My heart's delight.....

.....is shining bright even through the wildfire smoke!  It is hard to turn a blind eye to the smoke. Even though I feel it in my eyes and throat, it is creating sights that capture my attention.  Summer days are winding down, the mornings are cool, the shades of autumn are appearing, this is a time of year which I love. 

💝

Upon arrival at Carburn Park, I was greeted with this sight!  While there is no mistaking in IDing this bird when you hear its song, it was speechless this morning.  There is no mistaking in IDing this bird when you see its silhouette!  This is my watercolour painting of the Kingfisher.  

 Upon arrival at the Pond at Carburn Park, I was greeted with this sight!  

What am I seeing?

A sure sign the smoke is upon the city, the sun shines bright in this shade! 

It's the reflection that drew me in!

Oh, by the way, the second photo above is a close up of the clouds reflecting!

Oh, by the way, this is my reference photo for my painting of the Kingfisher.

A few Robins are still hanging around.  Maybe these few stay local rather than migrate.  I am not sure why and how the background shows a beautiful blue sky day in this photograph, that was not the case.

a Merlin

four Cormorants spreading their wings to dry off

My heart's delight is being out in nature, walking dirt trails, meandering through forests and capturing special split seconds in life which I saw many of on this day. 

💝

As we got closer to the mountains and to Forgetmenot Pond on this day, it was obvious we would be enduring smoky conditions. Being here on a weekday at this time of year affords you peace and quiet.  Along with this we were gifted still as could be conditions.  I have come to appreciate atmospheric and moody conditions so I was able to appreciate these views.  

the sun reflecting in The Pond

playing with perspective

that rock is about a foot in size

always my favourite location for a photograph of Forgetmenot Pond

my friend at that location

me at that location

As we neared the end of our walk, blue brightened up the sky.

our picnic spot

While anytime at Forgetmenot Pond is special, 

it's extra special when you get to see the wild mustangs.

My heart's delight is being away from the city, surrounded by mountain scenery, experiencing peace and quiet, it feels like a rejuvenation.  

💝

I chuckled when I finished knitting this slipper.  It is not supposed to be that long.  I followed all directions, used the recommended needle size and yarn size.  My mistakes are obvious yet I feel my heart's delight in finishing the first slipper much sooner than I thought I could.  I am ready to start the second one and look forward to finishing it then donning them on these cool early mornings when I wake.

I hope your heart's delight occupies special moments in time throughout your day!

Inglewood Bird Sanctuary September 6, 2025

He said "GO"!  He said "hang that camera around your neck"!  He said "strap on that backpack"! He said "you raise that camera and take photographs"!  This is my interpretation of what the surgeon told me at my check up appointment.  I followed his advice that it's time to get back to doing things, that it is safe to do so, just listen to your body!  If something is painful to do then don't do it.  So, I arrived at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary while it was still dark, sat in my car for a bit then strapped on my backpack, slung my camera and purse around my neck and off I went!  It felt so good it felt so right!

The morning was chilly yet it was not fresh.  Late yesterday most of the wildfire smoke blew out of the city.  Instead of the rating being at high risk as it was for the past number of days, this morning it was moderate.  I could smell smoke but I could not taste it and it did not bother my eyes or throat.  

The Sanctuary was a happening place this morning!  I did lots of watching as I have been doing the past while yet in addition to watching I was snapping and snapping and snapping!  Many of my photos were blurry, I had a feeling they might be as I was getting use to holding my camera up to my eye.  The strength is coming back with lots of recovery exercises.   I was so happy to be able to zoom in to capture close ups like I did for this Female Downy Woodpecker.

There were many Wood Ducks, this male being one of them!  

The way they were chasing each other, it looked like springtime flirting.  

Or it could have been the juveniles just being kids.    

While I was chatting with two other birders, this Merlin landed on a tree just above us.  There were two and they were both playing chase with a crow.  They flew over top of us many times, at times too close and too quick to capture a shot. 

The Osprey is eyeing me!  There were two, one at each end of the pond high in the trees.  They were chatting loudly to each other.  I guess I distracted this one and it stopped being so vocal for a few seconds. 

Two Beavers were busy building nests not too far from each other.  

I had a better view of this one so watched for quite some time. 

Figure this one out!  That's the backside of Mom with her head to the right eating from the ground.  That's her fawn behind her with the head to the left.  I was at the Sanctuary a week or so ago and I believe this is the same pair.  Back then there were still a few spots on the Fawn, today there were none. I need to google to find out when are they no longer considered a Fawn and does having or not having spots have anything to do with it!  

The leaves are beginning to change colour and some are already falling from the trees.  

It's not swish season yet but I will be out there swishing when it's time to!

While I covered a good distance it was not a great distance nor was it done in a clip style fashion, yet I was exhausted once I got home.  I blame that on the excitement of doing something in a normal fashion again and the extra effort it took to take photographs holding my big camera up to my eye which I did 130 times!

making doors open

This morning I made a conscious effort to be outside somewhere, where I could watch the sunrise.  I've not done that since back in May.  The time felt right for this door to open and welcome events of this type back into my life.  With sunrise time at a more reasonable hour, it allows me more time to accomplish what I have to do at home then get to Nose Hill and hike up.  I was out the door during darkness.  As I hiked up the main big trail, I watched behind.  

When the sun began cresting the horizon, I found a spot to sit and watch.

After the sunrise, I hiked to the top to cover distance on the flats.

 A big loop was in the plan which included passing by the pond.

This is my watercolour painting documenting my first sunrise along this journey as navigation gets more accessible and becomes more comfortable.  The plan is to keep this door open and go places to witness more sunrises. 

😃

There was so much slipper time these past few months that I wore holes in two pairs.  They were slippers I knitted last winter.  Since then I completed other knitting projects but nothing since May. The thought crossed my mind, did I have enough range of motion to knit again.  The only way to find out would be to try.  I collected my supplies from the basement and they sat on my table for a few days.  On this day, I tested the waters.  I am happy to report that another door opened and I am back at knitting again.  I picked an easy slipper pattern.  My technique right now is not pretty but the knitting gets done.  I am good for about 15 minutes at a time for now so I will not be whipping these up.  I am going to say "stay tuned" yet this time I may have a finished product in a month.  

🌅

Once again, I made a conscience effort to get out somewhere to watch the sunrise.  Due to a limit to the time I can sit behind the wheel, I opted to head back to Carburn Park. I watched the sunrise between the trees.  Two ducks swan in the early morning light.  Being a long weekend, it was very quiet at the park.  It's the last weekend to escape the city before school starts up and routines get back to normal.

This is my watercolour painting documenting another sunrise along this journey

end of summer shades paired with end of golden glow moments

Into the forest I go to find a Mom and her fawn.  I wondered was this the family I saw the last time I was here.  I think not, this was the only fawn which stuck very close to the Mom.

Not far away were these two fawns!  I believe these would be the two I saw the last time. Their Mom was in the brush snacking away on breakfast and not paying attention to her little ones.  These two would have been born in May of this year.  They were still quite small. The second one was a bundle of energy and entertaining to watch.

It's a good feeling to have doors open up again.  I do realize it takes work and time to get to where I can make the doors open, I am putting the work in with patience.  

🛬

When our world changed back in 2020, I became interested in the unusual planes that I could see parked at the airport which were visible out my front window. I joined a local on-line plane spotting group.  I had been capturing photos of planes from my front doorstep using the full zoom on my camera.  I have not been able to carry my camera and use it since May, so I plane spotted but did not capture shots.  That was until today.  I saw a plane out my picture window and I wanted a photo. I cannot carry my camera or yet raise it high enough to capture photos.  My mind wandered and it wandered to a way I could make this work.  Today another door opened! I can carry my camera attached to my tripod with my other arm. I can place it in the passenger seat of my car.  I can get it out and carry it a short distance, set it up, lean down and snap a shot!  This is what I captured! In this photo they are removing crates that contain the horses. It brought horses from Belgium for the Spruce Meadows Masters which takes place from September 3rd to September 7th. 

I am already wondering what other doors can I work at to open them!

all walk no talk

They are calling it a "long duration heat event"!  Who the heck comes up with the terminology these days to describe what our weather is. Simply put it's hot!  I wanted to be by water and where I could let my mind wander to days gone by!   

Yesterday was all walk plus all talk as we worked our way along an eleven kilometre route through Bowness, Baker and Bowmont Parks.  We had lots to catch up on so I was not paying particular attention to the scenery nor was I snapping shots.  We shared  stories of the past, the present yet more excitingly the future for each of us, as we follow our journeys which are on the very opposite ends of a spectrum. 

Today was "all walk no talk" as I returned solo to follow the same route, with a veer off here and there, this time with a couple of motives in mind and also to snap shots. I began as the golden glow hour was coming to an end by walking down a trail I had never been on before.  I saw others on this trail during the winter months when I skated along The Canal which is to the left of the trail in the photo, and also during the summer months when I kayaked down The Canal. The time for me to hop back in my kayak will come next summer.  

Once again I wanted to capture a scene that I could paint.  I was motivated to do this after what I shared in my last blog post.  The above photo was the first shot I snapped and I knew it was the one to paint.  This is my painting.

While walking that new trail, I stopped, I closed my eyes, I let my mind wander back to January 2nd of this year when I skated along The Canal. In my mind I felt the cold against my face and I could see my breath.  Aaaah!  So cool! 

When I came back to reality, I continued along the trail to witness the last of this morning's golden glow.  No the leaves are not changing colour yet, well not to this extent.  I did an out and back along this trail.  My turn around point was where the ice ends when skating here. 

Not a breeze was to be felt.  The Lagoon was like glass.  That's a very young duck sitting on the end of the dock where you launch your watercraft into the water.  As I approached, it did not move, it was not living its best life. Eventually it awkwardly shimmed into the water where it slowly swan away.

I worked my way over to the trail that follows along the river. 

Once again I stopped, I closed my eyes, I let my mind wander back to.....

.....January 24th of this year when I skated here, along The Ice Trail. 

This was the view when I skated along The Ice Trail two weeks later on February 7th.  In my mind I felt the cold against my face and I could see my breath.  Aaaah!  So cool! Walking the trails that I skate in the winter was another motive for returning to this area again today.

With cool on my mind now, 

I continued on with covering some distance 

all the while admiring the scenery and snapping shots.

By the time I arrived back at The Lagoon,  I felt I had my fill of being near water, capturing many beautiful seconds in time and covering the distance I set out to cover, it was time to head back to my vehicle and head home.  By now the heat was hitting.  This is my last photo of the day and it was my reality.   

...only in my dreams!

Aaah so cool!