it’s sometimes hard to remember in the misery of november (or even december!) when i’m wrist deep in soggy dirt planting bulbs for spring just how worth the discomfort is.  yesterday i finally removed the last of a few remaining petals from these dreamy tulips that graced my tiny garden this year.  i was amazed at how long they lasted – i credit it to the cool weather of our never ending spring – which seemed to start in november and is only now beginning to fade to summer.  as i’ve mentioned before, our townhouses sit on the landscaped roof of a low-rise building in downtown vancouver.  after taking the elevator up, visitors walk out into the park like setting, complete with magnolia trees, hedges, rosebushes, lawn, children’s playhouse and walkways , with our townhouses surrounding it.  this year i have begun working on this garden, which is still rather ‘builder issue,’ and part of my plan is to include some drifts of tulips and other bulbs.  so in the sunless, rainy cold afternoons of november when i am planting spring bulbs for 2011, my hands red and chapped and the rain streaming down my face – i will think of a few of this year’s successes – and have hot tea waiting inside.

this silver tray came from m’s grandmother when she recently moved.  i have never liked a cluttered counter, besides it is too difficult to clean when there is bottles of this and containers of that everywhere.  this tray allows me to keep often used things close to the food prep area and move them out of the way when i am cleaning up after dinner.  and yes, i do use the disco-ball vodka bottle all the time.

in the house there have also been some things that have come together recently. the spare room/office/den is a few steps closer to being ‘finished’ with some new shelves and computer desk as well a fresh coat of paint. it will be a while until any artwork (which still lives on the walls of our toronto house) comes west – but i can live for a while longer without it. the kitchen pantry also went through a bit of a mini face-lift by adding more usable shelving, a bulletin board and a small desk to store the laptop, cell phones and the dreaded catch-all bowl – all behind closed doors, but completely accessible to the main floor. a few more tweaks and i will be able to post some more pictures.

other than building, i have actually been gardening. with the last frost FINALLY out of the way i have had the chance to bring out some more tender succulents and bedding plants – though to be honest i lost a few when i jumped the gun a little in april. the warmer days have also allowed the banana plants to start to unfurl their first leaves of 2008 without the risk of being punished by the frost.

almost time to pick-up j from school. enjoy the moments.

it has been nice to be able to show my friend around in the sun! as we drove out to horseshoe bay along marine drive he quipped how awful this road must be in winter – i had to remind him it was february. the hellobora looked so beautiful blooming at whytecliff park. i feel some gardening coming on.

while we vancouverites are fortunate enough to have mountains and the ocean at our doorsteps we are not blessed with alot of space for our buck. our downtown townhouse is a well designed place; but – with 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, den and a living/dining room packed into 1,212 sq. feet – it’s small.

the den is the first room one encounters when they enter our house, it is also an extension of the kitchen and opens out on the larger of the two outdoor spaces. between the entertaining m and i do on regular basis, j and his friends and our own family activities this room will face an onslaught of use and abuse. it will also act as the formal receiving room for us. on our itunes speakers network it is called the club lounge, pretentious i know, but honestly it works!