Author: pamperrault21
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Lunar Ludibund
The Flower Hour #18: Celebrating Lunar New Year Welcome to the year of the horse! Meet Beezus and Ramona: These sisters fit the “Flower Hour” criteria — just! If you look very carefully, to the left of the girls is a clump of Dandelions, and to the right is a patch of white clover. Two…
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Cataclysm
cataclysm, noun, cat· a· clysm ˈka-tə-ˌkli-zəm, a momentous and violent event marked by overwhelming upheaval and demolition, an event that brings great changes.† Today I am writing about rape. In Canada, Sexual Assault is defined as an assault of a sexual nature that violates the sexual integrity of the victim. Specifically in this case, drug-facilitated sexual assault. In the…
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Crops and Discoveries
Lens-artists challenge #385 – unusual crop. First, here’s the assignment and the inspiration: What an Unusual Crop! No, I cannot do this; it’s too hard. No, it’s not. Give it a try, be bold, be creative. You can do it. Exceed yourself, like they say in the Olympics. Cropping stands as one of the…
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Anserine Astonishment
Lens Artists Photo Challenge #384 – What Astonishes You? This lovely challenge was created by Beth of Wandering Dawgs: “What have you seen or experienced that has astonished you? The challenge is to include photos about things that astonish you and tell us why you are astonished. I got the inspiration for this challenge from these…
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Purple Passion
Purple — is fashionable twice —This season of the year,And when a soul perceives itselfTo be an Emperor.† The Flower Hour #16: The Shapes of Flowers Please take a moment to browse Terri’s post with her great “shape” images:https://secondwindleisure.com/2026/02/03/the-flower-hour-16-the-shapes-of-flowers/ ’Til next time, y’all… †Emily Dickinson, her poem “Purple — is fashionable twice —” — page…
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Paradigms and Patterns
Lens-Artists Challenge #383 – Looking Back to #174 – Shapes and Designs This challenge immediately ignited my imagination — thank you Tina! I had a happy time today sorting through my image albums looking for some shots that might fit the bill. Many thanks for today’s challenge to the extraordinarily talented Tina from Travels and…
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A Cold, Snowy Surprise
I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields,that it kisses them so gently?And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, “Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.”† After a day navigating the countryside, making our way through unexpected deep snow drifts, and whiteouts that had endless…
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The Flower Hour: Earth Laughs
At the moment, and like much of North America, here in Kingsville we’re in the grip of a polar vortex and under an extreme cold weather warning. Our gardens are fair buried under a mountain of snow. Flowers are but a memory. earth laughs in flowers† To my beloved “Flower Flock”, this might seem a…
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The Flower Hour: Wildflower Whimsy
“Wildflowers are the stuff of my heart!”[Lady Bird Johnson] Beside my childhood home was an untamed field — a veritable wildflower meadow. I picked my first Oxeye at the age of two in that field and the humble Daisy has been my favourite flower ever since. That first blossom is pressed and dried in Mum’s…
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Attempting Achromatization
Lens-Artists Challenge #381:Minimalism in Black-and-White Photography. Black and white images are where my photography journey began. My dad always and only purchased black and white film which he developed himself in his darkroom in our basement. I cannot possibly explain how magical that process was to a very young me! Back then, black and white…
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There’s a Kind of Hush*
According to the meteorological calendar, yesterday (1st December) was the first day of Winter and this morning, we awoke to this: The winter wood is like a strong old man,Grizzled, rugged, and gray1 Here in Essex County, our mornings are decidedly brisk. Mid-day, and ‘though much lower at this time of year, the the sun…
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Maidstone
When breezes are soft and skies are fair, I steal an hour from study and care, And hie me away to the woodland scene, Where wanders the stream with the waters of green.† Yesterday was just such a day, mild temperature, soft breeze, blue sky and sunshine. Perfect day for a woodland wander! Maidstone Woods, part of…
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Playing With Light
Every day you play with the light of the universe.† ‘Though Mr. Neruda wrote that line describing his devotion to his beloved Maryka, he might have been writing about photographers because that’s exactly what we do – play with the light of the universe. Widely believed to have been coined by British scientist Sir…
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What the world needs now…
Canada-US tensions are running about as high as they ever have, nowhere more-so than here in Essex County where two of the biggest employers are Ford and Chrysler. I admit to feeling very sad that this rift happened in the first place, and that there seems to be no way out. Not yet, anyway. …
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How beautiful…
we can rebuild her, we have the technology1 An intraocular lens (IOL) looks like a small, clear plastic disk with flexible, wire-like “haptics” (springs) that hold it in place inside the eye. A personal lens: glass bending rays.2 I am now the proud owner of what surely must be the two most valuable eyes in all…
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It all began with my camera…
Through my eyes, the world looks like an impressionist’s painting — a wee bit hazy, softly blurry, and with a distinctly dreamy aura. Now, I quite admire the art created by the impressionists, most especially Claude Monet’s “Woman with a Parasol”. It depicts the artist’s wife, Camille, holding a green parasol, standing atop a hill,…
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Essex Joyspotting #1
The scarlet of the maples can shake me like a cryOf bugles going by.* Autumn is, and has always been, my favourite time of year. ‘Though many people are saddened by summer’s end, for me, fall was a beginning — a new school year! I loved school. During the summer break, I missed my teacher(s)…
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Wildflower Whimsy: Goldenrod
Goldenrod is a native, hairy, herbaceous, perennial member of the Aster family. Hands up if you’ve always thought of Goldenrod as a pesky weed. I hope that, when you’ve read this post, you might reconsider and see them as very special wildflowers… Goldenrod is the predominant autumn show-stopper — adorning our roadsides and meadows with…
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I am home…
You know that feeling you get when you first walk through your front door after a long road trip or vacation? It’s a welcome that wraps its arms around you — everything looks and smells and feels familiar and cosy. That’s exactly how I felt when I walked into Kopegaron Woods for the first time…
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When Fate Sends You Lemons…
My lemons are syncopes. An overwhelming number of them, occurring nearly every day this year, numbering between fifteen and fifty each day. Every instance completely without warning. It is overwhelming and has clipped my wings. Rather than venturing out to the parks, conservation areas and marshes to observe and shoot wildlife, I’ve had to content…