a month late - usually we're in full bloom, by April, so I'm hoping our blossoms will last right through 'til the end of May! And then we're on to the next batch of flowers! Yay!! Victoria, Land of the Flowers! 

I love a little Babbling Brook : )

(What's that you're saying? Make a Wish? I'm on it! lol!) 

These couple o' Geese, havin' a great day! And see how clear the water is in the Reflection Pond - so pretty!

I just couldn't get enough of that red tree - might have been a Japanese Maple - very early for it to be that red, though... I shouldda looked at the leaves - what was I thinking? lol! I was on to the next shot - haha!

And a close up of a beautiful Camellia, with the sun shining through the leaves - so pretty! 

And this is not my picture, but I love it, is so pretty, and gives you a good view of the ocean, too, and Hatley Castle, so, you're going to walk around this road, past the Front Entrance, over to the Right, and you'll see the entrance gate to the Gardens - took us years to figure out there was yet another garden - and is like a Hidden Gem! It's fun to discover new-to-you gardens, and even better when they're free! lol! : )

                                                   ****************************

Helloo!! We're on another Garden Walk, today! Now it's June 13th - the roses are up, amazingly enough, and another 2 or 3 weeks, into July, and the Trellis Roses will be in full bloom - I love roses!

Now we're back over to the Butchart Gardens, is an easy drive from Victoria - we take the back roads, Burnside, turns into Interurban, Right at W. Saanich Road - you'll see The Red Barn, pop in for a delicious sandwich - today we got a Wrap - we had no idea they had wraps - deeelish! So we ordered them, brought them over to the Gardens, back onto West Saanich Rd., just a wee bit, then Right on Wallace, you'll see the turn off for Butchart Gardens, at Bienvenue, but the sign is right there - and a Stop Sign, badly placed... but, that's another story - lol!

OR, just take the Freeway, HWY 17, follow the signs : )

I seemed to remember that there were some picnic tables, on the way into the gardens, and, yippee, I was right, and what a gorgeous location for a little picnic! Was so pretty! Best Restaurant View, ever! (Well, I love all the ocean and mountain views, too - haha!)

So, please to enjoy, our little Garden Trek, today, June 13th! : )

A new-to-me variety of Peonies - so gorgeous!

The Fern Dell : )

 Our pic-i-nic spot (think Yogi Bear! lol!) 

Hilariously, this is just off the Parking Lot (Canadian Parking Lots - lol!)

A great place for a wee picnic! Yum! Red Barn is just up the street, and you can get lots of treats in the Gardens, too : )

Aren't these Purple, Pink and White Stocks so pretty? I love the color combo! Stocks are hardy and easy to grow from seed, so, that would be nice in your garden, right? : )

My Best Boy Ever - lol! What I call Aidan, my wonderful son, happy to go anywhere with me - lol! Thanks, Aidan! : )

 Stunning - an Orange Rose - so gorgeous! 

A light pink and yellow variation of the new-to-me Peonies - sooo pretty! 

Everything's Coming Up Roses! (Sing It!)

So gorgeous, and so lovely and fragrant! 

I love Sweet Peas - I love the scent, and they're such a pretty little flower, all those pretty colors!

See how they built a TeePee out of Bamboo? They just tied it with string - no big engineering feat, here, something we could all make, in our own gardens - or, just plant your Sweet Peas along a fence, or somewhere they can climb - they looove climbing! : )

This tiny Dragon makes me laugh - and make wishes! lol! So cute, brand new, right at the top of the waterfall in the Zen Garden - see the crystal? Hello, Lucky Dragon! : )

Oh, here I am! I made that skirt out of a top - I love to doctor things up, make them work for me - is a good skill, to take something you never wear, turn it into something useful : ) 

And I love this little grotto, if you will - I can't say 'Grotto' without thinking of Hugh Heffner - haha! But, this little grotto is just full of lovely little flowers - love the colors! 

We're celebrating our Canada 150, this year, so I think the plan must be to grow out these flowers, move them somewhere else, for July 1st, Canada Day, maybe? Well, pretty, one way or another! lol!

And these are the famous Blue Poppies - Blue Poppies are a bit of a rarity, so it's always exciting to see them, and I noticed they had the Blue Poppies in a few locations, in the Gardens, this year - so delicate - and I think they were all in the Zen Garden, at Butchart Gardens, so, they must like a certain level of shade - their shady ways - lol! ; )

Okay, I better go eat something! lol! I hope you get a chance to join us on our beautiful island, Vancouver Island, one day (Tomorrow? Let me know! lol!) You'll love it, it's always so gorgeous, here, in Victoria, BC, Canada! : )

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Here we go June 29th, 2017, out for a walk at Butchart Gardens - the Roses are in full bloom, they're just so gorgeous! So glad we popped out for a nice wee walk around the gardens! : )

So lovely, right? See the Impatiens in that last pic? Id you have a shady part in your garden, Impatiens love the shade - they'll be fine, there, and will provide lots of lovely color for your garden! : )

Thanks for going for a wee walk through the gardens with me! 

Your little Garden Friend (not a gnome! lol!) Ailsa! : ) xoxo!