Fly like an eagle.....

 By my calculations.... there should be little eaglets ..or maybe only one... won't know til it happens.......on or around the Easter weekend.... 

The couple has been sitting on the nest and incubating eggs .. sometimes she gets off for an hour and he takes over.... then, she gets back on and stays for hours.  It has to be so tiring and how weak do they get after weeks of that?  Poor thing.. 

I hope the eggs survive the poor weather... they certainly do begin long before winter is over around here.  There is going to be more cold and wild winds too this coming week....fingers crossed. 

The Poplars are just beginning get some buds and when they fully leaf out....the nest will be invisible I'm sure.  It is in a big Poplar in a long line of them on the golf course.  Leafy branches all over the place.

I hope they are safe from stupid golfers and their wild shots on that fairway..... I hear balls whack that line of trees all day.  As a matter of fact, I, myself, have whacked a couple...albeit a lot closer to the tee box than the guys hit them.  Some of the shots will definitely make it to that particular tree.  Darn it.  

The other day, one of the eagles was sitting on the tree right near our house.  Just sitting there.  Preening.  Picking.  Trying to find something to keep himself busy.  Basically just hanging out.  All alone.   Of course.  Missus was on the nest.  I can only tell it was him because he doesn't have the tiny black mark on one of his tail feathers that she has.  It is really the only way to tell them apart unless they are sitting side by side as she is slightly bigger than he is. 

Then he began to stretch one wing ...this way and that.... and then, moved them both around and spread them out a few times ... .... and, then... kind of turned around and hopped up and down on the branch a few times and took off.  

He sailed around towards the nest in a huge figure 8 and bypassed it.... then circled.. and onward and upward .... OMG did he go up!!  I've never seen them do that before although once in a while I see some hawk or big bird (could be an eagle) fairly high...but, this guy didn't quit.  He went around and around in huge circles ... and, so high that finally I could not see him anymore!  It brought tears to my eyes.  So Amazing. Hardly even flapped a wing.  Just soared on the currents.  Once he made a slight adjustment with tail feathers and one wing and then... just upward he continued.  In such huge circles. Unbelievable.  I watched him for several minutes..til he disappeared way up there.  Totally out of sight.  So beautiful.

Here he is before he began his stretches ...just looking bored or ticked or ... lonely, or something..... then, he did a few calisthenics and off he flew almost into the stratosphere .... no wonder he decided he needed to do some good stretching.  

This is the last one I could even focus on him... he was going in and out of clouds and mist by this time and then.... I couldn't even see him anymore.

A Darn Good Frolickin'

My friend Bob is back in action on his blog ....and, so I thought I would show you one of his fun videos.. and, it's a great song too..... we all need a good laugh and a bit of a dance.....

The new girl...

 Look who travelled all the way from England at the coldest time of the year!

Two of us bloggy buddies decided to do a personal ornament swap... Shashi hasn't received mine yet...but, here is mine from her! 

Yesterday I didn't have a name for her...but, today ...she is called Fiona.  I tried a few different names on her and nothing sounded right .... but, then... Mr. BumbleVee said ... what about Fiona? ... and, I like it.  She looks like a little Fiona to me.... a name that one elvin couple called their baby....

I sat her in various spots in the Christmas tree ...but, she had trouble getting comfy.  I tried her on top of some ornaments ...but, she couldn't quite find a way to sit on them properly and/or in a very ladylike fashion.   We tried several greenery arrangements and tables ..etc... but, it was a no go.

Finally, we decided upon the pony wall around the stairwell... and, a little reindeer came over to check her out ... and, stayed.  She proclaimed her favourite spot...and is still sitting there...

I especially love her cute little "slippers"...  golden seed beads stitched around her dainty feet on a line that suggests she is wearing ballerina flats.. .. just an illusion of slippers really, but you'd swear that's what they are... such a great idea Shashi!  Perfect for such a tiny doll.

As tiny as she is ..her face is needle sculpted... that must have been tricky.... 

Thanks so much Shashi for my lovely little girl... 

    

I got an eagle on the 12th hole at Mapleridge Golf Course~!!

I can't say it enough times.  Being a golfer and rarely getting a birdie never mind ever having had an 'eagle'...   I just have to say it.  I think it's funny. 

It is always good though if people know golf…. an eagle is even better than a birdie in golf for you non golfers. Two strokes less than the par on the hole. However …. it was not a golfing eagle…but, it was definitely on the golf course…. definitely on the 12th hole.  I had to race over there and sneak through a neighbour's back gate to get onto the course… 

I noticed a guy walking on the street… and, then..he seemed to be taking a picture of a rental house a few down from us...  ..but, why would he do that I thought?   So I watched him and then..on he went…but, I kept looking over there and all of a sudden noticed a big bird in the trees above and behind the house.  And, I saw some stark white on it.  I knew right away what it was!  I dashed out with my camera and yelled at Greg that I saw an eagle.

Went into Luisa’s back yard (directly across from us) and all I saw was a thousand branches..so sprinted down to Cathy’s…rang the doorbell and nobody answered..so 'round the back I trotted and out onto the course…nobody was on the holes… so down three houses I went… and, he was still sitting in the tree!.  Oh, man…I was so excited I could hardly focus..and, forgot that the Expressive Colour setting was still on so it interferes with the shutter speed.  But, even though he was high up in the tree I managed to get some decent shots.  He stayed put.  The wind was blowing pretty hard so it was tricky to stand still and I was cursing under my breath hoping I got enough shots that a few were focused and clear ..I can’t see the viewfinder very well now.. and, certainly can’t tell if things are blurry or not  ….  I took enough shots by the time some golfers showed up and they probably wouldn’t have cared anyway if they knew I was taking photos of something ..especially that… 

But, it was cold .. and I had enough so I left.  At one point he looked directly at me … and, I did wonder if I was making him a bit annoyed… and, hoped he wouldn’t fly by and bop me on the head when he left….  but, he stayed put for ages.  I quickly went home..and uploaded the photos to the computer so that I could see if they were good enough…because I could have gone back to try again.  He was still there.  The river is close by..so he could have been hunting I suppose…or ..he could be a migrating one…. just resting or just having found some food at the river…who knows… but, I have never seen one.  This was a lifetime opportunity…. so lucky.

Here he is … he was about 60 feet up in the tree…. so almost too far for my little 300 lens… but, I cropped them…and made him closer.

He looks pretty fierce in this one… and, the last rays of sun behind him are nice in this shot… 

    Then, he looked right at me…. 

But, in the close up….awww..he doesn’t look fierce at all…just almost …a bit sad or something..  ….. maybe he was wishing I would go away…. 

Anyway…just wanted to show you my eagle….. and tell you the story…..what an amazing creature….and, so BIG…. unbelievable … I couldn't talk about anything else for the rest of the week!

Happy Easter Weekend ...

I like to make Hot Cross Buns once a year and sometimes try out a few different recipes in the weeks leading up to Easter.  Here they are ..... my second batch.  I love them with lots of spices and some peel, as well as several types of raisins ... oh, and... with watered down warm apricot jam brushed on the tops.  

One of the baking blogs I look at is Geoff's ... he is on the sidebar at the bottom.  This year he went all out with crosses on everything ...so that if you are afraid of yeast... you could try some other goodies with the signature crosses on them.  He even had some cookies...which I haven't tried yet...but, definitely will have to give those a go... 

I made his recipe first... hmmm.... did I even manage to get a photo before we ate them all?...I must check back...  

This batch is from Merry Boosters... but, honestly, they were not nearly as soft and pale as hers ..so as usual... who knows what happens between the recipe and our own version.  I followed it exactly using a digital scale and everything.... but, still.... ovens.. shelf rack positions.... who knows?   However, that is not to say they don't taste amazing.... because they do. 

I found a spring tea towel too for some colour.... believe me we need some of that at this time of year.  The lawn looks dry and crispy... with still a small patch of icy snow in a shaded area....the lilacs are just dead looking dry old twigs..... the trees.. well, you get the picture.  Much better just to stay in the house and look for some pretty things... and, bake. 

That does it...I'm off for a cup of tea and one of the last two buns....