Banff to Lake Louise

 

Who would imagine that a drive could be so breath-taking?  We set off from Banff towards what is probably one of the most photographed areas of Banff National Park.

 

The mountains with their snowy peaks reminded me of Nigella's Spruced-Up Vanilla Cake.

 

We made frequent stops to look at the scenery.

 

I tried to imagine how these mountains would look in winter.

 

And all the time I marvelled at Mother Nature's perfection.

 

 

Garden Ramblings

 

I cheated a bit with this post, as some of the photographs were from a recent visit to our local nursery and a couple of them were taken last year, so the eagle-eyed amongst you may notice that the flowers outside the shop are different.

 

 

Doesn't this little corner look inviting?  I could quite happily sit on this bench, shaded by a large tree, and watch the world go by.

 

 

I've been trying to grow Sweet William from seed during the past couple of summers, but without success.  I would have bought some, but the plants did not look that great, though they were blooming well.

 

I could spend hours here, browsing through the large selection of plants and dreaming of the perfect garden.

 

 

There is also a sweet little pond with goldfish.  I love a water feature in a garden.

No purchases on our latest visit, but a wealth of ideas.  I've had a few disappointments in the garden this year, with my David Austin rose 'Graham Thomas' failing to survive the winter and other plants struggling to survive after a particularly wet spring.  The main problem now are the bugs, mostly of the biting variety!

Snow In Summer

 

 

Banff, Alberta is located in Canada's first National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  I had wanted to visit Banff for years and the opportunity presented itself when we added a few extra days to our trip at the end of the conference.

 

There are glimpses of mountain peaks around every corner.  I found the place quite charming, but crowded with tourists from around the world. 

 

I had a chance to take these photographs by going out for an early morning walk before most of the tourists were about.

 

The snow-capped Rocky Mountains are seen in the distance of this picture.  The perfect start to a perfect day.