The Rain

Yesterday we had one of the many thunderstorms we have been having recently. I rushed out into the rain to try and get some photos showing the force behind it.

No hail, thankfull,y as that can be a warning of tornadoes but heavy, heavy rain.

I took scores of pictures of the birdbath trying to show the drops bouncing back up but without success. This one has some strange white lines which must be something rainy but for the life of me I can't decide what.

Today is a beautiful day. The humidity has gone and the sun is shining. It's going to be a cool 24C so I can open the curtains and window and let the air in the house. I'm even going to go for a walk.

Spooky Cat., Loopy Cat

Same cat, different moods

Higgledy Piggledy

On Thursday a friend and I drove around the area looking at possible areas for her to move to.  Just driving round with nowhere in particular to be by any given time is rather nice.

We watched this cute foal and a friend galloping round the field just for the hell of it, then he rolled around in that sand, probably also just for the hell of it. If you squint you can just see him in this shot, foals having fun do not pose for blogs.

We stopped at an arts barn that has intrigued me for a while but I have never had the chance to stop and look around. It  has a sign ourside advertising garden decorations and art, I can't remember the exact wording used. Anyway we stopped.  The grounds and barns are scattered with many, many paintings on wooden boards. Paintings of sunflowers, cats, cockerels,and horses, all lying around higgledy piggledy. (The paintings were lying around not the sunflowers, cats, cockerels, and horses.)  Lively fun paintings full of movement and colour. I didn't take any photos of the paintings and nor did I buy one. I should have though as I would like one, I'll have to go back.

I've found the barn on Google street view and here is a link to it for you.

I loved the paintings and the barns, I took some snaps on the Blackberry but it's hard to convey the atmosphere. 

It's a place that appeals to the magpie and the artist in me.

Giant Royal Bare Behinds

For some reason Canada likes to have giant statues of local things, things such as apples in Ontario's apple country, a cowboy in Alberta (predictably), the town of Dildo in Newfoundland has a whale, (disappointingly (and don't google that one on a shared computer)) Mattice in Northern Ontario has a voyageur (historically), and Campbellford has a Toonie.  A toonie is a $2 coin and Campbellford has a giant one because  Brent Townsend, the artist who designed it lives in the town.

Did you know that Canada is the only place where the Queen has a bare behind??

The Queen is on the front of the coin and a polar bear is on the obverse.

My World Tuesday- Swimming in the River

This seagull was at Crowe Bridge Conservation area near us, recently reopened it's hard to find a more beautiful place to swim. The water is clear and warm, the river bed smooth rocks, the people happy.

I was so jealous of the people in the water but had to make do with wading in up to my knees. Next time I will be able to swim

More glimpses into others worlds can be found at My World Tuesday

Aah, A Great Weekend

We've just had a superb weekend. Some friends came to stay and others joined us Saturday for a BBQ.

We fished from our dock

And watched the swing bridge swing open to let the boats through.

This is lock 18 on the Trent Severn Waterway in Hastings. The bridge has a weir/dam underneath it and on the aerial photo, just to the right, you can see the lock and the swing bridge.

Photo taken from the Parks Canada website

The Trent Severn Waterway is one of Canada's National Historic sites. It connects Georgian Bay in Lake Huron to Lake Ontario. 240 miles and 44 locks of water travel. They started building it in 1833 and finished it 87 years later. "They" being various people and organisations who wanted better connections for trade. There was opposition to building a canal too, and funding eventually came from both Federal and Provincial governments. By the time the waterway was finished it was out of date and it has never been used for commercial traffic but building it provided employment for many.  It's now a great tourist resource with beautiful scenery and attractions along the route.

Skywatch Friday Osprey Looking Back at Me

I make no excuses for posting more osprey photos. I stopped to take these on my way into work on Tuesday, I even missed collecting my cup of Timmies - If you are in Canada then you will understand the significance of that! Edit: Timmies = Tim Horton's curiously addictive coffee for the Canadian masses.

I like the ominous way the family are outlined against the sky, waiting for Dad to come home with breakfast perhaps?

After a while the way they stare back becomes unnerving especially when combined with the warning cry that
 they make.

For more Skywatch Friday skies visit here