A Booming Start to 2014

 

This morning when I woke up I found the temperature gauge at the back door read –25Celcius.  That is cold.  The kind of cold that when you get in your car you think you are sitting on a pile of bricks.   Poor thing protested when I tried to start it.    We are not the worst though I have heard of –55Celcius in our neighbouring province of Manitoba.   Glad I am not there this morning.

Over the holidays, and yes, just this morning we have been having this rare occurrence of frost quakes or Cryoseism.  It sounds like a tree landing square on your roof.  It actually makes the house shake.  There goes another as I am typing this.   The papers tell us that this is a rare event caused by a  when sudden drop in temperature freezes groundwater which expands and cracks the soil resulting in a loud noise and the shaking of the ground.

 

This little red squirrel from the archives is probably snug up in his nest in a tree and won’t come out today.

I am off to the gym to shake my sillies out.   Have a great day and keep warm.

Merry Christmas to You All

 

I hope that you are your families will enjoy the opportunity to be together at this special time of year.

 

From our house to yours a Very Merry Christmas.  

Valerie

Wrapping the Gifts

 

 

It is time for me to get wrapping the gifts.   I have everything I need here.

 

At one time I used to sit and make an extra effort to pleat the paper so pretty so that the recipient would be impressed with my wrapping skills.   Now I just wrap it with a simple tag and sometimes a bow and sometimes not.   Getting lazy I suppose.

Valerie

Christmas Red

 

A little birdie told me that it is only five more days until Christmas.

 

This little birdie doesn’t speak but he wishes you Merry Christmas anyway.

 

Valerie

A Little Bokeh in the Countdown to Christmas

 

This one is a bit on the fuzzy side of bokeh but I love the colours

Never one to leave things alone I added some filters from Nik Photo Efex 4.   I like to push buttons literally I see. 

Hope you are getting the things done that need doing.   My husband is having a couple of the girls from his former office here for lunch.  I know that he will enjoy the conversation. 

Christmas Baby

 

My husband celebrates his birthday today.   I am sure his parents thought he was a perfect Christmas gift.  I asked him today if he remembers anything special about his birthdays as a kid and he said he liked that his mom put money in his cake.

Despite the snowy drive this morning yesterday I drove up to the nursing home where my dad resides to deliver his Christmas gift and and also one for a another resident.  You pick a tag off the tree in the lobby that has a suggestion for a gift.  I picked one for a lady who wanted perfume and body wash.

Have my last Photoshop class tonight if the weather holds.  We had a rather wild ride home last week as it snowed buckets while we were in class and then had to follow four snowplows abreast across 4 lanes of highway for quite a few kilometers before they went in another direction and we carried on home. 

Counting Down to Christmas–Only 9 Left

 

A glass bowl of Christmas balls sits on the coffee table.  I used Photoshop filters to give them a mosaic look.  You can even see the shooter in the gold one.

 

Valerie

 

Twelve Days of Christmas Minus Two

 

Kim Klassen shares the most awesome things.  This stitched frame is a creation of hers and so is the brush. If you haven’t seen her work go visit at www.kimklassen.com

I thought the snow hips covered in snow was an ideal candidate for this frame.

I will be madly shopping this week to finish up the gift buying.  How is yours going?

Valerie

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The Twelve Days of Christmas

It is the last few days before Christmas.   I am behind but that is not new for me.  I always seem to be running trying to catch up to all the shopping, card writing, decorating.

I thought I would use the last twelve days as an opportunity to share a photo a day until the big day.  I have been taking pictures as I am decorating.  This little snowman is saying “lets celebrate with friends and family” and sits on the fireplace mantle. 

I have not posted for a few weeks.  I must admit it has been a lack of enthusiasm for blogging but I miss all my blogging friends. 

 

Valerie

Just Chillin

 

I was talking to my daughter in law on the phone this morning and catching up on the latest antics of our 8 month old granddaughter.  She refuses to have a nap.  I was casually looking out the back door to the deck at the snow that was coming down quite heavy in big flakes. There on the chairs that have not been put away yet sat these two doves all puffed up and enjoying themselves out of the direct snow fall.  They didn’t move when I went to get the camera.

We got a good snow fall but it will probably disappear over the next few days.  The news talked about all the accidents that occurred because people do not drive for the conditions of the road.  Take care people.

 

Lest We Forget

 

My Dad is in hospital at present with a bad infection and will miss the ceremony at the Nursing Home for Remembrance Day.    Today we remember my Dad and all the other veterans who served this country and kept us safe.

 

Some Days

 

Some days your life seems in focus

 

And some days not.

Dropping Leaves

 

I have noticed that in our own back yard the leaves are steadily dropping. Some of the trees are now bare.  I love the colours of the leaves at this time of the year.  Such rich browns, golds and reds.  I will miss you when you are gone.

Not Yet

 

 

 

I was reading a blog today of a fellow garden writer who said he was cutting back the water lilies in his pond this week.   When I ventured down to our pond this afternoon I found 5 frogs enjoying the sunshine in an around our water lilies so I said to myself that I would do that chore but not yet. 

Made a dash around the yard tonight putting pots of annuals away in the garage.  Going to have a heavier frost tonight.  Seems too early for this.  I was hoping that we would have some flowers until after Thanksgiving on October 14.

Morning Mist

 

The mornings have been cool lately and the last two nights have brought a light frost.  The earth is still warm though so in the morning there is a mist over the area.  I am shooting from the edge of the house towards our neighbour to the east.

 

The asparagus fronds even sparkle in the morning light.  I have been shoveling mulch around the flower beds this week and moving plants around.   The vegetable garden such as it was was cleaned up today.  What have you been up to?

Cool Evenings

 

Last week I purchased some new overlays that French Kiss was offering.   I wanted to try it out on something and so picked one of my photos of the Cosmo Pom Pom that I  recently took.   I think the two elements go together well.

I had to go out to the garden and pick the remaining tomatoes and peppers as the weather people on the news said we may have some frost tonight.  It seems a bit early but you never know.   I hope we don’t as I have some more flower pictures to take.  I finally got the weeds out of the flower bed under the cherry tree and put some mulch down to reduce the need to do it again before winter.

Have a great day.

Time Slips Away

 

Have I said this before?   I feel like there is Monday and then there is Friday.  Where did the days in the middle of the week go?  Here I am tonight getting the garbage ready for pick up tomorrow when it seems like I just did this for last week.   Is it as sign I am getting old?   I just want time to slow down a bit and let me catch my breath or at least get my house cleaned up. 

I like to look at the back of flowers as well as the front.  This daisy looks a little wonky; like the gardener who’s garden it grows in.  With the help of Lightroom 5 and OnOne Softwear  I spiffed her up.

Pretty Cleome

 

Just curious!  How do you read your blogs?  I used to use Google Reader exclusively for reading the posts of the blogs that I follow.  Google Reader went defunct and I signed on with Feedly as my reader.   I like the format but when I try to read blogs on my iPad in the morning it always crashes.   I have searched the web looking for an answer and from some of the answers it is supposed to be fixed but in my case it isn’t.   After a few crashes I give up and don’t read any more.  I hate to miss what you all have been up to lately.

Having a Heat Wave

 

We are having a mini heat wave today and tomorrow before the weather dips again into fall.  I tried to do a couple of things out in the garden but the humidity was intense.

I am falling behind on some of my comments as the week has been busy but I will get to them.

 

Lake Simcoe on a September Afternoon

 

Normally on a summers day this beach would be filled with kids making sand castles in the sand and people on beach towels enjoying the sun and the water.  This day as I was driving by last week along Lakeshore Drive,  there was no one about,  just the seagulls. 

Should have put my foot  print in the sand to say I was there but I didn’t.

Are you enjoying this weekend? It was raining buckets this morning for our Horticulture Society fall plant sale and so did not make many sales.  A couple of the gals did a pair of wonderful fall arrangements for the Home Show. We have some amazing talent in our small group.