Down in the Valley

The valley of this title, Down in the Valley, is for Calder Valley in Yorkshire as represented in the tv series, Happy Valley.

Sue and I watched the first series on Netflix sometime last year and were elated recently when it popped up that there was a new, second series. Since it had been awhile since we had watched the first series, we reviewed that from beginning to end before continuing on to the second season. So, all in all, we enjoyed 12 hours of suspenseful and excellent tv, each season comprising six hour long episodes.

Let's face it the Brits do mysteries such as Inspector Lewis and Inspector Banks, to name just two, ever so well. I can't think of any American series that come up to the mark. Prime Suspect is a case in point. The British version with Helen Mirren was compelling: the American series was not and lasted for only 13 episodes. Some of you might also remember the British Cracker as being ... um ... crackerjack and the American version disappointing.

But as I began to say, the Brits do mysteries really well, and Happy Valley is no exception. Starring Sarah Lancashire (also seen in Netflix', Last Tango in Halifax) as the strong and determined police sergeant, Catherine Cawood and supported by an excellent cast, I predict that this series will absorb you as it did me.

The main antagonist is played by James Norton who in no way resembles the sincerely good vicar character that he plays in the PBS series, Grantchester. He is the main villain in series 1 and still lurks menacingly in the second series. I can hardly fathom that it is the same actor.

I don't mean to go on, but it strikes me that Happy Valley could be easily overlooked as you are searching through Netflix fare, and it really really shouldn't be. I just thought I would pass it along, for what it's worth.

Besides, I needed something to post.

Late Autumn at Riverside

After much less than conducive photographic weather, there were clear skies during which I found a few minutes to drive to the park. My hope was to catch some colour lingering on some of the trees, and I did: not on those three adorable, little red maple trees, which were done, but lots of yellow and some orange and well as quite a blanket on the ground.

You Have a Good Girl There

How could I not be proud of this girl?

Danica is about as sweet and caring a child as anyone could possibly be.

Here is a FB message that a mother of one of Danica's classmates sent to Sha on the weekend.

Good Morning! I just wanted to let you know that your daughter has been very sweet to Brenda. Brenda's two 'best' friends have been rather unkind to her this school year. Brenda was having a particularly difficult week and your sweet Danica was very supportive and provided Brenda with comfort. You have a good girl there.

Yes, we do have a very good girl. She has a big and compassionate heart, that one.

And I get hugs too.

All Hail to All Hallows

This is it, whatever you choose to call it: Halloween, Hallowe'en, Allhalloween, All Hallows Eve, or All Saints Day. But I will spare us all, me included, the full-fledged Wikipedia rundown of the day ... or night.

Instead, I will do what I do.

Share some photos/

Most were taken at last years Maskeraid Parade. Too bad they didn't run it this year.

Enjoy.

Downtown After the First Snow

Believe me! It wasn't the excitement of the first snowfall that got me out of bed at 4:30 after less than five hours sleep; that's just the way my life goes.

And I certainly didn't go out to take photos at 4:30, but I did eventually go out to take some photos. I went downtown (not far) to try and get some pics of reflections on the wet pavement. They weren't much to shout and holler about, but a few were okay. Different anyway.

I snapped a few right from the municipal parking lot near townhall.

This is the back of the Moore House: the original log home. It was located elsewhere in the town but moved here a number of years ago. Townhall looms in the background.

Still in the parking lot. looking toward townhall. That's the former Paterson Funeral Home and Furniture store on the left. Presently, it is a beauty parlour and apartments.

From the street, I took this shot of the Moore House from the front. As you can see from the signage, it now serves several functions.

The photos of reflections that I had most wanted to take were just okay. Here is one.

Finally, here is a shot of the Halloween themed display in The Granary window.

The walking was a little slippery, so I turned back sooner than I had planned, but it was fun to get out and do a different kind of shooting than my normal.

As for the snow, it will be gone tomorrow when the temperatures will climb to 14°C/57°F. But there will be more in due course.

Clay Girl Recommended

After posting of autumn colours for post after post, I have fallen a little quiet for a few days. I had hoped to post of the gradual decline of colour, but with three days of rain followed by four days of high winds, I didn't quite manage. I did notice that a few late-turning trees that I wanted to shoot, changed and largely fell during the recent turbulence. Darn.

Meanwhile, Heather, my author, sister-in-law, whom I have posted about several times over the summer has been on her book tour on the American West Coast. She is now back in Canada, but still touring and visiting out west.

I bring Heather up again because I have just read this post by Vikcy Lane, a blogger and published author, which is a great review, in which she "Highly, highly" recommends The Clay Girl. Why don't you head on over to Vicky Lane Mysteries (click here) and read the post for yourself?

I am also reminded of the trailer that Heather put together for the book that I have somehow neglected to post until now.  It's quite amazing to me that she did this herself.

Colours in Decline but Still Pretty Good

I thought that I might be done with autumn colour, but it was still okay when I rambled through our nearby trail the other day: definitely in decline but also still looking good to me. I opted to take the little camera (ostensibly Sue's camera but we share from time to time) and was pretty pleased with the results. I can still shoot in RAW format, which is a big plus for me, compared to most compact cameras. The results are more than satisfactory although not as sharp as I would get from my DSLR and very good wide angle lens. But I don't always want to carry that kit around on a regular old walk.

The water is still very low due to the drought. In fact, it is getting dangerously low, and people upriver who rely on well water are getting worried about its quality. These rocks would not be visible in most years, or if partially visible, I certainly wouldn't be able to scrabble around on them.

That part of the trail is open although you have to get off the path to actually get to the river. Farther along, it is woodsy. Once again, although many leaves have been dropped and expose plenty of bare branches, good colour still remains although not for very much longer.

At the other end, the view opens up once again, but just briefly before turning inland into a park. Once again, we wouldn't expect to see the foreground rocks being exposed, or at least  not very much.

Edit: Found this map of water conditions in southern Ontario. We are in the heart of the red zone.