427 - Yook Gae Jang

A lovely weekend,
and more signs of spring
are refreshing and uplifting.

A bunch of tasks done while while making Yook Gae Jang in the afternoon,
the sunshine is so welcome and delightful.

Grateful today for
lifted winter blahs,
renewed energy
and a productive day.

426 - Last Feeble Attempts

Snow all weekend
will not fool me!

These are the last feeble attempts
of winter trying to hang on.

Grateful today for
friends that give me space to feel,
and the signs of winters' end nearing.

425 - Retail Therapy

Experiencing the idea of retail therapy...
thinking it means:
being in a retail environment is therapeutic ie. reduces stress and contributes to one's wellbeing...
or does it mean that spending money is therapeutic?

From the big box malls
to the traditional mall...(didn't make it to the outlet mall)...
observing whether the retail environment is a feel-good experience
and looking for a reason to spend money...

After 3 hours,
$7 spent in big box retail,
$0 spent in mall retail...
a feel good experience? not particularly...

Grateful today for
glimpses of retail I would not ordinarily encounter,
the snapshots in my mind of retail anytown, north america,
and for the $$ that stayed in my wallet.

424 - the fringe

Reflecting on the opinions and attitudes
observed in a few Canadian sitcoms,
and conversations with friends,
I am surprised to realize
that my thoughts do not fall into the "norm",
and are very much on the fringe...
especially when it comes to sex,
romantic love and relationships.

After 14 years, I cannot get used to being separated from my mate.
An hour left before the limo arrives to take him to the airport,
we sit together holding hands, watching a silly and happy show...
precious snuggly last moments together for the next few days...
If this is the relationship that happens being on the fringe,
I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Grateful today for
a fun afternoon getting my mate ready for his travels...
shopping for a few items,
and making sandwiches for the plane ride
as we share the day's events, laugh and enjoy each others company.

423 - Sniffles

Two+ litres of tea and other fluids,
a warm bed and My Princess
help me fight through a cold.

In the evening, a moment of sadness
perhaps it is the combination of a long weary winter,
with a cold...

Grateful today for
reminders of how good life is,
snuggles that fight colds,
and a warm home.

422 - The Blue Hour

The day is sunny and bright.
Dental appointment done,
followed by lunch at a neat Middle Eastern resto-bakery.

As the evening approaches,
wine sipping with C+C
with tripod set up to catch the sunset
and the city in the blue hour.

Grateful today for
live music - in the changing world of music, I am more and more grateful for places like the Rex, and Lee's Palace,
downtown neighbours,
and a very fun and jolly Wednesday.

421 - Sunset Silhouette

I have learned so much in the current PPSOP course.
Great lessons that take me out of my patterns of shooting photographs.
The assignments bring a huge amount of experiential learning...

Grateful today for
great critiques from the course instructor - personable and encouraging,
the techniques learned in each of the lessons - 2 more to go,
and for PPSOP.

420 - In the Middle

From early afternoon,
to tonight...

Shared experiences,
openness and feeling
from and with two others.

I find myself in the middle,
only by age.

Grateful today for
friends that unexpectedly share their experiences honestly and openly,
connections that know no boundaries,
and the universe that connects us all.

419 - Sunny 16

Sunny skies and a Sunday afternoon walk in the park.
Perfect for getting my Sunny 16 assignment done,
and for visiting with AM.

A relaxed day with my mate,
and an adventurous evening outing in the snowstorm.

The millions of sparkles on our walk home...
magical.

Grateful today for
the walk in the park and the visit with the ducks,
taking a closer look at the ice in the park to see the green grass and oak leaves,
and holding my mate's hand as we walked in the night sparkles together.

418 - Brrr...

Chili in the dutch oven,
the house is warm and cosy.

For the current assignment,
I go out to study changing light at sunset.
Chilled after 90 minutes outside,
and no perfect photo...

Grateful today for
the assignments that change the way I see and photograph,
the current lesson giving me a framework in hunting for spots, scenes etc to photograph
and the incredible sunset.

417 - Spring Teaser

Friday of a long weekend.
It is 9C, the air smells of spring.

By nightfall,
gusty winds bring colder temperatures.

Grateful today for
melting snow and blooms on the cactus,
reminders of spring
and long weekends.
,

416 - A brief break

The day is overcast,
rain in the morning with a few sun breaks during the day....
Temperatures are mild and almost balmy.

On a visit to the farmers' market,
the garden is still snow covered, yet spring feels near...
it won't be long now...

Grateful today for
a laughter filled sharing lunch with F+S at their local pub,
the mild temperatures today,
and a brief break from wearing my winter uniform.

415 - Sunrise, Sunset...

This week's photography assignment:
lesson and assignment look so straight forward,
it seems obvious.
Armed with the lesson,
examples clearly in mind,
and a vision of the Perfect Photo...
reality is neither straight forward or obvious.

Grateful today for
warmer weather to be outdoors,
the lesson that got me out,
and a most humbling sunset experience with my nikon.

414 - New Blooms

The christmas cactus is about to burst with colourful blooms.

A sunny day with bright blue skies lifts my spirits and carries me through the day.
Wherever I go, the universe lets me know I am not alone...

Grateful today for
the bright sunshine on a cold day,
opportunities seen in confusion and chaos,
and cactus blooms opening up in my view.

413 - Love

I remember being 10,
dreamily wondering about romantic love....
My teacher's imparted wisdom, "You cannot love another before you love yourself"

Years of learning to love myself,
"love" roller coasters and experiences later,
I find myself feeling blue and blah.

Like the windows in the photo,
my mind is filled with remembrances, reflections,
of people and events of times past.

Today, I did not find it so easy to love myself.
Windows that are gray with dirt, reflections of old hurt,
confused and mixed up in recent experiences,
were shared with my mate in the evening.

In our sharing,
my mate lifted old dust from my soul,
And brought me back to love.

Grateful today for love and all paths to it.
Happy Valentine's Day.

412 - A Perfect Sunday

As we watch the birds have their breakfast,
the snow is melting.
Chickadees, Finches,
Sparrows, Red-Bellied Woodpeckers,
Cardinals and Blue Jays too!

A lovely walk after breakfast before we drive back to the big smoke.
A perfect Sunday...

Grateful today for
the beautiful birds,
relaxed Sunday mornings,
and wonderful weekends with friends.

411 - Timely + Timeless

A drive to Idlewild this afternoon
to visit with the country mice
and to attend the world premiere of
Declaration by John Burge.

"We are all born free and equal in dignity and rights.
We are all endowed with reason and conscience and must act towards each other in a spirit of brotherhood."
from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

A most wonderful composition and concert,
beautiful, moving and powerful...
The evening is perfect.

Grateful today for
the country mice, their hospitality and friendship,
EQ, without whom we would not be at or even know about the evening's performance,
and the beauty of winter at Idlewild.

410 - Spin, Spin, Spin

Another week comes to an end.
Feels as though we spin through each day,
each day spinning a little more into the next.

At the end of the week - my favorite kind of party.
A party of 2 - me and my mate.
After a fun evening and dinner at our favorite place,
the spinning comes to an end.

Grateful today for
all that was accomplished during the week,
Miguele for a great meal and always taking care of us,
and for Fridays.

409 - One of the flock

Observing birds on a wire...
One, a different colour,
another sitting in different position,
Neither means separation from the flock.

Grateful today for
seeing pigeons flying together,
sunshine on a cold day,
and lessons from the birds.

408 - Reflections

In nostalgic moments,
reflections are of long past experiences.
Daily reflections are closer in time,
a day, a week, a month...

The 'same' experience reflected on at different times,
can open understanding,
and / or make it quite confuzzling.

The reflection on a mirror on the street
would stand out as an impossible scene,
if I did not know it was a mirror.

Interesting to consider reflections...
part of today's reality in a slightly blurry,
inverted manner...
nowhere near now.

Grateful today for
the instructor's photo critique that lifted the blahs I felt in my last assignment submission,
a good workout and lunch with my mate,
and the quiet time I have to contemplate and work on understanding my mind.

407 - Degrees of Motion

This week's photo lesson is about implying motion.
Ties in with my current reading
cooking,
and this evening's dinner...

Varying degrees of motion...
individual perspectives unique,
the starting points, end goals, and the journey that bridges the two
so individually felt
and common amongst many...

Grateful today for
gatherings of friends,
the sharing of perspectives and experiences,
and openness that embraces it all.

406 - Explorers

The current photography lesson / assignment,
brings me to exploring a familiar place
with new and unknown techniques.

Evening brings
an opportunity to hear the story of Alexandra Cousteau,
sharing her inspirations, knowledge and experiences.

Grateful today for
the beauty of the snowflakes that fell all day,
a new technique to explore,
and for opportunities to explore and try again.

405 - Maya

Breakfast with the cosmic couple,
and a special guest, Maya.
Comfortable at Huron,
She fits right into my mate's nest.

In the afternoon, we visit a friend in hospital,
and then off to dine and watch the superbowl at Clareville.
A spectacular feast as always,
and a great game!

Grateful today for
the drive through the winter wonderland north of downtown,
lovely times spent with family,
and a great weekend.

404 - Parsley

After a morning trip to the market,
soup bones simmer away into broth in the afternoon,
The day is quietly busy.

Openness and sharing in conversation with my mate,
brings clarity, smiles, laughter and joy.
Wandering into the evening,
a great spirit of fun guides the night.

Grateful today for
Parsley - I would never guessed how much I love it today,
clarity from the meaningful sharing,
and heated outdoor pools in winter.

403 - UBB

It is a cold walk to Yonge-Dundas Square this morning.
Arriving at 11 to observe the rally / protest around internet Usage Based Billing.

After standing in the cold for 20+ minutes,
seeing CP24 come, interview and go,
I was too cold to wait for Jack and Olivia to arrive.

Grateful today for
the connecting power of the world wide web,
the freedom to gather and rally for a cause,
and for friends who like the cookies I bake. ;)

402 - Sunny Break

Blue skies and a brilliantly shining sun!
A break from the uniform of gray and black.

Grateful today for
the shops on Church providing the best in meat and cheese,
strangers that pass by with a smile,
and a beautiful winter day in the city.

401 - Snowstorm

The media called it the storm that would paralyze the city,
Snowmageddon is the word on facebook,
with the occasional "calling in the army" comment.

Blizzard has passed through now,
some storm watchers disappointed,
a snow day enjoyed by many adults and children,
and the city carried on...

Grateful today for
the walks in the different winds of blowing snow today
the millions of snow sparkles covering the city
and warm winter gear.

400 - Forward Motion

This week's lesson is a challenging one - panning and freezing motion.
Today's work on the assignment indicates more practice and time needed.
Thought that this 'unperfect' picture turned out kinda neat...

Grateful today for
friendships that have forward motion and growth,
Maria, who worked her magic on our home today,
and a warm home to watch the incoming snow storm from.