Giardino Di Vasi... The Potted Garden...

My potted garden is thriving... Tomatoes and herbs along with Roses and Hydrangea,  Lavenders and sages.  Lovely and fragrant.  I have so many tomatoes on the vines which are healthy and relatively pest free,  for now anyway.  The few English Roses that I brought with me in the move are happy here at the new place .  Although they all live in pots, they are pretty,  happy and blooming... which makes me happy... I have ordered another favorite that I did not bring with me... 

The Generous Gardener should be here in a week or so. 

Fai Da Te Per Primavera... DIY For Springtime...

I asked Jody if she would show me how to make the Mosaic Shovel and Trowels that she made a while ago.  We set off  on the hunt for pretty plates to use in our craft...after finding a collection of plates  that we liked,  along with old shovels that we each had on hand, we got together and did our craft.  It was fun seeing the pieces come together to make a unique garden ornament. I have been enjoying some crafting lately and am feeling more like myself after the move... finally.  A little crafting and as always,  lots of cooking and baking makes me feel like me.

Piaceri Autunnali... Autumn Pleasures...

It is beginning  to feel like Fall... no colored leaves yet,  just that lovely breeze... a perfect time for  gardening with some added Autumn touches in my new container garden...and of course for spending lots of time in the kitchen, using favorite seasonal ingredients in beautiful colors... love purple in the Fall and decided to use some in the kitchen... Gnocchi from purple potatoes.  A first attempt at that turned out great,  taste wise,  but I wanted a vibrant purple color, in spite of the addition of fresh lemon to the potatoes after putting them through the food mill,   they turned out lavender,  not purple,  still gorgeous.   Next time I will try a different variety of purple potato in hopes of getting a deeper hue.  I always give purple cauliflower a big squeeze of fresh lemon to return it to it's bright purple color after cooking it,  and that keeps it beautiful. It's also time to make some cozy Fall crafts... It's much to early for Halloween,  but some fall touches are a must.

Giardino Di Sera… Evening Garden…

Spending time in the garden is just such a pleasure.  I love the morning sun,  and the late afternoon sun… but that early evening time is so special too.  When the sun goes down ,  and it's not quite dark,  and the sky is still blue and the trees look almost black against that blue sky… Amazing!