Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: me

I happened to have already scanned this image a few years ago and thought I'd use it today, to wish everyone who celebrates Christmas a very happy day. Me, many, many years ago (lol!), wearing homemade, flannel pyjamas and clutching one of my Teddy bears. Merry Christmas, everyone! Here, our temperature on Christmas morning is -19C (windchill -29C). Extreme cold warnings are in effect for Alberta. The forecast for "a few flurries" has changed, so sunshine should be here to stay all day. There is too much snow on the ground already, so we don't need any more.

I just had a sudden urge to scan one of my old family photos last night and chose this one, taken many decades ago by my Father, of my Mother and little me : ) I'm not sure, but it looks like I may have been sitting in the child's seat on the back of my Father's bike. I only remember seeing photos of me on my Father's bike, and I don't know if those old seats were movable to a different bike. So often at weekends, my parents and I would bike into the countryside around Birmingham, England, and my Mother would look for wildflowers, which she loved, and my Father would be taking photos - photography was a passion for him. I seem to have inherited both passions, for which I am truly grateful : ) My Mother died in December 1998 and my Father had died many years before that, in 1976. Sadly, our main communication for decades was by letter, as I got married at 22 (far too young!) and moved overseas, usually across the other side of the world. Missed out on family talks and sharing of my parents' lives. Very sad, but it happens to many people when family members move away. Oh, by the way, those curls were the curse of my life, ha, ha - just hated them!

Another Christmas bauble from a walk down in a local park, where someone had decorated one of the Spruce trees. Can't decide whether I like this one best, or the blue one that I posted recently : ) I like the tiny splashes of blue, red and gold in this one. Only six days left till Christmas now. For me, this will be the simplest Christmas I think I've ever had - haven't even put out my Christmas decorations this year. I am SO behind with absolutely everything, in general, that I know there is no way I can deal with Christmas things. The last few days of dizziness haven't helped : ) Not well-timed at all. For most of you who do celebrate Christmas, I'm sure the next few days will be hectic, though I hope you are able to find a little time to relax in between shopping, wrapping, baking, visiting, and so on. Have a healthy, safe and happy Christmas! May the New Year be a good one for each of you : ) And let's remember those who are less fortunate than ourselves. A special thought goes out to those of you who are unable to be with family or friends during the Christmas Season. Thank you all so much for being such good Flickr friends - your encouragement, inspiration and comments are priceless and appreciated so very much!!! Happy Christmas, everyone!

An old photo taken by my Father many decades ago, that I scanned last night on the spur of the moment. You didn't really think I'd put a date on it, did you, lol?? Not sure, but I guess this might have been taken on a camping trip somewhere - apparently, I learned to walk round a tent pole, ha. My Mother made my dress - how she used to love "smocking" embroidery. Hmmm, will have to Google that word, as I'm not sure if I've got the right word.

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!

Sorry to post two blurry photos in a row! I wonder if it's something I am doing wrong when I scan, or maybe old photos do tend to be blurry when scanned. Anyway, this is me when just a few months old, being held by my mother. Vera Kathleen Bassindale (nee Neal) Married to Tom Carden Bassindale Anne Kathrine Bassindale (m. Elliott)

LOL, no doubt this will be the only photo you will ever see of me on Flickr! Thanks to Susan Wooding for capturing this moment west of Nanton (I didn't know she was doing this, LOL) - photographing a small wildflower that none of us had seen before - Yellowbells. This location is the furthest north limit recorded for this species. Sunflowers are SO much easier to photograph!

This was the sky that greeted me when I dashed southeast of the city late yesterday afternoon, to drive some of the gravel backroads in search of .... anything, LOL! Oh, I did see about six Tundra Swans on a pond in someone's field, which was a treat. The dark cloud build-up didn't turn into anything at all - could have been interesting, especially when I picture the gravel ruts turning into mud ruts after heavy rain. Could barely hold my camera still, the wind was so strong. Would much rather have been back out there today. Instead, I had a traumatic experience this afternoon - I actually had to go to a shopping mall, LOL!!!! I HATE, HATE, HATE shopping and only go to the mall once a year if absolutely necessary, or every two or three years if possible : ) However, the holes in my two pairs of old jeans are getting bigger and bigger, and so I had no choice but to go searching for new ones .... sigh. I can never find what I want (of course, if I spent hours walking from store to store, I might do better, but that is not going to happen, ha, ha), so have to make do with what I can quickly find. A woman who hates shopping??? Yes, I know there are a few more of us out there, LOL. There has been a dreadful condo complex fire in the city this afternoon. Many units destroyed, but no people injured. They have also been searching for people's beloved pets, and have taken them to an animal centre to be claimed. My condolences to all those who lost everything - a very difficult thing to have to deal with - but of course I am relieved that everyone survived.

I think this is the last of my Christmas bauble photos, taken down in Fish Creek Park a couple of weeks ago, so now I have blue, silver and gold : ) Wishing all of you who will celebrate tomorrow, a very Happy Christmas! To those who don't celebrate Christmas, I wish you a happy and safe day, too.

I came across this scan that I made ages ago and sent it to my daughters a few days ago. Last night, I decided that I would upload it to Flickr to give you all a little smile and chuckle. My eyes are blue, by the way, not rather green like they look in this very, very old photo : ) I was told many years later that I was very lucky to have a colour photo of myself, as colour photography was just becoming available when I was around three years old, and my father must have been one of the first to use it. I still remember all those decorations, though I haven't seen them for dozens of years. Happy Christmas, everyone!

Hope that all of you who celebrate Christmas are enjoying all your preparations. Less than two weeks now, so you'd better get busy : ) On a long, cold morning's walk in the park yesterday, we came across a tree that had been decorated with coloured baubles and ornaments. Loved the blue of this bauble and the reflection of the park - couldn't figure a way to exclude myself, LOL, so there I am, wearing T-shirt, sweater, fleece jacket, my bulky winter jacket, hat, hood, long-johns, jeans, two pairs of gloves, two pairs of socks and of course, my winter boots (plus ice-grabbers)! And it was only -12C!!! It's snowing again today - the beautiful, light, fluffy kind where you can see all the individual snowflakes. Light is so poor, so no use to try and take photos. Thank you to the person who spent time adding a little colour to the white landscape: ) I hope the birds enjoy it as much as I did.