QUEEN BEES?

 Autumn arrived on Thursday with the sun rising due east. Best time of year for cotton candy clouds. And some welcome rains...

Woke up early to share tributes and respects to the Queen. We'll never see the likes of her again. Some bittersweet scenes of her Canadian contingent.

Speaking of England, around here The Fox and Hound is not just some British pub!

                                       

More bees and wasps this season swarming the house and tunneling their way in through the walls. Every possible entry has to be plugged up. As of this morning, so far so good.

We're busy as bees decluttering, donating, and displaying. Even free stuff is hard to re-home. 

Warm-from-the-oven muffins are yummy on chilly damp mornings. (Note the Missing Man Dozen?) The sun may be in the east but we're looking south and west!

SOMETHING OLD, NEW, BORROWED, BLUE

Lots of local events this week. At our nearby Lookout, the Women's Institute celebrated a milestone. Note  1930 Model A in background. That's old, even for me. Back at home, THE important woman shows how it's done.

The area's heritage museum Moorestown has a replica village from the past. Note price of gas! They're getting ready for a bicycle retrospective. We donated this pine dresser, made at the Welbeck mill near the dearly beloved farm.

Here's the weekly animal roundup. Squirrels like this mom-to-be have found acrobatic ways to feed. The foxes keep an eye on them. Bees and wasps are getting into the house from somewhere. Here's how to catch-and-release with paper and cup.

Lots of car events with eye candy for all tastes. At Cobble  Beach the stunning gems d'Elegance are joined by rare jewels from the decades. At Wiarton Airport, 130 cars lined up for fun and fancy. I'm tempted by this VW van with pop-up top holding canoes. But my Best-In-Show is a 1959 Ford station wagon ---- that's a camper too, right? For Pat it's a white-on-white splashy 1929 Model A. Go figure.

The row of classic cars lined up in front of the library was too crowded to get in. But a family found this red '66 parked nearby and promptly swarmed it. Borrowed for a photo op. Don't blame them --- what a beauty. Wonder where the owner was?

Nice coincidence of plane, car, and former professor. All are Seneca's! 

So don't be sheepish about it. Next time you see something you like of any vintage, grab it!

THE QUEEN IN WINDSOR AND CHICAGO

Queen Elizabeth was the only monarch we have ever known (OK, OK --- there is a butterfly and a Canadian car by that name). Gracious, family-oriented, and forever dedicated to the life thrust upon her. Long live the Queen! The only time  I saw her in person was as Princess Elizabeth who came to my home town in 1951. We gathered in front of our school, waved the Union Jack when the limo went by, cheered, and were given a commemorative coin. Who knew what was to become of her historic 70 years as sovereign.

Also of coincidence was we were in Stratford when we heard the news. A very English town with namesake Avon River and Shakespearean Festival. The revamped musical Chicago was non-stop dazzling song and dance, way better than expected. What talent! What kicks!

Another connection is a train trip in grade7, stopping at Stratford on the way to Niagara. Note the size of my lunch bag! Many birthdays since then, big portions still happening.

Burl's Creek is the largest automotive flea market in Canada. Hundreds of vendors but disappointingly few with car stuff. Despite walking up and down rows of displays on a sweltering day, could not find the radio I was looking for. Anybody got a '66 Mustang AM-FM?

Gladly back home up the hill, the harvest moon rose as dramatically and as mysteriously as ever. In the yard a Great Blue Heron feasted on the frog-and-fin buffet. A raccoon climbed like Spider Man. A katydid did it's autumn night sounds, joining in with the sound-alike peepers. And another first sighting: a giant dog prowling the grounds. Didn't the Queen have those cute little corgis?

PRAYING AND PREYED ON

Once a year a praying mantis is spotted up here. It's the only insect that can turn its head from side to side. That would have been handy for Pat this week. She inadvertently stirred up these paper wasps, got stung in hard-to-reach places, and suffered all week from rash, itches, swelling, and pain.

It's the most dramatic time of year for gorgeous sunrises. The days can be scorching hot but the leaves can't stop falling now.

Yardwork this week included moving rocks and layering mulch. 

Creatures are sensing the change of seasons. Frogs dry out, squirrels load up, hummingbirds dart around faster than Top Gun: Maverick. Our Gem of a car had dangerous joint trouble in the safest of places --- a parking lot. A four-figure repair, but our prayers to stay safe on the road have been answered so far.