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Despite the cooler temperatures we've experienced this week,  gardens and flowerbeds are starting to take shape. Strolling up my sidewalk to and from work each day, I can almost hear the plants growing, so noticeable is the progress each morning and evening from the previous inspection. I don't profess to have a green thumb; flowers in my garden tend to grow in spite of me.  I've accepted that. However, I am disheartened by my lack of horticultural skills when it comes to roses.  To walk into a well-kept rose garden is to be enchanted. Stunning in appearance, captivating in fragrance,  silky to the touch, this gorgeous bloom is a treat for the senses.  With a myriad of varieties, tones and hues,  the rose has breeding and history to add to its mystique.  They have been symbols of everything from love to war and their colours are representative of many emotions and themes.  For example, white represents innocence and purity, while pink is for appreciation. Though m

Running through the news feed on my Facebook page I came upon a video from Britain's Got Talent. The entertainers in this case were a 16-year-old girl and her dog, a fluffy little white thing. Together they performed a dance routine to the theme song from The Flintstones. While the human member of this dynamic duo might be more likely to get a call from a dog trainer than go on to win the show,  it was pretty darn cute. Let's face it, these canine friends of ours can be awfully adorable. From those woebegone, "I'm so sorry" countenances they sport when caught doing something wrong, to little idiosyncrasies like that of our office mascot Thor's barking at the bad guys on TV,  dogs are doggone cute. Our Ani used to love 'coffee break' waiting with an expectant look on her face until I got my morning beverage and settled into my favourite reading chair before running to get her bone and scooting back to lie on the floor beside me.  It was our time.

While visiting my mother in the nursing home recently, we began a conversation about her wedding photo, taken 71 years ago by the local photographer in  our small rural town. We discussed how many portraits he, and after his death, his daughter, had taken of our family over the years. We touched too on the fact that while he was the only professional shutterbug for miles around,  he was considered to be one of the best. The best then isn't the same as now, however. Years ago portraits were formal, stiffly-posed pictures with standard arrangements and positions. Not a hair out of place, nor a pointy-toed shoe angled the wrong degree. For families, Mom and Dad were seated with children fitted in rows behind and between them.  For weddings, bridal parties were put in formation, two rows of decked-out couples lined up behind and attractive bride and groom. Now, people want something different, photos with personality. They prefer that at least some are more casual. Spontaneit

Given that he's the man with whom I've chosen to spend my life, when a camera comes out it seems difficult to catch us in the same place at the same time. It's been almost a year since there was a decent photograph taken of the two of us. So, when we were all cleaned up for our grandson's birthday party this past weekend I saw a  moment and seized it, tossing a camera to my daughter and plopping me down on my honey's lap. The result wasn't too bad for an impromptu moment; as our daughter said we both actually looked like we were enjoying ourselves. However, as is often the case when there's no time to consider things like composition and location,  the picture would have been much nicer without the playground in the background. Removing this much unwanted stuff in a way that would leave me with a picture which didn't look doctored, I assumed was well beyond my Photoshop skills.  That is, until  a friend told me about the Patch tool.  With her ass

A glorious weekend was enjoyed in our part of the country with unseasonably warm weather. The real bonus was the lack of rainfall, which was a darn good thing given we were attending a large outdoor event for our grandson's first birthday. May can be a rather hit-and-miss month for nice weather so when planning first began our son-in-law was a little leery that it might be too cold. The reverse proved to be true, however,  with temperatures in the high 20s and the humidex making it feel like 33°C.  Of course, this brought another concern into the mix with the prediction of thunderstorms throughout the area. As the pig hit the spit, the tent was decorated and tables set up early Saturday morning, we nervously checked the radar and the progress of a severe thunderstorm and tornado watch. Fortunately, as is often the case with meteorology, the science was a bit off and there was nothing to fear with only a light rain falling just before midnight. This is not to stay that there