farmfriday

New: Another Tell Me A Story Audio Release

Audio version of this “Does Your Chicken Have a Pépie” story now available as part of the extended content feature and on the Tell Me a Story page.

Let me read you this story here or on the linked page www.elliekennard.ca/chicken-pepie using the audio player while you browse the images, or you can subscribe to the podcasts as I will be recording my stories in that form.

Enjoy!

…I leaned on the fence feeling utterly defeated. The factory hum of bees in the Linden blossoms, the loudest interruption of the peaceful afternoon, went completely unnoticed. I wasn’t taking in any of the pastoral beauty spread out before me, as I watched my little flock of hens in the yard, lying in the shade …

You Can Subscribe to Podcasts

You can subscribe to be notified of my latest podcasts on Google Play Music here:
https://play.google.com/music/m/Iejjjkpnxpru5455inh4rgroy4u
or iTunes here:
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/ellie-kennard/id1124067320
or Feedburner here:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/EllieKennard

 

North Mountain, Nova Scotia, Colours Beginning to Change

 

This time last year we went for a drive towards Blomidon to see the early fall leaves. This scene I loved for the contrasting colours of the crop of blue (cabbages, I suspect) in the middle ground. The "North Mountain" is, in fact, a part of the Appalachian chain of mountains that stretches down into the North Eastern US. It hardly qualifies for the term 'mountain' (I can hear laughter from those who are familiar with really high mountain ranges, such as the Rockies, Himalayas, Alps etc.) as it is barely more than a line of high hills. But these deserve a little respect as it seems that the mountains are very old and therefore worn down.

The leaves are becoming really spectacular here and I hope I get a bit of nice weather to go out to see the colours this year.

My posts are all on my blog: https://www.elliekennard.ca .

A #farmfriday posting on a quiet +Farm Friday weekend (so far) curated by myself, +Steven Kennard and +Susanne Stelle – hoping to liven things up a bit.

#hqsplandscape +HQSP Landscape curated by +Leo Schubert +David D +Mike Hankey +Peter Marbaise +Hans-Juergen Werner +Shannan Crow

#LandscapePhotography +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Tony Phillips +Dave Gaylord +Doug Hagadorn +Eric Drumm +Jeff Beddow +David D +Bill Wood

21213

Check this out on Google+

Annapolis Valley Panorama

Check this out on Google+

 

Best Viewed Large

It's never easy to get a clear view from the top of the 'South Mountain', looking across the dykes and the Minas Basin to the Blomidon cliffs, as it's always so misty across the bay.

You see here the farmland with the dykes winding through the countryside. You can see the highway which slices through the landscape like an ugly scar, and a farm shop roof in front of the water, stained red with the mud from the incoming tide. It is high tide, which really shows the curving path of the water well in the scene. In the distance you see Port Williams across the dyke. The hay that you see is supposed to be particularly good, grown on the reclaimed land and full of minerals. To the far right you see the sloping cliff of Blomidon, which is also a Provincial park. Kingsport, with its wonderful beach for walking at low tide lies in front of it.

It's the first landscape that I have posted in a long time, as mostly I have been focusing on blur and smaller vistas. I hope you enjoy this.

I decided to try my first panorama in Lightroom and to see what the new 'dehaze' feature would do for it, as well. Considering that I could have done a better job of taking the images, LR didn't do too badly at lining up the edges to make the photograph. I only had a small amount of cleaning up to do. I have to say it was rather 'quick and dirty' and I also found the dehaze feature to be a bit of a gimmick (it's global, creating a lot of contrast in areas where it wasn't needed) but no doubt a small amount did help. For a change I decided to upload the image at 3,500 px, which will count towards my image storage on G+, but thought the original size, at more than 17,000 px would really be too large.

My posts are all on my blog: https://www.elliekennard.ca .

For two themes that are still active on G+: #farmfriday +Farm Friday​ moderated by +Steven Kennard+Susanne Stelle​ and myself and for #hqsplandscape +HQSP Landscape​ curated by +Michael Garza+Leo Schubert+David D+Mike Hankey+Peter Marbaise+Hans-Juergen Werner+Shannan Crow
Also for my friends +Giselle Savoie​ and +Mark HELM​ and +Photo Mania Canada#photomaniacanada which is also very supportive to Canadian photographers.

644

Check this out on Google+

Cold Storage

 

Day 2 of 5
#naturechallenge

This photograph was taken before "the big snow", when we thought we were going to have a normal winter. The corn seemed to be self-set, as it was growing in an enclosure where there had been outdoor pigs the year before. I saw it growing all year, providing shelter for birds and small mammals and no one tended, sprayed nor harvested it and it was left for the wild animals to take what they wanted as and when they needed it. It is slightly sheltered by a heavy wood on one side, so some of the corn is still just above the surface of the snow. I saw today that each of the ears has now been exposed and is stripped bare of kernels. All around the fields nearby there are the arrows of pheasant tracks and we have many that roost in our trees. I'm glad that they have food to help them get through this tough winter.

On another, rather more bizarre note, I noticed that the onion skins are scattered liberally here and there over the snowy fields over which we walk. I have no idea where they come from, but it does look very odd in this white landscape.

**************************
I have been challenged by my friend +Tom Crews​​ to participate in a 5-day Nature Challenge. I have been asked to post one nature photo each day for 5 consecutive days. I am asked to name a new challenger on each of my 5 days. Today I am challenging my friend +Linda Villers​​ to provide us with some of her lovely nature photos for the next five days. (No pressure, Linda but I hope you do it!) Have fun!

Are you not able to comment on Google+ because you don't belong? Would you prefer to comment on my blog? It's right here with all my G+ posts on it: _https://www.elliekennard.ca__ ._

Today being Friday of course I must mention one of my favourite themes, #farmfriday +Farm Friday​​ moderated by myself, +Steven Kennard​​ and +Susanne Stelle​​

401

Check this out on Google+