Beating The Rain

Armed with my trusty umbrella, I'm heading outside on my walk. (Aside: I have had many untrustworthy umbrellas in my life...they are an item that one must spend over $5 on for them to be reliable). The weather network thinks I'm safe for the next hour or so, but I'm ready if the rain starts again. I can't complain, though. The weather for the past two weeks has been phenomenal. It's been so good, it's almost made me forget the oppressively cold and miserable winter we had. All my memories are full of sunshine.

But today: cloudy and rain. We need a good downpour, so hopefully I'm back inside before it hits.

Let's Go Blue Jays

There are a few things that make me feel like I go back in time. One is going to the Drive-In, and another is catching the ball game on the radio. A wonderful Saturday afternoon for me includes outdoors, sunshine, and the Jays on the radio. Good times.

Daffodils (Various)

Walking around outside I've found various patches of daffodils. They are one of my most favourtie flowers, and it always brightens a Spring day to see one blooming. A sure sign that winter is behind us.

From our backyard, just starting to come up. This patch is always late.

From Grandma's flowerbed. It was nice to see this one blooming.

Some blooming in the ditch along the side of the road. They grow where they want!

Reading in the Sunshine

I borrowed J.K. Rowling's new book from the library and gave it a quick read in the backyard. The book is a transcript (with some illustrations) of a commencement speech she gave at Harvard University in 2008 and it was a nice read. I love reading outside in the sunshine.

Tree Buddy

Living in a rural area I am surrounded by forest. Except for the ten years I spent in Toronto, I have always had many, many trees around me. I like it. This tree keeps watch over the side of the road and I walk or drive past him daily. 

Full Moon Fever

My camera is much better for daytime shots, but I've been spending some of my 30x30 Challenge time outside in the evening too. The temperature has been nice, still warm from the sunny days we've been having. Plus no mosquitoes yet, so I'm maximizing my time out there before they come for me.

There was a full moon on the weekend, and I enjoyed some time outside looking at it. So pretty.

Spring Yard Clean Up

There are lots of ways to spend time outside, one of which is cleaning up. We had a long winter, but now that the snow is gone, it's time to rake up last year's mess and get everything looking pretty.

John worked on flower beds and I got my arms in gear for some good time raking. I find with leaves there are always way more than it looks. This photo represents about 1% of the total.

Last sign of Winter

Over the next few weeks I'll be posting photos of my adventures outdoors, as part of the 30x30 Challenge. I will be scheduling some posts, but some might be done live after a fun experience outdoors. My blog is syndicated in the morning, so if you receive my blog through email, live posts won't get to your inbox until the next day. As always, thanks for reading.

On a walk yesterday I found the last remaining sign of winter - a small pile of snow out near the woods. This tiny remnant used to be part of the giant 'snow from the driveway' pile and it has almost shrunk down to nothing. A little more sunshine and it will be gone gone gone.

The Cat and The Cupcakes

Gary has a strong love of sweets. She loves caramel corn, banana bread, muffins, and pancakes, to name just a few. I don't let her have these treats because (a) they're mine, and (b) she doesn't brush her teeth. I have never known a cat to like so many baked goods, and I have a theory that she is actually after the butter contained in them. This week she was very interested in buttercream frosting.

As I frosted my Mint Chocolate Swirl Cupcakes, Gary was sitting close by, eyeing any potential for the buttercream to become hers.

She does this adorable thing where she puts one paw on the table, a clear indicator of her intention, but also a sign of self control, as she holds herself back from getting entirely on the table (she knows she is not allowed on the table). But just her paw? Just a paw is fine, right?

Photo Bouquet

I recently got a new (to me) camera. Hand me down from my brother to my Mom, and then re-gifted from Mom to me. My digital camera has become increasingly unreliable, shutting off randomly, freezing with the shutter open, corrupting files. It could be a battery issue, but replacing the battery is at least $30, and because the camera is over seven years old, I'd rather put that money towards a new camera (probably an SLR). Until I take the plunge and buy a new camera, I'm playing around with my hand me down one and it's pretty great. It's a point and shoot like my old one (same brand as well), a few years newer than mine. I'm taking lots of pictures and having fun with the new functions.

I did some practice shooting on a bouquet of flowers and I think they turned out pretty well. Going to keep practicing until I figure out all the best settings. I love this bouquet - just gorgeous.

Long Weekend Photo Round Up

It's a holiday Monday here in Ontario and I've been having a great weekend! Lots of friends, food, fun, and activities - it is what summer is made for.

The weather has been fabulous - really hot and sunny. I started the weekend catching up with my favourite Wizard Detective, Harry Dresden. I'm about half way through and enjoying it so far.

On breaks from reading on Saturday I baked some gingerbread cookies. Always nice to have treats around on a long weekend.

Yesterday my parents came up and we went on a short visit to the beach and walked around the Elmvale Sales Barn looking for deals.

We picked up lunch at Perky's Fish and Fries, which never disappoints. I got the haddock and chips, Mom got a burger and onion rings. MMMMmmmmm....

After Mom and Dad left, my sisters in law came over on their way to the beach, dropping off garden beans and romaine. The. Best.

Adding to our fun filled day, we hosted gaming night and played a little HarnMaster style RPG and enjoyed some treats.

I made caramel corn which was a big hit.

Our friend Bryan brought some treats to share that he brought back from a trip to Ohio. I don't think you can get this stuff here, so it was neat to try.

The remainder of the weekend will be spent reading and relaxing and probably eating a lot of garden beans. Perfect!

The Backyard is Blooming

Walking around outside is the best, especially since all these beautiful flowers are now out to say hello.

Pretty!

Cat Says: I'm Not in Your Way, Am I?

Yesterday I posted about my summer dishcloth knitting project, which needed a photo of my yarn to go with it. I wanted to photograph the yarn in natural light so it would best represent the actual colours. The spot I picked for natural light, also happened to be the best sunbeam in the house. The photo shoot was delayed a wee bit, while Gary did her best impression of 'cutest cat ever'. I love that little monkey!

Bliss.

Don't mind me. Just having a nap here.

Exploring New Trails

As part of the 30x30 Challenge I've been getting lots of time outdoors lately.

After hitting the library today, I went and explored a nature trail that I hadn't been on before. It was very secluded - no one in sight but me. I explored the trail without my iPod. Instead of music, I heard all the sounds of nature: the stream, squirrels playing, and birds chirping. It was a really nice day to be out walking around.

Bridge to the nature trail

View from the bridge

Really lovely trail for walking

It's Consistently Above Zero

I haven't been online too much over the past few days. The snow has been melting, the sun came out, and the temperatures have not only been endurable but enjoyable too. Monday we got up to 23°C (73°F) and I didn't wear a coat or a sweater outside. Yesterday was cloudy and only 9°C (48°F), but it was still a treat to be out of doors.

I spend most of my outside time walking around or reading, but recently I found some old baseball equipment and have been having solo batting practice and some games of catch with John. If I'm playing ball in the backyard, it has to be spring now, right? Even if I sometimes have to rescue the ball from the (slowly melting) snow pile.

Completely Over Looking at This

So it snowed on the weekend. It was just a few flurries on Saturday morning, but it's Spring and it's April and I'm so very over it. We always get a little bit of snow in April, but it often falls on the green grass to remind us we live in Canada. This year, it fell on snow from January that never left! I took some photos to show you just how much snow is still kicking around. The April photos are compared to those taken in January.

January 7th, 2014

April 5th, 2014

January 7th, 2014

April 5th, 2014

January 7th, 2014

April 5th, 2014

The good news (that I have a hard time trusting) is that it was 10°C (50°F) and sunny yesterday, and it is supposed to reach that high again today. If the sunny/warm days continue, all this snow could actually melt away. What a joy to think about!

My Going Outside Outfit

It's been so cold that I abandoned my desire to knit a balaclava, and went ahead and bought one at the Canadian Tire. Trying on a balaclava at a retail store is a little awkward, as every image I have in my head of people wearing them in a store is when they are about to rob the place. Luckily I didn't have to try the balaclava on very long to know I loved it - the hot pink won me over. Score! At the check out this hat rang up as "childs", so I guess it is confirmed that I have a small head because it fits perfectly.

The balaclava does what it's supposed to do too, as I was brave enough to test it on a cold day earlier this week. The uncovered space around my eyes still gets a little too cold for long walks, but at least I can go outside for little jaunts now.

The funny thing about getting your photo taken while wearing a ski mask? I'm still smiling as wide as ever. Can you tell?