Tag Archives: Winter

nature, Photography

The Last Photo

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Brian at Bushboy’s World is running a monthly challenge where he asks you to post the last photo on your SD card.

The rules are simple:
1. Post the last photo on your SD card or last photo on your phone for December.
2. No editing – who cares if it is out of focus, not framed as you would like or the subject matter didn’t cooperate.
3. You don’t have to have any explanations, just the photo will do
4. Create a Pingback to this post or link in the comments
5. Tag “The Last Photo.”

I haven’t joined this challenge before but thought it would be fun. So herewith is my last photo of 2025, completely unedited, a fiery red sunset that is illuminating some wispy clouds through the bare winter branches.

If you’re a shutterbug I hope you join in. Thanks to Jude at Cornwall in Colours who brought this challenge to my attention.

Happy Friday.

nature, Photography

New Year’s Eve 2025

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It’s New Year’s Eve again and almost the end of 2025. In this country, it was definitely tumultuous, particularly on the political end, but there was some good stuff, too.

I was never much interested in big parties for December 31 and over the years have attended enough of them that I feel I don’t really have to any more.

A small group or even a good meal for two is more my speed.

In the meantime, we have been experiencing over the last three days some nice December weather. Cool but not cold, no wind and a little sun. While many parts of this country are encountering terrifically awful weather with freezing rain, gales of wind and metres of snow, we have been very fortunate here in our valley.

My very sincere thanks to all of you who follow or who simply take the time to stop to leave a comment. I’ve enjoyed our interactions. I wish you and yours good things for 2026.

nature, Photography

Rainy Views

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We’re still getting lots rain although I understand that we’re supposed to get a bit of a temperature drop accompanied by some rain that will turn to snow. We’ll see. We get that projection a lot in winter but it regularly turns out to be wrong.

Here are some cloudy views from a recent walk.

The rain stopped for a bit and I grabbed the opportunity …

… to stay a bit dry while getting some exercise. A bonus was the slight glow from the setting sun …

… while another bonus were these seasonal lights decorating a patio near one of our favourite restaurants.

Happy Saturday.

nature, Photography

December Retrospective

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To say that we have had a lot of rain this month would be something of an understatement, but at least we didn’t get the flooding that much of the coast unfortunately experienced. And aside from that, it also had its moments.

A sunny, early December Skaha Lake.
A napping duck.
Leaf imprints.
The rain relented for a bit.
You don’t need a rubber duckie for this bath tub!
Pine cones.
I know I recently posted this picture but it’s lovely … and rainless!
We didn’t get a lot of sun but enjoyed what came our way.
Season’s Greetings.

Happy Wednesday.

nature, Photography

Walking at Skaha Lake

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As I’ve noted here before, Penticton is situated between two lakes – one at the south end and the other at the north – and is one of only two communities in the world that is so established. The other is Interlaken, Switzerland. For a change of pace I recently decided to take a walk along Skaha which is at the south end.

There was some serious wind coming out of the south causing choppy waters and lots of scudding cloud …

No swimming today!

… but then I realised that we now officially have winter!

The solstice doesn’t just mean that we’re headed in the right (springy!) direction again, it also means that we first have to get through winter.

Skaha Lake marina awaits spring.

And then I remind myself that I’m no longer in Yellowknife where today’s high will be -31C (-24F). I don’t have to wear a parka, shovel snow, slog through snow banks, walk to work in the dark, dark, dark of winter or defrost my eyelashes when I step inside. We have about four to eight more weeks of very mild winter before we will again begin to see the first signs of spring, so what is there to complain about?

Really, not very much!

Happy Monday.

nature, Photography

December 12’s Friday Fleurday

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I didn’t think I would find any more flowers from this year to post for Friday Flowerday but then I spotted some lovely pot marigolds in the kitchen garden next to one of our favourite restaurants. They are edible and were clearly still being used by the chef as I found where some had been cut with shears.

They were such a bright and cheery little group to see at this time of year with their sunny faces.

With all the overcast from the constant rain we’re almost totally dark by 4:00 pm, so these pretty flowers were a delightful and unexpected sight indeed.

Happy Friday.