This & That

  Its been a while since I last posted  , things have been quiet here now that Christmas is over . Our Christmas was wonderful  and lots of family time  the only thing that was  missing was  snow , yes we were snowless  we had a green Christmas . It snowed the other day but not a lot and it is now melting as the temps are very mild and today we are in for a big rain storm as  a  Special weather statement has been sent out to all of our area  .

I have been taking the odd quick  photo here and there with my smartphone camera .

We haven't had much sunshine, most days have been cloudy and gloomy some times the sun popped out every now and then  but when we did see the sun it was at sun set and the sky's to the west were  so beautiful .

A quick blurry pic of Miggs through the sliding door as she was on her way back from rolling in the little bit of snow we   got  lol , Miggs misses the snow but we both are enjoying the lack of it  for our walks as the roads have been clear and mostly dry .

WOW ! a new year is upon us already , how fast it all goes by . So on that note we here at Woods Country Cove would like to wish you all a  safe and very  Happy New Year .

                                                                                           Country Gal

                                

A Bit Of This & That

Well it’s been quiet around here so far and the weather has been cold with a bit of snow here and there and very damp . As we all are busy getting ready for  Christmas that's not that far away  WOW ! this month seems to be flying by  and winter officially starts on Fri December  21st  all though from what I am seeing and hearing we down here may not be having a white Christmas but a wet rainy one instead as well as the winter may not be very snowy either for us down in the southwestern part of Ontario  but one really never knows what mother nature plans on doing either do we ?! but before we know it we will be starting a new year .

I haven't been taking many photos , just the odd one here and there as the weather hasn't been very enjoyable to be out in and we haven't seen the sun that much at all either , it has been gloomy cloudy and just .. well plain  boring out.

Our little Christmas tree out on our front lawn taken from inside the window after last weeks dusting of snow .  Papa decorated the outside again this season with pretty lights .

The Christmas decorating is done all though we don't go all out now a days like we used to , we find simple and less is more kind of our thing  now  and it is all we need , we have a little Charlie brown Christmas tree now to which for us suits us just fine  lol .

These pics were from last week after a bit of snow fall , most of this snow has all but melted and we are pretty much green again .

These pics are also  part of where Miggs and I like to go for our walks every morning that is just behind our house  , it is so pretty in all seasons .

Talking about Miggs , she has been keeping busy on her outings chasing critters from the yard and then  she comes  in and snoozes till the next time she goes back out  lol .

And now she is waiting for Santa paws to come and fill her Christmas stocking .  As soon as I put it up Miggs checks it every day and knows that soon Santa Paws will leave her a new toy and treats , Harley has a stocking to but she doesn't seem to care about it all as much as Miggs does lol !

Well that's about it for me for now . Papa and I will be busy over the Christmas holidays  celebrating with family so we are looking forward to all that .

                                                 So if I don't get back here to post before then we would like to wish you all a very

                                                                                              Merry Christmas      

                                                                                    

                                                                           

 

                                    Country Gal ,Papa,Miggs & Harley

December Already ?!

    WOW ! I cant believe how fast the months are flying by.

And what a great start to the month it has been for us , why yesterday was amazing weather , sunny and the temps hit a high of 16C or 62F  WOW  it was so warm the bugs were out and about .

Miggs was enjoying the sunshine and warmer temps yesterday  to , maybe just a little to much lol , no dignity here with her lol ! 

It was more like a spring day than a late fall day . Papa had the chance this weekend to set up our outside Christmas lights and a few decorations , I am yet to get out in the dark and take photos of it all probably this week some time or wait till we get some snow   all though  doesn't look like it will fly here any time soon and stick  according to the weather people  but they have been wrong more times than not , mother nature will what she wants or not wants  .

I haven't been out taking many photos as the land has been in between its changes for the seasons  and there hasn't been that much to photograph really , either that or I haven't looked hard enough , yeah that's probably it lol !

                  Miggs your a goofy girl  in front of the camera  , at least she gives me lots of poses  to photograph and she is very photogenic  , good thing for me she loves the camera to lol !

It will be a busy time now for lots of us as we all get ready for  Christmas and family get togethers going on  with lots of fun , laughter and yummy goodies  and lots of Christmas music and movies going on as well .

                                                                                So I would like to say to you all

                                                                                     Happy December  

                                                                                             Until next time .

                                                                                  Country Gal

I love The Moon & The Night Sky’s

I just love the moon and the sky's at night . On a clear night Papa and I love to star gaze with our telescopes and he sometimes like to take photos of it all through his telescopes , that is called Astrophotography . 

When it gets dark in the sky's and the moon shines bright there is a quiet a hush that comes over the land as I stand out there taking photos of one of my favorite out of our world planets is the moon .

Have you looked up at the moon recently and seen a halo or ring around the moon in the colder air?!  Well when this is visible around the moon, it is called a moon ring or winter halo. It forms as the sun- or moonlight is refracted in millions of hexagonal ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere. The halo is large; the radius is roughly the size of an outstretched hand at arm's length it may look like a ghostly ring, you're actually just seeing the light of the moon refracting (or bending) through ice crystals.  In other words, seeing those icy clouds refracting light around the moon means cirrus clouds are present, which might indicate a coming storm.

Have you ever seen or heard of Moonbows ?!  they're rare, but they are rainbows produced by moonlight — known as lunar rainbows or moonbows they do occur from time to time. Just like the rays of the Sun can create a rainbow during the day, reflected light from the Moon can create a moonbow if the conditions are just right   Amazing isn't it ?!

                                                           The night sky’s  and moon fascinate me  

These photos were taken Tuesday and the moon phase was  called a Waxing gibbous and only Visible: 92% tonight is the full moon Visible: 100%  hoping for clear sky's . Taking photos of the moon can be challenging even for the pro photographer's  but I enjoy it and I love the peacefulness of it all .

            So here's to clear sky’s and hope if you are a moon  enthusiast you can take a few photos and enjoy it all to .

                                                        It truly is a whole new world out there in space at night .

                                                                                      Until next time .

                                                                                       Country Gal

Its Been Quiet & Cold

This time of year things quiet down a bit for us here as the weather finds itself still in fall mode but winter really is making an appearance with cold air and the occasional snow fall .  I have been quietly puttering both indoors and out . Miggs and I have been going on shorter walks and later in the mornings  as the cold and damp gets to both of our bones and body lol !

I do enjoy a mild light snow falling kind of day and early in the mornings with that dim light of the day break whilst it is snowing as the land is quiet and calm .

                                                      I do love how the fresh fallen snow gently blankets everything .

                                                With left over greens and fall colours peeking from underneath.

                                          Then as the day light breaks and reveals the land as a bright white wintery canvas .

                                                       Then later in the morning the sun appeared and melted it all .

                                                                                           Until next time .

                                                                                                   Country Gal

This & That & Our First Snow Fall

Miggs and I have been puttering about the yard these days on nice days and staying cozy in doors on the not so nice days . For the most part our trees are bare and not many leaves to tidy up are left but what is left well can just stay there now . The gardens are pretty much empty as well except for the odd few plants that can be done in the spring .

We have had lots of birds at our feeders and have been enjoying watching them , The other day we had two female Evening Grosbeak's visit and stick around for a day or so feasting under the feeders with some of the other birds .

We don't usually see or have these pretty birds about just the Rose breasted Grosbeaks in the summers but I think cause we are on the migration path they decided to check the yard out , which I am glad they did so I could add them to my bird photo archives . I am like a kid in a candy so and get soo giddy when a new bird stops by lol !

Last evening as the sun broke through clouds as it was setting was treat to see after a cloudy day from my windows .

I just love it when the sun seems to break free through the clouds like this looks so dramatic and pretty .

Then the other morning the sun rose and a pillar of light known as a sun dog gleamed in the south east .

We have had the odd day of very light snow falling as you can see some of it here on Miggs back .

But today it is our first of the season winter snow storm and it looks pretty as it sticks to everything . I know others in the east coast have been hit bad by winter storms and winds and I hope all stay safe but us here in southwestern Ontario below the snow belt area don't get a lot of snow and not as early as this either .

I took some photos as it was falling just a few minuets ago and WOW ! it has accumulated so much already .

                                                        I do like capturing snow as it falls and covers everything .

Well that's about it for me Miggs and I are all cozy inside and enjoying the prettiness of the snow falling outside  . Nature and her changing seasons do give a photographer like myself so much beauty and challenge of  a different canvas to look forward to .

                                                                               Until next time .

                                                                                    Country Gal

High Winds At Our Lake Erie

We went down to lake Erie yesterday late afternoon to take photos of  the lake in the high winds . We live only 13km or 8 miles away which it only takes us 6 minuets to drive to the lake and a the small lovely town off of the lake called Port Burwell that is also our favorite area to go in  the summers to the dog beach .  The lake was quite beautiful and dangerous looking all at the same time . The waves were just rolling and roaring like thunder and it was very windy .

                 I was surprised that  it wasn't really cold either as the winds were coming from the south west .

                                                                  The lake Erie had huge swells and white caps   .

                                                          The sky's across the lake were very interesting as well .

       Way over in the distance to the east side of the shore the waves were crashing on the rocks . I had a few moments where the winds were pushing me as I was trying to take some of these photos it was quite the challenge .

As you can see in the distance we have lots of wind turbines down this way as there are a lot of wind farms about and  part of the company that builds them is down in this area as well .

The Canadian Geese were just hanging out on the beach in the strong winds as it didn't seem to bother them much at all .

Whilst I was up on the beach taking these photos , crazy Papa was down on the pier taking his photos , I know the things we will do sometimes for that shot eh?! 

We had fun and was only there for half an hour , we took Miggs with us as she loves going down there and for the truck rides to  and all she wanted to do when she saw and smelt the water was go swimming lol we had to convince her it was wayy to cold and choppy with the winds so she hung out with us and we went for a bit of a walk instead  .

So that was our few moments of madness in a wind storm down at our north shores of lake Erie in Port Burwell  to take photos and I am sure it wont be our last either  lol !

                                                                                     Until next time .

                                                                                       Country Gal

A Touch Of Frost & Lots Of Rain

The other morning we had our first frost of the season and it was pretty .

                                       

                                          That same morning the sun was shining and it was crisp and refreshing .

This above and below photos are from when Miggs and were on our walk . I used my phone camera and put my sunglasses in front of the lens and took the shots , I like how they turned out .

I had a chance to get things done in the yard and gardens as the day ended up so lovely sunny and very mild . I had help from Miggs to .                                                            Ok so she napped not really helping  lol !

                                     She did however help a bit with the piles of leaves as she loves to do every fall lol !

                                                                       I raked she played then  I mulched lol !

We haven't been able to go out side since as it has been gloomy and raining lots and there is another mess of wet  leaves all over the yard again I am hoping for a sunny weekend so we can get out enjoy and gather and mulch all the leaves again . They  say do not clean your leaves up as they are good for the ground , this may be true but it takes a few seasons for them to compost into the lawns even when mulched and when left on the grass with lots of moister like the rains we have been getting or lots of  wet snow it can create black rot on the lawns and it can have a nasty stink and can become like a toxic fungus, not good really for the lawns , pets or even birds and critters  so we pick up the leaves and mulch them and use them for the gardens , mix them in the soils so that way they compost faster over the winter season and helps to protect some of my perennial root systems   .

  November already   WOW ! the months do fly by don't they?! Well that's about it for me  crossing my fingers for some sunshine this weekend .

                                                                                        Until next time

                                                                                             Country Gal