The Month Marches On ~ Skywatch Friday

It's rare for me to spot a great variety of  birds around where I live. The ones I tend to see most often are seagulls and crows.  In summer there are a lot of little brown jobs, sparrows and wrens among them and the odd robin. If I go to the parks I will see more geese and ducks. I know there are a lot more bird varieties but you have to go to where they congregate and I don't do that but I do like to see some when I'm walking about. Having said that, every now and then I get a real treat and spot an eagle or two. Usually it's when I'm out at the University of British Columbia which is situated very near the ocean but sometimes I see them in the city as well.

The other day, I saw quite a number of crows in the bare branches as I walked to the library.  As I mentioned, I often see crows but it's rare for me to see a lot of them in any one place.

I passed by this small park located near the library in my neighbourhood. A friend used to live very close to the park but she moved to Alberta some years ago to be closer to her siblings.  I thought I'd send her some photos of her old neighbourhood.

This next photo was taken on East Broadway. I was coming from a dental appointment. This shot is facing westward on Broadway Avenue.  In the background of the photo you can see some construction cranes. This is where the final stages of work is happening to get the new Main Street Subway Train station ready.  This work has been going on since 2020.  Completion was delayed due to a strike and completion and opening is expected in 2027.  This very long timeline has been most difficult on the businesses that are located along the street.  Construction has interfered with the flow of traffic to their businesses and impacted their livelihoods.   Many businesses have moved elsewhere or closed altogether.  Even more are struggling to stay afloat.  The government has not given any compensation to the businesses despite numerous appeals over the years.

I was on my way to the doctor's office when I spotted what looked like an eagle flying overhead.  Soon I saw 5 eagles flying in my direction from the southwest.  Then coming from the northeast, there were two more eagles. They congregated almost right above me but were high overhead. I couldn't stop to watch them for long because I had an appointment but I hurriedly snapped a few photos and hoped they turned out.  It's rare for me to see eagles so far from the waterfront and it really made my day!

Thanks so much for stopping by my Skywatch Friday post. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

It's Early February ~ Skywatch Friday

Happy new month of February.

The following photos were taken rather hurriedly as I tried to capture the birds in flight. The fog and mist add an ethereal feel to the photos.

Just the other day I made another trip to a nearby municipality to return something I'd purchased on line and to try another size.   You can see it was raining rather heavily for our journey.

The shopping trip was unsuccessful in terms of finding what I wanted.  But we did find a wonderful place to have a delicious dinner.

I think we're back to drier weather for a few days and the temperatures are very warm for this time of year.  I think they are warm all over the province. I've been feeling spring in the air.

Thank you for visiting my Skywatch Friday post.

The Fog Has Rolled In ~ Skywatch Friday

Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

It has stopped raining for almost a week.  Instead we've been experiencing heavy fog.  During the day it can be sunny and clear but the fog will start rolling in during the mid to late afternoon and into the evening.

Earlier in the day when there was no fog.

After the fog started rolling in.

The fog adds to the atmosphere.

When I went out in the early evening to run errands it was damp and foggy.  I read later that many flights were being delayed due to the fog so probably the fog was much denser at the waterfront which is where the airport is located.  Fortunately I'm not flying any time soon so this doesn't affect me. I tend not to fly in winter because flight delays can be pretty much guaranteed no matter where one lives.

I'm enjoying the fog while it's here. I expect that by next week the rain will be back.  Thank you for stopping by my Skywatch Friday post.

Skywatch Friday - Speeding Through December

The month of December is flying by!  The weather here has been heavily raining for much of the month so it's been a bit of a challenge to get photos when it hasn't been raining. I did manage to get a few.  (Note:  I'm sorry to those of you who visited through the Skyley blog because my photos upload sideways no matter what I do!).

Tuesday was exceptionally wet but I had to go out for a medical test.

I love these lights from Saturday night in the neighbourhood.

Another Friday in November ~ Skywatch Friday

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope this day finds you well and looking forward to the weekend.

I've had a good week. I'm feeling much better than I was a week ago and that's always a good thing.

I also had some good news. My nephew returned for a brief visit from Oklahoma, USA and we had a chance to catch up on each other's news over dinner. I always love spending time with him and his lovely wife.  He asked me when I will visit him and I said I would consider it when the weather is warmer.  

Travelling south of the border is not something I really want to do at this time but I would consider doing it for him.  Whether it will work out remains to be seen because I know it's going to be a very busy early part of 2026 but at least it's now on the list of things to consider.

One of my nieces had her first child a few weeks ago.  Earlier this week, I learned that her younger brother and his new wife are having their first child this summer. So there is a lot to celebrate as far as new life and family expansion is concerned.  My niece and nephew are the 2 youngest children of the brother next to me in age. He is over the moon at the moment with these new and upcoming additions to the family.

The city has had a lot of rain over the past month or so but there is enough variety and drama in the sky to keep me entertained.  The sky is ever changing. All I have to do it look up.

Thank you for stopping by and paying me a blog visit for Skywatch Friday. Wishing you all the best of the weekend.

Late to the Party ~ Skywatch Friday, November 7, 2025

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I'm late to the skywatch party today. It was a busy day for me because I've been sick for well over a week. Today I wanted to get out for a bit of a walk and though I was out and about for several hours I didn't walk far. I was not only trying to get some fresh air but wanted to do some errands before the rain started up again.  It's been pouring quite hard here these days. 

In the last shot you can't see the sky as such but I thought the colour of the leaves and of the neon banner colours made for a lovely shot.

The colours also match the cover design for the latest library book I picked up. Ken Follett is one of my favourite authors and I'm looking forward to reading this new book.

Thank you for stopping by my Skywatch Friday post. Wishing you a fabulous weekend.

Autumn Arrived ~ Skywatch Friday

Hello everyone, 

Welcome to my blog. I'm sharing a few photos taken near the end of September showing some of the autumn foliage. The weather had been quite hot for some time but autumn arrived suddenly with lots of rain and colder weather.

I feel the chill in the air as I sit and write this post.  The cold air blows through the vents in the hallway and in the apartment.  It happens every year when the heat of the summer turns to the chill of autumn.  I always have to remind the caretaker to adjust the air flow.  I don't think it bothers too many people.  There are really only 2 or 3 units that are most affected because of where the vents are located and I'm often the one bringing the issue up at this time of year. 

Anyway, I took the following photos when I exited my class at the community centre from a different door from where I'd entered earlier in the day.  I was surprised to see how the leaves have turned from green to the golden colours of autumn.  You can see in the photos that a lot of leaves have already fallen because it got quite windy and rainy over the past few weekends. 

The white bags and the umbrella have been set up by a local group that was organizing a community clean up.  Many people had signed up to help out and they were waiting around for things to get underway.

This building with curved windows was built quite some time ago.  It was one of the tallest buildings in the general neighbourhood at the time.  However there are now multiple building projects awaiting development in the neighbourhood and they'll be 25 to 30 stories high.  

Part of the City's plan is to mandate developers to build residences in the immediate vicinity of the new sky train and subway stations in the neighbourhood.  One of the new stations is about a block west from where this condominium building is located.  The details are in a document called The Broadway Plan which I've read.  It gave me good insight into the plan for how high the buildings can be built and where they will likely be located.  There isn't any land left to continue building single family dwellings.  Such an expansion of high rises will definitely change the nature of the area.

By the time this post goes 'live', our weather may well have changed. It will be nice to see the sun again but at this time of year we begin seeing much more rain.

Take care and thanks for stopping by my Skywatch Friday post.

A Beautiful Day ~ Skywatch Friday, September 12, 2025

Hello folks, A good friend and I have been trying unsuccessfully to get together for months to celebrate our birthdays.  It didn't work out because she's had to work so much overtime but we were finally able to get together last Friday.

Here is a photo of her wearing the cardigan I crocheted for her over the summer.  I was pleased that it fit her perfectly and she liked it a lot.

It was very hot and humid and the sky was full of smoke though the air didn't smell so bad. We took our time and had lunch at the Granville Island Public Market. I didn't take any photos of the market area or our lunch because it was so busy and hot that day and I was feeling pretty tired.

After a long chat, we took an aqua bus to the Vancouver Aquatic Centre and walked along the waterfront until we got to the intersection of Denman and Davie Streets.

 

The gift at the end of the day was this beautiful sunset.

After these photos we ended our night by going out to dinner at a Greek restaurant where I had a wonderful Moussaka dinner. I haven't had one for years.  Besides a nice visit with my friend, the thing I enjoyed most was the beautiful sunset.

Thank you for visiting my Skywatch Friday post. Enjoy your weekend.