Winter's Winding Down

Of course, this being southern Ontario, winter has a few last gasps before spring finally arrives. I took these photos over the last couple of weeks. A lot of the snow in the earlier pictures has melted. Then it snowed again. Tomorrow it's supposed to be -25C and on Wednesday it's supposed to be +17C. No matter what the weather's doing, though, the birds are singing and the squirrels are frolicking, and spring is definitely on its way...eventually...

We had some impressive fog a little while back, as the snow started melting. The grey "sky" in this shot is actually fog over the Etobicoke Creek.

 

 

Staghorn Sumac

Staghorn Sumac

Eastern White Pine

I was so excited to see these coyote tracks and then, when we encountered the coyote later in the walk, I didn't think to take a photo! We spotted him as we were approaching a bridge. He was on the other side of it, coming toward us. We backtracked and gave him space. He was cautious, but eventually passed us and went on his way. It was a highlight for me.

I also spotted a bald eagle being driven into the trees by a group of Canada geese. I've seen smaller birds targetting hawks in the past, but this was my first eagle (outside of the zoo). 

The sign outside Tim Hortons has a vaguely threatening energy. Or maybe it's just me. 

Round-leaved Bittersweet

I tried to capture the water droplets on the berries, but it didn't turn out the way I'd hoped.

What's the weather like where you are? Share in the comments. And don't forget to get my books! (Also, apologies for the wonky formatting--blogger is being weird today and I can't figure out how to fix it.)

My Books 

Bleeding Heart

Love Lies Bleeding

Blood Magic

Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

Cheers,

Aspasia

PS: Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com. 

All photos by Whimsy Bower/Aspasia S. Bissas

Snow Days

I've always loved snow. Probably not a surprise as a Canadian. According to my mom, the first big snowfall of the year happened the night I was born. When I was younger, I would always be out playing in it. I don't play so much anymore, but I love walking in it. The fresh air, the crunching underfoot, and the quiet [Edit: I forgot to add how fresh snow sparkles in the sun]. Not only are there fewer people around in general, but snow somehow muffles background noise. Yes, shovelling sucks, and the cold isn't much fun (still better than the summer heat!), but I'd hate to live anywhere without at least one good snowfall a year (preferably on my birthday).

Here are a few photos I took recently...

Off in the distance you can see a tiny figure. I tried to get a better shot but she's a fast walker. We've gotten to know her a bit on our walks, and she's apparently out every day picking up litter. She also gave us tips on watching out for coyotes-- never underestimate the toughness of tiny older women.

Speaking of tough women, download my books and read about some whose fangs would put a coyote's to shame...

 

Love Lies Bleeding

Bleeding Heart

*Blood Magic

*Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Books marked * are free everywhere other than Amazon. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

 

Are you a fan of snow? What's your favourite winter activity? Share in the comments...

Cheers,

Aspasia

PS: Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com. 

All photos by Whimsy Bower/Aspasia S. Bissas

Autumn Beauty 2

Maple tree

I finally got this year's covid and flu shots, so now I can go out without worrying. I know a lot of people like to argue that these viruses are no big deal, but even if that were true, who wants to get sick? Even a mild cold is a miserable experience--I'll pass, thanks.

Apparently we're going to get snow tomorrow, which is a bit soon for my liking. It's still autumn, but as soon as we get snow it feels like winter. I'd like to hang on to my favourite season a little longer, so I'm sharing the last batch of photos I took on recent walks...

 

Milkweed with pods

 

Raindrops on a Silky Dogwood

 

The Etobicoke Creek, looking more like a pond here, thanks to the local beavers. You can't really see it in the photo, but there was some lovely mist hovering over the water in the distance.

 

The moon this morning

My sad attempt at getting a good moon photo

Are you ready for winter? Share your thoughts below...Don't forget to get my books (links follow)!

Bleeding Heart

Love Lies Bleeding

*Blood Magic

*Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Books marked * are free everywhere other than Amazon. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

 Cheers,

Aspasia

PS: Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com. 

All photos by Whimsy Bower/Aspasia S. Bissas

Autumn Beauty

Maple, just starting to change colour

 Who doesn't love being outside this time of year? The weather is usually beautiful, and the colours even more so. I've been going on plenty of walks lately, and always find something to snap a picture of...

Silky Dogwood

Purple Loosestrife: Beautiful, but invasive here.

Great Blue Heron

Sunrise

 

 

Chrysanthemums for sale

Queen Anne's Lace

Switchgrass

Just a dead branch with unidentified fungus

Round-leaved Bittersweet

Maple leaves

Red Osier Dogwood

What are your favourite things about autumn? Have you seen any interesting plants or animals lately? Share in the comments. Don't forget to get my books (links follow)!

Bleeding Heart

Love Lies Bleeding

*Blood Magic

*Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Books marked * are free everywhere other than Amazon. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

 Cheers,

Aspasia

PS: Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com! 

All photos by Whimsy Bower/Aspasia S. Bissas

 

Pere Lachaise: Part 4

When I went to Pere Lachaise, I'd asked to be taken to the entrance nearest Oscar Wilde's tomb. I had a plan to make my way through the cemetery to the Menilmontant entrance, and then go see some other sights from there. The driver never said anything but as I wandered among the tombs, I realized something wasn't right. Double checking, I found I had actually been dropped off at the Menilmontant entrance. I was annoyed that my plans had been messed up, and even more so that the driver hadn't said a word about leaving me at a different place than requested. Still, I was in an awesome place, beautiful, quiet, lots of isolated nooks where I could be by myself with my camera, so I didn't stay annoyed too long. A couple of hours later, after my camera battery had died and I was heading out of Pere Lachaise, I noticed this:

Mystery of the drop off at the wrong entrance: solved. Mystery of why the driver didn't say anything (perhaps "Be careful in isolated parts of the cemetery, lone female tourist"): no idea. Anyway, I was (luckily) fine and hopefully these "attacks," whatever they were, have been stopped, but it's a good lesson in always being aware of your surroundings, even in places where you feel comfortable and that seem perfectly peaceful and safe.

On that note, here are the last of my photos from Pere Lachaise...

From a distance I thought this was a church, but it's a tomb.

This avenue within Pere Lachaise is named in honour of foreign soldiers who died for France.

This is a church within the cemetery. I would have liked to take more photos but there was a funeral just letting out and I felt bad enough intruding on them to take this.

The grave of Honore de Balzac

The grave of Hubertine Auclert. I overheard a guide saying she is the reason French women got the vote. We all owe her and women like her a debt of gratitude.

Grave of Delphine de Cambaceres. supposed daughter of the Duke of Morny. Bust sculpted by Amedee Jouandot.

This is another angle of the tomb I initially thought was a church. Jean-Francois Cail was an industrialist. His name, among others, was inscribed on the Eiffel Tower by Gustave Eiffel in recognition of Cail's contributions to the project.

I snapped this with my phone on the way out because the tiles are too pretty not to get a picture of them. Next trip I take, I'm bringing an extra battery for my camera, although my SO actually thinks the problem is my charger. Either way, I don't think an extra battery would hurt.

 

 

 

And that concludes my posts on my trip. Although I didn't love travelling on my own, I would do it again in a heartbeat if it means getting to see and experience something amazing. If you have a dream and no one else shares it, do it anyway. If an anxiety-ridden homebody like me can do it, anyone can. I'm already planning my next trip to France...

Missed one of my posts about France?

Zen and the Art of Provencal Cookery, Part 1 

Zen and the Art of Provencal Cookery, Part 2

Zen and the Art of Provencal Cookery, Part 3

Zen and the Art of Provencal Cookery, Part 4 

Zen and the Art of Provencal Cookery, Part 5 

Zen and the Art of Provencal Cookery, Part 6 

Provence: Maison Trevier 

Provence: Carpentras 

Provence: Lavender 

Provence the Beautiful
Paris: Part 1
Paris: Part 2
Paris: Part 3
Pere Lachaise: Part 1
Pere Lachaise: Part 2 
Pere Lachaise: Part 3

[Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com]