New blog

I have started a new blog, without a Photobucket connection, and hope to begin uploading photos starting tomorrow, thanks to a site I found called The Idea Room that hosts a photo a day challenge.

The name of my new blog is called Glophotobug, which is a bit of a mouthful, but generated itself when I was trying out various titles.

Hopefully, see you tomorrow, on Jan 1 at my new blog.  :)

Happy New Year!

Our Christmas snow melted ~ unexpectedly it regenerated itself and returned ~ no tripod, so a little shaky...

Happy New Year, everyone ~ here's to a splendid, happy and healthy 2018!

Merry Christmas!

I have just written this message upside down with a broom handle, from my front doorstep.  My sons are coming later tonight, and I thought they'd get a kick out of it.  Perhaps I should have written, "Don't just stand there, grab a snow shovel."

We had some snow during the week, which never really melted before today's snowfall.  While it doesn't really amount to much, it does make corners a bit slick when driving.

Thank you to Mke and Dina for your lovely Christmas cards.  I'm sorry my blog seems to be dwindling away.  With Photobucket now requesting money for photos that have previously been uploaded, I find it quite disheartening.  Anyway, if I do blog, I will just upload the photos from my computer as I did above.

The hummingbirds are once again slurping up slushy nectar because of the freezing temperatures (usually 2 - 4 degrees below 0 C).  There are lots of winter birds around enjoying the suet blocks and seeds.

It's Christmas dinner day tomorrow, and I have made a steamed pudding for dessert.  There are a few cookies around, too, which, knowing my sons, may not last until tomorrow.
I wish you all a most delightful Christmas and very best wishes for 2018.

Away with the fairies ~

I've been away so long, it's true...

It might be asked..."Well, who are you?"

Disappeared without a trace

Left you hanging in a place

Bereft of postings..photos nil..

Please forgive me, if you will!

In the spring, I found a door

And since that time, I've found much more.

Enchantment followed me around

Up in trees and on the ground... 

A wildwood plot was weeded well ~

I'll show you now...where fairies dwell.

March Photo Scavenger Hunt

Well, here we are entering my favorite season ~ Spring!  We are also experiencing some glorious weather this week.  Time to put my March photos before heading outside :)

1.  Local
A photo taken down at the local beach front yesterday ~

Buds are blossoming ~

2.  City
A Spring scene taken while visiting Beacon Hill Park in Victoria, BC, the capital city of British Columbia.

3. Stripes
There were a few birds vying for this category, all showing off their stripes ~  A pair of ducks won out!

4.  Crisp
Although we are experiencing an early Spring, a crisp coldness is apparent at higher levels.

5.  Street Art
Chemainus is referred to as the 'little town that did' ~ famous for its murals.

6. Tiles
A tiled roof spotted while driving through a residential neighbourhood.

7. Rock Stairs
I noticed this combination of rock and stairs leading up to a large home.

8. Hair
Hair it is!
Edit to add:  Spring is in the hair ;)  (Sometimes I make myself laugh.)

9.  Measure
Here's a bald eagle taking measure of its surroundings ~

and some vials of liquid spotted in the lab of the Deep Bay Marine Field Station 

10. Large
Near the location of the previous rock stairs photo, there was a large heavy duty excavator resting atop an even larger pile of rocks ~

11.  For one
A kayak for one shares the coastline with gulls galore ~

 12.  Landscape

I have many more photos for March, and hopefully will get a chance to post some more in the next while.

Thanks to Greenthumb for continuing to sponsor these monthly Scavenger Hunts.  I hope you enjoy my photos :)

February Photo Scavenger Hunt

This month I drove south to Victoria,  and west to Long Beach and Tofino, so my photo compilation consists mostly of photos from these two journeys.

1.  Green
This is a photo of moss on a log at the place where the river meets the sea.  When I downloaded the photo it looked like an aerial view of a forest, which it may be to some creatures.

2. 2
Here are two double snowdrops that a friend gave me.  I have them planted in the window box at the moment, and eventually they will find a home in the garden.

3.  Cool
On the trip to Tofino, snow was visible alongside the road near higher elevations so there were many opportunities to take cool pics.   Looking across from Tofino Harbour, however, I marvelled at the snowy backdrop blushing as the sun set, and thought the sight was cool in more ways than one!

4.  Somewhere I went
Sunset also silver polished the Pacific Ocean and sand at Long Beach. 

5.  Up
A Bald Eagle selected a perfect perch for an unobstructed view.

6.  Frame
Evergreen branches formed a frame around the rocky shore as I looked down from a deck at Middle Beach Lodge.

7.  From a low angle
Here is the 7 ft. gold clad statue of Captain George Vancouver atop the Provincial Parliament Buildings in Victoria.

8.  On a Shelf
On the deck and under a shelf!  Wellies await the wanderer who wants to walk on the wet sand or wade in the wild westcoast water.

9.  Writing
A poster on the Royal British Museum in Victoria advertises the current Wildlife Photography of the Year exhibition.

10.  Inside
Here is the Palm Court domed glass ceiling in the Empress Hotel in Victoria.

11.  Line
On a recent visit to where the river meets the sea, I saw one family of five Trumpeter Swans.  The family has formed a line as they swim along together.

12. Shape

On the very enjoyable trip to Tofino, I was amazed at the beautiful reflections and shapes on Kennedy Lake enroute.  Kennedy Lake is the largest lake on Vancouver Island.

Many thanks to Greenthumb for hosting this photo scavenger hunt.  Hope you all enjoy my photos :)

January Photo Scavenger Hunt

I have been having some difficulty with my laptop, but will try and get these photos uploaded quickly and hopefully catch it off guard ;) Update:  This was anything but quick, but it's posted now!

Unfortunately, Greenthumb has not been feeling well, which I was so sorry to hear about.  She suggested we  just post any photos we like for January.  I appreciate that there is a new list for February, though, so that should encourage me to be out and about...now if only my laptop will cooperate.

Because I had no particular items to scavenge for, I have just picked 12 random photos from the ones I have taken during January.

1.  The first photo is of a dog... look at it!... doesn't it appear to be the most woe-begone creature ever?  It was actually just waiting for its human to walk away and then throw it a ball.  It was in "Stay!" mode.  I didn't wait to see if it perked up when the ball was thrown, or if it just sat there looking fed up.

2.  This is my corroded anode rod out of my old water heater.  I think it was good timing on my part to get a new heater installed.  Unfortunately, this anode rod was inaccessible, so couldn't be replaced, which may have extended the life of my water heater.

3.  This is the lovely dog that lives across the street.  He seemed to enjoy the snowy weather while it lasted.

4.  Usually when I visit 'where the river meets the sea', there is an abundance of wildlife ~ this day.....
they'd all been invited somewhere else.

5.  As I was leaving the same area and walking along the path through the woods, a rainbow glow caught my eye.

6.  For some reason, a hut with a ramp inside, is situated near the pontoons where the Sea Lions gather.  I will have to do some research to 'shed' some light on why it is there... a Seal Salon/Saloon?

7.  One day when I was in the front garden, a large bird flew overhead causing a fleeing sparrow to glance off the side of the neighbour's house, landing and finding refuge against the front brick of my house.  It stayed there until all was calm and then flew off.  Whew!  That was a close call.

8.  Quigley, or one of his rellies, is back.  I had changed out the peanut feeder, and some of the old  leftover peanuts scattered on the ground.  He scuttled back and forth, picking them up and burying them in the dirt under a large evergreen tree.

9.  In this particular photo, Quigley looks slightly bemused as if he is determining, with his sniffer,  whether this particular peanut meets his criteria.

10.  A white cloud caught in the light, viewed from inside, through my front window.

11. The Pink Dogwood tree with different clouds of white on our snowy day.

12  The winter jasmine flowers peeking through the snow to add a little sunshine.

So that's it for the first month of 2016.  I hope I can get my technological glitches straightened out in order for me to visit my blogger friends!

February's list over at Greenthumb's (with thanks)

Green
2
Cool
Somewhere you went
Up
Frame
From a low angle
On the shelf
Writing
Inside
Line
Shape

December Photo Scavenger Hunt

Another month, and year, of photos completed ~

After my recent 'Twas'-ing posts, I am happy to say that only a couple of issues remain ...at this point... replacing the flashing on the chimney and adding a downspout ...  Hilary humorously and poetically replied in the previous comment section:

So many things just gushing and flowing
And so handy are you.. you must be all-knowing
You've fixed up the biggies though some still remain
I doubt 'twill be long 'til you're at it again
So when we hit the New Year, I wish this for you
May the next thing that spills be some wine.. into you

 That gave me a chuckle ~ she has the right idea.

One of the charming things about this time of year, is that I have a hummingbird visitor that perches on a twig of the blooming Mock Orange and Winter Jasmine bushes, visible from my front door window.  Here is a youtube video I made of the little bird sheltering from the weather.  My tiny fellow doesn't seem to be taking advantage of the opportunity, like Hilary's hummingbird back east.  What a wonderful video she took of her hummingbird thoroughly enjoying a rain shower.

OK, on with the Scavenger Hunt:

1.  Joy (or Bliss...)

One sunny day in December, I noticed rafts of sea lions basking in the ocean.... a close-up view shows their apparent blissful joy while soaking up the rays.

Certain humans seem to find exhilarating joy in the ocean, especially in stormy weather:

2. Together

The Trumpeter Swans have returned for the winter:

The cycle of life is apparent as the sea lions chase and catch the salmon in the sea, while at the same time, a Bald Eagle's appearance sends the gulls flying ... Being together with the eagle is not a wish of the gull!

 3.  Tree

This tree is for Flighty, who showed a picture of a lit up tropical tree on his blog.  This tree is located in the village, near our hardware store.

 4.  Ornament

While I was on a night cruise to take a photo of the tree above, I noticed a very cosy window display with shiny ornaments, and cuddly critters.

5.  Light

In the village:

~ a little white bird perches inside the star light on my tree, and it is referred to as Snowbird :)

6.  Christmas

It seems that the flock have been gathered for a Neigh-tivity scene, and are in the process of readying for a special night, or practicing for their Christmas Concert.

I know, a very baaaa'd play on words ~ and I've just made it worse ;)

7.  Sparkle

Nothing quite sparkles like the annual Festival of Lights in Ladysmith, and it is always one of my favorite sights during the season.  The headlights from a car coming up the road interfere with the effect somewhat.

Movement of the camera makes the lights look like upside down candy canes.

8.  Giving

I don't know... is she giving? taking? moving?  My camera was sitting on the table at the front window, and this person walked down the road carrying a chair... BYOC (bring your own chair?)  Is the red thing a gift, another cushion?  I have no idea, so I'm giving you an opportunity to figure out possibilities ;)

 9.  Food

Why didn't I take a photo of the golden brown turkey with crispy bacon coating, or the potatoes and vegetables, sweet potato and apple dish, dressing, cranberry sauce, steamed pudding...anything from Christmas dinner?  Too busy taking photos of ladies walking by carrying chairs, I guess.  The only photo of food I took was a plate of Double Ginger Crackle cookies that I baked and gave to the Senior Centre...

10.  Red

Little hummingbird proudly showed off its 'red' gorget as it perched on the twig at the front door ~

Oops, nearly forgot the little red sweater I knit up photoshopped for my chilly friend.

 11.  Kitchen

As mentioned previously, no photos were taken in my kitchen of food (or anything else), but this morning, lo and behold, I saw this scene through my kitchen window!

A little late for a white Christmas, however, it looked very seasonal...and fortunately stopped and all traces disappeared by the afternoon.


12.  Whatever

There are grape vines intermingled with an apricot tree in the back yard - often referred to as a grapricot. ;) In this entanglement, there is something hidden.  Can you spot it?

Guess who?

The hummingbird(s) took up a fair bit of my photograph count this month ~ I noticed that these images seem to confirm the hummingbird's preference for red.

Thank you to Greenthumb for continuing to supply lists and host the link up for the monthly Scavenger Hunt photos.

Thank you to my readers, as well ~ I love that you drop by, and appreciate all comments :)

I wish you all a most wonderful New Year and hope 2016 brings peace, health and happiness to everyone.

*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*
  *H*A*P*P*Y* *N*E*W* *Y*E*A*R*!*
*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*