An Abecedarian Assemblage ;)

A is for Angel, a little decoration that I received in a card years ago. There is a partner angel dressed in blue and each of them are hung near the top of my tree each year.

B is for Baking. This is a plate full of goodies I took to a Christmas party in the neighbourhood.

C is for Christmas Cards. I made cards for my nieces with a Starbuck's gift card enclosed. I had fun creating the snowman and little pockets and doodads on the inside.

D is for Dog

This little creature barks out 'I wish you a Merry Christmas' and is a leftover from my days working in the school office. Luckily it has a 'turn off' button ;)

E is for Elmo. I thought of an Elf, or Elf Ears, but when I saw the Muppet Elmo looking so festive and welcoming, I chose him!

F is for French Toast, made from my homemade bread and is being prepared on Boxing Day morning for the crew.

G is for Gumdrops ~ This is Santa on a stick with candies and gumdrops.

H is for Harp ... and Holly and Harzel!

Harp music filtered through the Christmas light display in the woodland gardens.

Holly located on a gate near Harzel.

And here is Harzel (a tree I have been watching throughout the year for the Tree Year Project started by Dreamfalcon)  Now Harzel looks much like it did when I chose him last January.I mistakenly thought it was a Harry Lauder's Walking Stick...but it turned out to be a Convoluted or Corkscrew Hazel (thanks to Midmarsh John for the identification) ...hence Harry+Hazel=Harzel)

I is for Igloo - It was one of the lighted presentations in the woodland garden.

J is for Jingle Bells - hanging on my front door.

K is for Kinglet! The reason I am choosing this cute  Ruby-crowned Kinglet is because his little red patch of feathers is slightly visible on the top of his head. This red patch 'blossoms' when it is in display mode or when the bird is agitated. Can you see it?

L is for Lights -  a house on the corner down the road.

M is for Meat Pies! When I was off meeting my nieces for lunch, I spotted Meat Pies in a butcher shop window.

N is for Nuts! I found this old contraption in my cupboard, so I cleaned it out and put in a fresh supply of nuts.

O is for Ornament! But which one? I used to have this ornament and a few others rotating on a string of lights, however now this just hangs on the tree.

P is for Penguin ~ This is a seasonal tea towel hanging in the kitchen.

Q is for Quail. There is a fairly large covey of California Quail in our neighbourhood. They are often seen scurrying about and, recently, very obligingly passed my front door, through which this photo was taken!

R is for Roses. My nieces presented me with this lovely plant when we met for lunch. It adorns my dining room table.

S is for Snowman. This little fellow sits on a chair beside the Christmas tree.

T is for Trolley. Same luncheon date, I spotted this lit-up Trolley trundling down the street.

U is for Umbrella. It has been a mild winter, and until recently fairly dry. However, rain is much preferable to snow!

V is for Van.

W is for Window.

X marks the spot - on a Scavenger Hunt map.  I spotted these little X-laces on some knitted skates on my tree.

Y is for Yule Log ~ my fireplace.

Z is for Zebra! Doesn't everyone have a Zebra in their Christmas tree?

So there you have it ~

Thanks to Kathy at Postcards from the P.P. for hosting this search, and click here
to see other collections.

Thank you all for your friendship during the past year, and I wish you and yours a Terrific 2012 filled with joy, peace and love!

'Twas the Night After Christmas ...

‘Twas the night after Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were empty; the presents unwrapped;

The turkey was eaten; the crackers were snapped.

The children had vanished and taken their loot...

Which offered me time for another pursuit.

A challenge was waiting, so I must remember

To check through my photos - the ones from December.

This Scavenger Hunt holds no guarantees,

for photos from Christmas must use ABC’s!

My camera was nestled all snug in its case,

And hardly a photo was taken! Disgrace!

No photos of presents piled under the tree;

No photos of turkey or pudding to see;

No photos of games that we played after dinner;

No photos of happy dance done by the winner.

So how in the heck will I find twenty-six?

Perhaps I’ll resort to Photoshop tricks...

Stay tuned ...

Carol of the Birds

November Photo Scavenger Hunt

Here is my collection for the November Photo Scavenger Hunt sponsored by Kathy at Postcards from the P.P.

The first two photos were taken at the local Legion on November 11, 2011. It was a strange day, starting out mild, but a storm moved in growing in intensity until it became so wet and windy that it knocked the power out for four hours.  It seemed quite fitting for the occasion.

An eagle sentry silhouetted against a dark sky keeps a keen eye on the salmon spawning activity in the nearby waters.

Something I made was a delicious strawberry rhubarb streudel drizzled with almond icing.

A purple African violet in a purple bowl:

For warmth, I chose a photo of the fireplace which not only keeps the home toasty but adds a cozy ambiance.

I have a couple of 'polka dot' themed photos. The first is a fallen leaf sprinkled with rain spots.

The second caught my eye as I walked by a home which had a decorative element with small round mirrors. The red foliage of a tree in the garden was reflected in the mirrors producing quite a spectacle.

Here's an even more spectacular view of the tree reflected in the window below.

Two black cats spotted on November 13 looked like good luck charms to me :)

What smells better than homemade bread/rolls for a comfort food?  Nothing. :)

Here's a staircase at a local restaurant bedecked for Christmas.

Something that lights up is this clump of ornamental grass! When I turned on my headlights, I was amazed at how picturesque it looked.

There now, all done...oh wait, a self-portrait. I quickly ran into the dining room and took a photo through a glass cabinet door. Oh, what a shame, I can only see a dark shadowy blob! ;)

I have photos to post of more visits to 'where the river meets the sea' salmon spawn, and also of a variety of interesting birds visiting my bird feeders...and one furry creature that gobbled up most of the 'woodpecker' food. A sample of more to come soon ...

Here's a photo of Scamper:

Looks innocent as all get out, doesn't he?

How about now?