New Happenings

The year started off with my happiest hobby, photography.  Except I wasn't the photographer but more like the subject of the photograph.  But that's okay because we took our larger family photographs.  I'm glad we did it on New Years Day because it's an easy date to remember.

And the year is already just flying by.  I'm trying to enjoy every last bit of my maternity leave as well as get ready for the birthday extravaganza week.  January 7th was a birthday party, my nieces bday is on the 10th, followed by my big day on the 12th, followed by my nephew on the 13th..

It's been harder to even get on the computer as Cammie is now a hold onto mom kind of walker or a pick me up kind of gal, followed by a I don't need to nap kind of attitude.  It's all good practice for next month and day care!

Then we just wait until March which gives me a month to adjust to my new back to work schedule..

Here are a sampling of our portraits we took.  It's our first one done as a family and we love them!

The cousins are so cute together!

Our family of 3!

Our cute crawler

All smiles, what she does best!

Next stop, MIL leaves and my parents arrive.  I've gotta soak up all of this time I have off before back to work!

Being a Tourist Around Victoria

So as if all heatwaves go quicker than they arrive, my friend Sylvie could not understand what we were talking about upon her arrival at 20C and cooler temperatures for Victoria.  Well we tried to impress her with the heat, but unfortunately it did not stick around long enough for her visit.

Day 1 started off with a visit to Butchart Gardens for the first time!  Yup, I've been living in Victoria for 2 years now and I had yet to visit.  It was a fun visit, but way too touristy for my liking.  I'll pass on going back again, unless a few photo bloggers make an appearance in town one day.

Here's a look at the days photos.

That was most of the tour of the gardens.  We kept on moving as tourists by the hundreds arrived and it got very crowded!

We toured the city of Sydney for lunch and ended  up stopping for a great mini hike at Mt. Doug.  It was definitely a jam packed day of beauty.

The Mini Heat Wave

Well we have had another few days of 32C plus temps here in Victoria, which is known as a heat wave for us fair temperature folks. Victoria normally has temps ranging from 15C to 23C, so 32C is quite a difference, especially when we have no air flow in our house, and AC to be found. I'm not complaining at all, but it has been quite hot around!

A view of one of the light houses in Victoria.

I have a tourist in town this week and hope to be out and about taking lots of cool pics of the town. It's been since March of 2008 since we got to spend a lot of time together. That's the plan at least!

Big Wind

A good friend took this photo yesterday of a local man taking advantage of the wind.

Yup it was windy!

A Windy Good Friday

The wind woke me up this morning, howling and rattling the windows. Living on a large island some times has its quarks, like not as much protection from the winds. It's not all that bad, mostly 50 to 80km an hour winds, nothing too destructive. I just feel sorry for the people having to take a ferry ride today!

This is what it looks like outside today.

Maybe I'll process a few photos or brave the outdoors for a few pics. Happy Good Friday.

Swan Lake

I went out to another hidden sanctuary in town this morning. Actually I first went to my swim workout then out to my 9am meet up with a fellow photo friend. It felt great with the cool morning air. There's lots to see but I know I needed to get there a bit earlier. Even better, not being in a rush to go anywhere but just go photograph.

Here's a bit of info about the sanctuary. It's full name is Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary. You can find many different water foul, birds, including lots of humming birds, and various other rodents sneaking around in the bushes.

Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary is a wild oasis in the heart of the urban landscape and includes two distinct ecosystems: the beautiful marshland of Swan Lake and the spectacular Garry oak meadow on Christmas Hill. Both are home to an incredible array of native plants and wild animals.

I wasn't so lucky on my bird finding trip today, but here are a few of the cool shots I liked. The website even lists the birds at the sanctuary and current sightings. So let's show you around.

parts of swan lake.

Following this pair around.

Robin up in a tree.

Red winged black bird.

Heren in flight to land.

Part of Swan Lake. Until the next trip!

Actually you can get here even via bike at the galloping goose trails. It's quiet yet so close to the roads into down town. I definitely want to explore more of the lake.

It's Raining Ducks

I had a great time after work today to go for a quick trip to the pond with a bit drizzle of rain and viewing some really cool ducks. It's my first discovery of this little pond in the middle of Victoria and I'm sure to be back again. What a beautiful place!

Here are a few of the duck shots I liked, including the above video showing the ducks searching for food in circles. Why do they do this?

Ring neck duck

Green winged teal duck

Wood Ducks together

We had some great reflections on the water!

Werid Weather

When I woke up this morning, it looked like we had endured a hail storm. But there wasn't any harsh noise to indicate such an event. I let the thought go and walked onto my first appointment of the day ready for cooler weather. While walking back, it started snowing...

Yes, I was a bit perplexed and just smiled at the thought. A few hours later the snow started pouring down. Luckily nothing stuck to the ground but it was definitely a funny event.

Here are a few photos from the day.

A bit of snow on the stairs and coming down.

The windshield

On Rooftops.

On Bird houses.

A bit on the Ground.

On the deck.

Luckily we had dashes of sunshine thrown into the mix as well.

What a day. Up next time, a bit of a tour of one of my favorite walks in the area. I'm definitely ready for spring.