Spot on Laughing Dove Cafe ( Herb Garden )

~~Detail on my dove pen in the herb garden. We call our herb garden Laughing Dove Cafe. ~~ ~~~Autumn is here, my herb garden is covered in leaves and I have just now begun to harvest herbs I should have attended to a month or so ago. Here ( below ) is a front view of the dove pen my Hubby made me for my birthday a few years ago. Every day now I find there are wild doves in the herb garden, they seem to be seeking the company of my penned doves. They also eat the seed my doves scatter and spill outside their pen.

~~~"See how that pair of billing doves with open murmurs own their love and heedless of censorious eyes , pursue unpolluted joys ; no fears of future want molest the downy quiet of their nest." Lady Mary Wortley Montagu

~~~One of the bottle trees my Hubby made me. I collect blue bottles.~~~

~~~The other blue bottle tree in my herb garden.~~~

~~~I have a variety of herbs and really, if I pay attention to the weather and remember to harvest my herbs BEFORE frost sets in, why...I would have no need to buy most of the herbs and seasonings called for in many recipes. Here I have cut some Rosemary and 2 varieties of oregano. Hmmm....spaghetti sounds yummy right now. ~~~Lady's Mantle :"A hardy perennial that grows in Northern temperate climes, lady's mantle grows no higher than 12 ". "....Early in the morning , what appears to be drops of dew collect in the furrows of the leaves. Horses and sheep are said to find the plant tasty but they will not touch it until these "dew drops" have disappeared. Resembling minute crystal balls the sparkling drops of moisture are produced by the plant itself and were thought to have magical powers in the Middle Ages. Known as 'water from heaven' the drops would be carefully collected and used by an alchemist in his search for the philosopher's stone. Hence this dainty little plant bears the Latin name Alchemilla which is derived from the word alchemy.The common name , lady's mantle, has it's origins in the Middle Ages when it was one of the many plants dedicated to the Virgin Mary." from THE COUNTRY DIARY HERBAL , by Sarah Hollis ~~~Here is some of my Lady's Mantle. It thrives here and when I have to clear out a lot of it I toss it to my sheep who eat it like it is candy. My chickens eat it too. I once followed the recipe for Lady's Mantle tea which is supposed to help alleviate ,ahem...ladies' problems.....anyway, the tea smelled so foul and was so repulsive, I decided I was fine and dandy and did not need any remedy for what ailed me after all..thank-you very much !

~~~Here is my sage bed, in front of my pink chair.~~~

~~~The sundial in our herb garden. I am sure glad we do not have to rely on sun dials to tell time or season. Here in Washington you really can't count on the sun making an appearance to help you schedule any appointments or even tell when it is lunch time. ~~~"Herbs can be tucked into existing flower borders, vegetable beds or decorative pots. As adaptable plants, many will grow happily on a balcony or patio, or even indoors. When more space is available , a separate area set aside for herbs often becomes a special place for peace and enchantment." The Complete Book Of Herbs by Leslie Bremness