Lunch time

 

Not only does he think he can stand on the window sill and peek in, he thinks he's entitled to feast on my Hen and Chicks.   There will be a bare spot in the garden come spring.

 

In the wind

One leg pulled up for warmth, feathers getting ruffled by the cold wind this hawk stayed put on the telephone wires at the back of our yard long enough for Paul to try some photos through the window. The colour is a bit off but close enough. We think he could be a Sharp-shinned Hawk. link
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We got hit with our first major winter storm last night and this morning. Paul has been out with the snow blower, Stephen has made an emergency run for more gas for it and only got stuck once ( his car has the winter tires, Paul and I just hunker down at home when the weather gets bad ) and the snowplow has just gone down the street and buried in the end of our driveway.

So far I've managed to hide indoors. My contribution was to head out to the stores on Monday to restock the fridge and cupboards.

Spring can arrive anytime now, please.

Autumn walk

This is the north end of my street.
You can see why the main road is called Scenic Drive, although I doubt the shopping cart came for the view.
The trees are on the edge of the escarpment. Pretty now but it will get even prettier before all the leaves fall.

We've had 2 days of rain so all the little streams in our pocket-sized woods are full and flowing.

Lots of new growth on this fallen willow.

We seem to have interrupted their afternoon snack.
Houses and cars are nearby but you'd never know it once you get into the wooded areas. Lets hope the city respects the natural spaces and forgets about building more houses.

Oh my deer

We went out for a bike ride late this afternoon and on our way back Paul spotted these three munching acorns under a tree. It's been a good year for deer and we now have a population explosion. Drive carefully at night in our neighbourhood.

The boarded up building is part of the old Sanatorium complex link ,the lands now threatened by major apartment/housing development.

Half way through June .. already!

I spy with my little eye an almost hidden doorway under the hosta in the garden bed. I could wish for silly little trolls or ethereal fairies but reality gave me ..........

a bunny who seems to think he's living in the middle of his own personal diner. So far the flowers aren't suffering but I have been out with cayenne pepper, not his favourite seasoning.

This little fellow plays havoc in my pots and today played a game of "if I don't look I can't see you " with Paul.

But life is good and I keep trying different flavours of beer. This cherry ale, from a local craft brewery, was mellow but will remain a treat. Even though the bottle provided us both with a good size serving my frugal heart finds it difficult to pay almost $5.00 for one bottle.

top three photos were taken by Paul who is getting better with his camera and is now learning to transfer his shots onto the computer

This and that

This cute squirrel has been visiting my backyard lately. It's hard to see but his tummy is pure white as are the backs of his ears. When you see him face on the white fur ringing the pinks of his ears makes him look angelic. Or kinda like a koala bear with a funny nose. ( photo was taken though a window, click on it to get a slightly clearer view )

That holiday feeling is starting to creep into my house. The outdoor decorations went up yesterday and today. I bought my crackers when shopping with a friend, have the festive paper napkins, started my cards and have most of the gifts safely hidden in my closet. Perhaps making the Christmas cake was my jump start.

New month, new date

We have seen finches in our tree and have heard them singing. Today a young member of the family sat quite still on the fence as I crept close with my camera. I love the tufts of feathers around his head.

After cutting the grass I noticed he had disappeared but an adult was in the area calling out. I watched and listened as they tried to find each other in the trees.

I've had another call from the doctor's office and I am re-booked for Sept. 22. Still no guarantees but at least I know that any wait should be weeks rather than months.

I think the chocolate will last til then. If not I'll buy more.

Nature isn't always kind

I spied with my little eye a bird that had fallen from a nest in my tree.
I looked up into the tree and couldn't spot the nest, so there was no returning it home.

Later in the day I was surprised to find that it was still alive.
When I approached with the camera something triggered its FEED ME instinct.
We watched from the window but no adult bird approached.
Next morning we found it dead and buried it.

I would judge from the size, colour of the emerging feathers, and bird activity around the tree that it was a robin.

Pure luck. I had my camera outside and spotted this grey squirrel eating maple keys under my tree. I managed to get several good shots before he scurried up the tree and settled.

click to enlarge

Seems a good spot to relax and have lunch.

Pesky human coming out and interrupting my meal.

We spotted the squirrel and Paul grabbed the camera. The first shot is through the dining room window and the second outside, the squirrel having run for safety as P. tried to get close.

Friday the tomatoes got planted. There are four in the garden near the house and four at the back where you can see Paul shovel in hand cleaning up the deposit one of the neighbourhood cats left in the freshly turned soil. You can also see a bit of the winter coats airing out in the breeze.