Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: 31 January 2016

In the early afternoon on 31 January 2016, I decided to go for a drive east of the city. The weather was getting sunny and I needed to get out for a while. Recently, I have had to replace several kitchen appliances and can't believe the hassle this has created. I automatically expect something new to work perfectly and forget that this isn't necessarily going to happen. It started when I replaced my dead kettle just before Christmas. Had to return the new one later, as the power lever wasn't working. When I later Googled this brand, I found so many reviews complaining about the very same problem. I had carefully bought a 'good' quality one, thinking it would last for a few years. Next came a toaster - so far, it is working fine. After that, I decided I had better replace my microwave that was making a loud, very unhealthy noise. Well, I couldn't find a store that delivers! I did find a microwave that I liked, but gave up, as there was no way I could even lift it. Giving up, I started walking away, when I suddenly decided to look at dishwashers - I've been without a working machine for about 12 of the last 18 years and had been meaning to treat myself to one for the last few years, to give my painful hands and back a break from standing at the kitchen sink. The guy I dealt with said that the microwave could be delivered at the same time, which sounded like the perfect solution. However, that didn't happen and the store guy very kindly delivered it himself to my home! I was so grateful! Oh, and my dishwasher that was delivered ended up sitting in the middle of my small kitchen, having to wait a few days to be installed. Apparently, the pipes in the basement are "unusual" and needed other parts and tools - the guy said that, in all the years he has been working, he's never come across pipes like mine, ha. A large flock of these gorgeous little Common Redpolls took my mind off the shoddy quality of new gadgets : ) I don't particularly like taking bird-on-wire shots, but better than nothing. Usually when I see Redpolls, they are females, like this little one. "As energetic as their electric zapping call notes would suggest, Common Redpolls are active foragers that travel in busy flocks. Look for them feeding on catkins in birch trees or visiting feeders in winter. These small finches of the arctic tundra and boreal forest migrate erratically, and they occasionally show up in large numbers as far south as the central U.S. During such irruption years, redpolls often congregate at bird feeders (particularly thistle or nyjer seed), allowing delightfully close looks." www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Redpoll/id I also checked on the Short-eared Owls when I was driving out east. Could only find a distant one, tucked away in the trees. Bumped into a friend out there, who said he had just been to see a Northern Hawk Owl because he had more or less given up on the Short-eared Owls. Said the last few times he had been there, the owls weren't around much. I'm hoping that the number of cars and birders/photographers didn't push the owls to move on.

In the early afternoon on 31 January 2016, I decided to go for a drive east of the city. The weather was getting sunny and I needed to get out for a while. Recently, I have had to replace several kitchen appliances and can't believe the hassle this has created. I automatically expect something new to work perfectly and forget that this isn't necessarily going to happen. A large flock of these gorgeous little Common Redpolls took my mind off the shoddy quality of new gadgets : ) This photo shows a little female, perched on a fence post for just long enough to get this one, quick shot. The sun was shining on the bright red dot on her forehead. "As energetic as their electric zapping call notes would suggest, Common Redpolls are active foragers that travel in busy flocks. Look for them feeding on catkins in birch trees or visiting feeders in winter. These small finches of the arctic tundra and boreal forest migrate erratically, and they occasionally show up in large numbers as far south as the central U.S. During such irruption years, redpolls often congregate at bird feeders (particularly thistle or nyjer seed), allowing delightfully close looks." www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Redpoll/id I also checked on the Short-eared Owls when I was driving out east. Could only find a distant one, tucked away in the trees. Bumped into a friend out there, who said he had just been to see a Northern Hawk Owl because he had more or less given up on these Short-eared Owls. Said the last few times he had been there, the owls weren't around much. I'm hoping that the number of cars and birders/photographers hasn't pushed the owls to move on.

Yesterday afternoon, 31 January 2016, I decided to go for a drive east of the city. The weather was getting sunny and I needed to get out for a while. Recently, I have had to replace several kitchen appliances and can't believe the hassle this has created. I automatically expect something new to work perfectly and forget that this isn't necessarily going to happen. It started when I replaced my dead kettle just before Christmas. Had to return the new one later, as the power lever wasn't working. When I later Googled this brand, I found so many reviews complaining about the very same problem. I had carefully bought a 'good' quality one, thinking it would last for a few years. Next came a toaster - so far, it is working fine. After that, I decided I had better replace my microwave that was making a loud, very unhealthy noise. Well, I couldn't find a store that delivers! I did find a microwave that I liked, but gave up, as there was no way I could even lift it. Giving up, I started walking away, when I suddenly decided to look at dishwashers - I've been without a working machine for about 12 of the last 18 years and had been meaning to treat myself to one for the last few years, to give my painful hands and back a break from standing at the kitchen sink. The guy I dealt with said that the microwave could be delivered at the same time, which sounded like the perfect solution. However, that didn't happen and the store guy very kindly delivered it himself to my home! I was so grateful, but then, yesterday evening, I discovered that one of the number buttons doesn't work, sigh. Oh, and my dishwasher that was delivered has been sitting in the middle of my small kitchen, having to wait a few days to be installed. Apparently, the pipes in the basement are "unusual" and needed other parts and tools - the guy said that, in all the years he has been working, he's never come across pipes like mine, ha. Needless to say, I am really, really hoping that this machine works perfectly once it has been installed!! A large flock of these gorgeous little Common Redpolls took my mind off the shoddy quality of new gadgets : ) I don't particularly like taking bird-on-wire shots, but better than nothing. Usually when I see Redpolls, they are females, so I was glad to see this little male. "As energetic as their electric zapping call notes would suggest, Common Redpolls are active foragers that travel in busy flocks. Look for them feeding on catkins in birch trees or visiting feeders in winter. These small finches of the arctic tundra and boreal forest migrate erratically, and they occasionally show up in large numbers as far south as the central U.S. During such irruption years, redpolls often congregate at bird feeders (particularly thistle or nyjer seed), allowing delightfully close looks." www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Redpoll/id I also checked on the Short-eared Owls when I was driving out east. Could only find a distant one, tucked away in the trees. Bumped into a friend out there, who said he had just been to see a Northern Hawk Owl because he had more or less given up on the Short-eared Owls. Said the last few times he had been there, the owls weren't around much. I'm hoping that the number of cars and birders/photographers hasn't pushed the owls to move on.

Yesterday afternoon, 31 January 2016, I decided to go for a drive east of the city. The weather was getting sunny and I needed to get out for a while. On the way home, I passed the huge Shepard Energy Centre along the Glenmore Trail and pulled over to take a quick shot of the billowing clouds of vapour. “The $1.4-billion plant in east Calgary is capable of generating more than 800 megawatts of electricity for the provincial grid, the city-owned utility company said in a release. 'The facility is the largest of its kind in the province and an important step in Alberta's transition away from aging coal-fired generation facilities,' Enmax said. Enmax announced the project in 2007 and it became a joint venture with Edmonton-based Capital Power Corporation as a 50 per cent owner in late 2012. It uses combined-cycle technology that has two combustion turbines to generate electricity while making use of waste heat through a steam turbine for extra power production. The centre is about 30 per cent more efficient than conventional coal plants and will emit less than half the CO2 per megawatt hour, as well as less carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide gases, Enmax says. Its cooling towers will also use 14 million litres of reclaimed water per day from the city’s Bonnybrook wastewater treatment plant, the company says. "With this crucial infrastructure added to Alberta's electricity system, we will bring reliable electricity to Albertans for decades to come,” said Enmax CEO Gianna Manes in a release.” www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/shepard-energy-centre-powe... Grand opening video globalnews.ca/video/2019487/grand-opening-of-calgarys-she... calgary.ctvnews.ca/alberta-s-largest-natural-gas-fuelled-...