May Flowers (almost)

I would have used "Steel Magnolias" as my title as it's my all-time favourite movie but I recall that Jenn used that one once before so I didn't want to steal it :)
I saw some magnolia trees in bloom the other day but it was raining and I was far too wrapped up in getting ready for my exam so I didn't stop to take any photos. I took the day off today and ran a bajillion errands and found some time to photograph my favourite spring blooms. When Brannon and I find 'our house', the first thing I'm going to do is plant a magnolia tree!

Molecular Mimicry

I have an exam on Tuesday and Bailie is pretty much emulating how I feel about it (that's an immunology text); it's her own version of mimicry :)

Since I've posted a photo of Bailie I thought it would be nice to post one of Blue too; she helps me study in a different way - she stays out of my way!

And in case you were interested in how my herbs are doing; I have multiple basil sprouts in 5/6 wells. No sign of the cilantro yet.

Mooney's Bay

I spent the day in my office and took a quick stroll through Mooney's Bay park on my way home. People were everywhere, enjoying the sun. I wasn't dressed for the sunny outdoors today so I didn't last long but I did manage to take a few photos. It would have been a perfect opportunity to sneak some people shots but I only had my kit lens with me so I would have had to have been sitting on top of them to get a shot....hence, no people :)

I like this first shot because you can faintly see the rays of the sun over the beach! I couldn't get much closer to the water's edge because just last week the area was flooded so the beach remains quite muddy.

They haven't cleaned all the plant debris off the sand yet...

Trees that are just sprouting leaves...

Pushing Basil

I apologize for not posting anything lately but I've just been so busy! I managed to plant some basil and cilantro seeds the other day (I have this handy cute little indoor greenhouse!) and after 2 days the basil has just pushed up through the soil. Hopefully after this exam I have on Tuesday (it's an oral one and not fun *sigh*) I'll have more time for picture-taking!

Flying High

I was out this morning *trying* to capture a bird collecting various debris for her nest.....you'll notice that's not what I'm posting :)
She wouldn't sit still long enough for me to shoot anything useful but just when I was about to give up a plane flew by....

Sunday afternoon

I went to see several homes today (I loved one!!) and my agent was a bit late so I took a few minutes to look around the neighbourhood and I found a child's kite caught in a tree. I didn't have my zoom lens though so it's pretty far away.

I couldn't help but snap a photo of the pretty sky on the way home!

One plant, two photos

I've had nothing to photograph lately. I have so much going on that I just haven't had the time or the energy to take pictures. Brannon and I are house-hunting; we've now seen ~2 dozen homes and we have yet to find the right one (there are lots of reasons for that). I'm also getting ready for a couple of big exams for my program; not your typical exams though, ones that make-or-break your PhD.....I'm a busy girl.
Anyway, so I took pictures of my violet 2 days in a row because I want to chronicle the growth and development of the flowers that are just now budding, which means I have a happy plant. The first one was taken at night with the flash and shows what colour the plant really is. The second one I took today with bright full sun and it looks like a different plant entirely. It's almost like the sun sucks the colour right out of it. What I do like about the second shot though is that the sun reflects quite brightly off the little hairs (??) on the leaves - anyone know what those are called?
So, that's it for today. I'm house-hunting again tomorrow....send me some good vibes! :)

Sprout!

It's an amazing day today - twenty degrees and sunny! I came across some plants that have sprung up in the last few days so I took some pictures (and got caught by their owner!). Notice though, that there is still snow on the ground....will it ever go away?!?!

Summer Sketchers

As you know, I work in a lab. There are many great things about what I do but there is a large caveat - shoes!! When the rest of you are picking out what cute shoes you're going to wear with your warm weather outfits, I'm struggling to find clothes to go with my closed-toe, closed-heel, rubber-soled shoes that are required in the lab for safety reasons. Fair enough, my feet are important to me...but I wanna look cute too :)
Anyway, I am a big fan of the comfort of sketchers and I came across this cute pair the other day and I just had to have them :) They're not fancy but could be worn with a skirt or capris so they're perfect!
It's unlikely they are up to code in the lab but the health & safety dude probably won't object to these. Unfortunately, the rest of the photos I took are without any flash and they look like cr@p so you just get one for today.

Forgotten Playground

I drive by this sad forlorn little play area all the time; I don't think I've ever actually seen any children playing there, though I'm sure you can see why :(

They're Baaaccckkkkkk!

The ground is still snowy but the geese and seagulls have returned! The goose has been tagged; by who, I don't know.....

White Water at Hog's Back

As you saw in yesterday's post, the waterways in the area are flooding. Here are some photos I just took at Hog's Back (Rideau Canal) - thanks for the tip Jen! I'd say that the water is easily 3 meters higher than it is usually!

Funneling....

Here's a photo from the same place that I took back before Christmas. The rock that you see in the middle of the photo above is what's under the snow in the next photo. The water has just about engulfed it! And if you look at the rock wall on the right you'll see how much of it is under water. It's really hard to tell, just by looking, how much more water is there but it's A LOT. I was talking to a guy who was also there taking photos and we could barely hear each other, it was so loud! And notice how calm the water looks in the last one, compared to the others. What's funny is that, even there, it's running pretty fast!

Riverside Park Under Water

As you might imagine, with all the snow that fell this year, we're now experiencing some flooding. These photos were taken today along Riverside Drive (Ottawa River). The river has flooded its banks and has sunken the park. In fact, it's very close to running over the road as well and it has not yet reached its peak (which will probably be tomorrow or Sunday). What's worse is that it's pouring rain so that can't be helping the situation. We might be unhappy but the waterfowl seem quite pleased :)

Sicky

Doesn't this just say it all??
I managed to get through the entire winter (and it was extra long this year!) without even a case of the sniffles. When colleagues got sick, my immune system held up ok; even when Brannon got sick, I managed to avoid it. But now that the weather is getting nicer and I have so much going on in my life (comprehensive exam for my program is looming, we're house-hunting, etc.)......now my body decides to crap out on me :(
Send me some healthy vibes!!

Birds of Spring

I'm glad I had a few minutes to spare this morning before work to take some photos because it's raining now, after work. I woke up to the singing of the birds so I thought I'd run outside and stalk them :)

A sure sign of spring...

I LOVE this one; not because it's any photographic feat but because it captures the ruffled throat feathers that happens when starlings sing. I'd never really paid much attention to their songs but they're actually quite pleasant :)

Ratatouille

Little Darlings :)

Chipping Sparrow

At least I think it's a chipping sparrow :)
I was stuck in the city this weekend so I didn't have the luxury of hunting down a 'real' animal to photograph, hence the bird shot! I'm still not sure what I'll enter in the contest, something new or something I photographed before...but this is what you get for today. NOT easy to photograph! The little buggers don't sit still for long!! :)

Pretty in Pink

It was a perfect day to be out taking photos but I had a million errands to run so I didn't actually get to take anything outside. I bought a bouquet of pretty pink flowers for my friend (her birthday) and thought I'd sneak some shots before I gave them to her :)

Tracy's Bling

My friend Tracy just received some VERY pretty bling! Much of her family and friends live in Saskatchewan and, therefore, can't see her fun new accessory first-hand. She's been receiving emails from everyone asking to see a photo of her engagement ring, and I coincidentally had my camera with me....so here's what I took. I haven't the first clue how to photograph jewelery so if anyone has any pointers at all, I'm open to suggestion. We really struggled with the crappy light in our office and most of these were taken in the dark!
As pretty as the diamond is...it's the band that I love so much about this ring. Chris, you did a great job!