Day 167 - All that glitters

Day 166 - Movember

Tomorrow marks the last day of Movember, the time of year when men grow a moustache to raise money for prostate cancer awareness and research. Funds raised in Canada go to Prostate Cancer Canada. I snagged a shot of Mo grower Ian (@Porcelainduck) over coffee at Uncommon Grounds. Ian is on the team from the Hub. Fun fact 1: Movember originated in 2003 over beers in Melbourne, Australia. The guys felt it was time to bring the moustache back and used their new looks to raise money. Fun fact 2: Mo is Australian slang for moustache.

Day 165 - Kevin turns 40

My buddy Kevin and his wife Helma hosted a birthday party at the Tidal Bore Rafting Park cottages. Kevin turned 40.

Day 164 - Heat

I am addicted to chili flakes, I put them in everything.

Day 163 - Beaujolais Nouveau

Happy thanksgiving to our American neighbours! For an excellent wine pairing with turkey dinner I would recommend this year's Beaujolais Nouveau. Released each year on the third Thursday of November, Beajolais Nouveau is a fruit filled lightweight with very little tannin, which makes for an easy sipping wine (though very fruity). This year's release is getting much hype as the best vintage in many years. We usually use ours in Sangria. They do not last long so get them while they last!

Day 162 - Tip of the Day

Have you ever had Tim Horton's coffee spill all over your car/self while driving? Not only is it unsafe it is very messy. Here is a tip for guaranteed spill-free coffee while driving. Instead of flipping the tab up and pinning it (which doesn't work half the time anyhow...$%&@#!) turn it downwards into the cup, so that it rests against the side of the cup. You can still easily drink from the cup and the tab lid acts as an effective splash barrier. No more spills! It works really well. Thanks for coworker Joan for the tip.

Day 161 - Lights, rain drops

Day 160 - Pro

Day 159 - Reflection

Day 158 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl

This morning I took a stroll along the waterfront. I was pleased to see docked alongside Murphy's the Statsraad Lehmkuhl, a Norwegian naval training vessel. This tall ship, the world's largest three-masted barque, is on her way back to Norway, and will tie up alongside Murphy's for a few days.

Day 157 - Olympic torch

Today on my walk to work I was happy to see the olympic torch relay run by my route. It was nice to see the expression on the runner's face, it was obviously a thrilling moment for her.

Fun fact: Though the Olympic Flame is normally carried by runners is has been transported many ways over the years: boat, airplane, horseback, under water via divers, camel, ski jumpers, skaters and by canoe. My favorite mode of travel was in 1976 when the flame was transformed to a radio signal then beamed via satellite to Canada, where it triggered a laser beam to relight the flame. That's right, lasers! Well at least the Montreal Olympics had one cool legacy.

Day 156 - Morning stroll along Sydney boardwalk

I had meetings in Sydney today. This morning was a gorgeous day for a walk along the boardwalk next to my hotel. There was nary a jogger, walker or dog in sight.

Day 155 - Get your ducks in a row

I dropped by Public Gardens in the morning before heading to Cape Breton. I noticed these ducks lined up before heading into the water so I snapped a pic.

Fun Fact: One theory of the origin of the expression 'get your ducks in a row' is that mother ducks corral their young into manageable straight lines before heading into water or traveling over land. The idea of getting one's team or group into alignment would be similar to a mother duck getting her literal ducks in a row. The other theory involves manual alignment of bowling pins. In the early days of bowling the short, fat pins were called 'ducks'. I prefer the mother duck theory.

Day 154 - Morning Ferry

Day 153 - Chinese Lantern Plant

It was a great mild morning walk to work today. It felt like spring. Along the way I spotted these orange mini paper lantern looking things. Thanks to some help from twitter followers it was identified as Chinese Lantern Plant, aka Physalis Alkekengi.

Fun fact: Apparently the orange berry inside the orange lantern shaped flower makes a great jelly.

Further investigation: According to Government of Canada the immature fruits contain solanine which can cause gastroenteritis and diarrhea in children. However the mature fruits are edible.

Day 152 - Candles

I had a quiet day today. Watched a few movies, listened to tunes and read for awhile. I didn't step outside once. So I grabbed a quick shot of some candles burning.

Day 151 - More Leaves

Day 150 - Footsteps in the frost

A quiet frost lay over the grass this morning on my walk to work.

Day 149 - Altocumulus clouds

On my way to sushi I snapped a shot of these Altocumulus clouds with my Iphone. I only had my 50mm lens on my 'big camera' so the iphone had to do. Thanks to @BlueThistle for the cloud identification. Fun fact: Altocumulus clouds often are seen preceding a cold front and their presence can signal the onset of thunderstorm. Hopefully that doesn't happen tonight.

Day 148 - Remembrance Day

War memorial, Grand Parade

Day 147 - Hello fence post

It was a beautiful mild fall morning so I walked into work today. I hope this fantastic weather lasts awhile longer.

Day 146 - Hello Lamp post

I had a really nice morning stroll along the waterfront before work. This week I am only shooting with my 50mm lens wide open at f.1.4. Not sure why, just to mix it up I guess. Expect lots of selective focus and bounds of bokeh.

Day 145 - Surreal landscape

Surreal landscape on morning drive near Peggy's Cove

Day 144 - Leaves and blue sky

Day 143 - First snowfall

I woke up this morning to a backyard full of snow. I have always been a sucker for the first snowfall. It brings back fond memories of building snow forts, sledding on the hill near my house and laughing at my dog's tentative first steps in the mysterious cold fluffy substance covering the backyard. For me the first snow brings new adventures and a sense of wonderment. Of course the feeling lasted all of five minutes, before being replaced by the adult realities of cleaning the car off and slushing through traffic, but it was a nice feeling while it lasted.

Day 142 - #Twushi at Fujiyama

Really enjoyed #twushi this evening at Fujiyama, the new sushi restaurant on Blowers Street (former Le Cave location). This was my second time dining here and I managed to sample a few more rolls on the menu. Thanks to Darrin Searancke for organizing the tweetup. Highlights included a free round of Sapporo from Gerard Murphy in absentia (awesome thanks @trybarefoot) and the free deep friend cheesecake compliments of the kitchen staff. Short Qik clip of the attendees here.

Day 141 - Buoys

Day 140 - Gloomy evening in Victoria Park

Day 139 - Stop

Day 138 - Leaves

Alot of leaves fell in the past week. Our backyard is covered. I am enjoying photographing them more so than raking.