Vanilla Poached Peaches

I have been enjoying many lovely breakfasts in the garden lately - August has been fantastic in Vancouver. The garden table is in a lovely spot with the tomatoes looming large, the beets tickling your ankles under the table and the chairs sinking sideways into the soft soil. It's feels a little like a child's tea party.

Here's a couple of views of our garden table (one with a Lily linen tablecloth):

Yesterday, after enjoying a breakfast of pan-fried oysters that we shared with our upstairs neighbour, my boyfriend declared that he would love to have vanilla poached peaches for breakfast the following day. It was an interesting request (although I had just purchased 10 pounds of peaches the previous day at a farm stand), as I have never made poached peaches before and he had never mentioned them, but I agreed that it would be a delicious breakfast. So, I did the standard internet search for recipes, blended a few, picked up a vanilla bean and this morning got to work. It was a little time consuming, but fun and the result was so worth it - visually and gastronomically!

I think I may want to turn this whole box of peaches into the glistening gems that follow.

Summer Window Display Up For Sale

The Vancouver Summer window display is now available for sale. One large pretty birdcage hanging centerpiece ($144) and two sweet birdcage hanging lamps ($86 each) are free to fly out of the shop and into your home. I think they would be fabulous for a children's bedroom or in a breakfast nook (I wish I had one). Feel free to call us at the Main Street shop 604.873.5459 for dimensions, or with any other questions.

If you are on the West Coast today, happy puddle jumping!!

In Memory...

A great contributor to Canadian politics, Jack Layton, will be sorely missed by Canadians of all political persuasions.

Ashni Scarves

Beautiful, soft, warm, breathable, colourful, wool scarves with engaging all-over prints.

Available in blue, teal, magenta, grey, olive, coral, dark red, yellow, brown, and black for $48.

Black and White and Grey for Fall

With some red for good fun!

Cotton Cardigan, Plaid Cypress Skirt, Hama Hama Top, and Striped Hester Skirt:

...And More New Fall Garments!

Bamboo Longsleeve Tee and Wool Fandango Skirt!

More New Fall Garments!

Wool Vests and Skirts! The Jasper.

Vancouver Update: Fall garments arriving in shops today!

We are pretty excited about our new Fall line! Fortunately pieces start to arrive in stores today (and are available for mail order too), so we no longer have to contain our enthusiasm - phew.

We will be posting photos, descriptions and prices on our website on Thursday. Until then, I am going to reveal some photos to you via a few blog posts today. Here we go.....

Red Corduroy Dress! Zed for short.

Frontenac Dress!

Lily Home: Elegant Linen Throws

Trish has concocted the most beautiful summer throws of all time. They are perfect for draping over your legs on cool summer evenings, pretty as tablecloths, and I think they would make the most charming picnic blankets. They are made with Italian linen, vintage lace, awesome Lily prints and plenty of love...

Vancouver Update: Garden Before and After

I thought it would be fun to post a few shots of the progress of my home garden. The greenhouse has done us well, as we have been eating Kale and Spinach non-stop for the last month. The herbs are pretty prolific too, including the Shiso (a Japanese herb likened to basil). Here are a few before and after shots.

before

before

after

before

after

The new patch is the second round of Spinach.

The Lemon Cucumbers are starting to wind their way up the trellis.

The Beans are pushing their way out of the greenhouse.

And our poppies are blooming (yes, we planted them rather late!).

So far all the hard work has paid off. I'll have to do a quick before and after of the pumpkin patch too...