Yesterday’s snowfall/rain was quickly replaced by sunshine …
… but the mountains remain sprinkled in icing sugar snow.
The clear skies and spring-like air of the valley also reminded me that we aren’t far from the life represented by the sculptures on the rock promontory. Do you see them?
Here is a a much closer picture of them from a few summers ago.
These playing children – the epitome of carefree summer fun – remind me that even in February, we’re really not far from July.
Happy Tuesday.
A major snowstorm struck to the north of us but since we were on the periphery of it we were the recipients of a lesser amount of the white stuff. Until it turned to rain later in the day, it was beginning to collect.
By late afternoon the snow at our lower elevation in the valley was gone, having been replaced by rain …
… and the weather cleared enough to give us a glimpse of a clear sky and sun.
Happy Monday.
This continuing series depicts our beautiful world, encouraging viewers to share them and help save our unique home from human carelessness and …
#ScenicSaturday 10th February 2024:
A beautifully tranquil forest scene from one of Stuart Aken’s favourite walks.
On a walk in the nearby mountains, we saw this squirrel.
There’s still quite a bit of snow at the higher elevations, but I don’t think it will last long. This little guy wasn’t too bothered by our presence.
Happy Sunday.
We had bright sun on Friday and more indications that spring is on its way. Certainly it’s much closer than not!
I think we might soon have some buds.
But while we’re waiting for some spring leaves, clear blue skies and warmer temperatures are very welcome.
Lots to look forward to.
Happy Saturday
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year pictures for 2023 have been released and they are amazing! Here’s a selection:
The polar bear picture is such a stunning capture making Nima Sarikhani the winner for 2023. Please click the link below to read more about these photographers and their work.
Scenes from a couple of my recent walks.
Happy mid-week.
After having been quite frozen and with only an ice-encrusted fountain to keep the water moving during last month’s cold snap, the fish pond in our Japanese Garden is back in good nick. Two weeks ago it looked like this:
There had been some significant thawing from the week before but I still couldn’t see any of the fish.
Then there was yesterday:
The fountain and pond were looking much warmer of course and I spotted some of the fish.
If you look to the mid-lower left you will see some fishy looking shapes; we saw about seven of them. They are in a state of quasi-dormancy during winter, but are very slowly swimming and do seem to have come through our nasty deep-freeze just fine.
Happy Monday.
This continuing series depicts our beautiful world, encouraging viewers to share them and help save our unique home from human carelessness and …
#ScenicSaturday 3rd February 2024:
A beautiful scene from the UK’s Forest of Dean courtesy of Stuart Aken.
A couple of days ago, the fog lifted and we were rewarded with a beautiful sunny afternoon.
We decided to go to Skaha Lake at the southern tip of Penticton to enjoy the weather with a walk.
The esplanade was filled with children, dogs, families, young lovers, seniors; everyone, it seems, was enjoying what felt like a genuine spring afternoon.
We had about 14C (57F), no wind and a gentle sun. It was great to loaf along watching dogs and children run around while adults smiled and chatted and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon.
This beach will soon be busy with swimmers, dragon boats, sailors, sand castle builders, picnickers and kite surfers. Hooray for spring!
In the Net! - Pictures and Stories of Life 