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Five Things Friday | August 4

August 4, 2017 by Barb 7 Comments

Welcome to Five Things Friday where I share what I’m reading, watching, eating, making, or just plain loving at the moment.

I haven’t shared a Five Things Friday since May … but I’m starting to get back on my feet after 2 months (gasp!) of not posting at all. I totally lost my mojo and tried to explain why in my post What Happened? (if you care to have a read.)

I’ve been picking lots of wildflowers, as I truly prefer a free bouquet :)

It’s also interesting that whilst in Arizona last year I paid for goldenrod (solidago), which is growing in great heaps in our ditches at the moment. You can see the bouquet I purchased at Trader Joe’s for proof.

Five Things Friday, Wildflowers, Keeping With the Times, Bouquets

So without further ado, here is what I’ve been up to in the last little while:

Five Things Friday | August 4

What I Discovered

I discovered that I am capable of solving a technical glitch. After a WordPress update in May, my blog posts were a total mess (behind the scenes). Tons of extra html and gobbledy-gook were lurking inside every post, and while you, my dear readers couldn’t see it … I could, and I cannot stand a mess because I figure it will eventually bite you in the butt. So after my tech guy kindly and (finally) took a look and didn’t see anything, and after contacting HostGater who although helpful in other ways, did not diagnose my problem, I set out to figure it out myself. To make a long story short, there are two editing views in WordPress: Visual and Text. I used to be able to switch seamlessly between the two views but now they counteract each other and cause all kinds of havoc. Apparently this is not news. It happens. So I disabled the Visual Editor and now only work in HTML. It sounds complicated but actually, it is not. I would be happy to share more and write a post if anyone’s interested … let me know!

What I’m Reading

I’ve just started reading A House in the Sky. It’s the true story of Amanda Lindhout and her kidnapping while acting as a reporter in Mogadishu, Somalia “the most dangerous place on earth.” I find it especially interesting as she’s a Canadian from Red Deer, a city about 2 hours drive from where I live. So far it’s a very good read … describing places and events I only want to experience from my sofa.

What I’m Watching

Well, I’m not really watching anything … but last night the hubs took me out for dinner, and to see The Phantom of the Opera. Oh I can’t get that musical out of my system … I’ve now seen it 5 times! 3 times in Edmonton, once in Calgary, and once in Toronto. Last night’s performance in Edmonton was spectacular and the music was extraordinary. I’m still buzzing. After the show we drove home in a gentle rain … the entire evening was magical.

What I’m Loving

Well, I love it when a company sends me fabulous product to try … and when Vintage North asked if I’d like to have 3 lovely plant pots, and perhaps to share them on IG or my blog … I’m like wha? ummm, yeah!! I absolutely adore them (they’re a perfect compliment to my lovely succulents I think.) I’m thinking these will be showing up time and time again :)

Vintage North, Five Things Friday, Keeping With the Times

My Favourite Leaf

By August my garden is quite the hodgepodge of flowers, seedpods, grasses, and weeds. But also leaves … and although I’ve always loved my hostas, I’ve never used them in still life photography. So I set out to remedy that. So here is my Hosta Big Daddy: a huge, sturdy, ruffly, quilted, textural beauty that is also slug resistant! It also lasted several weeks in a cut flower bouquet!

Hosta Big Daddy, Five Things Friday, Keeping With the Times

Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your Friday!
xo

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy these:

Late Summer Floral Arrangements
Backyard Bouquets
Apple Pie Cheesy Rustic Crust
Apple Pie/Cheesy Rustic Crust
5 Wardrobe Ideas for Women of a Certain Aige
5 Wardrobe Ideas
Rosemary Thyme Parmesan Shortbread
Rosemary Thyme Shortbread

Filed Under: FIVE THINGS FRIDAY Tagged With: blogging, reading, reviews

Comments

  1. Pam Greer says

    August 4, 2017 at 6:30 pm

    How cute are those pots! We have tons of hosta and I never thought to use it in photography!

    Reply
    • Barb says

      August 7, 2017 at 7:22 pm

      Thanks Pam! aren’t hosta amazing?! Thank you for stopping by!

      Reply
  2. Ann Davis says

    August 4, 2017 at 7:52 pm

    Hi Barb,
    Thanks for a lovely read. With this remodel remodel, we are going to add houseplants back into our environment. Had them for years but with traveling took them out . But have been reading that if you buy the correct ones they are so wonderful for your environment 🌿
    Have a wonderful weekend
    Ann

    Reply
    • Barb says

      August 7, 2017 at 7:21 pm

      Hi Ann! Thank you for stopping by once again! Yes, I too love houseplants, and I used to have all kinds. But with travel and being so busy I gave up for a while … until I discovered succulents! Now as you know I keep my succulents as long as I can all winter (sometimes tossing them out in spring.)

      Reply
  3. Kathy Pardell says

    August 5, 2017 at 3:14 pm

    Glad to see you’re back Barb. I always love seeing what you’re up to and reminding us that our backyards ( and ditches) are full of surprises.
    Have a lovely August long!
    Kathy

    Reply
    • Barb says

      August 7, 2017 at 7:19 pm

      Hi Kathy … thanks so much for stopping by. I know you’ve had a very busy summer and I appreciate your lovely comments xo

      Reply
  4. León says

    August 8, 2017 at 10:04 am

    I agree those pots with their gnarly texture look like the perfect home for succulents. And I love your hosta bouquet! I never thought of using those leaves like cut flowers.

    Reply

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Welcome! I'm Barb, and this is where I practice my mantra to "learn something new, try something different". It's my hope that something I do here may inspire you! Read More…

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