Nature – Page 6 – Jennifer's Journal

Vivian’s View From Here: October Bliss

Published on October 4, 2020October 11, 2020 by J. Kelland Perry26 Comments

Greetings, peeps and pets!

Vivian here, covering for Jennifer today while she rests her back from berry-picking this weekend. She loves this time of year when the partridgeberries are ripe, and when they grow on your own land, it is oh-so-convenient to pick them to your heart’s content.

But what does October mean to me? Sure, I like roaming around the bushes on the point, helping to gather berries—although Jennifer says all I basically do is get in the way with my head bunts and demand to be petted—and I enjoy the fact that when I go outside I don’t have to sit in the shade to keep cool anymore.

But what I dearly love to do in our garden is roll around in my happy place: a mysterious patch of something that grows among the grass, moss and lichen in one particular spot. It seems to have the same heady effect on me as catnip!

Check out Maisie and me below, enjoying our special spot. She blends in better than I do! This pic was taken a few years back. We can’t help but think of my sister fondly whenever I go out there.

I still miss Maisie,
but when the sun is shining,
the wind is light, and my peeps
are out and about with me,
I’m in a state of bliss.

October bliss!

“In the entire circle of the year there are no days
so delightful as those of a fine October.”
~ Alexander Smith

Photo Challenge: October

Up Close and Personal*

Published on September 27, 2020 by J. Kelland Perry13 Comments

Happy Sunday, everyone!

For today’s photo challenge, here are a few close-ups from my media files. The theme I have chosen is nature.

“Look deep into nature,
and then you will understand everything better.”
~ Albert Einstein

**One of 55 Species of Butterfly in NL**

Young Girl with Starfish Sea Star — **“Sea star on Poppy’s beach!”**

“Study nature, love nature,
stay close to nature.
It will never fail you.”
~ Frank Lloyd Wright

*This is my contribution to A Photo a Week Challenge: Up Close and Personal by Nancy Merrill Photography

Further Reading: Guest Post: How to Use Nature to Connect with Your Grandkids

Interested in sharing one of your original articles as a guest? Feel free to submit your ideas to jennifer@jenniferkellandperry.com. Preference is given to topics relevant to my blog, such as books, writing, nature, photography, travel, children and pets. – JKP

Sunday Snap: Focus

Published on August 23, 2020September 29, 2020 by J. Kelland Perry24 Comments

Pic and a Word Challenge: Depth of Field

While my latest book is on submission, I’ve recently shifted my focus to photography (see what I did there? 😉 ). I’m starting an online course this week to study what my Canon camera can actually do beyond my usual point and click.

What is Depth of Field?
“Depth of field is the distance between the closest and farthest objects in a photo that appears acceptably sharp. Now your camera can only focus sharply at one point. But the transition from sharp to un-sharp is gradual, and the term ‘acceptably sharp’ is a loose one! Without getting too technical, how you will be viewing the image, and at what size you will be looking at it are factors that contribute to how acceptably sharp an image is.” ~ photographylife.com

My humble contribution: I captured the above photo when my daughter and her family came to visit. My grandson took a shine to this gorgeous little caterpillar we found near Cape Freels beach.

Speaking of online courses, I’ve also signed up for a certificate course through the University of Alberta called Indigenous Canada, which includes 12 lessons that explore Indigenous histories and contemporary issues from an Indigenous perspective. The course is also accessible outside of Canada. For more info, click here.

Never curb your lifelong desire to learn, my friends. Focus on something new, to you! 🙂

Vivian’s View From Here: “They say it’s my birthday”

Published on August 16, 2020August 16, 2020 by J. Kelland Perry39 Comments

Hello, my peeps! Apparently it’s my 13th birthday today, so I guess I have cause to celebrate.

I was feeling down and lonely because this birthday marks my first trip around the sun without my sweet sister Maisie. The good news though, is that I had a special visitor!

No no no—not that dog, Archie, who came here with his family this week. I’m glad he’s gone home.

I had a very unexpected visitor to Perry’s Point this weekend: a seal!

We usually see seals around here during the winter or spring, not in August. I wonder did he get lost? I hope not. In any case, his arrival caused a bit of a stir and had everyone running for their phones and cameras, including our neighbour Wayne. Here are a couple he captured with his camera.

Isn’t he pretty?

Not as pretty as me, of course.

I wish one and all a lovely Sunday
and hope you’ll celebrate with me!
♥ ♥ ♥

RDP: Fringe

Published on August 3, 2020August 10, 2020 by J. Kelland Perry23 Comments

The wild grasses on Perry’s Point are freakishly tall this summer. Most of it is topped with a feathery fringe that dances in the sun and sways in the breeze. I can stare at it for hours!

Fitting too, seeing as I live on the fringe of an island on the fringe of North America. 😉

Ragtag Daily Prompt for Monday: Fringe

Evergreen Post: Summer Lovin’

Published on July 23, 2020July 23, 2020 by J. Kelland Perry35 Comments

I’ve been taking a blogging break while away from home these past couple of weeks, so today I’ll share a photography post from a beautiful July day six years ago.
Remember 2014, when life was simpler? ~*sigh*~

I plan to return to regular blogging with a new Sunday Snap, on—you guessed it—Sunday!

***

Summer in my province of Newfoundland and Labrador, compared to most of North America, is short but ever so sweet. What makes it so cherished, to my mind?

The following photos were all taken in Lead Cove, the little community where I raised my children.

I love my home for its natural beauty,
its refreshing, rugged and
unspoiled charm,
for its clear and wide blue skies
without a whisper of smog.

I love the clean, sparkling water
and the glistening rocks adorning the coastline
that beg to be traced
and trod upon by eager footsteps.

I love summer in Newfoundland
for its breathtaking views
of seascapes and landscapes
when I embark on a hike.

Whether I traverse
its beaches of sand or
climb its rocky windswept hills,
I know my camera will find its aim.

I embrace it because
the bushes and shrubs,
green and lush,
are heavy with fragrance
and of wild roses in bloom…

183

…while in the gardens,
the planted perennials are brilliant with colour,
delighted at last
to spread their bright petals to the sun.

I love the hardy trees of Newfoundland
in summer…

…as they stretch
their ripe foliage to the sky.

Shot through with rays of sunlight,
a shimmering haze settles over the treetops
like a warm summer veil.

After a long winter and dismal spring
of cold, naked branches,
they, as I do,
breathe a sigh of gratitude
at the return of this warm and golden season.

Are you filled with summer lovin’ where you live, or is the pandemic interfering?

Originally published here on July 29/14

Summer Evening

Published on June 28, 2020June 28, 2020 by J. Kelland Perry21 Comments

Close of hot June day—
soft sea breeze, high crescent moon,
cool waves kiss the shore.

We’ve enjoyed a bit of a heat wave this past week, an unusually early occurrence here in the easternmost province of Canada.

I call it a bonus because our summers are notoriously short, and after a long winter and spring, warm sun-filled days are more than welcome. I’m also grateful for the coastal breezes that keep things temperate.

This is my contribution to A Photo a Week Challenge: Dusk – nancy merrill photography

Sunday Snaps: Hope*

Published on April 5, 2020April 5, 2020 by J. Kelland Perry34 Comments

If ever there was a time to have patience, we’re living it right now.

While we each strive to do our part in what is expected of us during this pandemic, I hold onto hope.

I hope the global outbreak will become a distant memory sooner rather than later.

I hope common sense and cooler heads prevail. In many ways, the outcome is up to us.

I hope, above all, we remember to preserve the most precious part of our humanity: our kindness and compassion for one another.

Embrace hope
❤ and stay healthy, everyone. ❤

*Photo Challenge: Hope

Sunday Snaps: Found Art in Driftwood

Published on March 1, 2020March 1, 2020 by J. Kelland Perry35 Comments

**“Driftwood seal on rock” – August 25, 2019**

“A photographer must possess and retain the receptive faculties of a child who watches the world for the first time.” ~ Bill Brandt, British photographer

**“Driftwood seal on rock” – February 29, 2020**

“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” ~ Elliott Erwitt, American photographer

I don’t know about you,
but I much prefer the summer version at the moment!

Lots of Winter Ahead Yet, But…

Published on January 26, 2020February 2, 2020 by J. Kelland Perry24 Comments

… the days are noticeably getting longer. And in six weeks, we spring forward as Daylight Savings Time kicks in!
Newtown in Winter 2020 It isn’t just me who looks forward to spring around here. Practically every day, Vivian and Maisie go outside to check things out. They don’t stay out long, only long enough to confirm that winter with all its snow and iciness is still firmly in place.