Warm spring sunshine begs to be enjoyed

It was cold yesterday. It rained last night and it continued into the morning. But the warm, spring sun broke through the clouds come afternoon. This lady found the perfect spot to enjoy the warm rays of spring sunshine: a chair outside Starbucks.

Camera batteries died. Oops!

Warbler Woods is a well known forest  on the far southwest edge of London. The woods have been reduced in size over the passing of years. Two suburban developments encroach on the woods, one from the east and the other from the west.

Still the woods attract a lot of folk this time of year. It is known for the thousands of trilliums that blanket the forest floor, especially just in from its southern entrance. The tillium is the provincial flower it blooms annually in early May.

The parking lot was filled with cars but we soon found that we, like the other folk, had jumped the gun. We were too early. We may have seen a couple of dozen white blooms but that was it. I'd run a picture of one of those flowers but I can't. My camera batteries died.

The kids saw a woolly bear (a type of caterpillar), a large toad and a number of different wild flowers including the few trilliums we spotted. And we saw lots of hikers on the hilly trails. But no pictures could be taken. So, today's picture is an old image of the mushrooms that are so often sighted along the paths in Warbler Woods.

I'll charge my camera and head back, maybe tomorrow. It really is worth some photos.

Wet and cold for next few days

Inspired by images posted here, tonight I headed out the door and into the rain. I wondered if my rather mundane neighbourhood lit by the setting sun augmented by the golden glow of street lights reflecting from the wet pavement would take on a whole new feeling. If I could have captured the couple walking their dog, I'd have had the picture. Oh well . . . time to dry the lens.

Soon our parks will be filled with little goslings

April is coming to its end. Soon the parks in London will be filled with recently hatched little goslings. The little birds crowd the sidewalks and seem to be constantly underfoot. Thank goodness they are cute.

The sunset was teamed with a sky-dominating moon

Standing on the lookout watching the sunset, I heard a little chatter from a group standing nearby. I could make out "moon." Odd, I thought. Then I turned around and wham, I saw the moon bright in the sky above the subdivision. Looking about, I could see I was among the last to notice the bright white sphere. 

Often pictures of the moon are washed out, detail gone, done in by the curse of over-exposure. Not this night. The relatively bright, blue sky teamed with the incredibly bright moon made it easy for the camera to pick the perfect exposure.

Londoners come to the lookout for the sunsets

The little dead-end street is called Lookout Court. It is well named. With covid-19 keeping folks at home, for the most part, the court has become quite the magnet. To be accurate, the sunsets are the true magnets but the court is the gateway, the access to the view.

The other night, my youngest granddaughter and I watched as cars were parked around the perimeter of the court and folks got out and disappeared into the nearby woods. Many carried small, colourful coolers. I assumed a covid-19 protest party was about to be held in the woods. I was wrong.

The coolers were not filled with beer but snacks and the folk had disappeared into the woods only to reappear at the edge of the curving lookout. The people spread blankets, shared food and laughter but in small, I assume family groups. Each group was well spaced from the others. All were there, not to protest, but to enjoy the sunset. 

The sunsets viewed from the lookout are spectacular. Folk are yearning for beauty in these trying times and the sunsets provide a little hit of beauty. Awesome.

Still dating

 

 

Walking can be difficult for even a healthy senior. Sidewalks crack and heave and stairs, with their variable dimensions, can be an accident waiting to happen. For these reasons, it is so good when one is a senior to have a hand to hold. These two, strolling slowly and carefully in Springbank Park, seemed to me to symbolize love in one's later years. I pray they have many more healthy, active years ahead of them. I bet they've earned them.