Morning Dew

...the morn, in russet mantle clad,
Walks o’er the dew of yon high eastward hill.
Hamlet. ACT I Scene 1

Dew is water in the form of droplets that appears on thin, exposed objects in the morning or evening. As the exposed surface cools by radiating its heat, atmospheric moisture condenses at a rate greater than that at which it can evaporate, resulting in the formation of water droplets.

When temperatures are low enough, dew takes the form of ice; this form is called frost.

Because dew is related to the temperature of surfaces, in late summer it is formed most easily on surfaces which are not warmed by conducted heat from deep ground, such as grass, leaves, railings, car roofs, and bridges.
From Wikipedia

Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)

I was out at Esquimalt Lagoon on the weekend and managed to capture this close-up of a Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia). I have seen Caspian Terns at the lagoon before but never more than three or four. On this day this bird was the only tern I saw and he was content to stay on the ground while I was around. I was hoping that after he had given me some static close-ups he would do some fishing. These terns are a pleasure to watch when they are hunting. They hover high above the water like kingfishers and then suddenly plunge down onto the small fish that are their prey. The first recorded sighting of a Caspian Tern in this area was in 1959 but since then they have been regularly seen in the summer.

Election Day

These bright yellow signs popped up all over the country yesterday directing voters to local polling places for the national election. About 60% of registered voters voted and brought in a Conservative Party majority. For those not familiar with Canadian politics we currently have three major political parties: the Conservatives, the Liberals and the NDP (New Democratic Party). Insofar as I understand our political system we must have national elections at least once every four years. However, in cases where the government must call or wishes to call an election earlier they may do so at any time, so our elections do not fall on regular dates like the USA. (Canadians will please correct me if I am wrong about any of this information.) The Prime Minister is not elected independently as in American presidential elections but is elected like any other member of parliament to represent a particular electoral district. He or she becomes Prime Minister by virtue of being the leader of the political party that wins a simple majority of parliamentary seats. More information about the Canadian electoral process can be found on Wikipedia by clicking HERE.

Johnson Street Invaded by Naked Zombie Mannequins

Nothing I can say tops the headline. The only clue I'll divulge is that I LOVE reflections....

That's Dandy!

We can in fact only define a weed, mutatis mutandis, in terms of the well-known definition of dirt - as matter out of place. What we call a weed is in fact merely a plant growing where we do not want it.
~E.J. Salisbury
I can't help but feel some respect for these hardy little plants which have such a brilliant flower. Gardeners please don't hate me.