Its been four weeks since my last ski, mostly due to weather and poor trail conditions. Yes, I was in France for some of that time but while I was away Ottawa received torrential rainfalls playing havoc with the trail conditions. So I was elated when I woke up this morning to snowfall. Admittedly, not […]
Yes, standing on holy ground is what it felt like last week when my grandson and I visited a number of the First and Second World War memorial sites in France. I wasn’t prepared for that impact. When I’m out in nature I often feel a spiritual connection with the land as if I’m connecting […]
It wasn’t a ski day for me with freezing misty rain so I went for a hike to experience the mood of the forest with the fog and the mist, and, the creeks and the snow. There was such a soft atmosphere that I felt lovingly enveloped by it all. Callum, now at eight months, […]
These words were ringing in my ears as I skied in the Gats this week. On three different occasions I was able to take advantage of perfect skiing conditions – fresh snow, moderate temperatures, sunshine and blue sky. What more could I want? It felt like I was in a cathedral surrounded by beauty and […]
This morning standing on the shoreline of Carman Lake staring out at the open water I realized I was thinking – it’s not supposed to be this way the third week in January. The open water, that is. Also, thinking that it’s just so frustrating that it’s not like it used to be – snow […]
A walk on the Lariault Trail never disappoints when its too cold to do anything else and today being -24C (with a -33C wind chill) was definitely one of those days. It was energizing to be out under a solid blue sky, with bright sun and yes, even a strong wind on our faces. The […]
Yesterday I was reading a much appreciated Christmas gift – a book of poetry by Wendell Berry. With the sub zero arctic weather since Christmas the very first poem in the book, so resonated with me: The long cold drives life inward into shelter, into the body, into limits of strength and time. Out […]
Stunned to stillness by beauty we remember who we are and why we are here These words were speaking quietly in my head as Callum and I hiked into Carman Lake this morning, two days after the Winter Solstice. It was so peaceful with the low cloud cover and light falling snow. These words are […]
Winter has arrived when its -21C at 10am, which is what it was on Thursday morning. It would have been so easy to stay home, especially after listening to the doomsday weather report, yet we were so glad we ventured out. We’d prepared ourselves – big fat mitts full of hot shots, heavy down jackets, […]
I know its not really the same thing, but this morning as I gazed at this stretch of the Chelsea Creek it felt a bit like that song – Turn Around – singing about time passing like a blink of the eye with the growth of a little girl. Saturday morning when my friend Jill […]
