Thursday, October 21, 2010

Favourites - A Giveaway!

EffervescentNostalgiaZephyr BittersweetMischievousPersnickety CurmudgeonSerendipityMeanderFlamboyanceBodaciousPenultimate MagnoliaIridescence

This contest is now closed. The winner is announced here. Thanks for playing along everyone.

These are just a few of my favourite words. And the many of you who visit here regularly and leave such warm comments are some of my favouite people. This post is about combining a couple of my favourites - bloggers and words.


The good folks at CSN have once again come through with a generous offer. I could either select a product and do a review or I could offer up a giveaway. I've opted to do the latter to show my appreciation to the many folks who stop by, read, look at my photos and leave such kind comments.

CSN stores has a huge variety of housewares at a wide range of prices. You could purchase linens, vases, towels, mirrors, furniture and cookware. They have small items like kitchen gadgets or you could get a larger piece like a drop leaf table, all at really reasonable prices. For this giveaway, they will provide one lucky reader with a $100 gift certificate toward any merchandise you fancy (shipping would be extra) at any one of their 200+ online stores.

Unfortunately this giveaway is only open to folks who reside in Canada or the United States but if you live elsewhere, you might want to consider a friend or relative who qualifies. The same goes for those of you who don't necessarily want something for yourself but might want to help a bloggie buddy (anyone but yours truly) double their chances.

So what do you have to do to have a chance to win? Simple. All you have to do for a chance at a $100 gift certificate for yourself or someone in Canada or the U.S., is tell me your favourite word. This will get your name into a random draw. It's as simple as that.

The contest closes at midnight, Eastern Daylight Saving Time on Saturday, October 23. I'll randomly draw one name from all of those who qualify and announce the winner on Sunday, October 24. Please make sure that I know your email address. If I don't receive an email and/or comment reply from the winner within 7 days after that announcement, I'll redraw and award it to someone else.

So good luck to everyone. Now, tell me, what's your favourite word?

Animals are among my favourite subjects to photograph. Here are a few which I recently found around my own place or Frank's.


Six ducks sit by the creek pondering life.




This guy can be seen sunning himself just about every bright day near the dam at my local pond.




Frank discovered this Praying Mantis trying to get into the sliding door which leads to his back yard.




It's spawning season and the salmon are all swimming upstream. Here you can see a couple of them jumping to get up the ladder at the creek's dam. Sadly, you can also see how very many of them have not managed to complete this exhausting trip.




This little critter was simply sitting on a neighbour's front deck. My own neighbour, Caroline said "Take its picture!" and so I did.

77 comments:

Pauline said...

One of my favorite words is ponder.

Your posts allow me to do that in a most delightful way :)

Tom said...

I've always liked the word "gobsmacked" but my favourite, from soccer commentary years ago when I lived in the UK, is "ripsnorter".

It means very impressive and energetic and it has to spoken in an English accent!

Tom

solarity said...

My favorite word--today--is "slowby." When I googled it, I got one hit for it: the Urban Dictionary. But if it's in there, someone besides me must have coined it from analogy to "newby." (Or should they be spelled with an "ie" even in the singular? I love words.)

Mary Anne in Kentucky, loving the snail

Sueann said...

Cerulean is one of my favorite words and favorite color. Also "Try" and "Terrrific are favs of mine as well!! Love your pics. The one of the Praying Mantis is awesome!!
Great giveaway!!
Hugs
SueAnn

June said...

Not catchy or amusing, my favorite word is "home".

Country Girl said...

Oh, please enter me! I just had a giveaway last month and would love to compete in yours.

One of my favorite words is serendipitous. I just like it a lot.

Brian Miller said...

you have the most amazing eye hilary...the snails...the salmon...hot pics...evanescence

CiCi said...

My favorite word is honor.

What wonderful photos. Wow.

Anonymous said...

ginormous ~ it has only recently caught on here in the states, but I first heard it from my English husband years ago. I laughed so when he used it because I thought he had made it up, yet it was so descriptive!

Great shots once again! I wish you hadn't brought our attention to the salmon in background, I would have never noticed them. At first look, that photo made me smile until I saw those in the back.

Anonymous said...

Marvellous photos, as usual!

My favourite word is serendipity!

OH, and Solarity: gobsmacked = very surprised. It's British slang and very often used by us Brits.

Leah J. Utas said...

Alleged.
My favourite word is alleged.
Love the pics, especially that wonderful turtle and its reflection.

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

wow what great shots hilary! Love the grasshopper.

fav word: splendor (but in my heart of hearts my favorite words are Mom and Nana)

Anonymous said...

I love that reflective turtle with a sunny disposition. :)

H-J's favorite color in Kindergarten was iridescent. He now knows it's not really a color, but I continue to love the word. It even sounds ripply and shiny as it tumbles off the tongue.

Unknown said...

thanks for this chance , Hilary.

love the photos as always, I scroll down with anticipation ..

word of the day ~ illuminate

larkswing said...

Ahhh, aren't you sweet! Sweet and a good photographer.

Lately the word has been "impressive"

:)

abb said...

soliloque

I just love the way that word rolls off the tongue. And it's also something I tend to practice...regularly...(sigh).

Especially love the turtle and, of course, that amazing praying mantis.

Tabor said...

For many years I have liked the word essence. I so not know why. I have so much stuff in my life that you may use this draw for one of your readers that needs more stuff.

DJan said...

My favorite word is "flabbergasted." I think it sounds so funny! As usual, your pictures amaze me and inspire me to take more pictures!

the Bag Lady said...

Oh, Hilary - I have to choose just one favourite word?? (I don't want all the other words to feel left out, you know!)
Hmmm.... vivacious is one of my favourite words.

Kat said...

The picture of the fish jumping is a great catch! Awesome! And that snail is one of the prettiest I've seen. Love it. :)

Serendipity is one of my favorite words because I love what it means. A fortunate accident. I also love the word tumultuous because it is a fun word to say. It kind of rolls around clumsily in my mouth. I like it.

Mental P Mama said...

What fun! My favorite word is "delightful" -- which is how I always find your shots!

Lori said...

Oh Hilary I just love these photo's.

I will have to tell my daughter about this because she seems to win all kinds of these things...she won a $100 gift card from CNN recently...maybe she could win it for her unlucky mother...lol.

My word for today is absolutely.

Hope your Thursday is thrilling. :)

Daryl said...

All manner of creepy crawly and some are even cute

My favorite word has but 4 letters and is not polite ...

Frank Baron said...

Great shots, as always, especially the mantis and turtle. Although for obvious reasons I do not want to take part in the giveaway, my favourite words are "Yes, dear." Oh, and "volumptuous."*


*I will NOT rest until those people at Websters accept it!

Gayle said...

Bedraggle....is it be--draggle or is it bed--raggle? It always makes me laugh.
:D
Gayle

Cricket said...

Well, now. Salmon are definitely something I don't have in my little corner of the world. Well, I have them, but they come filleted. Or in neat little cans.

A favorite word? Yikes. I may have told you this, but I read the dictionary, just for fun. I love it - finding new words, etymologies, and all that. A favorite would be quite hard.

Yes, I'm a geek. There, I've confessed it.

I'll give you my most recent interesting encounter, though: xiphisternum. How's that?

I'm sure I'll never have occasion to use it, but still, should I ever need to refer specifically to the posterior and smallest of the three divisions of the sternum, well, I'll be ready.

In keeping with the theme, let me offer The Beatles The Word. Have you heard the Word is Love? That's a good word, too.

ellen abbott said...

ocean

This has been my favorite word since I learned to write it in cursive. The letters flow into one another and remind me of the waves coming to shore. Also, the sound of the word is much like the sound the ocean makes.

Land of shimp said...

Hilary, that last of the snail is absolutely amazing. Doesn't he look like a tiny decoration? He's perfect! Maybe the faerie queen rode him in for a visit, and he's just awaiting her return :-)

I don't have a favorite word. At least, not really. Words have to be used in combination to really work. So I have favorite groupings, usually titles. Although, I am a fan of ye old cellar door. Window sash is another one.

I like words that you don't see used all that frequently as descriptors, like fetching. "Oh isn't that a fetching hat?"

I don't really have a favorite word. Maybe it's because I use so many of them to say so little ;-)

Pat - Arkansas said...

My favorite word? Just one? A very difficult task. Today, it's "fraught."

Love the tiny snail, but there's not a bad one in the bunch.

Suldog said...

Well, I was going to say that, as usual, your talent with a camera leaves me FLABBERGASTED, but I see that someone beat me to that word. Let's go with SLOBBERKNOCKER, though I have no idea how to work that into anything pertaining to such a lovely soul as you.

RoseRed said...

My favorite word is actually french - consciencieuxament because it's so much fun to say. It means conscientiously.

Pearl said...

My favorite word? There are too many to choose from!! But one word I've always been attracted to, primarily because I think it actually LOOKS like what it means, is "laughter". The word "laugh" itself makes me smile.

Regarding your photos, they knock me out. I'm always impressed by people who capture the movement. I try to do that in my writing, where I have words to aid me, but to capture movement in an image? Wigs me right out. :-)

Pearl

p.s. Thank you so much for the kind words re: my blog. I've had at least a half-dozen people stop by listing YOU as having recommended me. Thank you, Hilary. :-)

messymimi said...

Peruse. I like to peruse books, and your always beautiful blog.

messymimi said...

Peruse. I like to peruse books, and your always beautiful blog.

Maggie May said...

Out of your list of words I do like *meander*.
I also love *tranquil* & *translucent*.
Your critter photos are always magnificent but I especially love the log overlooking the lake, with the birds sitting on top!
Maggie X

Nuts in May

Gary's third pottery blog said...

Mr TURTLE!

Cloudia said...

nice spiral snail.....

moonglade, great word, eh?




Aloha from Hawaii

Comfort Spiral

><}}(°>

Bossy Betty said...

Love that turtle picture!!

Meandering...love that word.

Izzy said...

geez, you don't make it easy. i have such BIG love for so many words. but this evening the word "persnickety" fell from my lips and it made me laugh. so that's going to be my big for this drawing. may that word bring me BIG luck.

SandyCarlson said...

Your turtle shot stole my heart. I don't need it back. Let it go where the turtle goes.

My favorite word is (What is my favorite word?) butter because it reminds me of all the great recipes I inherited from my beautiful Gram that contain this ingredient, a source of warmth and flavor and generosity.

ethelmaepotter! said...

Oooh, a giveaway, but...one word?! Hmmmmm....I love the word LITHE, probably because I wish I were, but I fall more in the ZAFTIG category. Can I have two favorites? Hmm? Will that get me two chances? Hmm?

Oh, alright, I'm going with LITHE.

VM Sehy Photography said...

My favorite word lately is lovely.

Your photos are superb! I love the turtle with his reflection. And the pattern on that snail's shell is awesome.

Frank Baron said...

Oh yeah.

You expected me to vote for "meander" didn't you? ;)

Hilary said...

Lots of great words here.. and reasoning behind them.

Also lots of kind comments. Thank you for that.

Keep those favourite words coming!

Linda said...

My favorite word is "peace."
I'm enjoying your lovely pictures.

Nancy said...

Yielding. I like the word because it means to give in and go with the flow. Yielding to a higher source, yielding to your intuition.

Joanna Jenkins said...

"Ahhh" is my favorite word lately.

And "gorgeous" which I use often to describe your photos.

Thanks for the giveaway but please count me OUT as I was lucky enough to have won one of your giveaways (and use the gorgeous casserole dish all the time.)

Cheers, jj

Dawning Inspiration said...

I'm an "80's" girl - so I guess I'd have to say my favorite word is "cool" - boy does that date me!!

PS: lovin' that turtle pic - the reflection is "cool!!" ;o)

Zuzana said...

What a great idea for a give away dear Hilary, and I love all the words you list as your favorite.;) Particularly bittersweet and flamboyance could be mine.;)I personally also like the word melancholy...
I know I do not qualify for your give away, so please ignore my comment, but I thought I would offer you my favorite word of all times, which is actually a name of a wind: Mistral
Have a great weekend dear friend,
xo

Bimbimbie said...

Phantasmagorical

... describes the natural world perfectly I think.

Love the turtle photo.

By the way marshmallow v banana my possum experiment following your raccoon photos Mother possum gave marshmallow a thumbs up but her joey ignored it in favour of the banana*!*

Midlife Roadtripper said...

My favorite? Gather

Once again, your photography so incredible. The salmon - almost made me cry.

Steve Gravano said...

Well I had to think about words and which would be my favorite. It's not as easy as picking the Praying Mantis photo as my favorite photo from your post. The detail and color is great.
My word is Robust.
It sounds like its meaning and just saying it is descriptive in a way. There's a few words like that, but I think robust is my favorite.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

Came via Dave's site. Which part of Ontario are you? Always please to meet bloggers esp from Ontario.

I was at the University of Windsor in 1975-77.

I like the ducks sitting on the branch.

lime said...

oh the turtle is adorable but that praying mantis is just magnificent.

as for words. i've always been fond of tintinabulation...kinda hard to work into every day use though so thanks for the opportunity. :)

Anonymous said...

I love the praying mantis. They are so delicate...I don't see how they keep from breaking.
My favorite word is something that is powerful, enduring is what keeps us all going...LOVE : )

sage said...

I hope to be as excited about my ending journey as fish are when they spawn... My favorite word (and is it the same as my favourite)... "awe"

Sarah Knight said...

Love that photo of the mantis!

My favorite word is "serendipity." It's one of my favorite ideas too.

ethelmaepotter! said...

I just had to come back - for one thing I forgot to comment on the photos, which of course, are SPECTACULAR, especially the turtle on the log, but also because I just read a news story about new words being added to the dictionary this year. Among others...chillax (chill and relax)...wurfing (surfing at work)...earworm (tune that gets stuck in your head)...and Tweetup (meeting in person after meeting on Twitter!)

I might add - my spellcheck didn't recognize any of these new words!

Claudya Martinez said...

My favorite word is osmosis.

Kristina P. said...

Great pictures! Love the fish one.

I think one of my favorite words is "exuberant."

Mage said...

Stunning pictures. Thank you. :)

Mage said...

Functional.

Don said...

I'm enjoying reading everyone's favorite words. Great idea.
One of my favorites is "jalopy".
It's how I get around.

blunoz said...

"Enthusiasm." Because its root words are something like "en theos" or "In God." I like the way people use the word enthusiasm without knowing it's root meaning. :-)

Unknown said...

Hilary: You make us care and I would say the word ponder is a good one. But so is your obvious Zest for life! You're a sweet person! ;)

Maalie said...

Oh, what wonderful pictures!

25BAR said...

Garden creatures! WOW!

nick said...

Not sure about favorite words, but we have some quaint Aussie terms. I do like doovalacky, a word you use when you can't think what something is called: "Hand me the doovalacky, mate!"
One word I HATE to hear is sedgeway.. and I don't mean that silly two-wheeled contraption. Everyone seems to use it these days on TV. Ugh.

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

It's always good to see someone with all their ducks in a row! Heehehehe!

Loved all the animal pics, I too(bein' an farm chick and all) am quite smitten with animals!

My favorite word is hodgepodge. I don't know why, I just like the was it rolls off my tongue!

God bless ya and enjoy this beautiful weekend!!!

Anonymous said...

Your nature photos are wonderful. Terrific to see pics of animals we don't necessarily notice in our everyday existence. And--up close and in focus!

My favorite word is elucidate. To make clear or explain--like a really good nature photo!

SandyCarlson said...

Back to say hello. I hope you have a super weekend!

Andrea said...

My favourite word is ardenthearted...I love the way it sounds and what it means!

Have LOVED catching up on all your wonderful photos, Hilary...the shot of the turtle with his reflection is amazing!!

Linda said...

Hi Hilary, my favorite photo is the duck on the fallen tree. I like the word iridescent. I saw a pigeon on the beach with the most beautiful iridescent green on his neck. So pretty. Wish I could have gotten a pic.

Great giveaway you have. I'd love to be entered. :)

Hilary said...

Thank you, everyone. You all had wonderful words and I had a lot of fun reading all of your comments. You folks are so much fun!

Tammie Lee said...

day light saving time?! Is that tonight? I think that I am late. Still, at this moment my favorite word is: listen.
In fact I will choose that word to teach me all year long 2011, starting already.. ha.
Wonderful give away!
Fantastic photos. I always love seeing praying mantis. Happy Sunday to you.

Anonymous said...

Well, I won't enter, because I'm trying not to accumulate at the moment! But my favourite word is mystical! :)
I love that turtle photo, I've never seen one around here! Although there are tonnes of turtle-watching areas, they always seem to hide from me!

L. D. said...

You must live near a beautiful river if it has salmon running it's banks.