Domesticated

September 5, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

The swans in nearby Stratford, are domesticated for the purpose of creating ambiance – replicating the original Stratford on Avon. Dug into my archives for this photo of a man with his two feathered pets. (For Bird Weekly challenge: domesticated birds.)

Pink!

September 4, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Pink petuniassuspended from white porch rail –gift to passerby. (For Cee’s FOTD)

A Sweet End to August

September 2, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

A little finch seems to like the new bird café in the neighbourhood. Not sure about the new humans though. (For bushboys world last photo of the month challenge.)

VJ’s Weekly Challenge #111: stuff happens

August 31, 2020.Reading time 2 minutes.

“Just hang in till after the move,” I kept pleading with my body. Unrealistic in hindsight. Six o’clock, the morning before the move, I wake Ric with a request to drive me to the hospital. Turns out you can’t just pack chronic illness in a box and unpack it when convenient. While they pumped fluids […]

VJ’s Weekly Challenge #110 – smell

August 24, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

“How long do you boil the corn?” “I don’t know.” “What do you mean, you don’t know?” “It’s done when it smells right.” This is why I can never replicate a recipe. I literally follow my nose. What is your relationship to smell? (Don’t tell me you didn’t know this was coming, lol.) Look forward […]

VJ’s Weekly Challenge #109: What a Sight!

August 17, 2020.Reading time 1 minute.

Needing a break from moving house, I took my camera and drove along the river road looking for birds. Always hoping for that one shot to brag about later. The river seldom disappoints. A family of wild turkeys crossing the road welcomed me. Ripples in the calm water revealed a female merganser – a thrill […]

VJ’s Weekly Challenge #108: taste

August 10, 2020.Reading time 1 minute.

Cornish pasties, the ones my father used to make when I was a child, were the one thing I craved while carrying my first child. Something in the taste of ground beef, sliced potato, and onion, wrapped in a flaky crust and seasoned just right, called to me. Except my father had long since misplaced […]

Best Listener

August 9, 2020.Reading time 1 minute.

The art of listening, best taught by the family pooch –ears attuned to nuances, carefully weed throughhuman gibberish for words that resonate:treat, dinner, walk, cuddles… Those eyes challenge, invite compassionconvey a depth beyond understandingand when tone turns impatient,little paws retreat, as if words are blows. If only I could learn to listen,hear the workings of […]

Birds of Prey

August 8, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Bald Eagle having a dip (For Bird Weekly challenge: birds of prey. Featured image is a Red-Tailed hawk escaping my lens.)

Our August

August 5, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Augustine was the name chosenshould this new arrival be a girlbut as her mother labouredshe knew, with certaintythere would be no “ine” She is August, born in Mayesteemed and venerablea name fit for a leader –I can attest to her abilityto run the show – definitely rules my heart. (For Eugi’s Causerie Weekly Prompt: August.)

Resilience

Boxes are filling up around us. We’re making a dent in our to-do lists. Doubt seeps in. Are we doing the right thing? Then I remember all the reasons behind making this choice and affirm: We are dismantling one life to build another, purposeful existence.

Monday Mood: squirrely

The movers need to be arranged, and the closets sorted and packed, and when was the last time we bought groceries…. Head and attention are going in too many directions at once, and I’m exhausted before I get started. Might be a little cranky too. The stress of moving is real.