Slacker!!

Yes, I know...I've been clearly absent form this blog of mine.

Seems like these days of a busy life I can't seem to put in the time to 

write, edit photos and post. 

Actually to put it more honestly, it's not that I can't, it's more 

like I'm just not there in that head space right now.

We are in the process of moving after 17 years here on the farm...more on that later...

and it's an all consuming task.

One other reason for my tardiness at blogs doors is that my main camera lens

seems to have crapped out on me and I have not had the time to tinker with it

or take it to have it repaired.

I am relying on my zoom lens or my phone camera for now which is somewhat limited.

But even though I seem to be in a 'moving state of mind'  I am still taking photos.

Anyway a little montage of my favourites as of late.

Hope you are all well and happy and healthy and enjoying the bliss of summer days!

 The waters off of our shores are a gorgeous shade of azure blue due to a 

rare phytoplankton bloom which surrounds itself with microscopic bits of limestone...

 For these usually dark Pacific waters, seeing this colour around here reminds me of Nicaragua...

Walks on Island view beach with my dad one morning revealed this lovely driftwood structure...

...always the walker...

These cliffs have been known to uncover ancient mammoth teeth...

The full moon amongst the trees is something I never tire of...

Georgia!!!

The dreamer in me sends myself into the clouds...

...wishing to land on all that puffiness...

...to look down at the earth through different eyes...

This little fox sparrow by the lake one morning sending out his song...

Tiny summer mushrooms introduce themselves in the middle of the pathway...

Spotting wee spotted fawns around the place...

I am forever trying to capture the small but mighty hummingbirds...ready for take off!!...

Zooming in to the agapanthus...

...a few quick sips of nectar...

Making lavender tea for a hair rinse...after steeping for a few hours the flowers are pale...

...and the liquid a gorgeous shade of purple!!

I showed my mom a few needle felting techniques and she's a real natural! 

Here's a few of her pieces...

A little buzziness to sign off!

 

Ciao for now!

Heaven in a raindrop...

Last night it rained!

This may not seem like a big deal to those of us in these sodden lands

but this summer has been probably the lowest rainfall in recent memory.

But enough doom and gloom...I am rejoicing in last night...

I woke in the middle of the night to the soft, unmistakeable sound of a steady downpour.

I lay in bed with a sigh of utter pleasure...glorious rain!

This morning everything was coated in heavenly droplets of moisture...

The earth exhaled...

...took a big drink...

Hopefully there's more on it's way.

The garden is smiling...

...the Virginia Creeper has donned her fall blush, reminding us of whats to come...

Even our little pirate's smirk is brighter...Sweet Georgia loves water.

She will purposely run under the sprinkle of a hose to get wet.

So all is well for now in her little kingdom.

Visitors of all shapes and sizes....

We've had some interesting visitors at our place lately.

The first has become a regular who you may have read about before...

Georgia has befriended a few young deer, these being the smallest...

They are equally curious of one another...(not the best photos...taken with my iphone)

And here she's sharing a bowl of water we put out for the deer because of the drought and heat...

Then the other evening I was looking for something in the grass when I spotted this little creature...

 She/he is a  Northwestern Alligator Lizard, here's a few facts about them...

                                                     Scientific name: Elgaria coerulea principis                                   

The Northwestern Alligator Lizard is a short-legged, long-bodied lizard, with a triangular head (bearing little resemblance to an actual alligator!).  Growing to a maximum of 20 cm in total length, their size and colouration make them quite cryptic.  Adults usually are brown in colour with a pale belly.   Occasionally they sport dark blotches or a broad bronzy stripe down the centre of the back.  Upon close examination, you might see a fold of skin running down each side.  This allows the body to expand when the lizard is breathing, full of food, or in the case of females, full of eggs.  Juveniles often are more metallic looking, with black sides and a bronze back.

Alligator Lizards are very secretive; their first defence is to flee and hide.   If caught, a lizard may release a smelly mix of feces and musk, bite, or even ‘release’ (autotomize) its tail.  The dropped tail acts as a decoy, distracting the potential predator.  Over time, the lizard will regenerate a shorter, fatter tail.   As the tail is an important fat reserve, tail autotomy usually is a tactic of last resort.   As evidenced by the number of lizards with regenerated tails, however, it also is a successful tactic.

I took these photos while it just sat there sunning itself in the evening light...

 I love their little mouth and their head looks like a snake.

I noticed afterward while looking at my photos that it was missing a toe!

...there's that tail that can break off... 

 I've written about visits from them before here and here.

Our other recent visitor is this guy...

It took a few attempts but I finally got a pretty good picture of him.

He's a Long Eared brown bat.

Can't you tell where they get their name?

Look at those ears!!

We found him while we were working up in the loft of our barn.

They feed on moths and have a pretty decent set of teeth from other photos I found on the web.

So there you go...a few of our furry friends that live around here.

All creatures great and small.