Point Gatineau in Late September

A few days ago, Terry and I drove over to the Quebec side of the Ottawa River and took a walk along the shore at Point Gatineau... 

It was interesting to see the Ottawa skyline in the distance ... the "big city"! Point Gatineau always seems like a sea resort to me!

It's always relaxing to breathe in the fresh river air.

The lily pads have flourished on this calm side of the river...

They grow so easily and beautifully in nature. Much harder in the small backyard pond I built one year.

There are small marinas on both sides of the river... At one point a tour boat sailed past... (the "loaf of bread" shape on the right side of the photo above)

The weather was surprisingly warm in the heat of the day... (or were we simply overdressed?!) so we didn't walk for long.

I love coming here... to take in the river air and the view. Hopefully we'll be back before the snow falls, when temperatures aren't quite so hot.

Purple Wild Flowers

Even as flowers in our yard are disappearing - in the untended countryside, wild flowers are still in bloom!

I noticed these purple flowers at the edge of some mown grass.

From s distance, I thought they might be wild asters. But I didn't go too close. Often when I walk in the grass, I end up with itchy ankle bites from unseen insects... And I hear there are ticks about.

Hunting and Chasing...!

The neighbour's cat, Levi was looking for something in our back yard...

What was he chasing?!

It never came out of the flower bed - and he never went in! But I suspect it was a rabbit.

Half an hour later, on my evening walk, I noticed the full moon overhead.

Let me grab a picture... 

Or two...

Never got that perfect shot I was hoping for. But chasing the moon - having a goal - made the walk more interesting!

I wonder if it's like that for Levi, too... Does hunting and chasing make the outdoors more interesting for him as well?

Final Flowers in Bloom

The colours of flowers are muted in our yard, now that September is drawing to a close.

The brightest blooms are still the pink Japanese anemones in our front yard. They have a long blooming season.

Only a few phlox remain.

Last to bloom are the red sedum. They brighten our yard throughout the fall months. Then, in winter, their hardy flowers continue to stick stoically  out of the snow!

New Plant

Can't say I need another plant, but...

I noticed this one on a shelf of end-of-season discounts...

I don't have one like it... A Taro? That's what my photo app tells me. 

I can never resist an orphan plant ... Welcome home!

New Beginnings

On July 1, 2026, torrential rain caused hundreds of basements in Ottawa to flood.

Ours was one of them.

We've come a long way since then. Everything is dry again.

This is what our basement looks like now.

Shelving has been moved into one room, to give builders space to work as they restore the walls and paint them. Then things will be moved back in place.

Our good news: construction will be starting in a few days... 

I can hardly wait to get back to "normal" - though I've almost forgotten what "normal" looks like!

Cooking and Baking Again!

I don't do a lot of cooking - or baking - in summer, when the weather is hot.

But now that it's cooler, I've started cooking and baking again.  

Yay, cooler weather!