Skywatch ~ November 16, 2023

 

Joining in with Skywatch Friday.

Fall Leaves & Skies

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

Today I am sharing some neighbourhood autumn leaves and autumn skies.  These pretty sights were taken on a walk to my local bank branch.

The skies as you can see are a little gloomy.  They are usually gloomy at this time of year and often it is raining.  Then the sun will break through and make you remember why you love it here.

I recommend clicking on the first photo so a slide of photos comes up and they can be viewed individually. If no slide comes up, you can click on the photos and the next one in the sequence will appear. I think the photos look better that way because they are a bit small in the post.

I'm joining in with Skywatch Friday this week.  Thank you for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend.

Skywatch Friday - First Post in November

Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

It's the first Friday post in this new month of November. I wish all of you a pleasant month despite the chaos and horrors on the world stage. May each of you have the strength and fortitude and joy you need to live each day. 

This month I'm sharing a number of night shots. I don't have fancy camera equipment and I'm still learning how to take a good night shot with the new phone camera.  Some of these are okay but I'll need more practice. If only I could have patience to read up on 'how'.

I was able to get these night photos because we've had about a week of very cold, dry weather. We are back to rain as of yesterday. When it's raining the sky is usually not clear. 

I'm joining in with Skywatch Friday. Enjoy your Friday and the coming weekend.

 

Relaxing At The Waterfront

 

It was a spectacular day on Wednesday and again today. I had to go downtown on Wednesday and took a detour afterward to the beach and waterfront.  A lot of other people had the same idea because we don't get so many sunny days in late Fall and Winter. 

If you missed my frugal post, you can view and read it here. I'd love hear your tips in the comment section. I'm joining in with Skywatch Friday. Thank you for stopping by. 

Skywatch Friday - Remembering August Days

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

It's been pouring rain here the past few days and nights. It is extremely wet since Tuesday though we've actually had rain for about 2 weeks now. It made me nostalgic for blue skies.

I don't think I've shared these photos with you yet. These were taken in August when I went to the University of British Columbia (UBC). There I was participating in a study conducted by a doctoral student in Engineering. His study is looking at the use of ultrasound and MRI to determine whether these tests are effective diagnostic tools for liver issues. I really enjoyed meeting and talking with the student from China and his Canadian colleagues.  I'm not sure when the study will be completed but I believe I will receive a copy of it once it's done.

It was a beautiful day that day, not too hot and not too cold. These days it seems like our weather goes from one extreme to the next so having a beautiful, moderate temperature day is a real gift.

Happy Friday to all of you and particularly those of you participating in Skywatch Friday. Stay safe.

....And to Celebrate the Last Day of the Month

Every August 31st is a special day.  It's the birthday of my late mom who passed almost 6 and a half years ago.  My brother and I used to make a fuss on her special day once she went into the care home so that she would know how much we loved her and I know she always enjoyed our time together on her birthday. So each year on her special day I try to remember her by doing something different. Sometimes we have a cake in her honour or I do something to enjoy myself.  She and I used to especially enjoy walking along the waterfront and stopping to have a coffee and a pie or something sweet.

I haven't really spent much time enjoying the summer because it was super hot and I don't enjoy hot weather.  It got a lot cooler this week and I decided a walk to the waterfront was in order.

I took a lot of photos (and videos) so today's post is photo heavy. I hope you enjoy them.

The circle on the map shows Davie Village situated on Davie Street in the city's West End. I walked from the St. Paul's Hospital to Denman Street then to the beach.

Joining in with Skywatch Friday today.

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful weekend.

Scenes from the Month

Hello everyone,

I hope you are all doing well.

I thought I'd catch you up to my month of August in photo collages (click on a collage to enlarge it).

The weather has continued to be very hot during the month so I go out for errands and a walk just before dinner when it's cooler.

This first collage shows some street scenes a little farther east of where I usually go to shop. I wanted to stop for Vietnamese food nearby, then make my way to the local library.

These sky photos were taken on my way to check the postal box a few days ago. You can see the sky is cloudy which makes it more interesting than a clear, blue sky. Also, the clouds portended rain which we desperately need. The rains did at last arrive overnight Monday and continued into Tuesday.

I like to keep some kind of record of my decluttering project so I can look back on the progress I've made . This next collage shows a small selection of the items I've decluttered in August.

I meant to include this photo of the Fiddle Leaf Fig in my last post but got busy. The plant only had 2 half dead leaves on it (one of them is pictured in the photo on the left). I finally put it outside in the hot sun and watered it sparingly.  You can see how much it grew in the span of about 5 weeks. If we get any more hot, sunny days before the rainy season arrives, I'll put it outside again. I want to get it as healthy as possible before I bring it indoors for the dark and cold months.  This plant really needs sunshine or good light to survive and thrive.

These flowers are in public planters on the side of the street. They are 2 different varieties of Rose of Sharon, a type of Hibiscus. They always bring a smile to my face whenever I pass by them.

I've done a bit of reading but not a lot. One novel I enjoyed was Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly.

Dear hubby has gone for a short visit to Kenya with very little advance preparation. He has just a small window of time before he gets busy again so I suggested he go without me.  There is a lot to do here before winter and someone has to be here to deal with the remediation of the patio.

The special assessment for patio remediation was finally dealt with late last week. Work should begin soon but because of the late start, the scope of the work and also the fact that rainy season will arrive soon the work won't be completed by December's end.  I'm not exactly sure when the work will be completed ir how this will affect the patio garden in 2024, but I'm hopeful work will be done in time to plant something next spring.

Things continue to keep me busy but I've also been taking things more slowly than usual.  Since my discharge from hospital I want to be sure to heal well before pushing myself too hard. I think I'm now fully recovered but have been feeling tired these past few days.

My thoughts and prayers are focused on all those dealing with natural disasters and whose lives have been upended in Canada (due to wildfires), in USA (due to wildfires and hurricanes), and all around the world with so many different issues. May you and your loved ones stay safe and May God hold you in the palm of His mighty hand.