It's been a while, but we're settled in okay

It's been a few years, almost since I last wrote about our adventures here in Nova Scotia, so a final (perhaps) update. Everyone is fine. We've managed to find wood for the winter every year (we're getting the handle on how to manage it). We've replaced the woodstove with one that provides heat. We've had the house insulated (so that the heat stays in the house). We have a new vegetable garden, because the other one was in the wrong place (partially thanks to the previous owners, more a result of us not knowing which end of the spade to use to plant).

Summers are mixed. Start late. Can be quite hot in July and August. Fall is the best season of all (for those wishing to visit the east).

Logan is fine. He'll be 5 this year. He's truly a wonder dog, and our best friend. Everyone loves him, because he loves everyone.

Gizmo is fine too. He spends more time downstairs with us now, and occasionally watches TV with us.

We have real high-speed internet, using the cell signal still - no wired internet here, ever it seems.

The satelitte still goes out during high wind or heavy rain. Yay! Well, maybe not Yay! How about ttthhhhppppttttt!

All in all. We're good. Thanks for asking.

The veggies are all in now

With the cooling temperatures comes the threat of frost, and that means that our garden is now free of any veggies that might get frozen before we want them to. When they were brought in we had a little traveller along for the ride - who has since been returned to our flower garden.

The vegetable garden was successful in providing a live example of what growing your own food means in terms of space. To feed a family of any size, even 1, would require a considerable piece of property and work. There was a suggestion, as the garden was going in, that we should plan for 2 crops of some of the quicker growing plants. We were lucky to get 1 batch of anything. Our tomatoes are still green, now inside to do the final ripening, and we didn't get a single ear of corn. So, next year we will be planning on the need for frequent trips to the grocery store, even in August and September.

Some subjects beg to be aged

The end of our street is an interesting spot to wander around. There are majestic horses grazing in the field behind the community centre, which overlooks an aging barn on the other side of the street. These scenes were beckoning to me this morning, so here they are, aged for effect.

In the country the stars are so much brighter, they say.

I don't know who they are - possibly our neighbours - but they sure are right about the stars and the night sky. It's hard to not look up and stop for a moment as you realize how many little lights there are up there. Each one represents a solar system, or some cosmic region full of planets. Takes the breath away, and makes the brain hurt just thinking about it all.

These shots were taken this evening looking straight up and towards the ever present barn. There are so many more stars in the photos than you can pick out just looking up there.

Yellow is the colour of the day

Shooting in the garden yesterday resulted in some interesting shots that begged for some treatment in photoshop. The shots here are a few different treatments of the more colourful shots.

Our garden is coming back to some degree, with a harvest of Zuccs and Cuccs yesterday, and some tomatoes are still putting up a good fight. The nights are getting cooler, and in preparation for the inevitable, wood is being chopped and piled high, and electric blankets located, just in case. There's always the furnace too, if we get really cold temps at night.

Busy shooting

It's been a busy month for shooting, and I haven't updated recently because of scheduling issues, so here is a starting point for coming updates.

With a near full moon tonight it was possible to get a fair bit of detail from an otherwise pitch black scene. Taken with a 5 minute exposure this shot reveals some details of the field and the barn, with the clouds being light and dark streaks in the night sky.

Play misty for me

The weather has been quite nice the last few days, but we are still having misty mornings. They really give a different mood to the scenery, and make it difficult to tell where you are when you're driving on the highway with no view either side. It can make the trip go very fast, but be careful not to miss your exit - I haven't done that yet, though I have been surprised to find that I am closer than I thought.

BTW - the subject is the title of a Clint Eastwood film from the 1970's. Really good 'I'm your biggest fan' thriller. Highly recommend it if you can find a copy.