Month: February 2015

Once I recovered from the tiring effects of the recent virus I succumbed to and the spells of vertigo lessened (plus the sweats, the shivers and the shakes) I had quiet times on the iPad.  I wasn’t in the mood for blog visiting or answering comments so had a go at adding a Twitter and Facebook page to Still Waters which as I haven’t previously been a user of either media was quite a learning experience!  They are there on the sidebar now so I guess I just need to work at getting some followers 🙂

My friend Bonnie had sent me this picture of the front of her house on the day she forwarded the funny cartoon about not wanting to make a snowman so as I was travelling the world via webcams (mentioned in this post) I decided to drop in on Nova Scotia courtesy of this set of webcams:-  – http://www.novascotiawebcams.com/en/webcams – and see what else was happening near to where The Golfer’s rellies live.  I do know they had more snow as B tells me that she has to look out the upstairs windows if she wants to see down the street!!

There are two places on our ‘must visit’ list each time we visit NS – they are Peggy’s Cove with it’s lighthouse and Halls Harbour with it’s tides that can see the little fishing boats up alongside the wharf or lying flat on the bottom of the sea bed.  It was only after several years of visiting I finally got to see the harbour with water in it lol

 This is the big roundabout (which they call a traffic circle) in Halifax that has a knack of confusing certain of TG’s cousins so we rarely go that way.  The resort at Ski Martock offers night skiing with trails lit for the purpose (looks like a popular pastime) and the view from the Harbour’s Edge B&B in Yarmouth was definitely chilly for this warm weather sunshine lover.  You can see the same view minus snow here  

 

 

 

 

 

 

So that was my international travel for one of my ‘off’ days – this would have to be one webcam site that has the most amount of information about the areas covered.  Have a look and visit one of the beautiful Canadian provinces.

http://www.novascotiawebcams.com/en/regions.

And of course all those little screen shots will open with a click

This is a post for Michelle who hosts Nature Notes at Rambling Woods
I’m hoping some of my other readers will find it interesting

 Last week (not this one just gone, the one before) I was a bit under the weather so spent quite a bit of ‘alone’ time pottering around just ‘looking’ at things on the net.  The Golfer and I enjoy webcams – looking at and seeing what is going on (in real time) in other parts of the world so I was viewing some of our favourites when I discovered a ‘new one’.  The company that operates this new webcam also has others located in cruise ship ports – we often turn these on at the weekends to get our cruise fix which keeps us going until the time of our next sailing 🙂

Anyway this is the one I found:-

Welcome to the NEW JERSEY WILDLIFE CAM

http://www.njwildlifecam.com/

A 24/7 live streaming HD-quality Internet video broadcast produced by PTZtv.
Take a virtual field trip on your desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone and join us for some great views of the local wildlife in the State of New Jersey, USA.
You will see many deer — bucks, does, fawns — plus an assortment of squirrels, birds, raccoons, foxes and more.
Whatever your wildlife interests, we hope you find something interesting to watch.

Now these photos are screen shots from my iPad so not exactly the best, however they do give you an idea of what can be seen.  The advertising (a necessary evil) on the side bars is relevant to Australia (blame it on those cookies)  I suppose others would get some relevant to their own country – there is a little spot with the current temperature in the park which can be interesting at times!  Our day time is their night time so when we have been sweltering it has been rather cool there to say the least 🙂

Oh, and don’t let the times on these s/shots confuse you – the time at the top was our local time and that on the black border the local time in New Jersey; we are 16 hours in front so have to either tune in really early or really late to see daytime vision.

It does give you an idea of how many deer drop by for something to eat – is the young one in the first picture a bit wary of the squirrel? (who seems to want its fair share of the feed) or is it just the way it is standing?

Click on the gallery to enlarge

The camera is one of those ‘wizz bang see in the dark type’ so you are able to see whoever comes to the feeding place during the night.

I have no idea what that little animal is on the ground
But I do know one of my North American readers will 🙂

If you are interested there is also a F/book page
where readers discuss all the wildlife they have seen on the screen.

https://www.facebook.com/NJ.Wildlife.Cam

It’s possible many of you are already aware of this little spot in a nature reserve where some feed is left for animals to graze on – now I’ve discovered it I’m hoping it’s not going to be one of those ‘time wasters’ we all talk about.  So far it hasn’t been – it has been calming.  A chance to sit with a drink and just be, not do.

Do have a look and see how you feel
You’ll get a better idea watching it in real time than from my s/shots lol

http://njwildlifecam.com/

Linking to Nature Notes at Rambling Woods

Is It the Year of the Sheep, Goat, or Ram?

Actually, Chinese people are also not quite sure about that. In Chinese the word 羊 (yáng) is a generic term, and can refer to a sheep (绵羊), goat (山羊), ram/buck (公羊 male sheep or goat), 羚羊 (antelope), etc. There is a lack of clear definition on the zodiac “Goat” in Chinese history.

However, most Chinese people and experts on folklore believe that the Chinese zodiac animal is the Goat, not the Sheep, and they have some evidence to support their idea…
Find out more here

So it seems all three are OK but lets say that The Year of the Goat has just begun.  In Chinese astrology people born in this year are described as serene, calm, gentle and mild mannered.  It is suggested they should get out among nature and commune with the great outdoors. Fresh air, trees, and sunshine will do wonders for their health.

Well, ‘some’ of that could describe the lifestyle of these goats we saw last year when visiting my sister in Cyprus.  Arriving back at her complex just a short distance from the local village we almost bumped into this little herd who were making their way very determinedly across the road.

It seems they are used to the traffic on the road but we drove past very slowly because they were certainly not going to give way to the car lol  Which was great because it gave me a chance to have an up close and personal look at their lovely long brown coat 🙂

According to my sister they are called Damascus goats, although she had heard the word Shami used as well.  I must say it was quite calming to watch as they made their way across the scrub land behind the complex with the goatherd walking along with them.

The local goatherd and his flock. Anarita 2014

When he stopped and pulled down a branch she said he was picking off juicy bits for some of the young ones.  I stood there for quite a while almost mesmerised as they made their way off to my right – answering his call as they moved off together all of them knowing where they were going.

The shadows were getting longer and as I slowly came back from my day dreaming I realised it was time for tea and a little bit of contemplation.     Haloumi cheese from goats milk is delicious – goat meat is a favourite meat of many Cypriots.  Were they milkers or were they being fattened for meat?

Linked to Nature Notes hosted by Michelle of Rambling Woods

With all the Hot Hot days last week – all I could think of was cold food, cooling drinks and air conditioning 🙂

Unfortunately a random thought did pass through my mind that it could be in as short a time as 4 months that these words on a sign just an hour from home could be very important to passing motorists 😦

Click here to see more signs at Lesley’s blog aptly named
Signs Signs

The Victoria Ski Season starts on The Queen’s Birthday Weekend
(6 – 8 June 2015)
and even tho’ there may not be snow at that spot it’s possible there will be traffic on that road

I’m sure there are times when thinking is not good for the soul lol

http://www.marysvilletourism.com/lakemountain.html
http://www.lakemountainresort.com.au/

Summer returned to Melbourne this week.  Hot! Hot! Hot!

A phone call early this week to The Golfer’s aunt who lives in Nova Scotia determined it not to be quite so warm where she is.

We have been having o/night lows of about 15c/59f
they have been having o/night lows of about -15c/5f

And just by chance this fun image arrived the other day from a friend who lives quite close to her in the Annapolis Valley.  Right at that particular moment in time they had an awful lot of snow on the ground with a lot more forecast.

Later this month she is leaving to spend a few weeks in Florida and it would seem that right at that particular time as she looked out her window this was what her thoughts were.

Somehow
I think there are a lot of other people who are thinking that as well 🙂

What on earth are you doing there?

Just trying something out!

Will you be long – I’d like to use the big computer!

Just finished – here you go!

What on earth ????

 Look, he says.  It’s great fun.

You can have this on there and that on the other one.

Oh look two Still Waters 🙂

 How on earth?

But how do I…..

Easy just click/hold your cursor on the tab at the top, drag it to the far edge
of the screen and it will appear on the other one.

Move your cursor over to the left edge and it also will appear on that screen.

What if……

Easy, just drag it back over.

The Golfer does have his reasons for setting this up this way

And yes it is fun – once you get used to it 🙂 🙂

BUT I’m sure that at times he does these things to try me lol

I’m really thinking it’s about time for me to share a few jokes with you.
You may have seen some of these before
but I’m sure they’ll put a smile on your face today 🙂

 

Going somewhere

Billy stops Paddy in Dublin and asks for the quickest way to Cork.
Paddy says, ‘Are you on foot or in the car?’
Billy says, ‘In the car.’
Paddy says, ‘That’s the quickest way.’

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Food for thought

Paddy and Mick are walking down the road
Paddy’s got a bag of doughnuts in his hand
Paddy says to Mick, ‘If you can guess how many doughnuts are in my bag,
‘you can have them both’

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

She knows you know!

Finnegin is talking to his friend Keenan
He says, ‘My wife has a terrible habit of staying up ’til two o’clock in the morning.’
I just can’t break her out of it’
‘What on earth is she doin’ up at that time’ asked Keenan.
‘
Waitin’ for me to come home!!!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Have a drink on me

An angry wife was complaining about her husband Paddy spending all his free time in a bar so one night he took her along with him.
‘What’ll you have?’ he asked.
‘Oh, I don’t know. The same as you I suppose,” she replied.
With that Paddy ordered a couple of Jack Daniel’s and threw his down in one shot.
His wife watched him, then took a sip from her glass and immediately spat it out.
‘Yuck, that’s TERRIBLE!” she spluttered. ‘I don’t know how you can drink this stuff’

‘Well, there you go’ cried Paddy.
‘And you think I’m out enjoying myself every night!’

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 Not today thank you!

Father Murphy walks into a pub in Donegal, and says to the first man he meets, ‘Do you want to go to heaven?’
The man said, ‘That I do Father.’
The priest said, ‘Go stand over there against the wall.’

Then the priest asked the second man, ‘Do you want to go to heaven?’
‘Certainly, Father,’ was the man’s reply.
Go stand over there against the wall,” said the priest.

Then Father Murphy walked up to O’Toole and said, ‘Do you want to go to heaven?’
O’Toole said, ‘No, I don’t Father.’
The priest said, ‘I don’t believe this’
‘You mean to tell me that when you die you don’t want to go to heaven?’

O’Toole said, Oh, when I die, yes.
I thought you were getting a group together to go on a trip right now.’

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

You know what they say about laughter being infectious.

I read somewhere that the sound of laughter is far more contagious than any cough, sniffle or sneeze.
Well what we need a good old fashion epidemic 🙂