Organic eatery right in Brantford!

Last month, I wrote about discovering Meme's in New Hamburg. Imagine my big surprise when I discovered a similar eatery right in the heart of downtown Brantford!

It took a visit from my friend Ann from Orillia to try Stir It Up! (Thanks, Ann.) I heard about this place just 2 weeks ago from one of the vendors at the Garden Club's flower show. Her store, Just Shabulous, is situated next to the eatery. She had me drooling since then.

The first thing we noticed was the most delicious aroma (if that is a valid olfactory description) coming from the kitchen. If that wasn't enough to stimulate the salivary glands, the menu's description of any of the food item would do it. Do click on the link to experience the latter.

Ann ordered the Curried Veg Delight while I ordered The Creole dish from the Rice bowl items and bowls- big bowls- they were! Fortunately, this means another meal to take home!

This place is also perfect for those hot, lazy days, perhaps after a bike ride, to have a power juice or smoothie as their juice bar menu is quite extensive. Definitely a destination which requires no excuse whatsoever.

So, friends, anytime you want to have an Organic Cafe experience, I will know exactly where to take you!

Rainy Days

It's a lovely day today- if you are a duck or a gardener. I love the rain because it gives me a very good excuse to do indoor things.

Gardening time is very limited once the cycling season starts because Bob & I ride on Monday and Wednesday mornings. By the time we come home (after coffee or lunch with the gang), it is way way too hot to water or to weed. So, then, I have to wait around 4:30 PM or later: it is shaded enough in some parts of the garden that I can comfortably do some tasks. I prefer evenings after 7:00 PM when it is significantly cooler and more shades. Unfortunately, more shades mean more mosquitoes are on the hunt for something warm and juicy. Behind the ears or knees or right for the jugular are some of their favorite spots. What to do? Spray with DEET?- which is supposedly the only effective product on the market. No, thanks: I opted for covering up. But I digress.

So, today, while it rained on & off, I have organized some "parked pictures" in my computer. I created an album on the Picasaweb for the last cycling trip with the Roaming Riders. I've caught up with my e-mail. I enjoyed Youtube videos of a taleented14-year old Filipina named Thia Megia (as shared by my brother Marvin). And I am posting this blog. I would say it had been quite a productive day.

So, there. I love rainy days!

Early Summer Blooms

I decided to group my early summer blooms in colors. So, I went wild with the Picasa collages!

These are some of the purple-colored blooms found in my backyard garden. The pansy (upper left corner) are prolific self-seeders as this one did. Unfortunately, the blooms are not as huge as the ones I had planted last year (which was a hybrid).

Notice that the one in the left lower corner: this is a "petal-less" Zinnia! The one above it is a Calendula which is a self seeding annual. I wish I had scattered some of the seeds for the front garden as they bloom all summer long.
The pink flowers come in various shades; some with a hint of lavender or just a blush. The Echinacea (bottom left corner), for example, is very pale, almost white. This is the first bloom but there are more to come!
These are the true blues. I had more but they are categorically not summer blooms. Besides, the Picasa only allows me to use pictures in the same folder. I had originally wanted blues and whites as a "calming" palette for the gardens but I found that they are not that showy at all. The colors blend in the shadows so, one really needs to be up close to view them properly.

This collection, of course, is not all inclusive as I discover much later that some of the photos I had taken were not focused. I will have to be more diligent in organizing my photos.

I hope you enjoyed viewing them as much as I had fun creating them. You may have noticed that I opted not to label the plants this time. (That was an exercise meant for me to remember their names!)