Garden Envy, Part Two

As I was walking home from uni one day last week, I snapped some more spring bloom photos.  Nearly all of these came from people's very nice front gardens, which made me very sad about the sorry state of our back garden.  I'm glad I get to see and enjoy other people's lovely gardnes, but dang.  Anyway, here they are, the lovelies. 

This gorgeous tree is at Kings, between the CASS offices and the Pavilion sports area.

These next few are from a wee strip of grassy-ness behind what used to be the Butchart rec centre, just before you get to Orchard Walk... or Orchard Place...

These couple are from the Orchard area, where all the streets are called Orchard something.  

The rest are from King Street, homes on the left as I leave uni and walk home. 

I caught several flashes of red jumping out at me.  Always exciting.  =)

The weather was totally crazy this day-- hail, sleet, rain, wind, sun, snow... all in rotating fifteen minute increments.  I got hailed on as I was coming home, but the sun was still out.  So I got lucky.  I got these photos relatively unscathed. 

*sigh*

Garden Envy

My back garden:

The clothes line poles are just higher than my head, and those reed-things are that high.

I don't even know what these should be used for, but currently they are in such a state that I don't think they are fit for anything.

There were, last year, a lot of nice flowering bushes along that wall.  Someone started tearing them all out, and I can't find a rhyme or reason for how and why they did.  And why they left all the branches and bits in piles around the rest of the garden.  Grrrrr.

The neighbour's back garden, which looks nice and tended and like the wee rooms at the back can actually be used for something.

A random garden at uni-- behind my friend Liz's office building.  I gotta figure out how to get in there.

And I've gotta figure out how to deal with our garden.  Not having the right tools is a big bummer right now.

Party Like It's 2010... Oh, Wait...

So I had lots of my friends from different circles (uni, church, etc) and different eras (as long as I've been here, in the past year, etcd) to my flat for eating and laughing and goofing off on Sunday.  It was a good day.  I made Laurie's bean dip, Kayla's cream cheese salsa dip, ranch dip with veggies, raspberry choco streussel bars, Legend's fruit tea, and birthday cake balls (I had to neuter about a dozen and a half, poor cakes.  But their sacrifice was duly appreciated by the guests at my party).  I'll let the pictures tell the story, with a wee bit of commentary from me.  =)

(they might not have eaten the cake balls if they'd seen these photos first...)

the fridge stocked:

Becker boys, Scot and RitaBekah

what the boys did the whole time, and didn't share:

Liz and Jay, caught in the act.  Of what, I'm not sure.

Aleithia.  Classy. 

Which came first?  Looks like neither one is doing very well... considering they were supposed to be going straight off the edge to the right of the photo. 

Natalie and Noelle, vying for the win!

And the mystery parcel-- revealed this!  Not busted yet.  Needs a neater garden and less rainy day.

That's it.  I'm officially olde now.  Yay! 

Not to Brag, But...

I totally racked up on the gifties this year.  And I just want to share the bounty.  Not as in, actually share.  Just share the pictures so you can all be totally jealous of me. 

Mystery parcel.  I didn't order this.  And there is no glimpse of who it might be from.  Hmmm...

Another mystery parcel.  This one I opened on my birthday, and it had...

a sonic screwdriver!  Awesome.  From my daddy, as I found out when the Homer Simpson card full of d'oh! arrived.  =)

All of these things are from Kenny.  He's the bestest flatmate in all of Scotland.  Probably all of the UK.  Possibly even all the world. 

Oh, and this was the 'gift bag' for all the above:

From Aleithia, coffee.  Boozey coffee. 

From Liz, the Voucher of Happiness.  And Lush goodies.  Because I'm a lush, and a wench.  Obviously.

From Paige.  Ahhhh, another Voucher of Happiness. 

From RitaBekah.  That girl has good taste, obviously.

From Noelle.  I'd say she knows me a little bit. 

From the Beckers.  Also with very good taste.  Which is why I'm often so well-dressed. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you, friends!  I love them all, and will use them all.  Oh, and I love y'all, too.  =)