Photo a Week

Another warp speed week and here it is again.  Monday! time for the second of Mary's choices.... "Hearts and Flowers".

I definitely don't have flowers outside to photograph.... I'm a bit envious of the girls down under... even some of the girls in the UK have snowdrops visible.  We have had several days of thick frost and the last two even more weird...they are calling it "freezing fog".  It is so thick on the trees now it looks like snow...and yet it hasn't snowed for weeks... no sun the last two days either...so strange for us here.  We usually get lots of sunshine...  all through the winters.

But, I found some indoor flowers...

... and a few hearts.....

A new scrunchie...I'm still boycotting hairdressers... it's getting long...


Working on my second dolly .... hoping to get something Valentine looking... the Cloth and Clay Doll site where I found the tutorial for the Gritty Jane doll has a page for Queen of Hearts dolls this week.   Today she got hair.  I'm still trying to decide if I want to paint her black under the skin colour...maybe she won't be grungy this time.........

that'll be the frosty Friday...

...and it was !!  But, it also was on Thursday and now again today!  It began a blue sky day...then some fog rolled in.  We don't get fog regularly...so it's always fun to dart from window to window and check what we can or can't see "from our house" ... we're worse than little kids.  "Oh, look...you can't even see Luisa's house'...  "aren't there big trees behind the 4 X 4 guys' house?"  "Is that old Mrs. Nick waddling along the sidewalk?'  ... What am I saying...we are kids, and sometimes rude kids too, from the sounds of it... except for the stupid chronological factor.  I'm only a few years younger than "old Mrs. Nick".

Some teensy, tiny ice crystals are floating in the air...and now..the sun is trying to poke through... it so looks like diamonds sparkling as they float.  They don't seem to just be falling from anywhere... more like floating around in circles...

The moisture content is waaay up at 86% and temperatures are down..at -13C... so even more frost is forming on the dead twigs and old unfallen flower and seed heads... even on the gas lanterns ...

This time I upped my resolution for a few shots out in the garden... and I got some great crystals ...

Remember...this is not snow..there is no snow on any of the branches ... that's been gone for several days after the sunshine.... just the deep stuff on the ground is still here... this is all just heavy frost.  Look at the delicate shapely crystals.  Amazing.

okay.... click to biggify.... this one for sure ... look at the crystals !!! amazing....such detail and such shapes....  I'm so surprised to have been able to capture them...  I have to keep going back myself..just to look at it.  It is some dried out flower bunches on a spirea.

This leaf has what looks like a microscopic snowflake on the middle of the leaf.

PS::  a few minutes after writing this...I went upstairs, the sun is now brilliant..sky blue..and a slight breeze is wafting the frost off the trees like so many tiny feathers....

I began a second doll with the proper "stuff" .... and I'm having to stitch up a second body already... blew out a neck seam.  I stuff too firmly for muslin I guess.... maybe I'll try stuffing a little leg instead....

Beeeeyoootiful day!!!

It's an absolutely gorgeous blue sky day now that the sun broke through the fog and crystals.  There is such a heavy hoary frost!  I quickly slurped a bit of coffee and dashed out without even brushing teeth or putting on eyes... a quick drive to the nearby golf course.

The snow is pretty deep in spots over there...so I was up to my knees in it most of the time.  Some cross country skiers have laid a few trails...but, I didn't want to put my boot tracks into the perfect ski sized lines... so walked beside them.  It was silent except for the happy chirping of the little sparrows and chickadees. Nobody there today but me.  Lovely.  I crunched along on a crust of snow covered with the latest soft inch of new stuff ... breaking through about every third step or so.. snowshoes would have been helpful.

Any time of year, this, ...  my favourite golf course  ... is beautiful... ...

Come along on my walk.... click on any photo to "biggify" as Daisy the Curly Cat says.... I love that word.  It gives a much better idea of the size and scope of things....

looking down the 7th....

long needles of a young pine

Walking up the 8th fairway..

an annoying spot on my lens ..  seemed to appear in several shots.... arrgghhhh...!! if I knew how to photoshop... ....or.. something.....

lots of little critters...and some fairly large ones too... call this home.  Deer and coyotes as well as plenty of bunnies and squirrels... a regular thoroughfare from the look of it.  I was the only human footprint...

I'm betting this is Cerulean Blue.... love the frosty branches against the sky...

Fence around some maintenance buildings..

amazing how the frost crystals form on anything and everything......

Standing on the tee box of the 1st fairway.... love it.  Out, out damn spot!!  I'll have to pretend it's my golf ball in flight....straight down the center...yeh...that's what I'll do....

This looks like beach grass ... it's where I got a wet bum...crouching down in snow over a foot deep ..

Honestly, snow shoes would have been good... ..the drifts got up to 2 feet deep on some hillside areas... 

..still desperately clinging by a thread..

standing near the 4th green.... it's in a bowl...

heading back up the hill from the 4th .... puff..upfh..... whew! See ...golfing is a workout if you pick the right course.  It was cool enough at -8C... but, by then.. even my hands had warmed up a bit in the lovely sun and from working at slogging through deep snow.  Although it was kind of wet and cool on my legs.  To me it is colder at -8C with dampness than it is at a dry -21C.  Today the humidity is 87%. Brrrrr....

Green ash seed pods.... lots of them never seem to fall off before winter.

Back at the parking lot... look at the 7th fairway...

Home and warm...out of the soggy things....

photo a Week

This year we are taking turns with suggestions for photos .. Yesterday began Mary O's month of themes....

The first one is ... "from my window".  Several of us were bemoaning our fate ... dirty windows.  I definitely vetoed my own initial idea of going out to wash them because it's cold!  Although, today is a balmy -8C in comparison to -21C of a week ago .... and it IS lovely and sunny, so .... perhaps .... maybe... no!  Forget it.  Momentary lack of judgement there.... whew... luckily I landed with a thump right back in reality.

Surely there are some "clean enough" windows....... aha..... of course.  Find one in a shaded area ... that's the trick. You can't really detect smears and dirt with no sun directly on them.   I always love this little window on the world....
When we did one of our many renovations projects ... oh, about 12 years ago now.. we got a new door, with this pretty leaded type window. Over the years, several neighbours got the very same door.  Mr. BV is now searching out a new door.  He is disgusted that they "copied" ... although some say copying is a form of flattery.  He says how does anybody driving by know that we were not just part of the neighbourhood lemming colony?  I assured him that I, at least, know he is the lead lemming.......

Poor little cherub.... patiently waiting for spring....

Emma has clothes...

...They are kinda tatty...supposed to be.  But, they do the job.  There was choosing....then cutting...then... hesitating...then.... finally after watching the tutorial a few more times because I had to make sure which side I put the waist band on for about the third time.. (Maggi ...stop laughing over there !!) ..  I had plenty of fabric.  What difference would it really make if I screwed it up? ...but, that's me with sewing...I hesitated still.

Finally ..got a skirt made.  Coffee dyed it.   I don't think you can really tell..but, there is plenty of colour and some crease stains..etc.  Smells great too...I added some vanilla. She smells good enough to eat. 

Ta Da !!

At first I was afraid to do any distressing or put on any staining colours...but, I left off the finishing varnish...because somehow I knew I might have to make it a bit darker still.  She is in dim light here to show how it looks...but, in the real light daytime..it might not be enough colour yet.  Funny how it goes....

So, little lady.... been through some rough times 'av ya?

Never mind....yer among friends now....

Thanks boys....  it's good to find new friends....