Morning in the woods and a bruised ego

The last time I took a look at the trail was on February 19th - we'd had a mild spell and some rain so I found high water which was quickly turning to ice.  This was the view of the creek that day.

This flooded area had already turned to ice.


Fast forward to this morning. The creek and river had long ago subsided to normal winter levels.

The tree in the center of this photo is sporting a two layer ice "skirt" which shows how high the water had been.

I think this tree looks like it's doing a wild party dance.

I found an ice chandelier.

My elusive friend, the Belted Kingfisher, was more cooperative than usual today and posed nicely for me. Still not close enough for sharp photo though.

It was a lovely morning.


However, just after I took this shot of a passing freight train, my right foot found a patch of the ice left behind after the creek subsided and down I went.

First on my right hand and knee and then flat on my face. Not pretty but also not injured. Well, nothing broken at least. Bruised ego, bruised knee and sore hand and shoulder. I never walk in the woods without my trekking pole and my cell phone. I didn't need to use my phone but I did utilize my trekking pole to get back to my feet safely. All while muttering to myself "I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine". And I was.

Skywatch Friday - Oxford County, Ontario, Canada

Please visit Skywatch Friday for more skyviews from around the world.

Friday Shoot Out - shoot from the hip!

This theme was fun!

Here's proof that MANY small birds (mostly Juncos) visited a feeder on our veranda. Many, many little bird footprints in the snow.

Proof that we had more snow on the weekend and that our neighbours were taking a break while shoveling. Shooting from the hip out the bedroom window.

Shooting from the hip at my unsuspecting husband while he writes in our home office. And yes, I have warned him that he will appear here.

And finally, Gray, nose into one of his favorite chairs having yet another nap.....

Please visit our Mr. Linky page for more fun.

Tagging along

Today Geoff had scheduled a couple of photo shoots for one of his agricultural writing assignments so I tagged along for the drive in the country - it was too windy and cold to do much walking today - trust me on this.

So, I captured him at work -


and a couple of drive-by farm shots


a charming farmhouse peak

and I made another 4 legged friend

Can't you tell how cold and windy it was by the look on this sweet face?

One World One Heart Winners!

I've thoroughly enjoyed the One World One Heart tour, it exceeded all my expectations. Thanks again Lisa, for hosting such a wonderful event.

I've used the True Number Generator and my winners are:

Delightful Whimsey of California, USA - will be the recipient of the Trillium photo.


Elsina who lives in Israel will receive the photo taken in Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland.


And finally, Dorcas of - who lives in North Carolina, USA - and blogs as Wonderous Strange is the lucky winner of the barn photo.


Congratulations ladies, I will be mailing your photos this coming weekend. Thanks again to everyone who stopped by during OWOH!

Canadian winter sunrise

For more wonderful sky views please visit Skywatch Friday.

My Town Friday Shoot Out

This week's theme is Twisted. Curly. Contorted. Wound Spirally

A version from Mother Nature - I posted this recently but couldn't resist showing it again for this theme.


These two were waaaay out of my town (Newfoundland) but, again, hard to resist.


Friday My Town Shoot Out is friends from around the world sharing photos of their communities. We have weekly theme assignments to "shoot" for that the members post on their individual blogs. Our shooters then add their name and the Friday Shoot Out url to My Town....Mr. Linky each week. My Town....Mr. Linky is where the weekly links of our members are for the shoot outs. Any one can join in the fun!

Rules? There are no rules! Just a few considerations ..... Use Friday My Town Shoot Out in your title and link back to FMTSO main blog and to My Town Mr. Linky blog. Be kind in your comments to one another and try to visit all the shooters to give encouragement and support.

My World Tuesday

Today, this particular Tuesday, was a day for a root canal - so I spent the morning at the dentist (a shout out to Dr. Rob Bamford and his awesome staff in Tillsonburg, Ontario).

On the way home and back to work, we took Sweaburg Road to avoid the hectic traffic of the 401 and encountered the hectic traffic of a "murder" of crows. No crows were injured in the shooting of this photo.


Meanwhile back at home, the world's most regal cat was holding court.

How was YOUR Tuesday?

more snow pics

......are we there yet?  And by "there" I mean spring.  Really, are we there YET?

From February 2011

saying goodbye

This post is for my friends Keith and Marie and the photos are of the farm where they grew up.
The old farm house will soon be gone and Marie and her husband Lyle will build a new home on the same spot; many views will remain but others will reside with the memories of Ma and Pa. I took these photos in August 2008 and have posted some of them here before.

Now I'll be quiet and let the photo tell the story.













my personal favourite, a view through the kitchen window -

A harrowing drive

We went to London yesterday afternoon to see a movie, pop into Chapters and pick up a few groceries.  It was a gray day as we drove there but the weather forecast wasn't at all ominous.  By the time we finished our various activities however, the skies had changed quite a bit.





We got home safe and sound but it was a long, tense drive.