toffeereflection

Inconspicuous

As I walked around the paths of this garden, and commented to one of the gardeners that the flowers are so beautiful, she pointed out this inconspicuous frog hiding behind a blade of grass. The frog didn’t move or twitch at all. I’m sure it was convinced that no predator could see it…inconspicuous and almostContinue reading “Inconspicuous”

Early morning start

We were up early yesterday—more eager than ever to get on the road. I had booked a hotel in a small town without looking carefully at the reviews online. Normally we like hotels that look and smell clean, have clear running water in the taps and clean bed sheets. That was not the case! TheContinue reading “Early morning start”

On the road

On our drive to the East coast we have set distance goals for each day. This photo was taken looking out over Vermilion Lakes near Banff. Most of our other photos are taken from the car as we are covering about 900 km a day, and so far have lost one hour per day dueContinue reading “On the road”

1 year

Exactly one year ago I said goodbye to Toffee. He was my companion and friend for just over 11 years. Toffee loved road trips. He loved walks. He was excited if anyone came to visit, and he would turn in circles when offered vegetables. My days are quieter now. I get up when I’m readyContinue reading “1 year”

Courage

On one of our first international trips together my father and I were headed to Ireland to spend 3 weeks driving around the island, exploring as much as we could. To get there we landed at Heathrow, and transferred to a smaller airplane which would take us to Dublin. I remember the flight being delayedContinue reading “Courage”

Reclaimed wood

Continuing on from yesterday…I recall taking this photo in order to show the simple yet powerful message on the “remember to breathe” button. Now that I look at it again after over two years I am reminded of the story of how I came upon the dining table. I waited several months before starting toContinue reading “Reclaimed wood”

remember to breathe

I could write about many different ideas from this one photo. Today I’ll talk about the “remember to breathe” button. Breathing happens all the time, but how often do we really notice how we are breathing. Here are some instances where I have noticed that people stop breathing: during an emergency, e.g. driving down aContinue reading “remember to breathe”

Positive perspective

My maternal grandma died in 1996 just short of her 101st birthday. She was a person I idolized. I wanted to be just like her, but I have lost track of that desire. My grandma was a very positive person, always seeing the silver lining even in the worst situations in her life. She sawContinue reading “Positive perspective”

Paw prints

I noticed these on my neighbour’s back steps the other morning. Cats stop by at my back patio every day, but I didn’t realize that they also explored my neighbour’s balcony. Evidence of the cat or cats will disappear once the sun comes up and melts away the dew. For many years I lived inContinue reading “Paw prints”

Finding their voice

Also known as Sicilian Honey Garlic, Allium Siculum, Mediterranean Bells, and more, these flowers are easy to grow, undemanding and beautiful. Look at the flowers carefully. Some are open, some are opening and some are still closed. Some are looking forward, others still looking at the ground trying to hide behind the more confident bells.Continue reading “Finding their voice”