Through My Eyes

Autumn Walking

2020-10-07T18:01:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to learn to take the long view and yet go one day at a time. As we go through another wave of Covid cases, more weeks of mainly staying home, I try to have a rhythm to my days. Walking has become my mental boost - a chance to get out and concentrate on the little things - the change in colours, the summer flowers giving way to fall ones.

Autumn can be moody - one day a spectacular feast of colours, with blue skies and vibrant reds and oranges.

Other days reminding us of life's fragility. Grey skies can bring grey moods.

The walking brings rhythm to my day, opening vistas, as I climb the hills in my neighbourhood. Walking clears the mind, oils the body, and brings peace.

More Flowers

2020-08-06T14:30:00.002-04:00

With life much more confined we need to find joy in our surroundings. This time of year my walks take me past many gardens. While it brings visual delights, it also slows my pace. I just have to stop and admire.

The lilies everywhere are quite spectacular. They are one flower I never bring indoors. Their heavy aroma starts me sneezing.

I have never seen lilies quite like these before. They almost look like someone took a paintbrush to them. There is certainly joy in the gardens.

The Little Things

2020-08-02T18:35:00.003-04:00

Particularly in this time of distancing and semi-isolation life is about the little things. While we can no longer venture out in the world, we can find richness around us. Nowadays I shop at Atwater Market. I feast on the colours, though I no longer linger. But at home I can savour the subtleties in flavour of each of these cherry tomatoes. I stock up on berries, fresh from farms and forests. While my world seems smaller, the small things become bigger - they matter more. The mindfulness of a new slower life.

New Neighbours

2020-07-19T18:05:00.000-04:00

I had a nice surprise this week. Last year we had many ducks on the pond in the park. This year two males seemed to be hanging around, but no females. In this topsy turvy year it seemed this was also a "new normal." But on Wednesday I noticed the female and then some tiny creatures scurrying into the water. A new family of ducks is here. She must have been well hidden as she brooded on her nest. Now the little ones are zipping around, venturing quite far from their mother and then peeping to hear her answer.

I'm not sure I got an accurate count as they moved around so fast, but I think there are nine little ones. It is so delightful to see these new lives at this time. Life does go on.

No CAMMAC

2020-07-05T17:15:00.000-04:00

Today would have been the day that I packed my bags with clothes and instruments to head to CAMMAC. I have missed, maybe two of the past 31 years. It is very much part of my life. But the coronavirus has brought an end, for now, to much of what was part of our lives. I found myself at the beginning of the pandemic, slowly unpacking bags and putting away parts of my life. My gym bag got emptied, cleaned and stashed away in a cupboard. I emptied the instruments out of my music bag and it too found a spot in the cupboard. My backpack was emptied of the items I carried with me to study groups at MCLL. It was a period of mourning, of wondering what life had become.

I slowly replaced my outings to the gym with online training, and zoom sessions replaced face to face activities. But playing music in groups is one thing that can't happen online. The lag time makes synchronous music impossible. I'm fortunate, living with a baroque flute player - duets are an almost daily occurrence. But CAMMAC provided so much more - opportunities to play in groups, to be coached by outstanding teachers and to spend whole days living music. CAMMAC's location in the Laurentians allowed me to escape the city, to enjoy the peace of sitting by the lake. And the concerts! But it is not to be this year. My fingers are crossed that CAMMAC will survive a year without revenue, or much reduced revenue. I'm counting on a vaccine to bring concerts and group playing back into my life. But when...

The Joy of Flowers

2020-07-03T18:08:00.000-04:00

In this time of mainly staying home, I take pleasure in flowers. I have about a dozen orchids, some over ten years old. I am no expert on their care - I have previously written that they flourish under my benign neglect, but flourish they have throughout the pandemic. I currently have seven blooming. I can get lost in their beauty, drawn in to their centres, fascinated by the complexity.

Each orchid has its unique charm and many bring back memories of where I got them or who gave them to me. A few came my way when my then 95 year old cousin died. Each time they re-flower it feels like a gift from her. All three of those orchids sent up new shoots and bloomed over the past few months; it was as if they knew I needed their beauty. Part of the joy is the surprise of shoots appearing, sometimes after a couple of years of being dormant and once the flowers open, they stay for a few months.

Outside I can't help but stop to admire various gardens. Lilies in many vibrant colours make their presence known. These lovely orange blossoms will stick around, but like most perennials they have their season.

On my walk I was treated to this patch of pink - varying shades competing for attention. It has been a hot start to summer. After my walk I was happy to retreat inside with air conditioning surrounded by my orchids.

Weights

2020-06-30T10:36:00.001-04:00

My quest to stay fit through this pandemic takes many forms. I walk, up the hills and try to increase my distance slowly. At least once a week I manage a 6 km plus walk, other days more like 4 km. And twice a week I exercise with weights and other gym equipment. This means my warmup consists of transforming part of our living-room/dining-room/music space into my gym. I bring all the equipment in, move music stands and furniture, set up my computer so I can meet online with my trainer and then I'm set. I used to go to the gym twice a week so this is my way of continuing.

At the gym I used to muse about the fact that so much of the equipment was colourful, making one try to believe one was playing with toys - until you picked them up. My display (6 lb - 12 lb weights) looks playful, but by the end of an hour I know they are actually instruments of torture (well - not quite). Workout is followed by cool down - a reverse of setting everything up as the weights retreat to their spot in a cupboard along with the gym mat, foam roller, stability ball and elastics. Furniture gets moved back to their places and the music stands once more are ready for another kind of workout.

A Flash of Red

2020-06-23T07:04:00.001-04:00

The weather has become very hot - and I am not a hot weather lover. I choose the early morning for my walk for slightly cooler temperatures. There is something peaceful about early morning. Walkers distance from others, yet the occasional smile, nod of the head lets others know that while we distance physically, we are all in this together. At our slower pace of life I savour these little moments. There is time for noticing. I caught this flash of red like a flame among the cool greens. With no deadline to reach a destination, I stopped and enjoyed the way the red just popped out at me - a little visual feast.

Another red clad person caught my eyes and my ears. At both the beginning and the end of my walk, I passed him as he played his saxophone, indifferent to people around him. It was lovely to hear a live musician. While I have watched YouTube concerts and Facebook concerts, they don't live up to the live experience. In that other life I attended many concerts and this week, in particular, I am missing the Montreal Baroque Festival, where I would attend as many as 5 concerts in one day. So I savour this moment, too. A little sense of normalcy in our very abnormal times.

The Long and the Short View

2020-06-21T18:25:00.000-04:00

A dark cloud has been hanging over the world as the pandemic has spread its tentacles. Nothing is as it once was. We try to get used to this new normal of distancing, of staying safe. I try to walk every day. My trajectory gives me long views over the city, across the river to the mountains in the distance.

As I take each day I can fill it with positives: classes on zoom, virtual connections with friends, playing music, reading... At the end of each day I jot down a few things I'm grateful for - and there is always something. Thinking short term I find many ways to enrich my life. It is the long view that is hard. Too many questions with no answers. So it's one day at a time ... and we will get past this.

Pandemic Ponderings

2020-06-14T14:04:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking for a while of getting back to this blog - trying to process so many changes to our world. The first couple of weeks after the pandemic was announced I was reeling. But now I am used to the walking and dodging people, preferring to take my long walks early in the day when fewer people are about. I head up the hill and can keep a good pace without having to take too many avoidance measures as happens later in the day, particularly on weekends. I am determined to stay in shape despite the fact that I am home most of the time, so I don't always stop for those photo ops that might have enticed me in the past. Yet it feels so wrong to avoid people.

Time at home forces one to re-evaluate life, to find ways to focus on positives and to find ways to make life meaningful despite, at times feeling closed in. And there has been much to think about - not only the pandemic, but issues of racism, partisanship and the whole notion of listening - really listening to the points of view of others. I am not a TV watcher, but I have spent time watching documentaries online, exploring issues and perspectives. I try to be an optimist and hope that coming out of this eventually we may steer to a kinder more inclusive world. I see glimmers, but we can't leave it to others to do all the work to get there.

Calder Exhibit

2019-02-20T21:38:00.000-05:00

I spent a delightful afternoon (Feb. 17) at the museum (MBAM) wandering through the Calder exhibit. I first heard of Calder back in the 1960s. His sculpture, Trois Disques prominent at Expo 67 and is still on St. Helen's Island. A smaller version now sits in from of the museum.

There is an art to displaying art works and I have to congratulate the curators who came up with the plans for this exhibit. Much of Calder's work is whimsical - the lighting caused the shadows to be, at times, as important as the work. How many fish...

In the early years, Calder liked to work with wire and pliers to bend it into the shapes he envisioned. The shadow gives us another angle at which to admire this creation.

I loved this idea of making the canvas three dimensional. And again - the play of the shadows added to the piece.

Some of his pieces are quite large. This one played with balance. I enjoyed both the positive and the negative - and the delightful playfulness. I had hoped to get back a second time but the exhibit closes on Friday and I ran out of time.

Montreal Winter

2019-02-17T13:22:00.002-05:00

While we have had a lot of up and down weather this winter, with snow, rain and plenty of ice, we recently had a good old-fashioned snow storm dropping about 40 cm (16") of snow on the city. It is lovely to see the pristine snow, and I was glad I now park my car indoors after many years of outdoor parking.

The snow fell from Tuesday into Wednesday and by Wednesday evening, when this photo was taken, most streets were drivable and some sidewalks had already been cleared. We were easily able to take the metro and walk get to a concert by Les Boréades with Alfredo Bernardini which was very enjoyable!

Another day - another concert, this time in Old Montreal - Pallade Musica with Michael Taylor (another wonderful evening) . The old part of the city was looking beautiful dressed in the freshly fallen snow.

Even the mountains of snow looked lovely in the glow of the lights.

I always love to walk along LeRoyer (no cars, silent...). While the path was cleared, the benches were barely visible. It is an oasis of peace in the middle of Old Montreal.

This is one of my favourite sculptures. It sits near the corner of St-Paul and Marie-Morin. These ladies don't seem to mind their snow bath. The gossiping continues despite the weather.

Winter can be a magic time in Montreal. Today is perfect - blue skies, white snow - weather that gives energy!

Winter Takes Hold

2019-01-19T11:29:00.000-05:00

Winter faltered in December, bringing warmer weather and rain. It has now taken hold again, with snow, and, now, frigid weather.

Some days bring glorious blue skies and a crispness to the air. The crunch of feet on snow is both a physical sensation and a sound. The cold, while bracing, is also energizing.

We know how to dress so we stay warm - at least until the temperature drops too low!

Benches sit unused. One has to keep moving - though I do stop to admire and take a few photos. Exposed hands on the phone or camera, feel the bite in the air. Mittens are quickly donned to warm up the fingers.

Today, at -23C (-9F) with a windchill of -34C (-28F) I have opted to stay in for a while, though I will venture forth for a short walk, dressing in a few layers to preserve the warmth and keeping as little skin as possible exposed - a crack for the eyes. From indoors, I watch the mist rise from the river as I sip my coffee.

Winter Came Early

2018-11-26T15:47:00.000-05:00

Winter showed up early this year. Snow has brightened up the dreary November days. It may not be here to stay but it has lingered.

Photo: November 16, 2018

There is always a feeling of magic with the first real snowfall. The world seems redecorated.

Photo: November 20, 2018

The magical feeling was echoed by what used to be part of the Ogilvy's windows; now it is in front of the McCord Museum. These (and many more) playful characters move as they go about their "work" - this is part of the Mill in the Forest. Another window can be seen inside the museum. Learn more

Photo: November 21, 2018

I like the quiet of a fresh snowfall. The same amount of rain makes me want to seek cover while the falling snow makes me smile. Cold weather, when I'm well-dressed, gives me energy.

Photo: November 24, 2018

While it may look much warmer, the temperature still hovered around 0C (32F). The squirrels were enjoying the ornamental crab apples. It was a perfect day for feasting.

Much of the snow melted yesterday after freezing rain and rain, but more is forecast for tonight. The city will once again look clean and white.

Fall's Frenzy

2018-11-05T14:14:00.001-05:00

Photo October 14, 2018

In October Mother Nature seems to send a little madness, painting and repainting the trees. A once staid scene in sensible green slowly breaks out into reds, oranges and yellows.

Each day brings changes. My eyes feast on the riot of colour.

The sun saturates the colours.

Photo: October 26

Ivies join the colour changes before leaving buildings barren.

Slowly the yellows predominate, glorious on a sunny day. But grey skies seem to be more frequent.

Photo: November 3

The magic of autumn is slowly ebbing as grey, rainy days set in. While October featured reds and oranges, the landscape is slowly moving to sepia.

Up on Mount Royal, the fallen leaves carpet the ground. On the first day after changing the clocks it is noticeable how by 3:00 the shadows are long as we enter into a period of early sunsets and long nights.

Stratford

2018-10-23T17:20:00.000-04:00

Photos from October 5-7, 2018

Even grey skies cannot erase the sparkle of being in Stratford, Ontario. This is a trip my daughter and I like to do together and this year was particularly nice.

In addition to spectacular theatre productions (we saw 4 plays in 3 days: Julius Caesar, The Tempest, Coriolanus and An Ideal Husband), we love to wander along the river and through the town. It is small enough that we walk everywhere. The swans have been around as long as I remember (and that goes back many years - I first went to Stratford with my parents when I was twelve). More and more other water fowl have joined them. However, only the swans spend the winter in special quarters in Stratford. In early April they are released with much fanfare and a parade.

There are many ducks who also enjoy both the water and the banks. They are unperturbed as visitors walk by. And the many Canada geese seemed to be using the playing field and water as a staging ground to begin their flight south.

We saw one cygnet - almost as big as its parent. From what we read in an online pamphlet, the young swan will not be white like its parent until it is two.

Ideas and influences planted when one is young can grow through life. The first years I visited Stratford fostered a love of the place which only grew as I got older. In the Festival Theatre the fanfare announcing the show will soon begin always puts a huge smile on my face, the walks by the river/lake bring a sense of peace. And, after so many years, I have watched the careers of so many actors from early years to retirement - the finest Canada has to offer.

It is a place that connects me both to my parents (they went in the early years when the plays were performed in a tent) and connects me with my children as we have enjoyed performances there together. Connections bridging generations and centuries as Shakespeare continues to be so relevant to us today.

Out of the Habit

2018-10-21T19:30:00.002-04:00

Photo: October 1, 2018

When I posted daily I got into a rhythm of taking photographs, uploading them and then writing. This year I totally lost that habit as you can see by the paltry number of posts. Other things pile up and seem to take precedence and the less I commit to this, the easier it is to put off posting altogether. While I have taken fewer photos, I have still managed to get a number up to Flickr, which is where I have been posting photos since 2005.

Photo: October 1, 2018

Time to stop and reflect... I am not yet ready to totally abandon this blog.

A joy this summer into fall has been watching the ducks in the park grow from tiny ducklings into the adult you see here. Soon they will be gone for the winter.

How to make writing part of my life again? I like the feeling the camera gives me - a chance to stop and observe, to record and remember, to focus in on both the image and the moment. When I was employed in the education field I thought a lot about the importance of consolidating learning through reflection. The blog lets me go back to photographs, to have another period of focusing, of thinking of the story the images tell and how to connect them and for me to connect with the images in a new way. Food for thought.

A Weekend in the Eastern Townships

2018-08-11T16:15:00.000-04:00

Photos: August 3-5, 2018

Sometimes one just needs to get out of the city and walk among the trees. Despite the heat it was good to walk along a dirt road and enjoy the wild flowers.

The cultivated flowers were pretty too. It's always a pleasure to see the colours and, in many cases, to see bees enjoying the pollen.

One reason for our weekend away was a concert at l'Abbaye St-Benoît-du-Lac. Les Boréades did an all Bach concert in the heat - not the best weather for baroque instruments. While we were in the abbey, a thunder storm passed through adding a little percussion to the music.

The main chapel is fairly modern, having been completed in 1994. Exposed metal beams stand, an internal skeleton holding everything up.

I liked the rhythm of this passageway which was closed to the public.

The abbey is located on Lake Memphremagog - a beautiful setting.

On Sunday we took a short hike in Parc Mont-Orford - the hot, humid weather really affects the energy level.

Still - it was lovely to be among the trees, to see the lake and the peaceful waterlilies, to hear the birds and to smell the many forest aromas.

Sultry July

2018-08-02T16:16:00.001-04:00

It has been a hot July with humidity making it feel even hotter. There have been a number of days with temperatures over 30°C (86°F) but feeling like closer to 40° (104). Thank goodness for air-conditioning. Though we did often enjoy suppers on our balcony. I don't know how those without AC cope. Some rain towards the end of the month greened up the grass again. But often, it only increased the humidity.

This pond is shallow. Even the ducks looked for shady spots to stay cool in the water.

Moving slowly, stopping to enjoy their antics, parking oneself on a bench in the park under a tree - all strategies to stay cool and still get outside.

Flowers, too, were a reason to stop on a walk. Just be in the moment and forget about the heat.

When the mornings were cooler I managed a few long walks up the hill in Westmount where I was rewarded with a view over part of the city out to the river.

While this sunflower stood up straight...

Others, like me, had had enough of the heat.

One can always cool off in a museum (though not this one! - The Redpath Museum was built in 1882 and there is no air conditioning). I went to hear Lynn Kozak, a McGill classics professor, do a one woman (with a little help) show of part of The Iliad. She has been doing a serialized performance of the complete Iliad over 30 weeks. You can see videos here.

And so July has gone, but the hot weather remains. I will venture out to check out the ducks, linger near flowers, to run a few errands, to return home to a cold glass of water and a feeling that I have not yet let summer get the better of me.

Magical Moments

2018-07-10T22:50:00.001-04:00

I'm just home from my annual week at CAMMAC. Every year has its magical moments whether they be those that Mother Nature produces, concert highlights or the feeling when a piece you have been working on with others comes together. There are always surprises like a 90 something woman belting out a song complete with a few dance moves at the Tuesday evening cabaret evening or the 5 year old violinist playing in a morning concert. Age does not matter - we come together with our shared love of music.

This year the weather was brutally hot with high humidity. I wandered down to the boathouse early one morning. Looking across the lake towards an island, this house seemed to appear out of the mist as if it was a mirage.

There is definitely magic in the mist with mysteries slowly revealed.

Days are very busy at CAMMAC. There seems to be a constant buzz. Time spent near the lake help bring a sense of peace. What better time than the end of the day to stay in the moment, to watch the sun's last rays paint the sky and the lake.

A number of cabins like this one are scattered in the woods. I had two classes each day in this one: Bach. Most of the cabins and studios are named after composers. There are windows on 3 sides so the woods are very present as we play music.

I try to put aside time for walks but with the soaring temperatures I only managed to walk once. The wild flowers bloom by the side of the road. I walk bathed in nature.

We get treated to 3 concerts each week with the finest early music musicians Montreal has to offer (and they are our teachers for the week). In this informal setting the musicians can try things they might not in a more formal setting and players from different ensembles mix and match in the concerts. This is a most appreciative audience. What happens is nothing short of magical.

Baroque dance with live musicians and done with a sense of humour. Marie-Natalie introduced many characters (Les Caractères de la Danse de Rebel). She worked her magic transforming herself into an old man, a young woman and many different personalities.

There is no doubt in my mind that CAMMAC's Early Music Week is a special time in a special place. And now while I smile about the memories, does anyone have a magic spell to cast out the ear worms, the snippets of music that linger in my ears from the different classes I took during the week?

In the Countryside

2018-06-20T19:13:00.003-04:00

I spent a weekend in rural Quebec - mainly playing and listening to music. I did manage a bit of a walk in the countryside - a welcome beginning to a day of sitting.

The auberge where I was staying had a lovely flower garden. Another bonus was it was really off in the country offering perfect night skies for viewing the stars.

This woodpecker made its presence known with its rhythmic pecking at the pole. I hope it found a source of food. I am sure the metal part provided nothing.

The village where the music workshop was held, Saint Camille is tiny, little more than a crossroads. All around it are farms. It's good to get away sometimes, out of one's daily life, out of one's usual setting to devote time to a passion - music.

Concerts were held in a former church. All benefit. The participants enjoyed the bucolic atmosphere and shared their talent. The community enjoyed the music and joined the participants for some social activities. Win - Win

From about 10 days ago

2018-06-01T12:16:00.003-04:00

I seem to be getting farther and farther behind on posting to my blog. But I guess each year has its own rhythm.

A favourite spot of mine is Parc-des-Rapides which juts out into the St. Lawrence River beside the Lachine Rapids. This is also a favourite spot for a variety of birds. Even on a hot day there are usually cool breezes. Though once I made the mistake of going there on a cold winter day and my camera battery and my fingers did not last long!

This egret was patiently fishing, oblivious to the many gawkers who watched, some behind long lenses.

This heron was well camouflaged. It took me a while to spot it across the water from me.

Despite the raucous cries of the red winged blackbirds, there is something very peaceful about walking amidst nature, listening not just to the birds but also the rush of the water of the rapids. The city disappears and there is a sense of really being in the moment.

Was fishing any better here? I'm not sure - but I couldn't resist one more photo.

One Week Later in Spring

2018-05-16T23:04:00.000-04:00

What a difference a week makes. I went back to Bois de Liesse (May 13) and was greeted by a carpet of trilliums. The dog toothed violets have mainly vanished. The red trilliums looked tired. But it was glorious in the woods with white trilliums popping up everywhere.

They, too, will not last long as the leafy canopy spreads and will soon cast shadows on the forest floor. For now all is the bright green of spring.

The ferns, which last week were slowly uncurling, are now upright and plentiful.

Some poke their fronds above the riot of trilliums.

Each year I feel I need to go on this pilgrimage to pay hommage to these flowers. Their time here is short yet their presence seems to announce spring for me. Each year I aim my lens looking for the perfect shot.

of the perfect trillium.

This park is home to wildlife from birds to squirrels and this raccoon who eyed me warily as I stopped to admire him. There are signs, too, warning of coyotes in the area. They are a fairly recent addition to our urban landscape.

He stopped for a drink after checking us out and then warily moved on. We continued our walk refreshed by just being in the forest.

Spring Comes to Gardens

2018-05-14T12:12:00.000-04:00

The air says spring. The gardens say spring. Each day Mother Nature adds dabs of paint to her canvas, filling out the spaces. Blossoms appear where days before there were just bare branches.

Gardens become lush with flowers. It is all so transient as spring flowers make their short appearances.

Each year the magnolias take my breath away. Stop and admire. They too, display their splendour for just a short time before the leaves take over. Everything in its own time...

Spring Takes Hold

2018-05-13T17:10:00.002-04:00

Spring is a parade of delights as each day brings new changes. Each flower takes its turn, some lasting only days while others linger. I walked up in Summit Woods on May 5. The woods were full of dog-toothed violets (aka trout lily or erythronium americanum). Their splotchy leaves and bright yellow flowers were easy to spot.

We also spotted some sanguinaria canadensis. The trilliums were still reluctant - some leaves but no sign of flowers.

On May 6 a friend and I went to Bois-de-Liesse where the trilliums were starting to open. In most spots, it was still only and occasional flower that revealed itself.

Ferns were starting to unfurl.

And Sanguinaria reached for the sunlight.

Some interesting fungus was growing near a dead log. Anyone know what it is?

A cluster of dogtoothed violets grew near a tree trunk.

I always search out the red trilliums which open before the white ones. They are far less plentiful than their white cousins and so each one seems precious. Did you know that trilliums take 7 - 10 years to go from seed to flower?

Here is a variety of flowers together. Enjoy as they won't last long.