Lavender Blues

Lavender's Blue Dilly, Dilly
Lavender's Green.
Went on a tour Dilly, Dilly
But none could be seen.

(Apologies to the originators of this folk song.)

It was a dull and drizzly Saturday on a much-welcomed long weekend. Some friends and I went on an out-of-province day trip. We were not going very far; we were heading to Lavender Ridge in Luskville, Quebec at the foot of the Gatineau hills.  

Our quest was to see fields of blue flowers, to procure aromatic gifts then go for a tasty lunch somewhere new.

 

When we arrived, we saw rows of lavender pots for sale. There were also rows of pots lined up on the damp grass.  

 

The lady of the domain greeted us and provided an update on the situation.  Due to the wet spring, the first crop had failed to show for the end of June.  She was waiting for the fields to be dry enough to send out the tractor and plant another crop that would hopefully be ready by the end of July.

Since she was minding the store and waiting for a batch of bread from the oven, she gladly supported our request to tour the fields, to take photographs and look around.  She cautioned us to stay on the upper fields and not to venture into the lower, wetter ones.

With umbrellas in hand and overhead, we strolled first to the western portion of the property.

Lavender fields waiting for re-planting: 

For years, people have used Lavender for its medicinal properties, to relieve symptoms of insomnia, anxiety and depression. 

 The vineyards:

Apparently, they are growing a grape that was bred to thrive in northern climates. 

Close-up of grapes on the vine:

 

A view of the lower fields.  Can you see the cows?

Vineyards on the Eastern side: 

In addition to looking up and around, I was also looking down to plan my steps, carefully avoiding any wet, mucky areas. 

I saw daisies:

and a lone dandelion:

We encountered a lovely, well-planned flower garden:

...and a pond.  Can you see the faux Heron?

A random, lost teddy bear:

My imagination wandered as I wondered if a child somewhere was crying, missing her teddy bear. 

We returned to the dry, aromatic boutique and shook off our umbrellas.  Shelves and tables loaded with lotions, soaps and edible treats waited for our perusal.  Empty wicker baskets waited by the doorway for us to carry around and load up.  One complaint I would have was that not all items or shelves were marked with prices.  Things could get costly as one loads up her basket with gift ideas!

More people arrived.  A wine tasting session began.  

After being entertained and educated by the hostess, we continued on to purchase our goods plus a loaf each of that fresh bread.  


The ride home was pleasant, misty and picturesque.

That night, I slept in a room that smelled very pretty.  The next day, I wrapped and boxed items in preparation to gift to some friends. 

A souvenir not yet opened: 

This white wine is an unexpected contribution to my summer research project.  

Thank you for reading this far.  I hope you enjoyed the photographs.  I hope you found this blog entry funny, interesting or inspiring (See the reaction check boxes below).

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T