October was glorious this year — warm and sunny and golden. This was Thanksgiving at Milford House: The good weather continued into late October and November. This view of the window box outside the back door was taken on November 5th! We don’t normally have flowers still in bloom in November. Dandelions were even sprouting … Continue reading
Filed under Home & garden …
A soggy spring
It was a cold, wet spring on the whole (and an especially wet May) and everything was a week or two late as a result. April 21, 2019, saw the first few pink blooms open on the magnolia, the first lilac buds and the rhubarb shoots just poking through. May 8 we spotted our first … Continue reading
Spring Peepers 2019
The first peep of 2019 was April 14. It was a glorious warm and sunny day 15 degree day today following a mild, rainy day yesterday. No surprise at all that the peepers were out tonight. Today was also the day the daffodils unfurled and the crocuses bloomed on the front lawn. But no … Continue reading
Winter 2018/19
We spent August to early December travelling in the Yukon and Europe and arrived home to very cold temperatures in December — unseasonably cold temperatures and it took us a few weeks to get used to it. It set the tone for the whole winter — cold and icy and not much snow. We had … Continue reading
Hot and sticky summer
July and August 2018 have been the hottest and most humid months ever experienced in Nova Scotia. The temperatures have remained in the high 20s/low 30s since the beginning of July but the killer has been the humidity. The humidex values have been high 30s and low 40s *every single day* for 6 weeks now. … Continue reading
Dancing aphids
These are Red Goldenrod Aphids (Uroleucon nigrotuberculatum). They only live on goldenrod apparently and don’t harm the plant. They provide food for ladybirds and other insects so I’m leaving them where I found them just on the edge of the woods by the bridge where they seemed to be dancing in unison on the leaves. … Continue reading
Finally… a porcupine!
It was an absolute scorcher of a day — over 30°C this afternoon and humidex values closer to 40°. I was in the kitchen after dinner when I spotted what I thought was a raccoon out in the field. We’ve seen a few recently. I put my glasses on and took another look… and yelled … Continue reading
Summer loving
This year, 2018, will go down in Hall family history as the summer of broody robins. Back-to-back-to-back-to-back broods. It’s July 1 and we are on the third round of egg-laying already! Another short 5-day break between broods, and we are on batch #3 of the summer. We couldn’t believe it when we saw the new … Continue reading
Canada Day Fireflies
We came home around 10:15pm after watching fireworks at the yacht club and Evie suggested we look for fireflies in the long grass at the back of the field. We saw them immediately! A whole host of twinkling lights in the grass and at the edge of the woods — the best display we’ve seen … Continue reading
Spring round-up 2018
Here are a few of my favourite “finds” this spring in Nova Scotia. Here’s a painted turtle laying her eggs on the side of the Dynamite Trail — photographed by a friend, Callen, who spotted her while we were out for an evening bike ride at the end of May near Oakland Commons Pond. They … Continue reading
