Well we have moved on from the heady days of doing interviews to our time in California. Carpinteria Ca to be specific: a great little beach town south of Santa Barbara.
No pictures yet since we’ve been here less than 24 hours and we’re still shopping for food. In that time I’ve seen a seal mucking about in the surf (thought it was a very sleek diver); and a pelican came so close to the building we could hear its wings flap.
Getting here was a snap. Twenty nine minutes to get through security leaving us with a 2 and a half hour wait to get on the plane. I don’t know if we were just lucky or what, but the fear implanted in traveling seemed needless.
We arrived here to a glorious sunset, and plants galore all along the traffic-choked highway.
You can see evidence of mud slides, detritus from fires and still it’s one of the most gorgeous of landscapes anywhere. Like the Tuscan valley in Italy, like the Alpes-Maritimes in the south of France,. and then only like itself.
We adore this little town and absolutely nothing has changed except things are much more lush than last year because of all the rain.
Ernie the bus driver says we’re in for a three-day blow so maybe serious walks on the beach will have to wait for another day.
We spent the afternoon at the farmer’s market loading up on vegetables, olive oil, fruit and though we only live a few blocks away, we took a bus (25cents) home. Though he didn’t have to Ernie the bus driver let us off right in front of our building.
Now to cook what looks like a spectacular chicken.

Well what fun the book launch at Teatro Verde turned out to be.  Here’s Sarah Maclachlan the president of House of Anansi with me and my daughter Jennifer Harris (aka prof at U of T) on the left.  this picture was taken by Mark Disero of  gardentoronto.ca who arrived early with Yvonne Cunnington  and covered the event. Left: Michael Pellegrino and Shawn Gibson of  the maestros of TeatroVerde with the enchanting corner they made for me. I was ordered to wear the same colours as those on the cover of Thrifty.

Lots of wonderful old friends dropped in, some new friends made through the book and near as I can tell everyone had a great time. I was too busy signing book or hailing people as they came in the door to enjoy the crowd whooping it up at the bar which was where everyone else was gathered.

The wine was donated by FuZion and it was delicious and no one left til the last drop was drunk. It was a wonderful evening for me.  Go to Mark’s site and have a look at the rest of the party.

It’s been a frantic week or so promoting THRIFTY: Living the Frugal Life with Style.
Today is the day of the book launch at the wonderful Teatro Verde. What great guys Michael and Shawn are to do this, and how lovely that my publisher House of Anansi is the co-sponsor with FuZion wines.
So between 6 and 8 we’ll be lifting a wee glass to celebrate the book and I look forward to this immensely,
Tomorrow I’m being interviewed by Shelagh Rogers which will be such a treat. It will be broadcast next week and I’ll let you know the times. She’s such a good interviewer.
Then on the weekend I’ll be on Newsworld but I don’t know when. Then it’s done.

You can find the book in all sorts of different places including Bianco Plus on Avenue Rd near Davenport and of course at Teatro Verde where I’ll leave lots of signed books if we don’t sell them tonight.

It’s been a frantic week or so promoting THRIFTY: Living the Frugal Life with Style.
Today is the day of the book launch at the wonderful Teatro Verde. What great buys Michael and Shawn are to do this, and how lovely that my publisher House of Anansi is the co-sponsor with FuZion wines.
So between 6 and 8 we’ll be lifting a wee glass to celebrate the book and I look forward to this immensely,
Tomorrow I’m being interviewed by Shelagh Rogers which will be such a treat. It will be broadcast next week and I’ll let you know the times. She’s so wonderful.
Then on the weekend I’ll be on Newsworld but I don’t know when.
Then it’s done. You can find the book in all sorts of different places including Bianco Plus on Avenue Rd near Davenport and of course at Teatro Verde where I’ll leave lots of signed books if we don’t sell them tonight.

I am thrilled about how good the garden looks right now. The Japanese maple in the centre looking like a piece of sculpture with the snow caught in its branches just so.

The media frenzy:  cancelled on Zoomer radio yesterday (Monday);  bumped on Canada A. M. today.  But I will be Canada A. M. with the very nice Seamus O’Reagan tomorrow  (Wed 8:40 a.m.).

talking about Thrifty: living the frugal life with style.

Seamus and I both lived in Labrador in the same area and we were so excited about that I can hardly remember what I said. Anyway he’s a lovely guy.

And if you missed my appearance try this link:

http://watch.ctv.ca/news/top-picks/living-thrifty/#clip254858

I’m still  in the process right now of getting out the new e-letter about winter shrubs

Saturday morning CBC’s Fresh Air will have me on between 8 and 8:30  99.1FM

SUNDAY: THERE WILL BE A CLOTHING SWAP.  Here’s the invitation:

Dancemakers
Sunday, January 17
Drop off clothes at Dancemakers starting at 12 p.m.
Swap Start Time: 2 p.m.
Case Goods Warehouse, Building 74, Studio 306
55 Mill Street, Toronto
(All proceeds go to Dancemakers.)

Let me know if you want the new e-letter.

The berberis I showed below is indeed spiny and will keep all cats and skunks away from any border. Another good quality.
Catalogues: Oh my,  the Thompson & Morgan catalogue has drifted in to lift the misery of  the blizzard going on outside. It’s so full of such good plants it’s hard to know where to start in recommendation. But have a look at this one www.thompsonmorgan.ca I’ll be pushing some plants in future essays.  The ones you have to have will be listed in the e-letter.

Another superb catalogue is Gardenimport . This is one of the best illustrated and photographed catalogues around. It’s great for new plants, and if you live in an area where there isn’t a wonderful nursery, this is the one to examine closely.

There are many more catalogues but there are the two top ones (for seeds in the first case; and plants in the second case).

It was a bonanza on New Year’s Day this year. We always go to a great party hosted by Alison Gordon and it never fails to be amusing, filled with lots of wonderful people. Margaret Atwood came up to me and said how much she likes my new book (it was her idea, and she’s got lots of stuff in there) and that she had tweeted about it.  I was naturally thrilled.

All writers are dead nervous about a new book coming out. Thrifty: Living the Frugal Life with Style was a huge amount of fun to write and I got a lot of my wonderful friends to write essays and be interviewed and they came up with glorious stuff. Sometimes funny, always useful and I’m going to be flogging it all this month.

Next Monday (Jan 11), I’ll be on with Libby Znaimer on Zoomer Radio 96.3 in Toronto.

What fun this all is.  I feel very lucky to have a lovely publisher, editor and now publicity hound to help sell it.  You can also buy it from me and I ‘ll sign it for you.

And I’m really am working on a new e-letter and you can sign up for it if  you haven’t already. Thanks everyone for responding to this blog and my tweets (marjorie_harris).

There has to be a use for winter and I think this gorgeous shrub is one of the prime things to be looking out the window in a vague swoon.  This is a small group of Berberis thunbergii ‘Ring of Gold’ and ‘Aurea’ both in full tilt seeds. I didn’t really have to decorate the garden with this kind of flush of magnificence.  I can’t recommend these plants enough. They are great.

But it’s time for the great catalogue rush and as they come in I’ll pick out some really dishy stuff for 2010.  Meantime.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

What is going on this year?  In all the lists of stuff for people, we gardeners are pretty much ignored. What a change from a few years ago when garden writers were swamped with requests to make up lists for magazines and newspapers. It’s symptomatic of the lack of a garden press in this country and a fading one everywhere else.

We must therefore plunge in a do a completely ruthless personal list which may mean nothing to anyone else but me.

First of all there are all of my own books. Absolutely great gifts. Try and find them in a book store. If not you can order them from me and I’ll get them out immediately.

And I’ll soon have copies of my new book:  THRIFTY: LIVING THE FRUGAL LIFE WITH STYLE.  It will cost $26 including postage.

We have reason to celebrate others’ books mightily:

MIDDLE AGE SPREAD by Sonia Day is a memoir of a city person moving to the country. It’s about building a garden as well as a house, a life and it’s a lot of fun.  And she’s such a lovely writer.

You might want to find a good catalogue of great plants.  Wrighmtan Alpines is one of the ones I adore. Why not make a promise for a new plant as soon as he ships in spring.  You could do the same with Gardenimport plants as well.  Both have special plants you’ll find nowhere else. Go to their web sites. Pick a plant, and put a shot of it into a really lovely card.  Great gift.

GREAT STUFF

It’s not possible to have too many pairs garden gloves, mainly because people like me leave them all over the garden, gather them up and plunk them in the wash all at once. Make sure that’s possible when you are picking them out. rittenhouse

The best watering can, bar none, is still the Hawes Watering can. It’s so well balanced. And it should only come in racing car green to my mind.  I have one that’s at least twenty years old so it’s worth the investment.  You can get them at both Rittenhouse and Lee Valley and really good garden stores.

I’ve mentioned this before , but it’s proved to be such a useful item I have to mention it again:  the countertop Compost Pail which Lee Valley sells for $45.

Waterstik is   perfect for anyone with containers, has a balcony, rooftop gardens. It’s a gizmo you stick in the pot to check on when you need to water.  $18.50. Lee Valley

Mark Disero Has lots of fun on his web sites. He’s the gossip columnist for gardeners in the GTA so you can keep an eye on what’s going on in the gardening community.

Sign up for my new e-letter:  click here As soon as the Christmas season is over I’ll be  back to writing.

Here we are just getting ready to celebrate and it’s not particularly snowy but we live in hope that it won’t be a huge storm just enough to make magic.

MERRY CHRISTMAS  and  HAPPY HOLIDAYS

I feel like perennials are staring at me, just daring me to leave them alone for a few more days. But there will be frost tonight and what I had forgotten all about was turning off the water, draining the hoses and the copper pipes. They connect all the taps in the garden and I need every one of them to function. How I could have forgotten this important chore is beyond me.
It’s the weather’s fault of course. It’s been way too nice for too long. We were installing gardens last week feeling very confident that everything will do well. Then came enough rain to soak trees below the root systems which was even better.

Now winter will get serious. We’ve had no snow at all and when I look at my garden journal for last year it was a different story. It was sort of snow-drizzle on this day.

The garden seems particularly alive right now and many plants are gorgeous. And as soon as this dopey software is fixed, I’ll pin them up here.

All the evergreens got several extra couple of buckets of water to help them get through the winter.

I’ve had complaints from Ottawa that too many buds showing, leaves unfurling as this curious weather has encouraged. They are longing for snow. Not me. Not yet.

Thanks so much for your notes I love getting them.

Last Thursday I went to McMaster University to do an afternoon and evening book signing. We had a lovely time and the bookstore there is great.
Then the next day I discovered my little bag with every piece of Id I have except my passport was gone. Then began the weekend from hell. Cancelling, blocking, changing access cards and, of course, squeezing a few more dollars out of the bank because my bag had all my cash.
Well this a.m. it turns out that some ruthless sod did steal my bag, took the money and threw it on the steps of a church in Westdale near the university.
Along comes an angel named Megan (a smart angel) who took it to the nearest TD branch. She turned in the whole thing and it will be winging its way back to me in a day or so. I’m so grateful to her. And will be in touch I hope.
I now know what you do when this happens. There’s a government page that lists all the phone numbers and information on how to replace SIN cards (never carry them) and Health Cards (always carry them).
It’s www.servicecanada.gc.ca
Everyone I dealt with was incredibly kind and sympathetic and kept me from the panic I could feel growing inside when I discovered the missing bag.
Good way to start the week with something optimistic happening.
We are on the last day of a garden installation and we’ve been so lucky with the weather I can’t believe it. So if you’ve got stuff to plant get it in in the next couple of days in Southern Ontario. This can’t last.