Weekend winter wonderland

Saturday Morning along Highway 2





Sunday morning on the trail

From February 2010

Friday My Town Shoot Out - 1st Anniversary

This week we're celebrating a full 52 weeks of the Friday My Town Shoot Out. This great idea was started by Patty and Reggie Girl and we thank them for their part in all of this.

This week we were encouraged to go back and revisit a favorite theme from the past year. Anyone who has ever visited my blog will know that I tend to photograph a lot of birds so it probably won't surprise anyone that I'm revisiting "birds".

This first photo is of one our resident Mourning Dove parents with a fledgling from the very first pair of chicks in 2008. This was the start of the first flying lesson - and, at this point, I think the parent was getting ready to scream BOO! to frighten the little one off the railing, they had been perched there for about an hour when I took this photo.



This is typical of the luck I have when trying to take photos of Red-tailed Hawks....


A very flexible and curious swan.....


And finally, here is Gray in one of his classic bird watching poses.

For more fun from the FSO gang, please click here.

ABC Wednesday - F is for fluffy

We had fresh snow on Monday and it left everything looking fluffy!

From February 2010

For more fun from the letter "F", please visit ABC Wednesday.

Today on the trail - macros

Bells for Barry

Be it ever so humble, this is the bell I rang for Barry. At 2pm today I opened my office window and shook this little cat toy so that I could release the sound of the little bell inside into the great wide world. Along with many other blogging friends, I was celebrating the fact that Barry finished his chemotherapy at Princess Margaret Hospital today – and he was ringing a bell there to mark the occasion.

We need to celebrate victories, no matter how big or small , whether they have permanence or not. I have a beloved cousin in palliative care right now as a result of cancer. She is on oxygen and morphine but still communicating, still laughing and still knitting cotton dishcloths. Celebrate what you can, when you can.

Will Barry's ears ring?

At 2pm today, Thursday, February 18th I will be ringing a bell along with Barry and hundreds of others around the world. We will be ringing bells in celebration of the fact that Barry will be completing his course of chemotherapy at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto.

Please take the time to read these two posts to learn more about the event:

The Bell and You

and Bells for Thursday

My choice of bell happens to be one in a little plastic ball that our cat Gray chases around the house. So I will take a moment at 2pm at work tomorrow and ring a bell for and with Barry. I hope whoever you are and where ever you are, you might take a moment to ring a bell too. We can be a bunch of ding-a-lings together!

New lifer for me

Today I took a few photos, from across the river, of a small flock of birds that was flitting up and down the riverbank. I didn't realize until I enlarged and cropped the photo that the birds were Cedar Waxwings - I'd never seen one before. So here they are, grainy because of the distance, but clear enough to identify - one at the edge of the river and two about to land.

Today on the trail

Is it just me, or does this look like it could be a relative of the Loch Ness monster????
Struttin'


Sunday swim or Sunday walk, hmmmm?

Kudos for random act of kindness

Sometimes, just when you need it but least expect it, you experience a random act of kindness. I stopped into a Tim Hortons at Brantford this afternoon and found myself a few cents short of cash for our order. I could have whined about the fact that Tim's doesn't take debit, I could have whined that they take Master Card but not Visa. Instead I walked out with our order and a smile on my face as my server insited on making up the shortfall . So here's to the kindness of strangers and an example of great customer service. I almost always tip at Tim's, now I'll make it a practice every time.

Skywatch Friday

Sunrise from my office window, Wednesday, February 10, 2010 - Woodstock, Ontario, Canada.

Please visit Skywatch Friday for more sky views from around the globe.

Friday My Town Shoot Out - Aquariums

Unfortunately, I can't seem to think of one public location in Woodstock that would have an aquarium. There are a couple of pet shops but there's too great a risk of me going home with a new kitten if I go into one of those....

So, I've settled on a photo of my no-maintenance seahorse. This glass seahorse is attached by filament to a glass ball and it floats around in a water filled glass jar in our livingroom.

Pretty lame, I know. I'm looking forward to much more exciting posts from other Shoot Out participants.

Today on the trail

It was a beautiful, sunny, freezing cold morning on the trail.



I saw one lone mallard flying up river and my nemesis the Belted Kingfisher flew past me with his brilliant colours blazing in the sunlight - alas, still no photo. I did manage to get a clear shot of four Canada Geese.





Hoping that whoever and wherever you are, you are having a peaceful day.

today in the 'hood

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Great giveaway, take a look........

Karla Dornacher is an awesome artist, author and speaker and she's running a great contest on her site to give away four scrapbooking kits she designed. Don't they look lovely?



So, pop over to her post about the giveaway for more information.

Friday My Town Shoot Out - Circles

Kerry of Corvallis, Oregon chose this week's theme - circles. If you visit Kerry's blog you'll get to meet Ed and Reuben - they're real hams, you'll love them.

So, here's my shot at the theme -

Crows flying against the circle that guards over us each night.
A circle full of flowers on bone china. This cookie plate is part of a tea set that belonged to my friend Mildred who recently passed away - her son and daughter passed it on to me. The circle of life.
This crochet filled circle catching the sunrise was a handmade gift from my friend Marilyn.

Please visit our Mr. Linky page for more fun with circles.

Skywatch Friday

From the parking lot at work this morning, approximately 7:50 am EST

From February 2010

Please stop by Skywatch Friday for more skyviews.

That's My World

That's My World