Sylvia's Simple Shots

The Canada Geese are back.  

I found this couple at the 127 Street pond.  There is still ice but at least some open water.

The sun was shining and I walked the whole track around the pond this time.

May as well get my steps in while out with my camera.

Still at the pond I found this creature sitting on a branch in the water.

I could not see the tail but I think this is a muskrat rather than a beaver.  Not sure.

Love the gold color on its fur in the later afternoon sun.

I had a visit with my aunt this afternoon.

Adventures of the Yorkshire Shepherdess by Amanda Owen. 

The life in the very rural areas of England are challenging at best to downright dangerous at worse.

Amanda shows deep commitment to her family and her animals in the book.  One needs to be a problem solver and adaptive in this kind of environment.

Some of the situations stressed me out and I was not living them out.

A family of 9 children provides a rich life with the interactions between parents and kids.  The children are learning, becoming adults and finding their strengths in this family.  

Interesting book.

The bugs are back.

I captured this flying insect while trying to capture the pussy willows at the Heritage Hills Wetlands in Sherwood Park.

I'm not sure what it is, and of course I only found out it was there when I got home and downloaded the pics.

A dreamy shot of the pussy willow without bugs in the way.

I have been working hard to have the place ready for listing.

It has been a lot of work to move things back into their place from being stored in the living room and dining room during  the renovations.

It was suggested that I make the room look bigger and I moved the table to under the window and now I can dance in the space.

I can see the TV from this room and so sometimes I do my exercise videos here so I am not in full view to the parking lot.

Lately there have been a lot of vehicles back there.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I found White Pelicans at Beaumaris Lake this week!

The water was blue and it was very good.

Not the best shots but they are only the firsts.

Teatime for Firefly by Shona Patel

A story set in India. In prewar WII Layla Roy lived with her grandfather and she was educated. They had great discussions and she was able to debate and express her self.  One day, a young man came to visit her grandfather - Manik Deb. He was handsome, well spoken, had very good English and could rub shoulders with the British.  He is betrothed to a girl down the way.  He has a good job.

Suddenly, it is heard that Manik has taken a job on an Assam tea plantation.  Why? The marriage is eventually withdrawn as the girl is not moving to hinterland of northern India.  What was he thinking.

He had his eye on Layla.  Now with his future clear he can marry Layla.  He does and takes her far away from her home and she is meant to mingle with wives of tea planters.  She is in charge of servants and Manik works long hours.  It all works out in the end.

The White American Pelicans have arrived in Sherwood Park as well at the Heritage Hills Wetlands.

The story continues with not great photos but I will persevere.

My plan to give away the cards I make is working well.

The recipients are appreciative.

This set is headed to my niece.

The Red Winged Blackbirds are back in all the wetlands.

This was a the Heritage Hills Wetlands.  

I only had a bit of time so that is what it is.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I visited the Heritage Hills Wetlands this week on a day where the weather was considerably cooler than a few days ago.  

Also, there was not waterfowl to be found.  No Red Winged Blackbirds so I expect they had headed south.  I have not seen any V formations of Canada Geese headed south but I may have missed them.

Considering that it is almost Halloween we have been blessed with a wonderful fall.

I did find this sparrow.

Most of my siblings headed to the Big Mall for a get together, our first since both Mom and Dad have passed. 

My sister organized a night out to a dinner theater.  We made time before supper to visit but a pub was not the best venue though it was close by. Dealing with the crowds at the mall were stressful.

The dinner theatre - music was excellent, food was very good, company was great, but I have to say it was a late night for me.

We need to make the effort to continue to get together so I am grateful for the sister who planned and those that attended.

I did manage to get an appointment to get my flu shot and my COVID vaccine this week.   They were just made available this week.

I got the shots in my left arm on Thursday and I did take a pain killer to sleep that night. I did take pain meds another couple of times.  

I guess it was at least 3 to 4 days with a sore arm but no other side effects.

I did get my appointment at my regular pharmacy so that was very convenient.

I did get a big grocery shopping trip done before the snow came.

I found these dishes on sale at the grocery store and decided that I would get a set of 2 cups and plates since they were under $1 each. The color is marked as wheat.

I added a nice glazed gourd and a small shiny glazed bowl. I believe this color was sunflower or something like that. That would have been the preferred color but there were no cups left in that line of dishes.

Just another option for hosting a friend for tea.

I decided to try my hand with a dip pen.  It has been on my mind for a while and Inktober came across my feed on Flickr I decided to try it. Inktober is a yearly event where drawing is encouraged.

I did have to unpack my liquid inks to give this a try.  I cleaned some nibs and got started. 

I really have no idea what I am doing.  I just created marks on a piece of card stock.  

I have view a few videos since this attempt and found better nibs in my stash. 

It's just a relaxing time.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

More wonderful time spend at Heritage Hills Wetlands this week.  There were many Common Terns this year which was great to see.  The Mourning Cloak butterfly was my first capture of this year.  The Ruddy Duck was showing off his blue bill as usual.  They are very photogenic.

I had to replace the flush lever and toilet handle this week.  I thought no big deal, checked out supplies on line and headed to Canadian Tire. 

When I got it home I could not install this for the life of me.  I called my brother in law and he suggested maybe I had stripped the plastic threads.  

When it was not on the toilet I was eventually able to get the nut on the handle so what was the problem?  The situation was that when I transferred the lever to the toilet the arm was turned around and my mind had not made that adjustment.  Once I figured it out it went on as easily as it should have and in 10 minutes I could flush the toilet with the lever again.

I spent a couple of days with my sister and brother in law.  I was treated again to a hot dog supper on the open fire for my birthday.  They taste so good.  I normally have ice cream cake but the price is just getting out of hand so I bought Hagen Daas ice cream bars instead.  Very yummy and much more in my budget.

My sister and I attended the Rhubarb Tea fundraiser on Saturday.  This was a belated celebration for our birthday.

There was a bake sale, a merchandise sale and the tea.  I selected this burnt orange tea cup and we had rhubarb crisp rather than pie.

It was a very successful event.

This was a Reader's Digest book that sat on my bookshelf. Short stories which was just what I needed.

Lake News by Barbard Delinsky - Lily Blakes heads for Lake Henry in New Hampshire where she grew up after some trouble in the city. She meets a journalist which helps her tells her side of the story.

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks - very interesting.  It was a lovely love story with a sad end. 

Thunderhead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child - Nora Kelly gets a letter written by her late father sixteen years ago.  Very thrilling story.

The Devil's Teardrop - Jeffery Deaver - This story was very engaging as police try to find this killer before he strikes again.  Very intriguing plot!

Sylvia's Simple Shots

On my visit to Beaumaris Lake this week,  I found several pairs of Blue Winged Teals.  Maybe they are checking out the lake for nesting places.

These are ducks and the blue patch can only be seen when they open their wings.

I have not seen these at this lake in the past so things are different this year.  Not sure why.  I have not seen pelicans yet but a lot of Canada Geese.

A friend gave me a small art glass vase designed by Robert Held - a Canadian glass maker.

Love the gorgeous purple glass with the iridescent colors along the bottom third of the vase.

I placed some baby's breath in it for now.  Maybe, later in the year I will be able to have live flowers.

It joins my other pieces made by the same maker.

A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley which is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

Historical fiction set in Paris.  In the modern day, Sara an amateur code breaker has arrived to look at a diary from around 1732.  Sara comes to live with the owner of the book.  Her live-in housekeeper has a young son who seems to have abilities in this area as well. The son's father, Luc lives nearby as his parents are divorced.  Soon, there is an attraction between Sara the loner and Luc the business man.

The dairy was written by Mary Dundas who wrote it in code to be sure the contents could not be discovered by spies.  She is a second generation Jacobite exiled to France. Mary becomes embroiled in a plan to help a mysterious Jacobite man stay out of the grasp of English authorities and the diary tracks her journey over the country, her relationships with her compatriots and her budding romance with the severe MacPherson.

Loved this book!

A friend and I went out for lunch this week. I suggested Vietnamese food and she agreed.  My favorite Vietnames restaurant survived most of the pandemic then closed as other business were opening.  Disappointing.  I had to find another. I had eaten in this restaurant years ago and it was as good as I remember.  

The pelicans were at Heritage Hills Wetlands this week but due to a situation on the trail my attention was diverted for a time.  While lending a helping hand to a senior on the trail time passed so by the time I had a camera in my hand again, they were at the far end of the pond.

I decided it was too hot and I had been out too long in the heat to pursue them any further.  I was told they had been around for a couple weeks already so I will find them again on another day.

It was exciting to see them even at a distance.

A few other things I found at the wetlands.  A Mourning Cloak butterfly, a Ruddy Duck with it's blue bill and of course Poplar Fuzz.

A good week!

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I took my first trip of the year to the Heritage Hills Wetlands yesterday.  The winds were high, the water was choppy and the streets were being cleaned so I could not leave my car parked on the street.  That meant a quick visit. 

The ducks and gulls were on the pond.  The water is very low and there are now islands of mud in the middle.   I guess it provides a safe haven for wildlife but makes for not the prettiest pictures.

I captured this adult male Mallard Duck with it's mate feeding.   I don't know if they have eggs yet.  It has been so cold that I hope not.

I will return when I can spend more that a few minutes.

I finished Memories and Stories by Aaron A. Lehman this week.  I chose the book because it had an Alberta connection.  This fellow was a teacher in our province for many year.

He came to teach in one of our communities way up north.  The accommodations were not the best but he and his wife made the best of it.  She was pregnant with their first child and it was his first year of teaching.  Being a new Dad, setting class lessons and being in a remote communities were all growth edges for this couple.

They made it through.   It is interesting to read about coming into Edmonton which is the big city.  Travelling on the train from the United States, then by bus north and being hosted by kind strangers.

His wife was a nurse so there was no lack of work for her.  They raised their family, stayed connected with their US relatives and contributed to the young people of our province.  

I'm glad I read it.

To get the machine back into it's desk I needed to take the spider plant off of it.  I wanted to hang it back up on the hookr but needed a prettier hanger than a pink shoelace to keep it in place.

I had limited resources at my disposal so I checked my yarn box and found some yellow that would match the pot.  Great!  Very skinny so I braided 2 strands together then tied on end to the spout and the other to the handle.  Added a metal ring at the center to keep the two lengths going down. 

Yes, that will work nicely.  I added a few knots to shorten it a bit 

The plant is very happy in the north window and now I can put the sewing machine back in the desk.

The sewing machine went in for servicing a couple of weeks ago and it was ready to pick up on Thursday.  A general servicing was all it needed to get the decorative stitches to work again and the pick up of the bobbin thread. I brought it home and let it sit till the weekend.  I set it up on Sunday with a project already in the planning stages.

I spend some time in the living room working on design and when I returned to the machine it was whirring, smelling and very hot.  I unplugged everything and let things cool down.  I have no idea what's up.  I was so looking forward to sewing.  It is back in the shop waiting for a diagnosis.  They assured me they would not make me wait the standard 2-3 week serving time.  We shall see.  If I have to start looking for another I will be really bummed.

I typically don't pay hard earned cash for pens.  I get free ones where ever.  I picked them up at the ReUse Center.   But I was getting really tired of trying pens in the holder and they no longer making marks.  I went through the holder and chucked all the one which no longer worked.

I took at trip to the office supply store and actually bought some pens.  I prefer blue ink to black.  I like to have a red one when I want to highlight changes or check off done items on the to do list.  The green one was a bonus.

These then to blob ink at the very beginning so they need to be brushed on scrap paper before I start writing on the good paper.  It is what it is.  

I'm glad to be able to write as soon as I pick up a pen rather than to find it does not have ink it or it has dried out.  Yes, I did check that item on my list with the red pen.

Just finished this book - Thursdays at Eight by Debbie Macomber this morning.

Four women at different stages of life and in various circumstances meet at the writing workshop.  They decide to continue meeting after the classes end.  They meet at a cafe Thursday mornings at 8am.  

They bring their hopes, trials and challenges and find support, comfort and reassurance that things will be all right amongst this group of friends. 

Made me miss my Welcome to my Kitchen friends more than ever. 

My niece was here last week to visit and see Mom before her treatment.   She brought a small DVD player so that has allowed me to get back to aerobics.  With some help from my other niece I got the TV set up to access the internet.  I have been watching a bit of new shows.   The green USB stick holds music so that I can play music on the TV and no longer need a stereo to play my CDs.  It turns out the DVD player will play my music CDs.  Great@

I am sharing with Mersad who hosts Through My Lens #334. 

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I have finally been out with the camera a lot capturing nature in the form of flowers, birds and mammals.

I took a long walk around all three ponds at the Heritage Hills Wetlands this week.  I was up around 6am so seeing people was limited.

The rising sun lit the beautiful House Finch perfectly!

As you can see the leaves are growing like mad making spotting the birds just a little bit harder.

 

 

 

 

I finished this book this week - Beneath a Burning Sky by Jenny Ashcroft.  This book is based in British occupied Egypt in 1890. Two sisters, Clara and Olivia lost their parents as young children and then they were separated by their grandmother. 

Clara lives in Egypt and now Olivia is traveling there to marry a man she does not love but grandmother has arranged.

As the sisters get reacquainted, Olivia finds out who her new husband really is and how he treats her badly.  The boarder in her husband's house is a military officer.  He shows her compassion, friendship and protection.   The end is heart wrenching but also justice is served. 

This morning I was up with the birds and walking the John Poole Wetlands at the Lois Hole Provincial Park before 6:00 am.  I strolled the board walk as the sun rose and things got brighter.

I found the Barn Swallows flitting around and sitting on bulrushes near their nests which are located below the board walk. 

There were many pairs around.   I love the colors of navy and warm tones breast of these birds.

 

 

Of course, we can always count on the Mallard Ducks to be near all of the ponds in the area.

Love the reflections in this calm water and the curly feathers on it's rump.

In the duck family, the Mallard is one of the larger ones.  I saw a Mallard and a Bufflehead this morning and the size difference is significant.

 

 

I chose blue/purple flowers for my mosaic this week. 

The Pasque Flower in purple then the blue Grape Hyacinth and the lavender of Baby's Breath.

I was facing the opposite direction when this little fellow swam up, pulled a grass clump from the shore and walked back to the water and started washing his breakfast.

He is a muskrat and I did see his skinny tail.

The Flickr Macro Monday challenge this week is Orange.  

It provides a ton of subject matter in this challenge.

You can check my Flickr Photo Stream (SMDPics)  to see the image I submitted.

I am sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #133 and Mersad who hosts Through My Lens #291.     Have a great week!

Happy Canada Day!

Wishing all my Canadian Family, Friends, and Fellow Bloggers a Happy Canada Day!  Looks like rain is socked in here for most of the day!  Enjoy the freedom we enjoy!  Be Well! Be Safe!

I found this hand painted rock at the Heritage Hills Wetlands recently.  I know that the young people of Sherwood Park have been very creative. 

Birds, Birds, Birds

I was up with the birds this morning.  Out of bed at 5:00 am and out the door at 5:30 am headed to the Heritage Hills Wetlands east of the city for sunrise at 5:53am.

It's great to be out with the camera at that time because the birds are out and busy with getting their day started.  Of course, some have been awake for a while already. 

The order of business these days is to find a place to build a nest, lay some eggs, keep them warm and safe and birth some offspring.

The couples are all out together these days still in the decision making process. 

I passed several birdhouses which have occupants very busy gathering supplies for nest building.

The Red Wing Blackbirds, the White Pelicans and all manner of ducks are living at the wetlands.

It was a bit cloudy with intermittent sun so the perfect weather for photos.

The top photo is an American Wigeon male, the center is the Red Wing Blackbird male, and a House Finch male.  The wigeon and finch are first time captures for me. 

A great morning with lots of birds out and about.

You can check my Flickr page for more photos.

Sharing with Through My Lens 142 hosted by Mersad Photography.

Anything Goes at Pink Saturday hosted by Beverly

Mosaic Monday - Wetlands

I made a visit to the wetlands recently since the weather was so nice.  It felt like spring.  I was surprised to see water where ice should be on the pond. 
Water does provide nice reflections which ice does not so I appreciated the water.   Here are some cattails with still a bit of snow and ice around the edges. 
The sun was not shining and the sky was overcast.  Their color is a deep golden yellow color so it adds to the brightest of the scene.











These winter versions of flowers along a fence were wonderfully pouffe and light.

Another plant along the fence so I will assume it is cultivated rather than native to the wetlands. 

I thought the little yellow clusters looked like flowers with their even rows of petals. 

Check out the red stems in the back ground.







The dried leaves on the bushes along the pond had such interesting and alien shapes.

These were grey on grey branches. 

Crumpled gently over time to create this dimensional shape from what was a flat leaf in the summer.  They must have been quite large originally as they were quite substantial as dried leaves.





The mosaic has these very furry leaves.  They look like animal fur.  Rosehips provide a punch of red color in the landscape.  Another berry maybe dogwood with the red branches.  The yellow flowers at the bottom were well preserved and totally delightful.

Sharing with Maggie at Normandy Life for Mosaic Monday #28

Share Your Cup #207

I headed out to the Wetlands after a visit to a gallery for my aunt's show.  It was at sunset which gives all things a wonderful glow.  There were very few birds in the water because it was way passed feeding time.  No pelicans, but everything is green and lush.

I worked on art work for an art calendar which will be for sale later this year.  I designed the owl myself using a couple patterns from the internet.  I then printed the pieces onto the back of designer paper and/or card stock and cut the pieces by hand.  The eyes are .75 inch and .5 inch circles. Small triangles for the beak and the feet. I designed the branch then printed it on a 6x6 of background paper which only had texture and no pattern.  I paper pieced the owl then adhered him to the background ensuring he sat on the branch.  I added googly eyes.
I made 12 of these for my art calendar.

I received the bouquet of flowers from a friend at church.  She prepares one every week for the sanctuary and I was the lucky girl to take it home this week.  Thanks Cheryl.





 


 

This is a shot from the tea photo shoot I did at my sister's house a few weeks ago.  The calendar is nearly ready to go and this one did not make the calendar so I am sharing it here.  This is a married bone china tea set.  I brought my tea cup and my sister the tea pot. The tea cup pattern is Serendipity by Royal Worcester.  The teapot is Mantles Knightsbridge. I will have to get the pattern.

I found a frame recently to show how my Alphabet Photography works while I am at craft sales this fall.  Very happy with this and it will provide a visual for the buying public.  

You can check here for the details for purchasing letters.

Share Your Cup #207 hosted by Carol at Art & Sand.