Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: children

Yesterday, 1 October 2016, I finally had my very first visit to the Silver Springs Botanical Gardens, thanks to friend, Sandy. I first heard about this beautiful place from my daughter, but I had never been, because it is way out of my driving comfort zone. In the morning, it was raining, at least in my part of the city, and I wondered if going would turn out to be a big mistake. However, the rain stayed away while we were there and, though the sky was overcast, I was still able to photograph to my heart's content. I was surprised at how many flowers were still in bloom on the first day of October and I was extremely impressed with how meticulously these gardens are kept - every inch of them. So many different kinds of trees and plants, and it was very obvious that each area had been planted with so much thought and care. Amazing that dedicated volunteers have been, and continue to be, the ones to thank for these gardens. Thanks so much, Sandy, for giving me the chance to spend an afternoon in such beauty and peace! We all know that snow isn't far away - it has fallen in parts of the mountains, but not yet in the city - so I am trying to get out as much as I can before having to deal with the long, dreaded months of winter. Apologies to everyone for not much commenting at the moment!! "The Botanical Gardens of Silver Springs is without doubt one of the Seven Wonders of Calgary, Alberta. It boasts 1350 square meters (14 600 square feet) of gardens which includes a spectacular Wall Garden that runs an uninterrupted 1300 feet. In the gardens you will find an endless variety of annuals and perennials ranging from artemisias to zinnias. Here indeed is a place to stop and smell the roses and the peonies and the delphiniums and the chrysanthemums and the … What makes these gardens so very special is that they were created and continue to be maintained by a band of green-thumbed enthusiastic volunteers. These hale and hearty diggers, planters, seeders, weeders, mowers, waterers, pruners and community builders work two to three mornings a week to keep the gardens in primrose shape and their efforts are truly appreciated by the many walkers, joggers, and cyclists. On any given day, hundreds of people walk the wall garden with their families, friends and out-of-town visitors. It has become a treasured destination site for many. For anyone who has spent time in the gardens, it is hard to believe that they have only been here since 2006 when a humble ornamental garden (400 square feet) was developed within the existing BirthPlace Forest tree beds. The BPF, by the way, saw 7000 trees planted in the area. The project was accomplished through a partnership of BP Energy, Calgary Parks, Regional Health and Golden Acres." From the gardens' website. www.botanicalgardensofsilversprings.ca/

Today, 3 January 2016, I am doing something that usually I never do – post photos of my kids (at any age). It’s something that I feel I just need to do. Today is the first anniversary of the death of my older daughter and I am posting this mosaic of photos of her with her brother (older) and sister (younger). I created this and printed it out to give to several of her special friends when I saw them at the Celebration of Life service that was held for her, and others to be sent. The first 9 photos were taken when we lived near Muscat in Oman, Middle East, for six years, and the rest were taken in Calgary (not my home in the last photo). I don’t really want to add any details here, but if anyone should want to read more, the link below gives more detail. flic.kr/p/qD8TEb I am so tired out from all the Christmas Bird Counts I’ve been doing since mid-December, so short of sleep, and can’t think of what to write here, so I will let the photos say what they wish to say. Also, I have to leave home just before 7:00 am this morning, for the seventh and last Christmas Bird Count that I take part in. I think you’ll agree that Fiona had plenty of smiles to share : )

The three photos that I've posted this morning were all taken yesterday, 13 August 2015, when I spent about three hours with friends at Heritage Park in Calgary. One of them is a volunteer at the Park and she had very kindly invited us to visit. The temperature got up to 33°C or 34°C yesterday!! We started our visit at 9:45 am, so it was still cooler than that, but as the heat increased in the afternoon, it became unbearable. Fortunately, I had a dentist appointment mid-afternoon, so I knew I would have maybe an hour and a half in air-conditioning before returning to my home that felt like an oven. Our forecast, so far, is giving much cooler temperatures for the coming week, thank goodness! Our walk at Heritage Park was a combination of looking at the various old buildings and also checking on plants. There is a small native plant garden within the Hudson Bay Fort and we talked to a volunteer there, who I think may have learned a few new things from talking with us : ) This photo shows part of the main street and a small group of school children dressed in appropriate clothing. The little girls looked so cute in their "Holly Hobby" (?) style bonnets. The street was remarkably quiet, but it was still quite early in the day. One of my favourite buildings in this row is the Bakery - love their gingerbread men! However, it was now a banned place for me, as I have to work on getting my blood sugar/hemoglobin lowered, especially the latter : ( In the distance, you can see the Masonic Lodge Hall (green building) then, coming closer, it's the Calgary Town Hall, then the Alberta Bakery, then the Barons Snooker Parlour, then the Strathmore and Bow Valley Standard, then Webster House, and finally Weedon School and Barn. youtu.be/SHX7SuN9l5I www.heritagepark.ca/ www.heritagepark.ca/plan-your-visit/interactive-park-map.... We had been told before our visit that the Prohibited Noxious weed, Spotted Knapweed, had been seen at the Park, and we did find it, growing along a gravel road that led down by the Glenmore Reservoir. This species is a prolific seed producer and is very difficult to control. Despite the heat, we had a very enjoyable visit. Heritage Park is a place I always intend to go to, but somehow I rarely make it. This was a treat, so thanks so much, Susan!

That's me on the left, with my younger friend, Linda, who grew up into an amazing woman and an even more amazing friend. This is the person (over in England) who arranged my brother's funeral just over a year ago, helped sort through every single item in his house and sent me photos of each thing by e-mail so that I could choose which precious items I wanted saving. All these things were carefully shipped over to Canada for me a few months ago. She, and my other friends, gave up a year of their lives to do all this - and many other things, too numerous to mention. Thanks, Linda - how proud your parents would be, to have raised a daughter like you!

I came across these three young children in a local park with their mother/care giver. She was wonderful with the kids, encouraging them to splash in the puddle and to not worry about getting wet. I did ask permission to take this shot.

Photographed these young children in March 1977, in Sedab (Sidab), a small coastal village south-east of Muscat, Oman. I hope life has been good to these happy young ones!