Christmas Wishes

Well as you read this Christmas Day is past but I wanted to wish you a happy belated Christmas.

A bit of a hectic one here, but followed by a quiet week I hope.

Our Boxing Day tradition is to relax, we don't go out, we don't shop, we don't invite anyone in, we don't answer the phone, you get the idea........... I like to hang out in my pajamas for at least half the day...... reading, doing a favorite crossword and then starting a jigsaw puzzle. Mind in neutral........

I wanted to share a few pictures taken on Christmas Day, these ones taken of the outside activity.

There is a tradition of feeding the wild birds on Christmas day which I believe originated in Scandinavia. I like to feed the birds, especially in the winter, but bought a few extra treats this year.

A bag of peanuts in the shell is a favorite of Jays, so when the peanuts disappeared I thought maybe they were responsible. Apparently not:

Sizing them up

Sneaking in for the grab

Got one

Well maybe one more

I wonder, three, no maybe not

Missed that, well here's an encore:

Action shots.

And here's the athletic rascal with a taste for nuts, but he likes them from the feeder.

Finally who I expected. Here are the Bushtits enjoying the fruit/nut suet I put out.

Males have dark eyes, females golden eyes.

Thank you for stopping by, Happy Whimsy Wednesday and Happy Boxing Day (however you spend it).

Until next week......................

Raindrops on ..............

...well, just about everything lately.

I'm sure you remember the song "My Favorite Things" from "The Sound of Music"; here's the first verse:

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things."

There has been a lot of rain recently, rain drops clinging roses above to leaves below,

and cradled like tiny jewels.

The local pond. pictured below about 8 weeks ago, when the water was murky and water levels very low. There is a turtle, high and dry in the picture below (right hand side bottom corner).

After the recent rains the pond had filled up again, and after last weeks rain it is now over flowing in a few places.

The rains and high tides at this time of year also mean that Spanish Creek is full of water and the Coho salmon have returned to spawn.

Here is a link to a post that I did on the creek last year: Spanish Creek, a fish story . Sorry I don't have any new pictures of the creek.

But to get back to the theme raindrops on .... and whiskers ... sorry no kittens so how about rabbits...

Jericho beach park has a large colony of feral rabbits. It is a pity that people released their pet rabbits into the wild, but they now seem to be thriving, and have a faithful following of people who come and watch and/or feed them. 

 

...and squirrels ..........

This one near one of my back yard gargoyles,

and this one chewing on a horse chestnut.

Well that's about it for this week. Although I do have a painting to share. It is a poured painting that I did in a painting course recently. It is a scene from Spain showing the dramatic light.

This is scene from Italy, I don't think it's finished yet, but I'm calling it "Your table is Waiting". It is of a restaurant in a small square in a town in Umbria, Italy.

Thank you for dropping by, I apologize for not spending much time in blogland recently; sadly I haven't had much energy lately, not sure why.

Happy Whimsy Wednesday, until next week ......................

Bark, bark, bark?

Barking up the wrong tree?

This expression undoubtedly comes from watching hunting dogs barking at the base of a tree that they mistakenly think hides their prey. Happily the wily prey has left the tree and escaped in another direction.

It is generally used to mean one is making a mistake or misdirecting one's energies or attention.

The squirrel above is using a different tactic though: that if one stays absolutely still one becomes invisible. It was handy for me because it allowed me to get a good picture.

Bark has many meanings:

It is the sound uttered by a dog, but also a sound such as harsh cough or an abrupt, impatient or angry exclamation. Bark, from old English word beorcan and middle English word Berken, has probably given rise to the expression "His/her bark is worse than his/her bite".

Bark, or barque, (from the Middle English word barke, or Old French word barque for boat) is also a sailing ship with from three to five square rigged masts or a small vessel propelled by oars or sails.

But it is also the tough protective coating on the trunks, branches and roots of trees and other woody plants; the outer bark is mainly dead tissue that protects the tree from heat, cold, insects, and other dangers but also allows the tree to breathe.  This bark is a middle English word from Old Norse word borke.

It is the bark of trees that I am focusing on today, it is not only protective but also offers a wide variety of colours, shapes and textures.

We didn't have a lot of snow this winter (is it too soon to brag about that?) but here I caught a little on a tree in the park.

The spreading arms of a tree on a cool January day.

Bark of a Horse chestnut tree, curling and peeling.

I loved the shapes of this bark and the interesting shadows created by the sunshine.

A beautiful silvery colour, and delicate layers here:

Pine tree with its thick bark and, below, a pinecone (slightly off topic).

This is the puzzle-like bark of a Willow Tree. I see a face in the second one.

The flaky red bark of the Arbutus tree (the tree in front) and another tree "face".

Extracts of bark have been used for traditional medicines and tonics, tanning leather and dyeing fabrics. The strong fibres known as bast can be used for making rope and thin layers of Birch Bark are used for the iconic Canadian Birch bark canoe as well as for shelters. Commercial products such as cork, cinnamon, quinine and aspirin are all bark or made from bark.

This week I started with an old adage about barking up a tree and a picture of a squirrel and will leave you with another of each: 

"Don't keep a dog and bark yourself."

Meaning don't pay someone to do a job and then do it yourself, or interfere to the extent that they can't do the job.

I have been slowly making progress on a painting of poppies; you may recall that I "poured" the background colour. It is quite large, 14" X 21", and is a watercolour. Below is a picture after the "pour" is dry and the masking fluid is removed and then three pictures showing details of parts of it, I hope to have it finished by next week.

I have finished another  watercolour of crocuses too, and am happy with this one:

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog, and Happy Whimsy Wednesday, until next time ......