Indian summer saturday game time to do some digging in the yard 
Just blooming now 
in late September when the other flowers dug and gone... 
Last of the pansies that seem to like the cooler weather 
One of the last petunias 
Fall yellow leaves on lily 
Mountain ash berries and bird feeder in my back yard. 
Closer up... 
Mini violas against dug fall beds 
Month: September 2010
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Summer remnants
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Lady with crutch, camera & lost dogs in the ravine....
This was the description given to my hairdresser the other day by one of her regular customers and she immediately identified it as yours truly.
This pretty well captures it when I take the new camera along on those dog walks.
So here are just a few of the results of this weeks meanderings ( majority of my photos am posting on facebook these days. )
Firstly I
did make a lovely apple-rhubarb pieNow where did that squirrel go?
Fall colours and mountain ash berries 
last years berries 
Dandelion puff ball 
Blighted stick 
Mr. squirrel on bridge 
Caught close up 
Cherry and other tomatos 
rescued from frost 
Swiss chard in my yard
Love the perspective in this one.
Catching another photographer at family wedding this weekend 
Pining up train for the wedding dance
And finally the lady with the crutch is in the background here
.....from daughter's blog at outdoor pool in July....http://www.dreamingovertheocean.blogspot.com -
Apple Rhubarb Jam Made Easy
Took a basic recipe and made some adaptations,
- adding spices and extra fruit for texture
- coring apples only and putting mix with rhubarb through my fruit press ( pectin in the skins )
- The testing for the setting of the jam is important.
BUT think it is successful this time.
Yield 6 cups
Ingredients
- 3 cups diced rhubarb
- 3 cups diced peeled apples
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground cloves
- 1 cup of diced fruit or berries e.g. peaches, blueberries, saskatoons, blackberries, cherries
- grated peel of one lemon
- 1 (2 ounce) package dry pectin
Directions
- In a large saucepan mix together the rhubarb, apples, sugar, water, cloves and cinnamon.
- Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat for 20 minutes or until the fruit is soft.
- Add extra cup of fruit, grated lemon peel
- Stir in the pectin and boil for 5 minutes.
- Do jam test: http://www.allaboutyou.com/food/Testing-jam-is-set/v1
Temperature test
The jam is ready when the temperature registers 105ºC (221ºF) on a sugar thermometer. Simply immerse the thermometer in the jam shortly before the specified cooking time is completed, keeping it away from the base and the sides of the pan. Leave in position until the temperature has been reached. Boil a little longer if necessary.Saucer test
- Drop a spoonful of the jam on to a chilled saucer and leave to cool slightly. Push your finger through the jam: if the surface wrinkles, the jam is ready. Return to the heat and boil a little longer if necessary.
Flake test
Using a large wooden spoon, lift a little of the jam out of the pan. Let it cool slightly then tip the spoon so that the jam drops back into the pan. If it has been boiled for long enough, drops of the syrup will run together along the edge of the spoon and form flakes which will break off sharply. Boil a little longer if necessary. - Ladle into sterile jars, wipe rims with a clean cloth or paper towel, and seal with new lids. Process in a bath of simmering water for at least 10 minutes, or as recommended by your local extension if you are at a high altitude.
- Store unopened jars in a cool dark place. Refrigerate jam after opening.
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Busts or an odd success? My experiments with Fruit & Fall Colours ....
As much as I want to hold onto summer,
alas it is not always so, and a much wetter 
and earlier fall than last year when it did not frost until the first week in October. 
So have been experimenting with both:
- my new Nikkon camera and
- what to do with the fruit such as the Evans cherry tree in the yard and apples gathered with my picking group
Fruit Bust:
Dehydrating cherries too labour intensive for the result..
drying of the cherries in the dehydrator..pitted and cut on half but seem to be sticking..did them overnight and I have one of those circular plastic mesh dehydrators. Came out rather un even some really flat and crispy and others still slightly cherry like. Found if I removed them immediately not so hard as when letting them cool. Very labour intensive...think I will stick to apple rings.
Fruit Success:
Made 10 small jam jars tonight but substituted Evans cherries 2/3 and strawberries 1/3....
The sweetness of strawberries, tang of vinegar and heat of pepper create a perfectly balanced preserve to enjoy with cheese and crackers. Camera Bust:18 sequential photos of dogs running with the push of one button on the camera.....
Camera Sucess:
have to learn more on its usageA
bout 30 excellant photos of changing fall colours
in the rivervalley 
and some macroshots 
of maturing flowers, 
a busy wasp 
and a purple thistle 
at different stages. 
Here are
some others 
I like: 
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Dog park or is it kid park?
Took the dogs
for a run to the leash free Laurier park on Sunday and experimenting 
with different exposures on my camera....
but what noticed later the real story was the little girl at the end of the bench!
her mom had told her to stay put which obviously included a lot of wiggling! -
More fall shots.....
Just a few new one which I think reflect the changing season from this weekend. First yellow leaves down at Laurier Park
like the contrast with the clear blue sky, 
a late evening shot at the Hotel MacDonald 
after dinner with a friend and of course apples! 
Been picking for a second season with OFRE http://www.ofre.wordpress.com
with the resulting abundance of apples, both picking 
and processing shots....wooden fruit press for making cider or juice. 
Love this apple peeler/corer! 
Put apple on end, 
push. secure and turn. 
The result is swirls of apples for dehydrating or freezing in bags for later use in pies.... -
New camera but....
little time to experiment with it or post to my blog as this past week have been working at the hospital and off line due to a worn out battery adapter to the mac ibook.....BUT with the new Nikon Coolpix just discovering some of the options and here are some of my favorites:
- yellow lilies and
sun flowers in the backyard 
....used macro on this one.... 
- the dogs
from various angles 
in the kitchen.... 
- self portrait by the grandaughter
- night landscape scenes before the dog run
- sunset at same location but a bit blurry due to slow shutter speed
- and a recent dessert a High level Diner with good nursing friend Laurel
on her way to Inuvik and Akavik NWT
- yellow lilies and
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