Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Spruce Meadows Christmas Market

Happy Christmas, everyone! Hope you all have a wonderful day today, both today (Christmas Eve) and tomorrow ( Christmas Day). Here in Calgary, it's 12:00 pm noon on 24 December 2014. The temperature is 0C (windchill -3C), and we are supposed to get a bit of snow this afternoon - just enough to cover the ice that still remains in places, making things rather treacherous. Very mild, though, compared to the brutally cold weather we had last winter. Hope these bright Christmas baubles, seen at the Spruce Meadows Christmas Market on 14 November, add a bit if warmth and cheer to your day. For many people, Christmas is a very difficult time, for various reasons. My thoughts are with them and, as always, with those who for one reason or another will spend Christmas alone. To those of you who don't celebrate Christmas, I hope today and tomorrow will be happy ones for you. Wishing you all a HAPPY CHRISTMAS and all the very best in the New Year! If you will be on the road, please don't drink and drive!

My youngest daughter and I went to the annual Spruce Meadows Christmas Market on 14 November 2014. This is where I saw this bright bunch of colourful Christmas baubles, hanging inside one of the small, temporary "shops". Afterwards, on a short drive SW of the city, we stopped to photograph the row of five old, red granaries that are popular with local photographers. Unfortunately, not a cloud in the sky - clouds make for a more interesting shot. The farm was recently sold, so everyone is hoping that the new owners will leave these granaries standing. The gate was open yesterday and we could see several contractors working on something way out in the middle of the huge field.

Posted partly to add a splash of colour to my photostream, but also because I suspect I am going to be short of Christmasy photos this year, as I’m so late doing everything. At least most of my overseas cards and letters are now done and in the mail today. So glad I didn’t need to buy stamps – the Post Office line-up was quite long. My youngest daughter and I went to the annual Spruce Meadows Christmas Market on 14 November 2014. This is where I saw this bright reminder of growing up in England. Afterwards, on a short drive SW of the city, we stopped to photograph the row of five old, red granaries that are popular with local photographers. Unfortunately, not a cloud in the sky - clouds make for a more interesting shot. The farm was recently sold, so everyone is hoping that the new owners will leave these granaries standing. The gate was open yesterday and we could see several contractors working on something way out in the middle of the huge field. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Today, 16 December 2014, is the first Christmas Bird Count out of the city. We have to be down SE, ready to start the Count by 8:00 am. We end around 4:00 pm (maybe 4:30 pm), so it's a long day of searching. Just checked the weather forecast and found the following: “FOG ADVISORY. Persistent fog with visibility near zero is expected or occurring. Fog is becoming more widespread and is expanding westward. Many locations are reporting low visibilities this evening with near zero visibilities expected to develop tonight. As the fog continues to develop additional regions may be added to the advisory. Fog will be occurring with temperatures below freezing which may result in locally slippery conditions due to freezing fog. Fog will persist into Tuesday morning. Visibility may be significantly and suddenly reduced to near zero. Travel is expected to be hazardous due to reduced visibility in some locations. If travelling, be prepared for areas of near zero visibility.” Lol, sounds like perfect birding weather – yeah, right!

OK, some things are just too irresistible to someone who loves Owls and photographing them : ) My daughter pointed out this carved, wooden owl when we went to the Spruce Meadows Christmas Market, just south of the city, yesterday evening - so it's my daughter's fault : ) Great Horned Owls are so well camouflaged against tree trunks, that an owl created from a piece of tree bark seems quite appropriate. This little guy stands roughly 10" tall.