Autumn Colour

At first, there were hints of colour changes in the trees on our morning walk.  

Then slightly more significant patches as the colder weather arrived.

The maples looked stunning, as ever.

It was easy to track the progress of the leaf change.

Our morning walk brought us to some beautiful shades of orange, reds and golds.

The weather has been changing every day, with significantly strong winds and driving rain, which made for a short season of autumn colour.

More sheltered spots have revealed berries and beautiful colours.

The last few leaves hanging on in protected areas of the woods.

I love the orange-red of these maples.

The occasional squirrel out looking for tasty treats.

The almost-bare boughs of these trees stand in sharp contrast to the evergreens of the firs.

And these beautiful red maple leaves with contrasting trunks of the birch trees.

Walk 1,000 Mile Challenge - week 41

Back in June, I reached the half-way point in my challenge to walk 1,000 miles in 2017.  I've been walking most days and slowly clocking up the remaining distance.  This morning, I completed the challenge when I finished my 1,000th mile!

I haven't added up the total for this week because I will likely be out again tomorrow.  I may have done the challenge, but I will continue walking on a regular basis, as I feel better when I get outdoors and enjoy some fresh air and sunshine.

Baking for Christmas

It's that time of year again, when my thoughts turn to baking our Christmas cake.  I had planned to make it earlier - the longer it has to mature, the better it tastes, but I had a few problems obtaining the ingredients.

On Saturday evening, I prepared the dried fruit by sorting through and removing any stalks after washing and rinsing thoroughly.  I then soaked it in brandy and left it overnight.

Moving to a new house has also involved getting accustomed to a new oven, which has proved to be somewhat inaccurate.  I bought an oven thermometer and I'm so glad that I did, as it took quite some time to get the oven to the correct temperature and the results were amazing.  

The cake took over five hours to bake and came out perfectly.  It is the best Christmas cake that I've baked in years; if not ever.  Now I can store it and give it weekly feeds of brandy until it is time to add the finishing touches.

At Dusk

The end of the daylight was fast approaching.

Some views of the sunset last week as we were driving home from Moncton.

Apologies for the dead bugs - I took these through the car windscreen (I wasn't driving!).

The sunset was spectacular and I loved the way that the trees were silhouetted.

We were driving almost due west, so the whole spectacle unfolded in front of us. 

Close to the shore and you can see the water.

The last hints of light as the sun sets.  The end of a perfect day.

Off Island

Thursday saw us heading off the island on a trip to Moncton, New Brunswick.  Moncton is 140 Km from here and the drive takes about an hour and three quarters.  The day was overcast and there were no opportunites to take photos on the bridge because we were behind a large truck.  

Back into moose country, though fortunately we didn't see any.

At a truck stop, we spotted some carved sandpipers.  These tiny birds stop in the area each summer before their non-stop flight of 4,300 Km to South America.

By the time we were on our approach to Moncton, the sky had cleared and the sun was shining.  We had an interesting visit and I found a great fabric shop, which I will visit again on a future trip.  I did buy a small piece of fabric, but I will save this for another post.

Our return trip over the Confederation Bridge, with Prince Edward Island ahead.

Another view of the bridge, with the elevated section ahead, which allows ships to pass through the channel.

The final approach onto the island and you can see the change in the weather since the morning. 

Welcome back!  It was late in the day and dusk was fast approaching, but I will save the rest of my photos for another post.

Just realised that this is my 400th post!