Recent Photos

I was so thrilled to see my first BIG bird.   I was at Patricia Lake early one morning this week and investigated a white patch across the water.

It was a Blue Heron.  This is the best shot I got and was hoping he had decided to go fishing or at least stand but he was content to sit there and look at me.

I will go back in a few days but they must into migration already headed to the States so it likely will not be there when I return.

This creature was a more cooperative.  It is a Yellow Dragonfly.  I love the bright spots a the ends of its wings!

The structure on it's back where the wing attach is very interesting and detailed.

It has big eyes and looks like a being a person could connect with.

I was glad to have spotted it in the yellow green grass in the meadow.

This the latest book I had on my night stand.  "The Road to Paradise Island" by Victoria Holt.  My Mom had read the book and passed it onto to me.  I enjoyed the book very much.



Annalice Mallory, the sheltered daughter of a family of map makers, discovers the cryptic diary of her long-dead ancestor that includes a map of a mysterious far-of island. Philip, Annalice's brother, sets sail for the island, lured by the promise of incomparable riches to be found. But when he doesn't return, Annalice sets out to find him -- and the secrets of the diary -- in a desperate journey that leads her through the worlds' most exciting outposts . . . and finally to the tropical islands of the South Seas, where she encounters heart-stopping peril, but also the promise of love.

I found the discovery of the diary very compelling.  She grows up from a teenager to an independent woman during the experience of searching for her ancestor.  Set in England in the early 1900s and included travel on a ship to Australia. It all ends well in the end. 

Eleanor Alice Burford Hibbert (1906–1993), better known to readers as Victoria Holt, Philippa Carr, and Jean Plaidy, was one of the world’s most beloved and enduring authors. Her career spanned five decades, and she was heralded as the “Queen of Romantic Suspense.” She continued to write historical fiction under the name of Jean Plaidy and romantic suspense as Victoria Holt until the time of her death.

Of course, it is time to harvest so I was fortunate to be able to pick raspberries in a friend's patch on 2 Sundays.  The first Aug 4th garnered enough to make a double batch of Raspberry Bavarian with my Mom's recipe.  I shared half with my sister and brother in law when I visited to pick saskatoon berries last week.  I have frozen a container of raspberries with enough to make Bavarian again!  I picked saskatoons at our regular UPick - Farrant Junction on Wednesday last week.  The berries were really nice and big and the picking was easy.  I picked 2 ice cream pails which made 4 bags of berries for the freezer.

I was driving down to my sisters to pick berries and it rained the whole way.  I was concerned berry picking would not happen.  I was prepared to pick in the rain if necessary. We decided to make our other preserves on Tuesday and hope of better weather on Wednesday. I made chutney and she made berry syrup which she serves with club soda on a hot day.

I stuck to last year's recipe with a few tweeks.
I halved the sugar in the recipe this year but did add a few extra dried cranberries.
I added garlic which was not in the original recipe but I like it.
I switched from dark raisins to golden raisins to keep the color in the gold colors.

I made 6 one cup jars this year.  That will be plenty.  I have some leftover jars from my experiments last year.  It is great to spend time with family and put some good food away for winter.

Sharing with Through My Lens #203 hosted by Mersad.