Signs of Spring

Sitting in front of the big window I got thinking about all the signs of spring I'm seeing outside.  It's truly a beautiful time of year when it stops being cold, snowy and messy outside (for a wheelchair) and turns to warm spring weather.  I'm looking forward to 11°C tomorrow and my first chance to get outside and go for a ride.  So here are my signs of spring.

- obviously, the snow is all gone, at least outside my window,

- the temperatures have been creeping up and are promising a big jump tomorrow,

- the squirrels have been much more active, chasing each other madly around the tree trunks, 

- the birds have been calling in early morning I'm told,

- and birds have been appearing in pairs, nuthatches this morning, and chasing each other, the crows, 

- green sprouts of plants are appearing in the garden,

- buds are swelling, especially on the Magnolia,

- the streetsweeper came by late Wednesday,

- and finally, I saw my first Robin.

Same photo cropped - it loses resolution fast when it's an iphone shot. but it's still the first Robin of spring.

Back Home Again

After enjoying our time down in the swamp, we headed a little bit further south and then turned north just before Kimberley.  It seemed like we were home in no time on this bright sunny day, but we did stop in at the shore to check out what ice was left.

Some nice shadows across the gravel road as we drove out of the swamp.

Just before we reached the corner at Kimberley the river, running high just now, curves by quite close.  And looking across the valley you can see the snow on the old Talisman ski runs where I skied as a teenager.  I'm sure they haven't been used as ski runs for ten years or so.  The Bruce Trail crosses right at the top.

Then it was up the long straight road back to Meaford.  This big hill you go down just before entering town with its beautiful view of the bay is the ancient Algonquin glacial shoreline.

There wasn't much ice down at the shoreline, just some dirty thick patches on the boulders of the breakwall.

This was the most we found in the way of icy formations, a far cry from mid-winter.  Spring has definitely arrived.

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And guess what!  The street sweeper went by late yesterday afternoon, and by Saturday the temperature will be up at 10°C, and staying that high for the week, so I can get out for a ride.  What a sudden transition it's been this year.

Still Down in the Swamp

We're still down in that big swamp.  It's entirely a Silver Maple Swamp; these trees seem to enjoy getting flooded for a brief time in the spring whereas it would stunt many other trees.  And it's a place that looks very different over the seasons.  It's also a popular canoeing route, down the broad meandering Beaver River.

Right after seeing that goose we came to the river, first to the north and then looking south into the sun.  Every time I go by here I remember canoeing down this river, which I've done several times.

The bridge is an interesting one.  The old bridge, of steel girders, was deemed unsafe a few years ago, and they brought in this new welded steel structure, completely in one piece.  The truck had to back down that long hill to get to the river, and then with a crane on each side, they lifted it into place.  This is the only road where you can cross the river in about 12 miles, so it gets a lot of traffic.  Just across the bridge on the right is a popular canoe put-in or take-out spot.

Driving down a little further Mrs. F.G. got fascinated by these ice patterns and shot a few photos.  It's the one in the background with its head in the water.

Back across the river and we spotted more Canada Geese, swimming among the trees.  Did you notice the third one?

Shadow patterns also fascinate us.  They followed us as we drove out of the swamp to head further south.

  

Up on the Hill, Down in the Swamp

 Saturday was a beautiful sunny  day, if still cold, and Mrs. F.G. suggested we go for a drive.  She thought she remembered an interesting road 'down in the swamp'.  So we headed out, aiming eventually for the only road I could remember that went through a swamp.

We didn't want to just drive the main road, so we chose the back route to Clarksburg and ended up on top of the Algonquin glacial shoreline, with a beautiful view over the bay.  The large white building is a major apple storage facility.

Looking a little left we're looking out across Nottawasaga Bay, the southernmost part of Georgian Bay.

Looking a little to the right, we're looking at the ski runs of Georgian Peaks, the first of several ski clubs on the Blue Mountain.

Then it was down into the swamp;  It was, as I expected, completely flooded, and the ice was still not melted. 

Looking the other direction it was more ice than water.  I think the river, which flows right through the middle, has a big effect on which areas melt first.

We took a closer look through the trees and there was a lone Canada Goose standing on the ice, almost hiding behind a muskrat den.  Today it's another such bright sunny day\  March is living up to its reputation with lots of these bright sunny days.

An Awkward Interlude in Seasons

We're in a strange space between the normal seasons, no snow  left but it's still cold, not getting above freezing today.  So it's not really spring yet, too cold for that, but winter is over.  And it's the muddy season on all the trails, a really messy time to be hiking.  As for me, until the grit gets swept off the streets, I'm still inside.

This our beautiful sunny  day today, a little deceiving because it's -4°C with a bitterly cold wind.

But I can't believe it was this just 5 days ago.  Most of it went in one warm night, but all the little bits were gone two days ago.  What a change!

This morning we enjoyed the pleasure of losing an hour's sleep, in favour of Daylight Savings Time (DST).  My brain farted briefly when I woke up and saw it was still dark out - what happened, did the earth stop spinning?  

This welcome small blast of sunshine has been lighting up my room early in the morning for the past few weeks, but now it's just dark again.  My caregiver drove to work and arrived in the dark unlike the pleasant sunny mornings of the past week.

Did you know that DST was proposed and championed nearly a century ago by two gentlemen who wanted more daylight in the evening so they could pursue their own personal hobbies?  One was a golfer who wanted to squeeze in more golf before dark and the other was an amateur entomologist who wanted to chase more butterflies.  What about all the other folks who have to get up early and go 'Pi' Day?to work in the dark?

Now that I'm constrained somewhat and dependent on caregivers morning and evening, I think  I'd prefer to have the extra morning sunlight.  And to have it getting dark when I get hauled into bed in the evening.  What about you?

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Did you know that today is 'Pi' Day?  Not pie, but 'Pi', that mathematical number representing the circumference of a circle, given the diameter, the number 3.14.  Today is March 14, or 3/14 so there you go!  Don't know who thought that a mathematical formula needed a holiday.  Maybe circles are allowed to be off-shape, relaxing a little, just for today!

The Swans are (probably) Back!

To jump back 5 years again, this has been the week that migrating Tundra have typically returned.  The ice was still half in Lake Eugenia that year, and swans, as well as a lot of geese and ducks were scattered around on both the ice and the water.  We haven't been down there this year, but given the weather, I expect it's about the same today.

All the big white birds are Tundra Swans; below are some closer shots.

Note the black beaks on all these swans,

For comparison, here's a Mute Swan we saw a few weeks back in Thornbury, with its orange beak.  It hangs around all winter.

Off for a beautiful drive in the sun today, probably have some more photos to share tomorrow.

And the Same This Year!

The snow vanished remarkably fast overnight.  Sometimes it does that, if the temperature stays high, and last night it did.  The snowier of each picture pair below was taken on Monday morning, the others today.  Soring is here! 

The big view.

The planter.

Our chairs.

And the ostrich, which has emerged to enjoy 6 months of warmer weather.  Even though we will have more snow, it won't last.  You can already see plants poking up in the garden, and Mrs. F.G. is already suggesting where we can remove more sod and expand the plantings.