Sylvia's Simple Shots

This is a most beautiful flower.  It's the Astrantia Major Alba and to me is just says "wedding".  Soft muted colors with a hint of pink in the center.  Wonderful star shaped lower petals. 

This was my first nice photography trip following the break of the Heat Dome which covered my area for days! More about that below. 

I visited the St. Albert Botanic Park where the flowers were plentiful and it was the perfect temperature for a 2 hour stroll in the garden.

I just loved it so much!

Let me start with the most recent challenge in my life. Never have I experienced this!  Seven days of over 30C temperatures was very challenging especially when the low over night was in the 20C so really no cooling off.  This is record breaking for us here on the prairies of Canada.  

It was as isolating as the pandemic with temperatures in my home of 32C which was in my opinion dangerous. I walked outside very early in the morning. I drank lots of cold herbal tea, soaked my head once every hour, and the fan ran 24-7.  Thank goodness I had good books to read.   Typically, not too many households have air conditioning but I expect that it will become much more popular!
 

I did buy this book myself but I was not ready for the story I found within it's pages.

There are three women characters - Rachel the woman on the train, Anna her ex-husband's current wife and Megan who is the neighbour of Anna. 

These three women live a lot of their lives in their heads and the book leaves me wondering how much is real and imagined in their lives. 

I did consider putting it down and not finishing it several times but I finished the book.  

Did I enjoy the book?  Somewhat but it often was chaotic and unsettling.  I much prefer strong characters and these were pretty much all over the place.

A few more images from my photo trip out on Saturday morning.  The heat broke last Friday night and I was able to open the windows and let the cool air in. 

At the Botanic Park the roses were in full bloom and there are rows and rows of them.

Earlier this year I was concerned for the bee population but there was no lack of them at the park.  There were a couple of places where they could get water. 

The Song Sparrow was just belting out its song which was so good to hear.

I had a visit from a dragonfly and now I know why the are called dragon as they have quite fierce faces.

Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks is a book I totally enjoyed.  He is one of my favorite authors when I want a nice love story with strong characters.

Set in North Carolina inspired by 2 very different places. One is the "Kindred Spirit" which is a mail box on an isolated beach.  People leave letters and other written words in the box.  When you visit you can read the letters and other material and return them to the mail box for others to share.  The other is the country of Zimbabwe.  

Hope Anderson is a nurse spending time at the family cottage. Tru Wall, a 42-year-old safari guide from Zimbabwe is next door due to meet his biological father for the first time.  They meet on the beach, get to know each other, and in a few days make life changing decisions.  

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it.  

There are several colors of Yarrow.  I have seen White, Pink and the park had this Yellow one.

I grew up with it being harvested for medicinal purposes so it has not been high on my flower radar but it is really nice.

I finished this book yesterday which was the third this week. 

What a terrific book - The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman.  The story about love, isolation, and right and wrong.  Tom Sherbourne takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day's journey from the Australian coast. Later, he marries Isabel and he brings her to the island. She has suffered miscarriages and a still birth so when she hears the cries of a baby from a washed up boat she feels it is a divine intervention.

They choose to keep the child as present her as their own rather than report the death of the man and the surviving child. Two years later, they learn the consequences of their decision for other families on the mainland.



This love story is touching, heart wrenching and ultimately love triumphs.

I just loved this story. It made a mess of my emotions with a few tears shed at times. This wonderful story is recommended.

The Flickr Macro Mondays challenge this week is "Letters and Numbers".  This provides a lot of subject matter.  This is a metal tag put on infrastructure by the city.  You can check my Flickr Photostream (SMDPics) to see the image I submitted.

I am sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #138 and

Mersad who hosts Through My Lens #296.

Have a great week and be safe.

Recent Photos

It has been raining a lot lately, so my walks in the morning find the landscape is wet. 

I found this shrub in the park and I believe it is Mock Orange - Belle Etoile.  Nice leaves on a bush about 5 feet tall. The web suggests it is fragrant but the rain may have affected it's scent.

Love the water drops on this white blossom which is in a cluster.  It has withstood the rain very well.

Despite regular visits to this park this is the first time I have photographed these flowers.

I had 3 of my photographs in the Open Photograph Show at the art gallery.  This is NineBark - Summer Wine.

The reception and presentations were held on Saturday at the Art Gallery. 

There were quite a few entries featuring international subjects from Africa, India and other exotic places.

Canvas wrapped entries are becoming more popular.

I met my aunt who also had submitted some photos to the show.

This was a very interesting book. I picked the book at a thrift store because of the cover.

Ginny Moon is a 14 year old autistic girl who has been placed in foster care.  It is written in her voice and it is sometimes disturbing how others react to her behaviour.

It was very insightful as to how she withdraws into her mind to process events.  She is aware of the rules hers and those imposed on her and she does her best to keep it all in check.

When she is asked more than one question at a time she does not answer either one.  She is always analyzing things to determine how to behave and act.

She learns a lot about herself and finds a new purpose at the end of the book.

I have to admit a I did consider not completing the book because life is pretty chaotic and stressful.  It is very repetitive as well because her reactions are quite predictable.

Some of the birds which  I have encountered recently. 

Of course, Robins are generally easy to identify by song and visually.  They are cooperative in sitting still enough for a photo.

The Pine Siskin (top right) was quite a bit less still and really high up in the trees.  You can see the devastated leaves so there were plenty of small green worms to eat!\

The crow decided to take flight as I took this picture.  Nice view of the wing.

Magpies are plentiful and not afraid of people for the most part so photos are quite easily taken.

The challenge this week on Flickr Macro Monday was Style Food on a Fork. 

I was sure about the tomato and cheese on a pickle fork. Here the green is avocado.  A bit of Dijon mustard, a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of black pepper finished the shot. It was a delicious photo shoot on Sunday PM.

Check my photo stream for the shot I submitted.

Sharing with Angie at Letting Go the Bay Leaf  who hosts Mosaic Monday #33.

Mersad who hosts Through my Lens #197