…but April showers do bring May flowers






…but April showers do bring May flowers






…out like a lion?
They say that if March begins with beautiful, sunny, and mild weather it will surely go out like a lion. In this climate that usually means cold, wintery weather. Hard to imagine this happening because our winter has been more like a west coast winter with mild temperatures and rain. It would be a cruel gesture on Mother Nature’s part to end the month with a blast of winter.




…road trip to Banff
The morning started off cool and rainy. My brother-in-law lent us his old pickup truck which he affectionately calls Lucille, and we drove through the foothills of Alberta towards the Rocky Mountains.
As we got closer to Banff we started to see some of the mountains through the clouds but it wasn’t until we returned later that evening that we realized how much of the scenery had been obscured by the clouds. We were in awe.
As we approached Banff:




Throughout the day the weather constantly changed but towards late afternoon the sun started to peak though the clouds.



Not wanting to drive back to Calgary in the dark we left Banff around 7:00. This is when we realized how much of the Rockies we didn’t see in the morning.











When I was leaving Moncton, yesterday I knew that Southern Ontario was experiencing very dense fog. As I boarded the plane I wondered if the pilots had more up to date information on the state of the weather over the island airport that we had to land on.
When I left Moncton, it was sunny and very mild. Once in the air we were above the few clouds that hovered over the east coast but one had a nice view of the land, rivers and lakes below. As we neared Toronto we were all of a sudden above a completely white blanket of clouds. Fifteen minutes before we were to land the pilot came over the speaker and informed us that the airport in Toronto was too fogged in to safely land so they were going to circle above the lake for 40 minutes to see if the fog would lift.
After about 30 minutes the decision was made to fly into Hamilton instead because it looked like the fog would not lift until well into the next day. As we approached Hamilton I was relieved to see land below again. We landed safely but now we needed to get back to Toronto. Some people were suppose to get connecting flights to elsewhere and others had conferences they were scheduled to attend.

Normally our luggage is on the tarmac when you fly with Porter and you grab it as you leave the plane. In Hamilton, however, they had a different system and because so many flights had been rerouted there over the course of the day and because they were understaffed we had to wait about 30 minutes to get our bags. Then about 70 of us headed outside to catch a shuttle bus.
The bus didn’t arrive for at least 30 minutes and then it was only a small bus. The next bus was on its way so I allowed others who had connections to make to board in front of me. The unfortunate part was that the bus was nowhere near us and we ended up waiting another hour. When it did finally arrive there were only four of us left waiting. Twenty or more people had ordered taxis and Ubers to get them to where they needed to go. The funny part was that the second bus was a full size coach. By this time the fog had rolled into Hamilton.
The trip to Toronto was very comfortable and the driver, although a tad heavy on the accelerator, got us safely and very quickly back to Billy Bishop Airport. Of course the place was deserted because the fog was so heavy and no flights were coming or going. I ordered an Uber and luckily I was picked up two minutes later.
This morning when I woke up the fog was still over the lake and the city. The photos that I took from the park at the bottom of my street normally show a clear view of the city and the lake. As you can see there is not much to see beyond the trees.




….after yesterdays gently falling snow
The snow had completely melted from everyone’s properties, the roads and sidewalks were clear and then this happened. For most of the day the temperatures were hovering just above freezing and even though it had been snowing for hours most of it melted when it hit the ground. Later in the day the temperature dropped to just below freezing and the snow started to stick to everything. There was no wind. Driving home from a shopping trip I felt like I had been transported into a magical winter village. Before going into the house I took a stroll up the street and took a few photos.






….how quickly the weather changes on Christian Island
Being on an island in a large body of water, like Georgian Bay, the weather can change very quickly. A couple of weekends ago the water was dead calm and it was great for swimming. I swam for a solid half an hour. The water had warmed up nicely over the summer but the evenings were getting cooler. The breezes coming off the lake, however, were a welcome change from the stifling heat we had experienced in August.
As the afternoon wore on we could hear the rumblings of thunder in the distance and the big fluffy cumulous clouds were starting to darken.
We managed to get back to the cottage before the skies opened up.
….so the snow is still on the ground
Earlier in the week we experienced a snow storm that broke all kinds of records for November 12th. Usually when snow falls this early it doesn’t last more than a day but there was a lot of it and the seasonal temperatures are well below normal. The seasons are all confused. There are still leaves on the trees but today many of them decided it was time to come down. It’s quite strange seeing leaves on top of snow.





The snow certainly has put some people in the Christmas spirit and decorations are starting to appear in the city.

…it’s looking more like January than November 12th
Yesterday the snow started to fall and the temperature stayed below freezing so it didn’t melt. It just kept snowing and snowing and snowing. The leaves are still on the trees, my garden furniture isn’t put away and my snow tires are not on my car. Apparently we’ve set a record for the amount of snow that fell and the low temperatures that we experienced for this time of year.
Today my husband got up early and started shovelling the snow in front of our house and the homes of some of the neighbours and later in the day I had to spread de-icer on the stairs and the driveway. More snow on Thursday.
This last photo is of my snow tires waiting to go on the car but I couldn’t get an appointment until Dec. 11 to have them installed. I made the appointment a few days before this storm.
….to all my fellow Canadians
As far as long weekends go this one was pretty uneventful. Daughter number two went up to the camp to continue cleaning out their cabin that they’ll be living in this summer but they only stayed one night. The black flies are pretty bad this time of year and it was cold.
On Saturday I got some gardening down and cleaned out part of a flower bed and trimmed back the Rose of Sharon and the ornamental grass. Even though it was warm enough to garden without a jacket it wasn’t warm enough to sit outside without a jacket to enjoy a cup of coffee.
On Sunday daughter number one and our daughter-in-law came over to drop off their dog, Olive so that they could camping in a yurt up in Tobermory. While they were there my husband felt well enough to make a fabulous dinner that he had seen on Jamie Oliver’s show, Dinner in 30 Minutes. This is a photo of the salad he made with fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, roasted peaches, olives and salad greens.
Olive seemed to settle in quite nicely and she certainly made herself right at home when her mommies left. Unfortunately night time was a bit rough and I ended up sleeping on the couch with her until 4:30 in the morning and then my husband took over.
Today started out promising but the winds picked up and the temperatures were well below normal. Later in the day I bundled up and took the dogs for two separate walks. Frances would only let me take her around the block but Olive went five times as far. We ended up in Col. Sam Smith Park. The water levels are still high and one of the pathways was completely under water.
No sunburn or tanning this long weekend but the good news is that I walked over 13000 steps today. How was everyone else’s weekend.?