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Happy Halloween

Preparations for Halloween have been happening since school began two months ago and have intensified this past week with decorations beginning to appear in greater number in people's yards.  

Yesterday, while driving along the 400 block of St. Charles Street here in Victoria, I saw this.  The car didn't actually stall as I stared but it did do a sudden curb stop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I crept closer .... peered over the shoulder of the artist ....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

... then dared an interruption by moving alongside and commenting favourably on the  - work of art.

The artist was completely engaged in what he was doing.

I hung about for a bit, pretended my camera needed fiddling with,  was hoping someone would come out and start to rake the leaves or something and we could have a chat about this most original expression of Halloween.

Maybe someone with an up-to-date press card came along and knocked on the door and - got the story.  I hope so.  

Say, maybe one of my grandkids has journalist ink in his veins (or his grandmother's nosiness  curiosity) and would trick-or-treat with some questions.

Welcome to the world!

The seven billionth person is being born today.  Wow.

Thumb-de-dum ball winder

I had occasion to stroll back through the archives and find this post about winding wool into a ball.

Then, thinking about how much fun it is, got out this recent fibre archeological find at a church thrift store dig.  The labels were inside the cone;  I have not yet researched them (good ol' google) to get some provenance/history on the yarn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yep, I remembered how to do it.  If sound was involved it would be "bdipbdipbdipbdipbdipbdip....."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dah - dum. Three sips of tea later.  

Another nice thing about center-pull balls is that if you want the yarn doubled you can use the ends of one ball (outer and inner).

Now I think I will take my own suggestion about carrying a small ball of yarn around and use it like worry beads or finger-tapping or simply employing a physical motion to be in the present. 

 

 

 

Shadows

At times the shadow catches attention and there is the mystery of .... what on earth caused it....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So you look around ...  Ah!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aha!  

And the sun's rays have lined up in a perfect reflection to cast some magic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sitting in the bus shelter with a grandson ... noticing our shadows ... and giving a wave.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is my favourite.  It required very little adjustment of the chestnuts.

'Reading' books

I took a partial pile of the books  waiting to be read  out onto the deck and spent a pleasant chunk of time in the sun with birds whizzing by from feeders to trees; one bird sat on my hat;  I went and got some peanuts and put them in the fold on my hat; a bird - I assume it was the same one -  came and got a peanut from the hat 'feeder'.

Sometimes I can whip through a pile of books very quickly with a browse-and-reject - usually the ones discovered on the reshelving carts at the library: these are a wealth being the newly -returned from many patrons and I always find something of interest which gets carted home and added to the pile, but often the interest is satisfied after a brief stroll-through.

These books today were ones I had chosen on particular subjects, non-fiction, and intended to read.  One got read -  not word for word but with a browse;  it had great side panels and a summary and conclusion at the end of each chapter.  I plan to call Russell's books and see if they have a used copy and, if so, will likely buy it;  there are points I want to underline for future reference; it is  informative and  reassuring. 

Thing is, that was one book and, as I said, a"chunk of time" and an abbreviated method of reading it. The frustration of so many books with so many words with so much (potentially worthwhile) information is alleviated by a growing realization - and I have spoken about this with others as well! -  that we can gain what we need to know by not actually reading a book.  

It is an evolving thing.  It has to do with touch, with intent, with raising eyebrows in anticipation at the concept and being willing to follow the idea openly.

It has to do with holding a book and sort of .... waiting.  Sometimes being sastisfied at that point.  Sometimes then opening the book randomly and reading what is said on that page. It's about energy and more and more people being willing and able to talk about their experience.  It's about the galloping technology able and willing to observe with finer and finer instruments.

Books of fiction get read, word by word .... time becomes a non-issue.

 

Bubbles ... in the autumn

There are more factors than merely temperature involved in bubble behaviour at this time of year.

Early this morning the conditions were such that the bubbles remained in a mass for quite some time before they ventured out in different directions;  wind did not seem to play a role in this.  And they had a lasting quality to them.  I was quite surprised to see one mosey past the south kitchen window 'long after' its emergence.  

Click on the photo to enlarge it, click on a bubble to enlarge it  and then scroll around to enjoy each bubble's colour.

From left to right that's Cecil, Alice, Alan, Gregory, Maisey -  I'm just teasing and do not really give them names.  

Photographing rain

Capturing the rain with the lens eluded me during a recent early morning storm.

I did not even attempt to capture blowing bubbles in the rain in the dark a few nights later.  Just hoped the Moon had cloud-ray vision.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well ... open umbrellas ....  I guess that is photographing 'rain'.  Sort of.

Then I looked up at the umbrella over me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh!  Raindrops.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In view.  In lens.  In sound.

 

 

 

Victoria BC .... October colour

At the back of the Monterey Senior Centre on Hampshire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They have not yet started to fall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The parking lot on Monterey.  One does not simply approach an arbutus tree:  one pauses and admires first.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once I was sitting by the ocean under an arbutus tree and bits of the peeling bark were falling and making a small commotion of sound.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reminds me of a flexed arm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You walk away slowly from an arbutus tree, with a backward glance or two.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back on Hampshire by the Avenue.  This tree will turn bronze and the leaves last and last and last - a  few still on the tree come spring.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was on the ground already, more yellow still than bronze,  curled up as if about to sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A gaze-stopper/traffic-pauser on the corner of Victoria and Granite.  Each year it bursts to attention.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The stone wall alongside the Art Gallery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A changing work of art.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mystery poster

This is on a  tree in Oak Bay Village.

So far I have not been able to discover the story behind it.  

Will report when I do.

(click on photo to enlarge if unable to read the fine print)

'Harvesting'

Harvesting .... in the sense of bringing nature's bounty indoors.

The southernwood plants are now by the back door to greet and welcome those coming and going with their please-touch-and-release scent. They are hardy and ought to survive the cool season.  The scented geranium are not hardy but they are 'on duty at the door' as well, for as long as - well, for as long as .....  Snippets from them were taken a month or so ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Australian bushmint had grown huge in the house over several years in spite of  (or because of!) continual clipping for scented bouquets.  In the summer it got greatly 'pruned' (these are the clippings drying on the deck for  pot pourri) and the plant put outside for the experience.  It seemed to like it.  However it is not dependably hardy so will be brought back indoors as soon as I remember to do so.  Maybe in a different location.  Maybe the southern window in the living room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The scented geranium clippings took root and are now in the south-facing kitchen window.  I think I will replant them into larger pots now and let them grow bigger and provide for scented bouquets and then next year put them out in the garden where, given an agreeable situation, they  will grow into bushes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A small lavender plant purchased from the nursery in the summer and transplanted into a much larger pot filled out nicely and has now come indoors, near both the south and east kitchen windows,  catching reflected light and sun from the mirror backdrops along the counter, receiving  frequent appreciation.