Last Leaf of Autumn

This poor little leaf is telling us: it is time to put this hammock away for the season. It is in the Children's Resort at my sister's house. We all love to go outside and swing in it, but the time has come....

The signs of early winter are all around us - a light skiff of snow on the ground, late sunrise, early sunset, crispy cool mornings, etc. I love this time of year. Except, of course, putting the hammock away.

December Views

December Sunset

Sunday night family supper is a ritual in our family. It is a time of the week when everyone gathers to discuss the past week's activities and news and make plans for the coming week. While are not a large family there are usually between 12 and 20 for supper so it is always nice when the 6 little people can go outside to play for a while and give the adults a chance to visit. As sunset comes early this time of year outdoor games can be a challenge. That makes flashlight tag an important addition to our games repertoire.

It is a simple game but the kids love it:

• Somebody has to be chosen as "it".
• This child gets a flashlight and hides his/her eyes and counts to 10.
• Everyone else runs and hides in the dark corners of the yard.
• The child who is "it"searches for them with the flashlight.
• As soon as the flashlight spots a child he/she is considered found.
• The search continues until all children are found. This is an important safety feature - we don't want to loose anyone.
• Then the first one found is "it" for the next round.

This game keeps everyone entertained until supper is served.

December Views

December Dawn

Walking is such a pleasant experience. Especially in the early morning. You get to go outside and see the day slowly come to life. My sister and I walk every day from 8 to 9 am (the joy of retirement). I took this picture from her house, just as the sun was coming over the horizon.

December Views

A December View of Peggy's Cove

I am chairperson of the Peggy's Cove Region Tourism Association. We have a dream of creating a walkway along the ocean to the southwest of Peggy's Cove for about 2kms. We want to create an opportunity for people to experience the ocean in all its moods. Yesterday the ocean was very moody and another board member, Ron MacInnis from Oceanstone Inn and Cottages ,and I spent the day exploring possibilities for the walkway, including finding the best spots for photographers and painters to capture the extraordinary beauty and views of the ocean and the village. I took this photo from a knoll about 1 km to the west of the village.

December Views

The Last Apples of The Season

Autumn is coming to an end in our part of the world. The signs are everywhere. I spotted this apple tree on my early morning walk yesterday. The sky was glowing pink but a fierce rain/wind storm started by the time I got home. Do not think there will be any apples there today.

December Views

Storm Arriving Over St Margarets Bay

This photo was taken last summer. You would think it was not a good day to go outside but look at the boats in the bay. It is always a good day to go outside. We are expecting an awful rainstorm today so I am off for an early walk so I can enjoy the day before it arrives.

December Views

Visit a Christmas Tree U-Cut to Get Your Christmas Tree

In our family Christmas is not a few days but an entire season which starts about December 1st and ends in mid-January. This coming weekend we will all be heading out to Rocky Top Farms just outside New Ross, Nova Scotia to cut the family Christmas trees.

As this weekend is the 16th annual New Ross Christmas Festival we will spend the day there, cutting our trees, taking in the craft show, walking through the village to take in the seasonal decor and visiting Santa at the New Ross Farm Museum.

Lunenburg County is the Christmas Tree Capital of the World (that's what their sign says). We really do live in the best place to cut our own tree :) There are 3 U-cut lots available so you have lots of choice of where to go. We go to Rocky Top because Nelson comes to the Hubbards Farmers Market to sell his products and we buy our Christmas and Thanksgiving turkeys from him.

As I'm participating in December Views this month, hosted by Darlene at HippyUrbanGirl , and have selected the Nova Scotia outdoors as a theme I thought the photo of the team of horses that took us into the u-cut lot would be a great start. Please check back each day to see a new photo.

December Views