Visit with my aunt in Hudson, Canada

I have gone from +30 degrees back to the UK +10 degrees to Canada at -20 degrees.  Have 3 weeks with my aunt and cousins in Hudson.  Lots of snow but it has warmed up to + 8 degrees while I have been here.  Snow storm on the way though and we are back to -15.  Photos are mainly of the garden and its residents and some hikes up Mt Rigaud.

My aunt Barbara snowshoeing 

Little red is usually around at the birdfeeders.  He has competition from a grey and black squirrel.

View in the field behind the house

Milk weed

Little red in the snow

Milkweed down by the lake

Lake of Two Mountains or Ottawa river.  This is over the road from the house

Sunset shot.  Unfortunately the lake is in shadow at the time

My cousin Debbie

In camera movement of trees

Barn on the road when Debbie and I were looking for snowy owls

In Voyager Park, Ontario.  Alison in front followed by Anne and Debbie

At the lake in Voyager Park

Remains of a boar probably a coyote kill

Little red taken through the window so not sharp

Waxwings in the field outside the house

Raccoon at the bird feeder

Blue jay through the window

Chickadee

Frost on the panes at the front of the house

Pilated woodpecker's work.  I have heard them but not seen them yet

On the hike with Debbie. A remnant of a squirrel?

Finally saw the cardinal.  Taken through the window

View from the top of the mountain

Fungi

View from the dam in Pointe Fortune

Snowmobile by the dam

Branch on the icy driveway

snow sculpture

Barn nearby

Only way I could capture this weather vane was through the trees

Fishing shacks on the ice

Field behind the house as the sun was setting

Yet more milkweed

It started snowing at around 6pm last night - Tuesday 12th Feb.  Chris, Barbara and I went out for sushi - the best I have tasted.  This morning it was still snowing.  We have had about 20 cm or so.

Barbara's garden

Still berries on the tree

Little red's tunnel near the bird feeders

My cousin Chris and I went for a snowshoe on Thursday afternoon in Jackson Park, Hudson.  We met some cute poodles there and I snapped a couple of shacks on the ice but no birds.

A cross country skiier 

Poodle looking up at Chris

On Friday, my cousin Debbie and I did a 14 km snowshoe and hike on the Mt Rigaud trail.  Half way around the rain started and the snow was too sticky for the snowshoes so we had to walk in the deep snow.

Cross country ski tracks

We hiked around the yellow route

On Saturday, a first for me, kitty yoga.  Doing yoga with kittens roaming around for the kitten rescue.    Anne was looking for a new cat.  In the end we went off to a nearby barn and Anne rescued a barn cat which Lisa, another of Debbie's friends had sorted out for her.

Anne and her new kitten

A calf in the cow barn where all the barn cats were

Leaving Anne and Lisa, Debbie and I went for a short 45 min walk around Coopers Marsh in Ontario.  Well it took us over 1 hour and a half as we decided we didn't need snowshoes.  Big mistake.  We were crawling over some of the track as the snow was too deep to walk.  Another exhausting day.  We ended up at Jack's Pub in Williamstown for a well earned meal and drinks.

Chickadees

Snowshoe rabbit tracks

Hairy woodpecker

Debbie forged the trail

Island on the St Laurence River

The robins have returned from Florida

Downie woodpecker

Walked the yellow route

On the way to Williamstown

On Sunday another brunch at Cosy corner.  After that Debbie drove Barbara and I around the side streets of the 201, St Julie and St Marthe to look for snowy owls.  Debbie spotted the pilated woodpecker - 64 images later!  We gave up on the owls and headed for home when Debbie spotted an owl on a barn right on the 201.

Shetland ponies

Taking landscape pics as there were no owls

Pilated woodpecker

Pilated woodpecker in flight

Black panther or big cat

Finally the snowy owl