November 28th. 2007

We've spent the last few days lugging wood up from the driveway and stacking it behind the house. Our bodies are wrecked! Anyway it's all finished now. I'm all packed, heading for the city tomorrow. Phoned and made a reservation on the bus and found out that they will take me to my parents for an additional cost of a few dollars more. I'm well pleased with this as the bus doesn't get in until after dark and my father can't see too well to drive at night. So this will be a relief to me as well as to him. Lots of presents to buy, I have my list made out and pretty well have it figured out what to get everyone....except Roger! I think everything I've ever bought him, he hasn't been overly fond of. One thing I know he would love is a monks robe, you know, the heavy long one with a big hood that ties with a rope around the waist. He often mentions it as he would like to wear it on his walks to the stores in the winter. Now, you have to picture all of this. He makes these tall staffs and often will put a knife coming out of the top which he hides under a hood like thing. Can you see it now?? He often takes one of these staffs to the store with him, when he's walking of course. I have to keep telling him not to dare take the top off it as he will end up in the hands of the Mounties being charged with carrying a concealed weapon, and for heaven sakes, don't dare go into the bank with it. lol, no wonder people think we are a wee bit strange. As to the robe, the only way he would get one is if I make it and I don't think this is going to happen. He's given me a short list of some other things he would like so I might get lucky this year.

The sun is shinning this morning so a glorious day. Wandered around a bit with the camera. Some of the moss around. I don't know anything much about moss but love the look of it.





A seed head that I thought was rather pretty.

And the every present Chick a Dees

November 24th., Rainy Days

Rain, rain and more rain. The ground is soaked and we've been trying to stack some wood for the winter but can only get at it when the rain holds up at times. An awful job as the wood is green and very heavy. Needless to say we are both sore and aching.

I decided to look for the xmas tree the other day as it's getting close to Yule and I like to have it up by then. As I couldn't remember where I had put it I thought it best to find it now. I knew it was in a box but where! I searched the house thinking I must have put it in a closet or under a bed, but no luck. Then thought that I may have put it up in the "cabin", a small building up behind the house. Went up there and could hardly get through the boxes I had packed up with stuff to get rid of come spring. Anyway, I clambered over boxes, lawn mower and anything else imaginable that one would store and finally found the box with the tree. Then on looking around I saw little piles of pine and spruce cones around the place and shredded cardboard on some of the boxes. Obviously the squirrels have planned to settle in there for the winter. I don't mind really as it gives them a place to stay. I haven't seen any at the feeders lately so am guessing that there is lots of stuff in the woods for them to eat as I hear them there every day. I expect once the snow falls they will once again be back at the feeders.

The chickens are moulting now, feathers everywhere. Just getting the odd egg and don't expect them to start laying until maybe March which is fine as they are pets and while the eggs are wonderful, that's not why we have them.

I'm thinking of looking at cell phones when I'm in the city. I expect we are one of the few people left who doesn't have one. This has got my father very excited as he loves all these gadgets, lol. He can't wait to take me around to the stores.

Not much to take pictures of these days. For lack of something else to do I took a few yesterday when the rain held up.

Gargoyle on one of the arches.

November 15, 2007

A beautiful sunrise this morning. Temperature is suppose to go up to 14 C tomorrow. Unbelievable for this time of year. Lots of frost on the ground this morning and a milky sky at the moment. Been busy moving house plants around as some were getting too big for the spots they were in. I've been contemplating painting the kitchen cupboards a different colour but can't seem to decide on the shade I want. Been thinking a light shade as they are quite dark now.

My daughter is having a show at the Gallery the end of the month hence one of the reasons I'm going to the city then. Yesterday I found out that my granddaughter is flying in for it as well. I'm so excited. "The man" is coming home from his vacation tomorrow. I expect he will be here before lunch. Don't know where this past two weeks have gone.

Well, I must go out and fill the bird feeders. The Chick a dees are going through sunflower seeds like crazy. A few pictures, the angle of the light in the crow picture made him come out in silhouette.

November 13, 2007

Woke up this morning with a sore throat and figured that I was in for it now! It's pretty much gone now so I figure it must have been from the dust when cleaning out cupboards and closets yesterday. Hope so anyway. Only 41 days until Xmas! I've decided to get all on my list a book this year. Seems the best thing to do as I never know what to get anyone. Hopefully will get all of this done when I go into the city at the end of the month.

My dad phones me on his cell phone this morning telling me he never hears from me. I tell him "For heavens sake, you phone every second day." lol. My mom sent out a fairly large Palm tree with daughter last week and I keep walking around with it trying to find a spot to put it. There's far too many plants here as it is. She was running out of room at her place so I couldn't refuse.

The kittens, though I can hardly still call them that anymore, have another shower curtain ripped up. How many is this now....five I think. And the new carpeting that I put on the steps a while back is shredded. Not the doing of the young boys but the older boy. He gets great delight from putting his claws in and pulling. Ratch has been in a grumpy mood and hauls off and slaps any of the others that go by her. Sigh....never a dull moment.

I don't go out and about much so rarely have much to blog about and I seem to put the same type pictures on. These two were taken before daylight. It's called "getting up with the birds". lol


Blue jay after it got light.


A couple of pictures of the stream after the heavy rain we had.

November 11th., 2007

Rain poured out of the heavens yesterday. The stream is rushing with water, so lovely. Today it's cloudy and am hoping for a bit of sun to come through to dry things up a bit. I was bringing in some wood early this morning when I looked down towards the road and saw a grouse walking along. First thought...photo opportunity! So I dropped everything and ran for the camera but when I got back out it was gone. I walked down to the road, no sign of it, then walked around the woods...no luck! Maybe I should have the camera slung around my neck all the time.

Wednesday my daughter came to visit for a few days. She went back home this morning. I don't know where the time went. We always plan on things to do when she was here but never seem to get around to it. Thursday we brought a bag of clothes she had brought with her to the Goodwill, then shopped around a bit. In the evening we watched a movie. Can't remember the name of it now. Yesterday we went out again as I had to go to the drug store and she tried to talk me into getting a colour for my hair. I said no but she picked out a colour that she thought would look good on me and in horror I said that it was orange for heaven sakes. I continued to tell her that I was afraid to risk putting a colour in as the red tones always seem to come out orange on me. Still, she persisted. So, ended up getting "Spice". So with trepidation, when we got home, she put it in my hair. When that was finished and washed out she cut the hair, then dried it. I was afraid to look in the mirror if the truth be told. lol. Well, of course I had to didn't I. I nearly freaked as it was much darker than it was before. Anyway, after a while I did get use to it and rather like it now.

Last night we cooked curries for supper. We each made a dish and it was quite good. Lots left over for today. Then had a couple of women friends invited over last night. An enjoyable evening. After supper we took a couple of pictures of each other. Here's my daughter.



So, hoping to have a lovely nap this afternoon. Just not use to these late nights.

November 4th., 2007

Well, it's been the storm that wasn't. Although the wind is picking up at the moment and forecast says rain and showers, I don't think it's going to be much of it. Temperatures going to +13 C. I can handle that, lol. I went outside with the camera early yesterday to get some pictures of frost on some of the plants. Taking life and limb in hand as it was very slippery I got these photos.

November 3rd., Bits and bobs.

All I've been hearing on the news this morning is that hurricane Noel is making it's way up the eastern seaboard and should hit the maritime provinces tonight. They say it will be down graded to a tropical storm by the time it reaches us but still, high winds and a lot of rain. It appears that Nova Scotia will get the brunt of it. Never the less, I will have to fill bottles of water just in case the electricity gets knocked out. Our water supply is run by electric pumps so if the power goes, no water. Otherwise I am stocked up on anything I might need. So, it will be "batten down the hatches" tonight I daresay.

Clear skies this morning but frost on the deck and all over the ground. Very slippery! Tried hard to not fall and break a leg when letting the chickens out. Will wait until the sun gets up high enough to melt the frost before I do anything else outside. It was very cold in the house this morning when I got up as I didn't bank the stove up with wood before bedtime last night. I wasn't long lighting the fire and now it's comfortable and cosy once again.

Unless it turns warmer again I guess I have all I'm going to get done in the garden finished. I've raked up tons of leaves but there are still a lot on the ground so would like to get a bit more up. Birds are filling up at the feeders this morning. I continue to try to get some good pictures of crows as they are my favorite birds but alas I find it difficult.



That's it! I'm off to get some "frost" pictures now.

November 1st., 2007

My oh my, November 1st., where oh where has the year gone! Not much to report. Went to Gander on Tuesday and stocked up on cat food, cat litter, wild bird food and groceries. Also needed to get a new axe handle. Got all that done and headed home. Ran into blowing snow across the highway but wasn't long before we were out of it.

Yesterday morning we went to get some sacks of hens feed from the guy who keeps chickens and turkeys. Got out of the car and started walking up to his house when we saw him down his garden where he keeps all the birds, yelled and waved to him and he yelled out that he would be right up. I said to Roger, "Isn't that a bird he has on the table down there." He says that no it can't be. I say omg, he's plucking a bird. Then his wife comes out of the house and says he's killing the chickens down there. I nearly threw up....I couldn't speak, went to the car and got in. So the guy comes up and gets the feed from his garage, loads it in the car and Roger pays him. Normally we have a bit of a conversation as I bought my hens off him last year and he always asks how they are. I just couldn't speak to him I was so upset. Brought the feed home and when we got it in the house there was blood on one of the bags where he was handling it. I still can't get it out of my mind.

So, last night we had people in for a bit of a party. A good night with lots of conversation. Early this morning I was doing something on the computer, Roger in the bedroom. All of a sudden I heard a boom like a large piece of furniture had fallen over. A few minutes later Roger comes out of the bedroom and asks me if I heard the racket. He proceeds to tell me that he stubbed his toe on the corner of the bed, tried to grab onto something to steady himself, missed and went ass over kettle into the clothes closet ending up on his back...sigh!

So that's about it....took these pictures this morning.