Go Canada

It is opening day of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  I have my red mittens ready.  Let's Go Canada!!!   Go for the Gold!

Winter Shadows

Sunny, cold winter days provide a good opportunity for getting photos with shadows.  See more mosiacs for Mosiac Monday at Mary's http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/

I thought this photo was interesting with the snow on top of the finished flower heads. It almost looks like marshmallows. Must be hungry!! For more photos visit

http://www.murrieta365.com/search/label/SOOC%20Sunday for Straight out of the Camera Sunday.

A Young Family

This photo is of a family of Canada Geese taken in the spring. For more Sepia Scenes join http://sepiascenes.blogspot.com/

Goodbye my Dear Friend

Goodbye my dear friend Shirley who passed away on Feburary 2, 2010.  She had been diagnosed with Cervical Cancer two years ago.  Despite chemo and radiation treatments the tumors did not disappear and grew back each time.  I will miss her so much.  For the past 26 years of our friendship I  thank Shirley for all the wonderful things I have experienced and learned from her.  She made me look outside the box and experience things that I would not do on my own.  She was a super shopper.  She knew where the best stores were and dragged me in there when I know I couldn't afford even a pair of socks in there.  Why on earth do I really need a Coach purse I say?  Because it's  a "Coach" she would say.   I have one now.  We went to the city every six weeks for years to have our hair cut by a very good hair stylist and it cost us the earth but we complimented each other all day on how good we looked.  For ten + years Shirley and I joined the Mann sisters on an annual trek to Buffalo to shop, laugh, eat and come home absolutely exhaused.  We had great times.  Shirley and her husband George were the ultimate hosts.  They always had a house full of people with Shirley organising the party and George cooking.    We sat around the table for hours laughing and enjoying each others company.    I often referred to those times as the George and Shirley hour as George would tell one tale and another about what Shirley did or did not do.  He made it sound so funny in a very loving way.  We would be laughing so hard we had tears in our eyes.  Shirley would be laughing so hard her self.   Shirley and I had a subscription to the theatre for the last 5 years.  We enjoyed going to the city, having lunch, shopping of course and seeing a play.   I will miss all those things but I will miss her warmth, her belief that all is well, her laughter and joy of life and family and of course her friends.   Rest in Peace Shirley.   Shirley Leska Naray June 24, 1953 - February 2, 2010.    Love Valerie

I thought I would share my blue mosiac in two memes this week. It was surprising to find there were quite a few blue items around the house. Mr. Crow sits upon a branch under a cloudless blue sky, the table cloth presently on the dining room table is blue and beige with the blue and beige runner that my friend Jennifer made me, Hamish is the little sock doll brought from Scotland a few years ago by relatives, my Mother in Laws blue china, my indispensible wireless modem and one of two blue chairs in the living room. For more mosiacs and blue photos visit Mary at http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/ and Smiling Sally at

http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/.  Thanks for stopping by.  Leave a comment if you can. 

Straight out of the Camera - Teasel

Teasel orDipsucus sylvestris is a common weed in southern Ontario.  I love the seed heads.  They have short, stiff bristles and are conical in shape.  I took this yesterday at the Guelph Arboretum.  See other photos straight out of the camera at http://www.murrieta365.com/

A visit to the Orchid Greenhouse at the Royal Botanical Gardens

Do you ever have one of those days when you can't seem to think of something fresh and new to say on your blog? This morning is it for me. I have been busy this week writing the newsletter for my HORT society (Mt. Albert Garden and Horticulture Society).  It is done now and sent out.  But, upon reflection I thought I would go back a couple of months to before Christmas when a group of Garden Writers were invited to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, Ontario.  At the time I was mesmerized by the Christmas wreaths that were featured on doors in the lobby and not on the flowers.  I posted the doors as it Christmas themed.  So, now that I have time to show you what I saw at the RBG I decided to show you what else I saw there.

I went on the tour of the Orchid Greenhouse. The two orchids above are Cattleya.  The white I have no name for but the pink one is call Little Susie.  The star of the show that day was the Vanilla Orchid that had just begun to bloom.  The pods of this orchid is used for commercial vanilla flavoring.  This orchid requires lots of humidity.

Outside of the Orchid Greenhouse I went into another greenhouse that houses this poor forlorn looking specimen of the Wollemia Pine.  This species of plant was discovered in 1994 in the Wollemia National Park quite by accident.  It was thought to be extinct.  A Monotypic genus this is the oldest and rarest of trees.  Recently they have begun to propagate them and so they can be found in a few botanical gardens.  This one was behind a fence all by itself. 

I am off today to learn how to take photos in snow.  It is a good day as it is really cold -12Celcius and very sunny.  Maybe I might have something new to show you next time. 

A January Kind of Mosiac

It is the end of January already.  How time does fly.  My mosiac this week is some of the photos I took this month.  More mosiacs can be found at Mary's Dear Little Red House.  Join her and others at

http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/

The Downy Woodpecker

The Downy Woodpecker is just one of our little feathered friends in winter. The Downy,  Hairy and the Piliated like the suit cake that we purchase and also the peanut butter/suet mixture we make at home and place in the holes of the big bird feeder. This little fellow is so brightly coloured with his coat of black and white and his little cap of red. I am posting this to two memes today Camera Critters at  http://camera-critters.blogspot.com/ and Straight out of the Camera Sunday at http://www.murrieta365.com/search/label/SOOC%20Sunday. 

In Preparation for Spring

It is already the end of January 2010.  Memories of Christmas seems so far away for me now.  Now is the time for the seed catalogues and the magazines all about gardening ideas to come pouring into the mailbox.  I have started on my soapbox about the fact that 5pm in the afternoon it is still light and the birds are beginning to be more vocal.  I heard the Black Capped Chickadees the other day calling fee-bee.  That says spring is coming to me.  I know that we will still have two months of harsh cold weather but I can spring in the distance.  Happy Days!! 

This is my pile so far of inspiration for gardening ideas 2010. 

Some important wording for my part of the world.  If it likes well drained I got it.  Sand is just like a sieve.  Zone 4b  is the area I garden.   Moist is not something I know about.  We are dry in summer except for soggy 2009.  

Need to purchase some tomatoe seeds to start under the lights in the basement.  Oh there is nothing like the taste of a fresh tomatoe right out of your own garden.   Heaven!!

Need to think about what I will grow in my containers this spring.  Lots of inspiration here.   Thanks to Connon Nurseries Catalogue, Stokes Seeds Catalogue and Proven Winners Catalogue for the pictures I used today