Covid moves turkey pick-up outdoors

 

The local turkey farm is not selling the number of turkeys it usually does at Christmas. With the provincial government asking folk not to meet at Christmas, the turkey farm had an unprecedented number of turkey order cancellations. 

My wife didn't cancel. The family running the turkey farm were appreciative. At pick-up we found the turkeys being held outside for pick-up. When my wife asked if her turkey could be halved as she no longer needed such a large turkey. 

Our turkey may not have been cancelled but our family Christmas dinner has been. The turkey was quickly halved at no charge: "Merry Christmas!"

Cold cameras lead to cool photos

 

I left my camera bag in the trunk of my car and I left my car outside. Oops! When the grandkids started decorating the Christmas tree I retrieved my camera to get some shots of the decorations. Oops again! Taken into the warm, somewhat humid home, the lens fogged up. 

But the images shot with the fogged lens were inspiring. I shot numerous pictures. I even carefully blew warm, moist breath on the lens to enhance the foggy quality. I shared the results with my granddaughters and actually accented the soft final images with photo software. The lesson? Go with the flow.

Creative at Christmas

 

The decorations are simple but imaginative. My wife was the first to remark on the creative Christmas look of a neighbour's twin garage doors. When my granddaughters also mentioned how cool the neighbour's house looked, it was time to get out the camera. As I took the photo, passing motorists honked their approval.

RM Sotheby's Auto Show

 

In just days it will be Christmas and then New Year's. It will be 2021. Or will it be 2020 take two? It doesn't seem like this year ever got off the ground. It was a bit of a non event. Car shows, like the RM Sotheby's show held annually outside Chatham, about an hour southwest of London, were cancelled. One word explains why: covid.

One word explains why 2021 will not be a repeat of this year: vaccine. Science to the rescue.

Once a force in the London, Ontario, business community

 

Supertest service stations were a fixture across southwestern Ontario when I was a boy but the company's reach went right across the province. Headquartered in London, it operated from 1923 to 1973. In 1971 it was aquired by BP Canada and after two years the name was dropped.

There are a number of Londoners with extensive collections of historical photos documenting London over the years. Today's image is from one of those collections.

Six days till Christmas and no snow

 

Six days till Christmas and there is almost no snow to be seen. Will it be a white Christmas? Maybe not. Snow is in the forecasts but so is warmish, for winter, weather. And come Wednesday it is supposed to be not only above freezing but rain is forecast. 

But, if we have to have a green Christmas, this might be the right year. Thanks to Covid-19 we may not have children for Christmas either. The number of ill folk is climbing in the province. Business are going into lock down, my wife had her hair appointment canceled.

If we get together at all at Christmas it will be a Christmas dominated by masks and social distancing.

Why just here? Why just this section of power line?

Yes, I know. It's an old, well-told story: why birds sit on power lines. I've been told the lines are slightly warmer than other surfaces in the winter. This warmth, from the passing electricity, makes the lines a favourite perch. 

But I have another question: why did the birds pick these three power lines. No bird perched on the wires to the other side of the wooden poles. Not a one.

 And if one looks about, one immediately notices that there are no birds, not a one, perched on any of surrounding lines -- and there are a lot!