November 5, 2007

On my walk this morning, I wondered what I might find to blog about and although I noted a pile of trash, I didn't take its picture right away thinking, there has to be something better than this! Then when I got to the Centrepointe Theatre, I noticed two highway coaches idling by the theatre entrance, together with a catering truck in front of them.

On my second pass some hours later, I noticed an 18 wheeler in the loading dock too. When I got home and finally read the paper, I saw that there was a show about whirling dervishes happening tomorrow. That probably explains the plain exterior of the buses. Usually, musicians' shows are travelling billboards.

Since all I had at that point for the blog was a photo of a mysterious bus, I decided I would take a picture of the garbage. That's my shadow. I wonder how long this will take to disappear?

The leaves are still falling and so the yard people are here again today, with a truck full and more to go.

And that's when Peter let me know that all the news boxes at his bus stop had been run over before he got there this morning! So I ran over to take a picture and they were standing upright but the poor orange one on the end was pretty mangled. The pole for the stop is bent too. Someone said a car had jumped the curb and scattered all the boxes but that they had been put back soon after the accident. I guess no one was standing at that stop when it happened and thank goodness.

November 4, 2007

It has turned into a grey sort of day but I hadn't been out for a walk so we took a turn around the hood, this time including Millrise. It seems that without the dog, I don't get over there any more.

These starlings were having a noisy meeting at the top of this tree. They make quite a variety of sounds. I know a lot of people don't like them but they can be quite entertaining to watch.

I'm never sure what will prompt me to take pictures on a walk but today, it seemed to be bird feeders. I admired this nice feeder, as it had a copper roof and a mesh that would keep out squirrels but allow small birds inside to access the seeds.

This pretty feeder was next and silhouetted against the red leaves, it made a nice picture.

The big acorn was cute but I'm not sure how practical.

Peter spotted a giant paper wasp nest, right on the end of the branch of this big maple. I hadn't noticed it at all during the summer and I'm hoping the residents of it have left for good. It looks fairly tattered so maybe it can be knocked down safely. I think we should leave something like this to the experts.

As usual, there is always someone who forgets to bring in the garbage container, even though pick-up was three days ago.

November 3, 2007, afternoon

It was a lovely day to go for a stroll around the park and see what was new.

Also a lovely day to do a little tai chi.

The geese were out in numbers again, filling up on grass for the journey South.

These four reminded me of the cover of Abbey Road (sort of).

Just past the walking geese, we saw two more little trees that had been felled by beaver. Someone had recently planted them and one even had an anti-rabbit collar around it - not much good against the much bigger rodent Castor Canadensis. Obviously, the beavers are still at large.

We decided to walk right around the pond, to see what else the beavers had been up to. And we wondered where they were living or whether they came in from somewhere else and left during the night (or day). I thought this sign might give me a clue as to whether the pond water had an external source but it didn't really say.

This is the view as you cross the little bridge, if you scrunch down and look through the railing.

And this was a pretty view from the other side of the pond. When I was over there, I realized that never before have I walked around the entire perimeter of the pond.

And this was what we discovered on the other side of the pond, away from the paved path. This was only one of three or four beaver-chewed trees.

When the geese on the pond started calling out, I knew that other geese were heading in to join them. I caught these two with flaps and landing gear down and one on the water with a bow wave.

Goose in motion.

November 3, 2007

There were about 6 skateboarders at the entrance to Centrepointe Park today. I thought we built (and paid for) a whole skateboard park, just to give them somewhere to go where they wouldn't damage property and get in the way of pedestrians. These guys did not get in my way and they did get out of the way of some other folks who were walking out of the park as I biked in, so I am not faulting them in particular. And I didn't smell dope either so I can forgive a lot. But there IS an entire skateboard park not very far away so I was just wondering...


I saw this broken beer bottle on Friday so it was there before the boarders got there today. The pieces are widely scattered so I suppose I should take a broom and clean it up because I don't want to have a piece give me a flat tyre and I am still biking through there regularly. I fail to understand what someone gets out of breaking glass on pavement.

November 2, 2007

It's a Friday and very quiet. I didn't even bother to go around the 'hood to see what garbage got left over after the pick-up today. But on my way home from the gym, I saw there were hundreds of geese in the park and I stopped to take some pictures of them, hoping to capture the wonder of so many big birds all in one location. I loved watching a gaggle of them strike out from one flock to another, walking across the park in single file. They are good walkers and don't waddle as much as ducks but still, I find their stately procession amusingly deflated by the waggling of big white behinds.

November 1, 2007, afternoon

My back aches. I have been pulling out all the frost killed plants. And it always takes me longer than I think - every time.

As I was pulling out and throwing out the annuals, I decided to clip and save the last of the black-eyed Susans, which are perennials. The leaves (the rest of the plant) haven't been damaged by frost yet but the flowers will be enjoyed longer inside than out, now that the rest of the bed is mostly dirt. I'm not used to perennials but I think I will just leave the bases of the daisies and let the snow cover them. I don't have real mulch, tree leaves will only be blown away, and the leaves of the perennial may act as a sort of mulch.

This is the side garden we created this Spring for the first time, right after the condo dug up the foundation and repaired it where the water had leaked into my basement. I thought the ground had settled but I was very mistaken and after I had planted everything, the ground sank by a matter of several inches. The two green plants flanking the edges of the photo are the black-eyed Susans. Next Spring, I shall get a few loads of topsoil and fill in this dent.

Around the back, I cleaned out most of both beds. I clipped back the poinsettia right to the base of the stem and when I did that, two of the five plants popped out of the ground so I gave them the heave-ho. I have no idea if this plant will survive a Winter here but it is quite close to the house and sheltered by the fence too, so it might just.

I am always amazed at how hardy herbs are. There are two kinds of thyme and oregano, growing close to the ground and over the edge and some kind of odd parsley that appeared because it self seeded from last year. I don't remember what I planted last year but this is fairly flat leafed but with small leaves and it tastes faintly of anise. I do know that when plants self seed, they often lose the over-bred and chosen characteristics of the plants you buy from the plant people. In the middle is the wonderful pine-smelling rosemary.

I now have three big yard waste bags to put at the curb tomorrow. As you can see, the yard guys didn't take away any of my leaves - yet.

Addition, Nov. 2:
Due to popular demand, here is a photo of the side garden in July. Enjoy.

November 1, 2007

It's a quiet day, even with the yard guys here to take away more leaves. Last week, they did end up mowing the grass too and maybe it's still growing and in need of mowing. I am going to be pulling out all my frost-bitten plants so I can put out the yard waste bag in tomorrow's garbage. Then I can plant my bulbs.

I only saw one pumpkin that had been rolled into the street and even it was not smashed. That's always a relief because it seems that people don't clean up messes like that once they hit the street, even if it was their pumpkin to begin with.

I liked the way the clouds looked this morning, contrasted against blue sky. It rained here and there, and now and then but I was lucky enough to avoid having to walk in the rain.

Some trees are hanging onto their leaves and some are completely bare but many are in this mostly-gone condition.

This was the western sky as I was out at 9 am and you can see the rain falling out of those flat bottomed clouds. They blew into the area while I was inside teaching and by the time I finished and left the building, it was sunny again.

Also at the construction site, I noticed one giant pile of crushed stone, along with a few smaller piles. Probably intended for foundations.

Enjoy the last few days of coloured leaves. We won't have any more until May some time.