The Moon at Sunrise

I've had my

On Januray 29 I noticed just a sliver of the moon in the sky right before sunrise.  On that day sunrise was at 7:31 am. Yesterday sunrise was at 7:30 am but it was very cloudy and nothing was noticeable in the sky.  Sunset yesterday was at 5:17 pm which gave us just about 10 hours of daylight. The days are slowly stretching out. I was able to capture some lovely sunrise shots on January 29, and I even managed to get the moon in a couple of them.

I love the way the moon is framed by the branches. And I loved the pretty pinkish clouds that were drifting across the sky.

Today sunrise is at 7:29 am and sunset at 5:18 pm, so that adds a minute of daylight at each end of the day.
Tomorrow I will have my eye on the sky as they say there is a big storm approaching. Will this be out first major storm of the season?

I love creating mosaic/collage photos. These ones are done in Picasa. I'm linking to Mosaic Monday.
I hope you have time to do a blog hop over there and see some other wonderful mosaic photos.
Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have a great day.

Souper Sunday

Here is a soup I made a few weeks ago, right after Christmas.  I didn't show it then as I figured there were enough left over turkey recipes out at that time.

This is just one of my recipes created with what was in the fridge at the time.  There was plenty of cooked turkey that was cut into small pieces. I cubed 6 medium potatoes, sliced a couple of stalks of celery and diced up some carrots.  I added some frozen peas and green beans and some barley.  All of this went into some chicken stock and was cooked in a large pot for a couple of hours.

I always make a large pot of soup and freeze a few portions.  Today I'll be getting out one of those freezer bags and enjoying it for dinner with some nice crusty bread.There is nothing like a bowl of homemade soup on a chilly winter day.

Remembering Dragonflies

January is just about over and we have had some very frigid weather followed by some not so cold days.  We have had snow and then we have had a thaw for a couple of days. I haven't been out that much taking photos  of
So today I am remembering those hot days of summer last August when the dragonflies flitted through the garden.

I'm not familiar with the names of the different dragonflies I just know that they are beautiful and fun to watch.  They are also a challenge to capture through my lens as they flit so quickly from spot to spot.

This particular one was enjoying the fading blooms on the canna.  I love the way the wings shimmer in the sunlight.

Thank goodness for that rapid fire button on the camera. Just look at the pattern on the delicate wings captured through the macro lens.

I'm linking to Camera Critters as the dragonfly is the perfect lens friend.

The Sky on a Frigid Day

I've really had my eye on the sky lately and noticing how the daylight stays a tiny bit longer each day.  On the most frigid day of the month last weekend there was a bit of a red sky at sunset.

I look forward to more of these lovely scenes. If you love sky photos as much as I do be sure to check out the other participants in Sky Watch.

It is, but it isn't

The cold spell continues today with temperatures at -27 Celsius this morning and only rising to about -15 Celsius this afternoon.  That makes me shiver just thinking about it but today I will have to go out to work on this Monday morning.I'm showing you something that is what it appears to be, but really isn't what it is. You probably think the cold weather has got to my mind.

Here is what appears to be a teacup and saucer. But look a little closer and you will notice that it is flat at the back. That's because it isn't a teacup that you would drink out of.

It is a teacup nightlight that I have in my kitchen.  This was a Mother's Day gift a couple of years ago.
And it is blue which is perfect for linking in with Blue Monday. It won't be any good for drinking tea at a tea party but it is the perfect accessory so I'm also linking with Tea Time Tuesdays. If you have time, why don't you blog hop over and visit.

Shadows on the Snow

It's a bone chilling day outside today.  The temperatures for the past couple of days have been really, really, cold and I would describe today as frigid. The low for today is -24 Celsius, and for those of you that are non metric that translates into -11 F.  So I won't be venturing outside to take any photos today because with the wind chill it will be a lot colder.

One of my projects is to organized all the photos I've taken over the years into folders.  It has certainly been a trip down memory lane seeing all the shots that I've accumulated.  Perhaps that is one disadvantage of digital cameras ... we just take so many photos.

The weather must of been similar to what we have been getting this weekend, with lots of snow followed by a bright, sunny day.
Perhaps the birds will venture to the feeders and I can snap some photos through the windows.
I came across some wonderful shadow photos taken a couple of years ago and just had to share them on today.Be sure to blog hop over to Shadow Shot Sunday  where you can see some amazing shadow photos.

Crochet Covered Wood Discs

I love to read the blog Resurrection Fern and I'm inspired by the beautiful crochet items she creates.  I would say her signature pieces are the crochet covered stones she creates.  I have been wanting to try doing this for a long time, but didn't have the foresight to collect the stones before winter set in.  But on a snowy afternoon when I was cleaning through the craft closet I came across a couple of wooden discs.

These measure about 5 cm. across and are left overs from my Guide leader days.  Someone had cut a branch into these little discs so we could craft with them.  So in place of stones I decided to try covering these with crochet.

I really like how they turned out. I had found a tutorial at the purl bee and I also have a copy of Crochet Today from Sept./Oct. 2009 in which there is a lovely article about Margie and some patterns for her covered stones.  I didn't use the tutorial or the patterns as I just did various rounds of crochet to make it fit over the wood.   This used up a small amount of crochet cotton and is a great way to do some stash busting and practice some crochet stitches at the same time.

Tea and Toast

Bread and water can so easily be toast and tea.Unknown author This seems like a lovey quote to use for a wintery Tea Time Tuesday. The simplest of things can be so comforting.   There is nothing like a lovely cup of tea with some hot, buttered toast.  Sit in a nice sunny spot and read a chapter or two of a good book. I'm sharing my favourite teapot today.  This was a gift from my husband a few years ago. As soon as I saw it at a gift store one day I knew I had to have it.  And of course he went back the day after and bought it for me for Christmas. Cardinals are my favourite bird (yet I really don't like the colour red when it comes to clothes).  The mug was a gift from a thoughtful friend.  The little china dish holding the raspberry jam was a find at a garage sale for 75 cents.  It's a delicate little dish that is stamped Bavaria Schumann Arzberg on the bottom. I love finds like this and enjoy doing some research on the pieces to see if I got a good buy.
Won't you join in for Tea Time Tuesdays and Tea for Two?

All Dressed Up ...

... with no where to go!
The snow has been drifting down once again and the garden looks beautiful dressed up in white.The weather office at CFB Trenton measured about 15 cm. of snow that fell yesterday.

The potentilla in the front garden that is usually covered in small yellow blooms all summer is decked out in white.

The lilac bush that gets covered in fragrant mauve and white blooms in spring is laden with white.

The weigela that has lovely pink blooms in summer is looking pretty dressed in white.

The pampas grass that sends up tall, straight plumes is bending over from the weight of the white snow.
The storm has given beauty to the dormant limbs of the sleeping shrubs in the garden.

Chick-a-dee-dee-dee

How lovely to hear the call of the chickadee.  This little bird braves all weathers to visit the feeders on a daily basis.  They never flit away when we go out to fill the feeders.  They are very friendly little birds.

The markings and colours are lovely and he looks so soft to touch.

They are posing for the perfect lens friend photos for linking with Camera Critters.

Hats On!

We have had a couple of days when we had that light, fluffy snow that just drifts to the ground.It settles on everything and turns it into a winter wonderland.

The plants that are left in the garden have put their winter hats on.

How does Nature arrange the snow to look like pointed hats?

It isn't just the plants that have their hats on.

Inuky, my brick inukshuk, has his hat and perhaps a shawl on too.

The fence post has a rounded hat as does the fence.Nature never ceases to amaze me.

Blue China Cups

Doesn't tea taste better from a beautiful china cup?Here are some of my favourite tea cups in shades of blue.

The bone china one with the blue butterfly comes from the Butterfly Conservatory at Niagara Falls and was a gift from my daughter.

This Royal Albert cup with the blue forget me not flowers was a find at a flea market.

And this Queen Anne cup with blue flowers was a gift from a friend.

Some of my favourite herbal teas are peppermint, mango passion fruit, and cranberry.
How about you ... what is your favourite tea to drink from a china cup?
 I'm linking to Mosaic Monday. I hope you have time to do a blog hop over there and see some other wonderful mosaic photos.
I'm also linking in with Blue Monday with my blue tea cup collection.  Stop by and see some other posts that feature the colour blue.
Thanks to Judith at Lavender Cottage I found Tea Time Tuesdays and have decided to join the tea party.

Lens Friends in the Snow

During a snowfall a couple of weeks ago I captured some photos of the Tree Sparrows as they searched for food at the different feeders.

They surveyed the garden for good sources of food.

Besides the flat feeder they tried out the hanging suet basket.

Tree Sparrows look very similar to chipping sparrows (which I originally thought these were).  But we don't get chipping sparrows over the winter.  Tree Sparrows or American Tree Sparrows are also referred to as Winter Sparrows.
These are adorable little lens friends for linking with Camera Critters.

Squirrel Antics

It's 2sDay ... the day for sharing some photos I've taken with 2 of the same thing in it.  I've been sorting through the many, many photos that I take and I came across these photos taken last February.

What fun to watch 2 determined squirrels that were after the bird cake in the basket feeder.   One made it successfully to the top of the metal pole and the other was attempting it.

After getting his fill the one at the top decided to scamper away but the other one was determined to keep going.  I bet that pole is cold on his tummy.I love capturing the antics of lens friends.

Shadows From Across the Country

It has been very dull and dreary here in Ontario for a few days with absolutely no chance of getting a shadow shot photo.  But yesterday we got to talk via Skype with family on Vancouver Island and I was playing around with the video buttons.

I was able to capture a photo of the two of them as they were giving us a guided tour through their new home.  Just look at the lovely, long shadows.  No snow out their way.  What a great way for Ontario and British Columbia to get together.

 I'm linking to Shadow Shot Sunday where you can see some amazing shadow photos.

Eye on the Sky for 1.1.11

It is 1.1.11 I love it when numbers have a pattern to them.
And for the first day of the year I've got my

It is a foggy morning, probably unusual for the start of January.

The temperature is +5 Celsius and what little snow we had had all but vanished.  With +9 Celsius for the afternoon it will feel like a sping day.

The weather forecast for today is cloudy with showers.  The sun won't be making an appearance today.  We usually think of January as cold, bringing us snow and ice.  I'm sure that will happen very soon, but for today I will enjoy the milder temperatures and forget winter and anticipate spring.
If you love sky photos as much as I do be sure to check out the other participants in Sky Watch.