The Little Year That Couldn’t

Hello. Long time…I think it’s almost been a full year since I posted here. Unusual for me, as I have been posting at least quarterly. But, I admit this year has not availed itself to my usual fun posts. It was a strange one – full of mistakes, wrong turns, bad decisions and emotional unrest. I don’t think I’m alone this year. Don’t get me wrong; I’m lucky to have a roof over my head, food on the table, friends and work, but my personal journey was tough. Add covid, a fractured foot and a knee injury to the mix and ‘What the hell 2022?!’ I’d love to blame the calendar, and at the end of every year we often assess whether it was a ‘good’ year or not. I’ll be happy to see its ass end. Ha ha. One of the things it did rob me of was the joy of this; posting my photos, making my annual calendar and sharing what I love with the world at large – my photography. I didn’t pick my camera up until October this year. I took a few snaps with my phone (the June sunset shot here) but generally left my camera on the counter to gather dust. And that’s okay. It’s dusted off now and there’s a renewed sense of life getting back to ‘normal’. The foot and knee are on the mend, the Christmas festivities about to start and a new year is about to start. The perfect opportunity to allow 2023 to start off on a good note. Happy Holidays all and here’s to a happy, healthy, better 2023.

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Everything’s Gonna Be All Right

Today’s the day that Ontario marks its ‘soft’ opening of restaurant patios, retail stores and other parts of our lives that have been, for the most part, ‘closed’ since March 2020. Hallelujahs rang out at midnight last night, although I was in bed. The days of waiting in line for anything were short (I think I stopped lining up for things in my early 20s) but that’s not to say there isn’t cause for celebration! To me it’s more that the world is becoming a safer place. That’s more of a cause to exhale than the fact we can shop, gather in bars and restaurant patios; although that’s great too, especially for the owners and staff. Maybe I’m showing my age; after all, I did have my second covid birthday last month, and damn it was a good one. All outdoors of course, and despite the restricted access to friend’s homes and gathering, we made it happen. The best gift was  vaccination #2, a veritable stamp on the passport of life. Yeeha! It is indeed a time to rejoice and once again feel free. Spring has sprung, the flowers have burst open and the temps are far more agreeable for hanging outside, walking the dog, communing and of course, playing golf. Covid hasn’t affected my life like it has others, as I don’t have kids, work a 9-5/shift or essential worker job, have to care for a senior parent or suffer financial insecurity – feeling very lucky/grateful for that – but I can feel the collective relief and joy in the air. What a crazy time we’ve all lived through. Here’s to lots of hugging, gathering, working, playing and general good times this coming summer.READ MORE

The Road(s) Less Travelled

When you’ve been pretty much under some kind of lockdown, it’s hard to get any reprieve from Groundhog Day Syndrome, but occasionally, to quote from the lyrics of that great 1969 theatrical gem, Sweet Charity, ‘I’m gonna get up, I’m gonna get out, I’m gonna get up, get out and do it!’, some days we just need to be under a different sky. Having the privilege to do so, Dre and I would just spontaneously ‘get out and do it’. On the days I wasn’t working, I’d play that game, ‘Where should we go today?’ like we used to as kids, spinning the globe, and wondering how we would get to Africa. But instead of a globe, it was a google map of Ontario. We ended up in places like Stoney Hollow trail outside of Waterdown, where after 1.5 hours in the car, realized the trail I wanted to take us on was pure ice, and had to abandon the adventure, or in a place we’d never ventured to but still in Toronto, like the beautiful Jack Darling Park and Rattray Marsh. Who knew such places existed? Not me. One day we even ventured down to Niagara Falls, only to realize I’d booked our hotel in Niagara Falls ‘NY’ and found myself at the side of the road at 5pm wondering where I’d find a pet friendly hotel on the Ontario side. That adventure deserves a blog unto its own, but for now, let’s just say the trip was a memorable one! We even ventured to a place that hasn’t officially been open for years, but was a beautiful alternative to the parks and beaches we went to every day – complete with trails; Ontario Place. I think if we hadn’t done any of this, the spiral downwards may have accelerated. Up until recently the weather was pretty sketchy and unpredictable, and the current gov’t and situation with covid, has left us never knowing if we’re going to be free or shut-ins again – for over a year now. I have to thank my dog Dre and the few friends I see outside of these four walls, for keeping me sane, but if you need to spice things up or just plain get under a different sky, no matter how hard it may be, just ‘Get up, get out and do it!’ Whatever ‘it’ is. It’s been a lifesaver for me.

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