Reddish Rainbow I thought this was a little unusual for a rainbow … lots of the reds and not so much (if any) blues and greens. This is looking …
Reddish Rainbow
I love this amazing and very unusual rainbow photo from Allan J Jones Photography. To see more of Allan’s beautiful pictures, please click the link above. His site is well worth a visit.
I had heard that swans will overwinter in the Okanagan Valley but I had never seen them here before, either in the summer or the winter. I was happy to spot this little family a few days ago. They seem to be two parents with their juvenile or cygnet.
All that flying means that they have to do some serious grooming. I can hear their conversation now!
Impatient swan: I’ll guard, you two get cleaned up!
Impatient Swan: Okay, you look clean now. Time to go!
Calm Swan: But darling, we’re swans. You know how important it is for us to maintain our image.
Impatient Swan: Okay, but you two look great. Let’s get going before all those Canada geese arrive. They’re so grumpy and mean and they always travel in gangs.
Calm Swan: Darling, you need a break. You’re the grumpy one, you know. Don’t worry about those geese. After all, they’ll never look as good as us. I’ll take point and you can rest your feathers.
Impatient Swan: Okay, I do feel tired. It’ll be good to rest and settle in for a while. How do I look?
Happy Tuesday!
In Canada, today is Remembrance Day. The tradition is to wear a poppy pin in recognition of our war dead and to stop at 11:00 a.m. to reflect upon their sacrifices, often through a non-denominational and non-religious service at the community war memorial.
The poppy symbol found its origin in a poem – In Flanders Fields – written by John McCrae, a Canadian doctor who died during World War I. His memorial poem reflects on the huge numbers of dead and on the poppies that grew where they were buried.
Since WW I, the poppy has gone on to become a symbol of remembrance for the war dead of a number of countries, including the UK.
Usually, a projection of falling poppies representing our fallen soldiers is displayed on the Parliament buildings in Ottawa. Except for the striking of the clock, it’s a silent, solemn memorial with each falling poppy representing a Canadian soldier who has died in battle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYYEWbiXDuM
I hope that some day, we will have peace, and we will learn how not to add any more falling, blood-red flowers.
Osoyoos is a community at the southern end of the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, and is directly next to the border with the United States. It’s only 60 km (37 miles) south of us from Penticton. We recently visited and took some photos of it from Anarchist Mountain, which at 1491 metres (4892 ft) above sea level provides some excellent views.
Osoyoos is at the northernmost tip of the Sonoran Desert and can be extremely hot during the summer; it’s quite arid year-round. It’s known for its fruit orchards and the dry conditions also produce some stellar red wines. It’s a great place for outdoorsy summer holidays with lots of boating, swimming, camping and hiking and is definitely worth a visit if you like those activities – with maybe a nice glass of wine in the evenings!
Happy Sunday.
The sun starts to go down quite early now. I was out for my regular afternoon ramble and to my surprise – I really shouldn’t have been – saw the sun beginning its sink at 3:22 p.m. Given that we have mountains all around, we are totally dark by about 4:30. My, that really is early!
The sunset felt wintery, too. The thin, veil-like cloud, the slight chill from the wind and the tint of the sunset itself all contributed to that sense.
But it’s November. A little bit of a wait, but I’ll nevertheless soon be counting down to spring!
Happy Saturday.
Although it’s November we still have quite a variety of flowers contributing their lovely presence to the autumn riot of colour.
Happy Friday, happy weekend.
There are so many beautiful maple sights right now.
Happy maple Thursday. 🍁
The ginkgo biloba trees turn a lovely yellow in autumn.
Their fan-shaped leaves are beautiful, either in green or yellow.
They usually assume their golden hue very suddenly, almost overnight, and then the leaves fall quickly, too.
When they change colour they have to be enjoyed in the moment; there’s definitely no waiting!
Happy Wednesday.
Walking along, I often see people’s pets watch me walk by. The dogs often bark, the cats just stare 😏
Two Cool Cats
I love this picture from Belinda Grover Photography of these two kitties in the window. To see more of Belinda’s beautiful photographic work, please click the link above. Cheers.
The Japanese Garden is very pretty all year as it cycles through the seasons, but right now it’s decked out in autumn loveliness.
Happy Tuesday.
In the Net! - Pictures and Stories of Life 