A rose for a rose...

Hello poppets,
I'll start today by saying a BIG thank you for all the lovely comments on my last post. I really was feeling a little apprehensive about sharing my little old kitchen with you. There are so many awe-inspiring kitchen pictures out there in blogland... Popping a piccie up of mine was a little daunting, but all I heard was positive comments. So, I feel all those evenings painting weren't wasted! If you didn't catch it you can always read the post here.

Anyhoo, the sun has been shining here in NJ and it has been hot, hot, hot!!! So much so, that I was padding across the garden with a bowl of ice to drop in the bird bath, so my little avian friends could take a nice, cool dip. I think they were very appreciative, as it was a hive of activity all afternoon. I even locked the cat indoors, so that they could be refreshed without the fear of being jumped at any given moment. She's a stealth hunter and positions herself behind a peony, ready to pounce on any poor bird taking a bath... like a scene from Psycho, but reenacted with cats and birds!

The garden has all but transitioned from spring to summer. The spring blooms have gone to seed and the summer blooms are starting to put on their razzle-dazzle. The perennial flowers are opening up and are as bright and bold as ever. It always amazes me how big they get with each successive year and leaves me wondering whether I can squeeze any more in! This season, my perennial of choice has been yarrow (Achillea millefolium). I feel a border punctuated with this just screams English cottage garden. So I popped in a lovely yellow specimen this past week and am now figuring where to shoehorn in a couple more.

So, with the garden well and truly on my mind these days, I picked up another little rose for the Friday Flower this week. I posted a similar one back in March. After it had finished blooming, I popped it in the garden... now, it is in full bloom again and looks a treat! Not bad for a $3.49 supermarket special!
I figured, this weekend, I'll plant this one in the raised bed and see how it fairs.

Oh, and why the rose this week? Well, that would be in honor of my Mum. Her birthday was this past Thursday. She is a true English rose and, with a June birthday, it's only fitting that I dedicate a rose to her this week. This lady means the world to me and, even though there are 3000 miles between us, I carry her with me every day, in everything I do. I love you, Mum, and only wish I had been there in person to share your special day with you!

So, my dears, the week is drawing to a close and the weekend is upon us. We have a trip to the NYC Children's Botanical Garden (my daughter being a prize winner for a local competition she entered) and, other than that, I plan on lazing around this old place... although a week off from the painting and I'm already thinking about what my next project should be...

Wishing you all the weekend you want it to be!
Take care and catch you next week.
Lx

If you would like to link up with this weeks (belated) Friday Flower, simply use the linky widget below to  link to your flower inspired post!