April 30th

The last day,the end of the photo a day for April.

I thought about trying to photograph something that represented the end but that's quite hard in a month where everything is just beginning !
Although these are about at their end..........

I had a nice front view too but thought this back view was more interesting.

Today I looked up what these are,as I've seen them flowering every year at the back of my garden,where we border with the neighbour.It's very shady and by water,they don't flower for long but they are very pretty little things.Anyway they are Yellow Trout Lilies,I also have another variety,which I noticed today,Beaked Trout Lilies,these are all yellow with no maroon parts.While lying there on the ground I also spied another flower that I realised was different and that turned out to be Wild Oats,sessile-leaf bellwort.......amazing what you can live with for 5 years and not really noticing until you lie amongst it all.

Back next week with some of the images I didn't use but liked :)

April 28th and 29th

Another 2 for one post !

OK,today's,the 29th,completely inspired by Patti's post from Monday to go and photograph the neighbours forsythia.............

These were tight buds the other day,amazing what a day of 30 degrees followed by a day of rain can do.

Tuesday,28th,dark and rainy day so had to up the ISO to get this,so not the best quality...........

Another find........I didn't know I had these ? I spied them Monday night in our 'left to it's own devises' corner ! We were deciding where to put the newly made composte bin and knew I'd be back the next day for pictures,unfortunately they were all down turned with all the rain.....and I got wet practically lying down to get the underneath image.

Can't believe tomorrows the last day of April.

April 27th

I shouldn't complain but it's a hot one out there today,once it hits 24 degrees that's me done for ! I don't like extremes,too cold or too hot,which is why Spring and Fall are normally my favourite seasons.

So as I wondered around today I spied this...........

Three years ago I planted some Violas in the Fall and left them thinking they either would or wouldn't return.They did and also did a good job of seeding themselves around the garden so I have these little beauties scattered around.This one is in my path under my arch and is only a little bigger than my thumbnail......so pretty.

Anyway all this heat is doing wonders for the garden, I just had to post what's happened in just 24 hours with a touch of rain and a blast of warmth.......

This is yesterdays curled up fern !

April 25th and 26th

Better late than never,here's my photo's from the weekend colour challenge.

Sunday,26th,my something green challenge.Well there's lots and lots of things green out there right now and it's such a great sight,not sure if this was my best one but I have a soft spot for ferns so when I saw this I knew this was the one.......

It was the only one that was through so far ! Patti's is here .

Saturday,25th, was Patti's challenge of something red.It was a gorgeous sunny Saturday and bright and early I heard the cardinals out and about,so sat poised but it was a no show ! They did flit in but not good enough for a shot.So I went with this.......... (looks better bigger)

I have been admiring this tree on my way out of my road all week........it's just so lovely and red and with the bright blue sky on Saturday I thought it was perfect. Patti's is here

April 24th

This has shot up over the last couple of days.Along with the forget-me-nots it's one of the first things to flower in my garden...........

Lungwort ,Patti took a shot of it too back on the 14th. On the bigger version you can see all the little hairs,which are quite itchy,hopefully not long before it looks like this .

This weekends challenges between Patti and I are something Red for Saturday (hers) and Green for Sunday(mine)

April 23rd

Very,dull and dreary this morning and I stupidly left my camera on,draining the battery,which turned out to be a good thing because now it's charged and the sun is out.

So today's.......... and not wanting to sound like a broken record but,it looks better bigger !

Some sort of succulent,that found it's way here because I didn't plant it !

April 22nd

I was a little rushed yesterday and snapped the first thing I saw which caught my eye,which was this........

The open version of Mondays shot.

I'll be back later with today's......whatever that maybe !

April 21st

Not a very inspiring day at all.
Rainy,damp,chilly.
So I ran out took 3 shots,realized I probably had the wrong lens but decided I was too lazy to change it and go back outside.

So today it's collected raindrops......

At least all the rain is making the plants grow.

April 20th

So today I sat outside as still as could be,with my coffee and the big lens on hoping for some bird shots since I'd seen,blue jays,cardinals,goldfinches,robins and red wings all flitting around.
Of course nothing landed while I was out there.I did spy chippie but even he wouldn't hold still long enough.
So today's shot is of a flower I spied whilst waiting for the fore mentioned no show birds.......

All closed up of course since it was overcast here this afternoon.

April 19th

So Patti's challenge for Sunday the 19th was something square or rectangular.
It posed more of a problem than I thought,with trying to keep it within my garden/nature theme.
Anyway not quite how I pictured it in my head but I went with this in the end.......

A view through the lattice fence,it's a square....ish !!

Patti's is here,I think it was a case of great minds :)

April 18th

It's the weekend so Patti and I have set each other a challenge for our photo's.

Today,Saturday was my challenge of something round or circular.
This is what I took....

A round branch on the wood pile waiting to be moved !

Patti's is here.

April 17th

Back to my garden today as plants are finally beginning to grow.

Here's one of many sedum's I have.I have no idea what it's full name is as I inherited it with the house all I know is I've managed to make at least 4 more plants from this original one ! Usual comment about it looking better bigger applies again !

This has doubled in size over the past couple of days.
Soon it will be big and bushy and then no doubt we'll have rain and it will colapse and look a mess as I haven't found a good way of securing these without them looking wierd !
At the beginning of the week I decided I should try using my kit lens more and managed 4 out of 5 this week (the 15th was my 70-300).Ever since I got my 50m I've neglected the kit lens except for scenic shots and I shouldn't because it's really not bad for close ups.

April 16th

Well I took Ol and his friend down to the park today to waste an hour while Ad had his lesson and nothing there was very inspiring but I didn't want another garden photo again today.
So there's this..........again looks better if you click it bigger!

A branch shot again,I was sat at the bottom of the slide and when I looked up I liked how one was in bloom but the other wasn't.

April 15th

I nearly forgot to take my shot today.I went out and 2 shots into it the flashing battery symbol appeared so I clicked 3 more for luck and called it quits as I wanted enough power to download these !

It was windy today and of course every time I clicked the wind blew the branches and I'd loose my focus,anyway one was good enough to use.....

The neighbours tree blooms before any of mine do,these have even come a long way since Saturday.

April 14th

Well I had planned on taking the boys for a walk around Mont Royal today and having a photo from there,since I had an appointment downtown.Unfortunately that didn't work out so it's back to my garden for today's shot........

The weird fungi I mentioned yesterday,that's growing on a tree stump.

April 13th

Here's today's(looks better if you click it bigger)......

I was out and about in the garden and decided it would be another shot of the bushes beginning to grow at the back. I can't believe how much in just a week they've sprouted.Nothing else is quite threw enough yet to make an interesting picture,unfortunately.There are some patches of disgusting fungi growing that might make an interesting shot for another day.

April 11th and 12th

I'm catching up with the weekends shots.
Patti challenged me to use the tempo(since we were both taking them down this weekend)as the idea for Saturday so I suggested eggs as the theme for Sunday.

This was yesterdays,April 12th.....

The last egg to be found on a very chill early Easter morning.Seems this one didn't stand out as much as the pinks,yellows and blues against the brown of the garden right now.

This one was Saturday's,April 11th....

We'd taken the cover off and half the poles down before I remembered I needed to take a shot.So glad this ugly eyesore is down !

April 10th

Yesterday's shot was of this birdie that's been waking me up with his dawn chorus.......

The American Robin,much bigger than the robin we had in our garden back in England.Their song and size is similar to the blackbird,another garden bird from the UK.
I tend to only see these early in the morning when the light isn't great in my backyard and they hop around so much luckily he hopped into the sun and stood still for a second !

April 9th

My garden today,well the snow had gone but.....
No birds seemed to be coming to the feeder
No chippie and
Nothing is really sprouting from the ground yet !

I found this though..............

I thought it was really cool looking.
It's moss growing on the top of an old dead pine tree stump.

I'll be clicking away over the holiday weekend but probably won't have time to post them until Monday.

April 7th and 8th

I should also point out that I'm doing this challenge this month with my friend Patti ,here photo's are here.

Well here's today's and yesterdays photo's.

I hope I don't regret picking this one when it's only 8.15 am.........

This is the same bush as Saturday's photo only with snow not rain.Thought I'd get out there and take it before it melts,since I'm being optimistic for once and hoping all the nasty white stuff will be gone before tonight.

Yesterdays photo,April 7th........

If I stand on my property border in the back this is what I can see.Looks like I live in the middle of nowhere but we're just lucky in the fact the people behind own two plots and the second one is their garden.

April 6th

Another dull and rainy day,not very inspiring at all.

I ventured out in the brief lull in the rain and found this.......

New growth sprouting at the back of the garden.
You need to click on it to see it clearer.

April 3rd,4th and 5th

I'm playing catch up !

It wasn't raining yesterday,April 5th but it was cold and the only time I went outside was to find something to photograph.Decided on this,raindrops on one of the fir trees.

The raindrops were sparkling but I don't think it shows up here too well.

Saturday's shot,April 4th,well I had lots of chippie but decided it couldn't be the chippie show,so went with this one......

Another raindrop photo,just love them,sorry ! These are the bushes(Spiraea) outside the front of my house,taken early in the morning. I don't think you'll see it here,since I reduced the image but when I uploaded this I realised I'd also caught a spiderwebs glistening with rain too. Ok,if you click on it you can just see it !

Finally,Friday April the 3rd......I took a few photo's that day but it was rainy and dark and I wasn't happy with any of them so the best of a bad bunch was this slightly blurry Chippie,with protruding cheek.........

It's dark and dreary again today,who knows what I'll find to take...........where's chippie :)

April 2nd

Bright and sunny today so I ventured out beyond my deck to see what greenery I could find emerging from the snow.

Turns out not much !

The neighbour behind has more green then me.This is a welcome sight after months of white.

April 1st

Well Aprils rolled around sooner than I thought so I'll put the last few favourites to one side while I embark on A photo a Day for April.

This little fella has been zooming around the garden hoovering up left over seed like there's no tomorrow.......

Not the best quality as it's taken through the window.Glad I captured him early this morning because nothing else has inspired me today !