Gallery: A royal goodbye for Queen Elizabeth II

The world gave a final farewell to the longest serving monarch of Great Britain and the Commonwealth of Nations today, with a funeral for Queen Elizabeth II that drew presidents, prime ministers and monarchs from other royal houses.

Throngs of mourners in Britain lines the streets as the Queen's coffin and funeral procession, which arrived at the west gate of the Westminster Abbey shortly before the service, which took place at 11 a.m. local time.

Canada's longest-serving head of state died on Sept. 8 at her holiday home of Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands at the age of 96, setting off 10 days of national mourning in the United Kingdom, and in all the countries that called her Queen.

The following are images gathered from our wire services from this morning's funeral and the funeral procession.

Brandon Humane Society surpasses fundraising goal at Wag-A-Tail

They may have run out of hot dogs, but there were plenty of happy dogs to be found at Brandon Humane Society’s Wag-A-Tail Walk-A-Thon this weekend at the Riverbank Discovery Centre.

Powwow returns to Sioux Valley

Paris Thompson, of Winnipeg, dances while waiting to take part in the Grand Entry at the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation Powwow Friday evening.

The dynamic piano duo

The chamber music festival continues at Brandon University’s Lorne Watson Recital Hall with a performance by duo pianists Madeline Hildebrand and Everett Hopfner tonight, starting at 7:30 p.m.

Brandon Sun editor Matt Goerzen managed to catch up with the piano duo on Monday afternoon as they put in some practice time at the hall, playing La Valse by Maurice Ravel, and ironing out their upcoming performance.

Included are some of the images from that photo shoot.

Renowned Canadian tenor James McLennan will also be performing Wednesday evening (accompanied by pianist Laura Loewen and guest vocalist Lara Ciekiewitz).

A time for prayer

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, following months of military build up along the Russian-Ukrainian border. Since then, Canadians of Ukrainian descent have been gathering together to show solidarity with the homeland of their parents, grandparents and ancestors. 

In response to the Russian invasion of the country the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada has blessed all churches to be active centres of prayer and “havens for the storm-tossed” to provide solace to communities.

Here in Brandon, parishioners gathered at the Holy Ghost Ukrainian Orthodox Church on Sunday evening for a prayer service and candle light vigil in support of Ukraine.

The Brandon Sun's Chelsea Kemp was in attendance. 

Convoy to Ottawa

Hundreds of Westman residents endured an extreme cold warning on Tuesday morning to come out and watch the Freedom Rally convoy drive through Brandon.

The convoy started passing by the intersection of 18th Street and the Trans-Canada Highway around 11:30 a.m. and was still going by the time the Sun left the scene around 12:15 p.m.

This group of truckers is hoping to reach Ottawa this upcoming weekend, with the aim of convincing the federal government to do away with COVID-19 vaccine mandates across the board.

» The Brandon Sun

The Sun’s top photos of 2021: Matt Goerzen

For those of you who notice bylines on photos in the Sun, you may see my name attached to a photo or two now and again. I try to keep my hand in it, when time allows, or when necessity demands it.

One of the things you may notice about the images I take is that I tend to look to the skies for inspiration. Sunsets, the stars, even the birds in the skies -- I love to take the time for what has become a bit of a public hobby of mine.

I find it a way to relax outside of my time in the office or at home with the kids. Sometimes I even get to annoy the kids by taking them along with me.

But I feel privileged when I have the chance to share that hobby with Sun readers. So here are my favourite images of 2021. I'm looking forward to 2022 already.

From the porch light

Following the unseasonably warm weather Manitoba enjoyed in November, winter has offered up a rudely cold awakening this December as the temperatures have dipped below -20 C much of this week. 

While I am no fan of the extra-chilly weather, I must admit to being pleased with the dropping mercury as it allows me to enjoy the frosted-over windows of my porch every winter. 

There is so much variety in the swirls, fans and forms that take shape on the window panes when the temperatures drop below -20 C, and it's always a pleasure to shoot with my macro lens. I like to think of it as nature's cold-weather easel.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Around Westman for Halloween

Though the day was a bit cool, cloudy and windy, there was plenty of Halloween fun to be had on Oct. 31, which fell on a Sunday this year.

Camera in hand, Sun journalist Chelsea Kemp spent much of her day in search of spooky celebrations around Westman on Sunday, stopping by the Calvary Temple Halloween Fun Stop to take in the petting zoo and free barbecue. She also made it out to Rivers and the Lucky Break Ranch Halloween Jackpot Race, where dressed up contestants and their horses competed in barrel racing events.

And of course, what Halloween is complete without kids and costumes in Brandon for the annual trick or treat call on city doorsteps?

Gotta love the spooky stuff.

Midsummer rising

The summer solstice, also known as "midsummer," takes place when one of the Earth's poles is tilted toward the sun at its maximum degree. In the northern hemisphere here in Canada, it is counted as the longest day of the year, and marks the beginning of our summer season.

Sun photographer Tim Smith headed out early on Monday morning to capture the rising sun on the day of solstice — June 21 — at the Richardson Pioneer Grain Terminal at Kemnay, west of Brandon, and was greeted with a mostly clear sunrise and a gorgeous summer sky. 

New life for Sacred Heart

Built in 1953, the former Sacred Heart Ukrainian Catholic Church in Erickson is listed as an historic site in Manitoba, though it no longer functions as a working place of worship. 

Thanks to Onanole residents Steve and Reghan Langston, who purchased the structure, the former church will have new life as an event space for weddings, concerts and other events. 

Sun photographer Tim Smith caught up with the Langston's this week to see the ongoing renovations to the building.

Spring songbird

After a long and difficult winter for Manitobans, the return to spring with its warmer temperatures and longer daylight hours is a welcome one. Spring also harkens the return of our fine feathered friends.

Sun photographer Tim Smith found a flock of yellow-headed blackbirds congregating in a march near Minnedosa on Wednesday. Here are a few of his images. 

Freeze frame

During this latest cold snap I once again had the chance to use my macro lens to capture the magic of Jack Frost on the windows of my home's front porch. Every time the mercury plunges, the designs change, and it's a fun hobby to look for patterns and shapes in the frost. With outdoor temperatures reaching into the -30s over the last few nights, it's the perfect time to watch the sunrise from my front steps.

This week's deep freeze won't last long, as the forecast calls for more comfortable January temperatures by Thursday and Friday. While it lasts, I offer up my latest window pane portraits. 

Hook, line and sinker

One of the joys of the winter weather for many Manitoba anglers is the chance to get out onto the province's frozen lakes and rivers for a little ice fishing. The water is cold, and thus the fish are tasty. 

I caught up with Tyler Baker on Tuesday when I found him in his tent on the Assiniboine River near the Riverbank Discovery Centre. The ice was thick, and the weather was perfect. Though he hadn't had much luck when I arrived — and didn't for the half hour I spoke with him out on the ice — the day before he had caught four walleye at the same spot. 

The young Brandon man is an enthusiastic cold-weather fisher. I hope he had better luck after I left. 

FROSTY PATTERNS

Though the extreme cold that blanketed the Prairies over the weekend was an unpleasant reminder of just how frigid Canadian winters can be, there can be a few side benefits to the chilly air. When the temperatures fall below -20 C, the windows of my unheated porch become Mother Nature's canvasses, as frosty patterns swirl around the glass panes. Here is a selection of images taken with a macro lens over the weekend.