What's It All About, eh?

Cape Breton evokes deep memories and strong emotions for me as well as a deep appreciation for the beauty of my adopted island. My hopes are that you too might find the photos evocative - maybe a view you've not enjoyed before, or an 'Oh I've been there', or if from away that you may be encouraged to visit this fair isle so that you might come to love and breathe Cape Breton as I do. One word about place names that I use - some are completely local usage while others are from maps of Cape Breton that I've purchased over the years. I frequently post travel and other photos that are of interest to me - and hopefully you.

On the right hand side bar find my take on Single Malt whiskey - from how to best enjoy this noble drink to reviews (in a most non-professional manner) of ones that I have tried and liked - or not. Also musings, mine and others, on life in general.

Photographs are roughly 98%+ my own and copy-righted. For the occasional photo that is borrowed, credit is given where possible - recently I have started posting unusual net photographs that seem unique. Feel free to borrow any of my photos for non-commercial use, otherwise contact me. Starting late in 2013 I have tried to be consistent in identifying my photographs using ©smck on all out of camera photos I personally captured - (I often do minor computer changes such as 'crop' or 'shadow' etc but usually nothing major), and using
©norvellhimself on all photos that I have played around with in case it might not be obvious. Lately I have dropped the ©smck and have watermarked them with the blog name.

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and I am sipping a nice wee dram of The Quiet Man (an eight year old Irish single malt that is smooth, tasty, and easy on the brow) as I make the same soup I always make - but one that like life is always different -  what I sometimes call Steve's Pretty Good Vegetable Soup that contains as many vegetables as we might have on hand but always onion, potato, carrot, green pepper (but today red), broccoli, lima beans, peas, two kinds of potato by the way, garlic, small bottle of beer, various spices but in particular lots of basil, a bit of hot sauce, mushrooms, green beans, and etc - 


Not Today - but the library adjoins a stretch of wood that goes to the river where I watch the eagles nest


Hyacinth - on the way in from the sodden leaf piles smolering with smoke and water vapour billowing about in the slight flow of breeze I spy the vivid blue that lights up this sodden day


CO2 - Rain is moving in this evening so for old times sake I burn a few small piles of leaves to see and smell that old old smell of autumn (only now it is spring)


Rotogravure


Ubuntu !!


Still about 1/3 cord of good oak firewood to go (not counting that downed scrub pine


If I was into puns I might have called this post "Heart Wood"




Firewood - II



Firewood











Starting on the second oak - the chain saw is running while I stop to snap a quick photograph or so

Vagabond's House - with thanks to poet Don Blanding


......
For I’ll have good friends who can sit and chat
Or simply sit, when it comes to that,
By the fireplace where the fir logs blaze
And the smoke rolls up in a weaving haze.
I’ll want a wood box, scarred and rough
For leaves and bark and odorous stuff,
Like resinous knots and cones and gums,
To toss on the flames when winter comes.
And I hope a cricket will stay around,
For I love it’s creaky lonesome sound.


Pink Floyds


from the internet