Today's colour is blue

Kettleby ~ Keele Street

Black Forest Garden Centre

Shade pavillion ~ Spray Lake ~ Jane Street

Backyard Blue Jay

Big blue sprayer - Holland Marsh

Planter ~ Churchill Avenue

Fruit of the vine

Respite ~ Black Forest secret garden 

Recycling Day ~ Jane Street ~ near Kinghorn

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

New sidewalks in King City

 Photos by Barry Wallace

New sidewalks on Keele Street and King Road in the heart of the village have been underway for several days and I doubt there is a single person in King City, who uses the sidewalks, who doesn't think the improvements are long overdue.   In addition to providing safety under foot, the new sidewalks also look great.   

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

'Round The Bend' bounty

 Photos by Barry Wallace

Linda came in the door on Tuesday afternoon brandishing a tray of glorious produce from 'Round The Bend' farm and market, in Kettleby.   The purchase she made of fruit and veggies looked so wonderful, I told her to hang on while I grabbed my camera.   The offering's splash of colour got rid of any thoughts of rain that afternoon.   Some of the blueberries and strawberries made it into a bowl with several other fruits, which ended our dinner that evening.   Ahhhh, the rewards of a sunny Ontario summer.
     

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Barry Wallace

Smokey Hollow, Tyrwhitt's Mills, then Kettleby

Photos by Barry Wallace

Keele Street ~ cedar rails bedecked

Corn as high as an elephant's eye

Hollyhocks in the hollow

 Bottom of the hill ~ by the creek

 Brick beauties

 Kettleby Creek

 Historic property marker

 Signs signify the past and the present 

Cute security guard

Please comment if you wish. 

Barry Wallace

Drizzly day in the Marsh

 Photos by Barry Wallace

Onions ~ one of the Marsh's main crops

Tipping trees on the new canal bank

Muck Research Station ~ beside Hwy. 400

Very aggressive vine

Canal-side relics

Canada Geese ~ Canada's anywhere foragers

Ardea Herodias

Wind Damage

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

Barr

Backyard Bumblebees few and far between

Photos by Barry Wallace

Pollen-covered bumblebee on Daylily

I have not researched this but I have seen fewer and fewer bumblebees in my backyard over the last two years.   Previously, I would see many bumblebees in the garden throughout the days in the spring, summer and fall.   Now I may see only a few, off and on, each day.   I have read that  the Yellow-banded Bumblebee has declined recently by a third in areas across southern Canada due to pesticide use, habitat conversion and pathogen spillover from managed bee colonies.   Scientists are saying that bumblebees are losing ground at the southern edge of their ranges in North America to other species groups, such as butterflies, that are expanding further north and into colder areas.   But bumblebees are not adjusting to changing climes.   They are being squeezed on the southern end of their range but are not expanding their range northward, despite being cold-weather hardy.   Scientists are greatly concerned about the future of wild bees because they are a large part of the countrywide pollination process.   They are always welcome in our backyard.

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

Dog Tales Festival a great success

Photos by Barry Wallace

A huge crowd showed up at the two-day weekend Dog Tales Festival, at the 50-acre dog and horse sanctuary on King's 19th Sideroad and Dufferin Street.   It was a total love-in for for the visitors who came to see the rescued animals.   There were  almost a hundred rescued dogs of many shapes and sizes, although most were large and many were of the pit-bull variety.   The horses, numbering around three dozen or more, where mainly of the draught-horse type, and beautiful creatures they were.   Visitors were allowed to tour both the kennels and the stables.   The kennels resembled a luxury hotel and the dogs were housed liked royalty.   If you missed the festival, Dog Tales receives visitors on Sundays, so this remarkable facility can be seen in all its glory by everyone.

     

This sweetheart, above, had no eyes at birth, but being blind for him is normal and he thinks all other creatures are just like him...including humans.

50 acres is a lot of ground to cover, so some of the littlest visitors had to be given a ride around the Dog Tales grounds.

Above is the impressive reception area of the Dog Tales kennels and beyond that visitors are seen wandering among the rows and rows of spacious, immaculately-clean and comfortable cages, with extraordinary sleeping accommodations.

Please comment if you wish. 

Barry Wallace