Belated Happy New Year!!!

 Made it, and now it is January and we are back in even numbers. The Christmas time seemed to be over in a flash. But that said it was a great time and I really did enjoy it. I have managed to take some pictures, amazing really as I was also working and getting ready for the shop move. 

But blog is always on my mind and thinking about photos and so we continue and blogs will still happen. I have found chronicling the life that we have has been really good. I have realised in the pandemic that time is a weird and stretchy thing and this way I can see through various shut downs (and now currently another restricted living time), that it is more important than ever to notice things! 

Doing what I do bestest, I have noticed and taken note of the little things I see around me and luck yous I get to share it.

So here is December

I have included this is it as it was the start if the logo of the new shop with Joy...nice to see where the beginning of it was. Biro on a piece of card :)

December brought some really dramatic skies. This one was a "head home immediately" kind of sky!

I think that this once is just spectacular, almost monochrome

So lucky I got to briefly stop in West Chester PA USA and managed to skip quickly along streets I once knew very well. 

When I lived there, the doors were always interesting and so with that in mind, I walked a favorite street, just to have a gander at what Christmas decor was looking like

Sometimes simple is the best

These are wonderful door knockers

These guys win the prize of trying really hard for Christmas, berries and everything

At a store that I love, I got this evening shot and it looks like something off a film set. That indigo sky was just devine

Very naughtily I took this picture in another shop and wow, talk about spoon tree

So this is December in West Chester PA. It felt like autumn and only just so. I couldn't believe the green and vibrant colour of the grass and now being Canadian dweller it was a shock to my eyes!

The lake near the house in PA. Such a lovely place to be

And just like that, back home

This was back in Canada land and the wind warning had been issued. Like a mad woman I decided that I needed to go outside. The sky is just so blue but look at those clouds, like water being blown on a surface. The flag tells the story though

Me thinks that this tree is planted too close!

and the leaves of winter hanging on

Beautiful sunrise

and of course the frosts

Being in a shop that sells flowers I just am drawn to them, the colours and structures are amazing and this lisianthus is no exception. This is the same stem! yup that is the colour that the all flowers will go!!! Green to purple

Just love Gerbera daisies. I seriously thought that they were gerber daisies, but no. I think that the structure of these dears is amazing. I am mesmerized by the structure of this flower. It is a show stopper

How can't you feel happy when you see these

And the sun goes down. Love that western sky

Night time walk, well in this case walking home from a day at the shop. The ribbon of pink in an inky sky

Berries on a  Winter morning

and Snow time

Bella thinks that she fits here

and then she gave up

sometimes it is too much even for bella to hold it together!

The skies this past December were just beautiful

and back to the noticing thing, well I had to notice that the sun was shining and it was glorious

the sunset was lovely that day

Blessed Christmas Cactus, thank you for showing up at the right time

we are getting ready for the big day

and still those oak leaves hang on

Enough snow for a gnome

and for me to brave the sidewalk to take the gnomes picture. Love the snow lines on the street and the star like streetlamps. I should have gone straight home as it was getting quite bad on the road, but I had to get that snap!!

back yard is looking magical

the worlds smallest tree is installed and needle pick up begins. My helper was great Christmas Eve with this last minute prep

and here is the helping gang

Vola!

lovely angel back again and looking good. She is over 20 years old and I have to say she doesn't age a bit

The simplicity of candles and greens, just lovely

Now that is Christmas!!!!

The shop, and there is the logo all beautiful and professional looking

Yes and you are too Bella

Thank you, I much appreciate it ! (she is adorable)

For a month that was non stop I am glad I managed to capture it. All the very best for this year.

November

 I have skipped a month and here I am at the end of December writing about November. But with my new venture, time seems to be a scarce thing. But I am still amassing photos and having them sitting in the computer seems such a shame. So here is November and what we saw that month.

Being just after Halloween, in fact the day after....

Pumpkins are kerbed. This one really does look sad

How about that for a Halloween candy shoot

The trees are still with leaf at the beginning of the month

With lots of colour about

Skies are amazing and dramatic along with the leaves everywhere

My glorious gingko ! Just wow. That is one radiant tree

I love them so and of course yellow is a favorite. They are just sunshine

As I await the leaf drop of the gingko and stalk them, signs are that it won't be long

A few mornings of cold

and a quick trip to Port Dover...boy oh boy was it ever cold that day

How weird is this, leaves on the beach!

I love this effect, the blue spruce decorated with fallen leaves. Just wonderful contrasts of colours 

So looks like I have some leave clearing to do out side my house!

It always makes me laugh to the cars with leaves on, it seems to comical. But these leaves drop so fast, this would have been from one night!

These ginkgo's got caught and although not yellow they have begun to drop

Just amass on the grass below

All the way down the avenue

It was as deep as my feet, and the trees are bare

These further down had yellowed

As I said, as deep as my feet

It sort of makes me sad but then it is the full circle and they will be back. Look at that stripy lawn! The leaves just fall straight of the tree, boom

Wow, they have some colour there! 

This house is up the street and this is the style of Waterloo in the old parts. I love the swoop roof. And not normally a fan of shutters, these are just right

Hedges decorated with leaves

And early morning frosts

It is amazing what nature gives us

On these gingko leaves you can see the detailed lines and look at the bits of frost crystals!

The fallen leaves from the gingko's are covered in a layer of frost

The morning light is so soft and the gingko leaves still glow in it

Lovely lambs ears

Sunshine through leaves

and blades of grass with frost, soon all the frost will be gone

This is pretty cool the mixed everything, you can just make out the frost highlights on the green leaves

I find a whole line of trees that must be protected from the wind...yes that's me on the pavement in shadow

There is even a female gingko tree in them

Early morning sunshine

Makes for a dazzling contrast of concrete and yellow.

Splendid sunshine, we take this while we can!!!

I am amazed how some of the leaves are just there staying around gloriously

Here we have the true mix of November, frosty roofs and yellow thinning leaves of the maple

And I think that this is a Spindle tree berry. Quite the find

Silken threads in the sunshine

and the last of the pumpkins

Garden tea anyone

How cute is this!!! This street always has these little pictures they hang on the telegraph poles

Now that's a fence post, talk about crowning it!

Mushrooms and lichen, it is so sculptural

OOOH it's snow!

Red leaves of the Japanese Maple, they won't be here long

So didn't quite get to the leaves yet! 

It is quite magical at this point. (Remind me of that mid February!)

Ah pumpkin! you have a snow hat

How about these amazing berries

Love that, the colour of the leaves and berries with the casing highlight in the morning sunshine the fence and its' grooves are quite the backdrop, just wish I knew the plant!

Bright light and blue cloudy skies, just a smattering of snow

oh and Archie! What a star

The evening light is pretty cool. Puffy pink clouds!

This is a working rail way line! Look at the closeness of the buildings

Being with flowers daily, I have to then take their pictures. My latest obsession is Gerber daisies. That complexity is mesmerizing. Not to mention the colour combinations

And how about these Lisianthus. They go from the cream/green (I can't even think of the name of the colour, even if it has one) to the deep purple! Now that is beyond special.

I wish you all the very best this Christmas time !!!