When we moved to this house I had a very nasty tumour growing on my optic nerve and pituitary gland.  It was impairing my vision and as a result my driver’s license was revoked.  Moving into town meant I could walk to the shops and that I was surrounded by friends, all eager to help out (I’m the luckiest one in Cobourg without a doubt).

Living in town means that our garden was much smaller and at the bottom was another house.  Also, we chose (and not for the first time, I must admit) a corner lot so we have a municipal sidewalk running along the north edge of our property.

My friend Theresa is the best gardener you’ll ever meet.  Indeed, most of the flora in our garden was a gift from her or cuttings from her plants.  She recommended we build a pergola or sturdy trellis at the edge of our deck and grow vines over it to provide shade and privacy.  It worked a treat!

Frei Street Vines 2

At any time of the year, on days when I’m unable to get out, I get enormous pleasure sitting in the window and watching the birds at the feeder and the rabbits, chipmunks and squirrels foraging for any seeds dropped by the birds.  On those days, the garden, the pergola and the feeder are my bliss.

It has been a cold April in Ontario, there have been lots of days when the temperature did not rise above 0℃ and on Monday night we even had 4cm fresh snow and yet today, despite the odds, my vines are already robustly producing leaves.  It’ll not be long until the pergola is a mass of green again and, not long after that ’til it’s ablaze with the beautiful purple and pink sprays of the Wisterias.  The happy anticipation they gave me this morning is why these new leaves are today’s one tiny beautiful thing:

Frei Street Vines