Getting the upper hand (or maybe not)

No writing analogy today, just a springtime reflection from my photo journal. ~ Sunshine spills over the trees to lighten the gardens with a citron glow. Springtime colours smile in mossy lawns, tiny new alder leaves and an abundance of forget-me-nots, violets and periwinkle blooms. Every spring I rave about the multitude of greens in

Springtime Shades of Green

. Have you any idea how many shades of green exist? It took me months to settle on exactly the right one to paint our family room… a variation of sage. Armed with a handful of paint chips that we declared were almost too similar to distinguish nuances with the naked eye, we examined our

Springtime Waiting and Wanting

Lush spring greens falter against the backdrop of a slate-grey sky. Tiny liquid crystals shimmy on shiny breeze-blown rhododendron leaves. Two weeks from summer’s arrival and still the lawns are squishy beds of moss, gardens a muddy setting for the emerging perennials. This is my season of impatience. I yearn for warmer temperatures and summer

Signs of Springtime

Ask people what comes to mind when they think “spring” and you’re likely to hear about longer days and daffodils, cherry blossoms and new green growth on trees and shrubs. That’s before they start thinking about pruning those trees and shrubs, cleaning gutters and dethatching winter-weary lawns. I still remember the poem I memorized in

I take it all back. I AM complaining!

I know I said I wasn’t complaining. But today our 34o temperature made us the hot spot in Canada, breaking an all time record for the date. Last year June came in as the coldest in fifty years. This year it has come in hotter than has ever been recorded in the seventy years of

Did Someone Say It’s Summer?

I’m not complaining. Truly I’m not! After all, complaints were plentiful enough when Spring was late arriving and Winter’s chill lingered into May. So now that June has arrived with day after day of more than 30oC temperatures, we’re grateful, right? All those new forest fires mere miles from our summer cabin don’t worry us

Promises, Promises

My camera and I took an early morning wander around Wildwood. Sunshine glistened on last night’s leftover raindrops and the air was crisp. There’s little that can outdo a walk on a freshly laundered spring day. Among my discoveries were promises emerging in the garden – spiky swirls of hosta, new buds displaying hints of

Weird Wildlife and Fluttering Feathers

There must be something strange in the air here. A few days ago I mentioned that we’ve been entertaining an aggressive squirrel who defends the birdfeeder from all would-be diners. Today he was challenged by a robin.   Now, we all know robins neither eat birdseed nor frequent birdfeeders. You’ll normally find them hunting down

Seasonal Transitions

The morning sky is hazed to Wedgewood blue and throughout the neighbourhood rooftops glisten with frost. I’ve been visiting family in the east Kootenay city of Cranbrook. Last week each day began with a snow flurry and ended with sunshine. This week began with sunshine and despite the freezing temperature this morning I saw my

Today’s Musings

  MUSINGS – 1 Rain slashes across the sky obliterating everything but a vague view of the nearby trees. Am I complaining? Definitely not! Every time I peer out the window I can tell there is less snow on the ground. I’ll be happy if the rain continues until the last vestige of snow disappears.