Skywatching in Mid-December ~ Skywatch Friday

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

In another week it will be Christmas. 

In today's photos you'll see that there is no more snow on the mountains.  Our temperatures are currently two times higher than the norm (usually 5 Celsius but currently anywhere from 9-11 Celsius) and there is no likelihood of the white stuff by next week unless things change substantially. It's okay by me. In fact we don't often get snow in December as far as I can remember.

I took these photos on December 18th. It was actually a beautiful and warmish day.

You can clearly see the "line" on the mountain. 

The mountain in the last photo is called Grouse Mountain and is home to one of the ski hills in the local area. The 'line' going from top to bottom of the mountain is where the skiing slop is located.  The ski slopes in the area opened last week or the week before.  At that time I could visibly see the snow on the mountains.  At the moment there is none and none is expected soon. I

I hope it doesn't mean major losses for the skiing companies but they've been having a difficult decade.  The future doesn't look that promising either. I got curious and found this article on the issue if you'd like to read more.

Thank you for joining in and reading my Skywatch Friday post today. I wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas. 

Night & Day

 

Night & Day by Robert Louis Stevenson

When the golden day is done, 

Through the closing portal, 

Child and garden, Flower and sun, 

Vanish all things mortal. 

As the blinding shadows fall 

As the rays diminish, 

Under evening's cloak they all 

Roll away and vanish. 

Garden darkened, daisy shut, 

Child in bed, they slumber-- 

Glow-worm in the hallway rut, 

Mice among the lumber. 

In the darkness houses shine, 

Parents move the candles; 

Till on all the night divine 

Turns the bedroom handles. 

Till at last the day begins 

In the east a-breaking, 

In the hedges and the whins 

Sleeping birds a-waking. 

In the darkness shapes of things, 

Houses, trees and hedges, 

Clearer grow; and sparrow's wings 

Beat on window ledges. 

These shall wake the yawning maid; 

She the door shall open-- 

Finding dew on garden glade 

And the morning broken. 

There my garden grows again 

Green and rosy painted, 

As at eve behind the pane 

From my eyes it fainted. 

Just as it was shut away, 

Toy-like, in the even, 

Here I see it glow with day 

Under glowing heaven. 

Every path and every plot, 

Every blush of roses, 

Every blue forget-me-not 

Where the dew reposes, 

"Up!" they cry, "the day is come 

On the smiling valleys: 

We have beat the morning drum; 

Playmate, join your allies!" 

Linking up with Skywatch Friday

Beautiful Pastel

 

We had a nice break in gray skies earlier in the week. I love the pastel colour in the sky and the lights on the ski slopes.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my Skywatch Friday post.

A Few Scenes from the Week

Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

Here are a couple of snapshots to end the month.  Wishing you a fabulous end of November. See you in the month of December.

The end of the month is a perfect time to reflect on the blessings and challenges we've encountered. Here's to a new month filled with opportunities and growth. Happy month end!

Joining in with Skywatch Friday.

A Changing Sky ~ November 21, 2024

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you've all had a great week. I've had a very busy one but a good one.   The week presented an ever changing mood and I was able to capture some of it.  We even had thunder, lighting and sleet. You might be able to see the 'white stuff' in the night scene on the patio. There was also huge windstorm (bomb cyclone) which affected many just as it did down the western US coastline. Thankfully my household and general neighbourhood were not affected.  But many in the Greater Vancouver area and beyond, suffered damage to their homes & cars or a loss of power.  I guess the latter is better than losing one's home or car, especially since the electric company managed to restore power relatively quickly too most homes.

Enjoy the photos. Thanks for stopping by. Have a safe week.

I'm joining in with Skywatch Friday this week.

A Brighter Day ~ Skywatch Friday

Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

Happy Friday and Happy weekend to you all.

I was very grateful to wake up Thursday to see that the rain stopped for a while and I actually saw some blue sky and white cloud. After a forecast of several storms and daily rain for a week that was a blessing. In fact, the weather forecast has changed so that we had a break today and tomorrow and some sunny skies are expected.  However, rain is in the forecast every day again next week.  I do like rain believe it or not. After all, I do live in a rainforest.  But even I have my limits as to how much rain is tolerable.

The following photos were taken on Thursday afternoon/evening. Enjoy and thanks for stopping by! Joining in with Skywatch Friday.

A Week in November

November 7, 2024

November 7, 2024

November 5, 2024

November 5, 2024

November 4, 2024

November 4, 2024

November 1, 2024

November 1, 2024

November 1, 2024

These are the skies in early November. It's mostly been wet and cold but we also had some brilliantly blue coloured skies. It's always good to have colour in the sky after days of dull, gray, rainy days.

Thank you for stopping by my post for Skywatch Friday this week.

The Last Day in October ~Skywatch Friday

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you're all fine and doing great.  It's the end of another month and it has turned cold and very wet as we close out the month 

Today (Thursday) we had the first snows of the season on the mountain tops. No doubt skiers and ski hill owners are happy. I'll be happy as long as the white stuff remains on the mountains 🏔️.

The months fly by and tomorrow we begin November.  Soon the year will be over!

For dinner on a cold night I made ground beef mixed with baby bok choy and tomatoes in sauce served over steamed rice. It was delicious and definitely warmed me up.

Thanks for stopping by and joining me in checking out today's Skywatch Friday.

Friday Beauty

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope this day finds you happy and well.  After a tremendous amount of rain recently, something called an Atmospheric River, I am happy to say we have enjoyed several fabulous days of clearer skies and sunshine.

I'm joining in with Skywatch Friday this week. Thank you for stopping by!

October Marches On & Gives Me a Beautiful Gift

Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are well today.

October gives us a mixed bag of weather. We've had some spectacular, sunny days and clear blue skies and we've also had days where it pours like cats and dogs. The particular day I snapped these sky photos for you, we had a brief spell of pouring rain. 

I had gone to the post office to check mail. Imagine my surprise when I came outside to see the rainbow.  Initially I thought it was just the very faint rainbow I saw near the church steeple but when I turned my head, I was amazed to see a full rainbow arc and it was a beautiful sight.

 

I hope you enjoyed the rainbow as much as I did! 

I'm joining in with Skywatch Friday this week. Thank you for your visit.