It’s been over two weeks of “Stay Home” and watching as our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses our country with updates and encouragement as we collectively go through this pandemic together. Luckily, we have internet, or else the feelings of isolation would be much worse.

Rob and I are fine hunkered down in our Prince George home on the Hart, filling our days with odd jobs around the house and enjoying the time spent together, as much as possible. But sometimes we get a little stir crazy. We hope this find you and your loved ones well, and if you are one of the many heroes out there working as an essential worker, we thank you!

With snow still piled high in our yard, it gives us time to slow down and think of what this pandemic revealed. I see much more Gratitude in my social feeds: people placing hearts in their windows making noise at 7PM to honour our health care and other essential workers daily, and so much more. Laughter is still found in the memes that are shared, or the quick videos people create to bring a cheer to what could be an otherwise stressful day. There’s beauty all around us.

Looking for silver linings in the grey clouds above will collectively get us through.

Here’s my list of silver linings.

1. The air is clearing all over the world.
2. The snow is melting into spring which brings new growth to the earth. Vegetable seeds have been ordered for the gardening to come.
3. Little odd jobs around the house are getting completed.
4. New creative outlets are opening up. Time to do watercolour again!
5. Hard drives are getting cleaned and organized, giving new life to old photos. Now is the time to make a few albums!
6. Zoom chats with old friends every Friday night!
7. Walks with my neighbour (six feet apart at least) gets us more Vitamin D.
8. I can take my camera on my outings.
9. We can still order in our favourite Chinese food from our neighbourhood restaurant.
10. I can keep in touch with my working peers to see how they are coping with their businesses and brainstorm ideas together.

Before Rob and I were grounded, we were thinking of where we would venture next. Although we haven’t booked any travel for now, it has moved up a few bucket-list items such as a possible trip to Ireland sooner rather than later.

So, for now I process photos of previous trips we did together and catch up on my album-making and get them printed. As we stay safe at home here are some photographs to brighten your day. If you want to enjoy one of these photographs in your home as you wait for the stay home directive to be lifted, you’re in luck. I’m home for the foreseeable future with plenty of time to make prints and cards, or order prints from my lab. Just let me know which one you want, or you can browse through all my work on the gallery website.

Take care and stay safe as we go through this pandemic together.

What’s on your silver linings list? I would love to hear from you. What silver linings have you noticed? Please drop me a line to share your thoughts!

“Whiffin Spit Sunset” A favourite trail in Sooke is the Whiffin Spit Trail. It is flat and very scenic. The wind can whip across it and be very chilly, but when the evening sun sets across the water in the Juan de Fuca Strait, it can be worth the stop to watch the show.

“Winter Reflection” From my vantage point across the frozen river I watched the two foxes sleeping in the middy sunshine for over an hour. I was sitting in plain view and when they awoke, the red one started to walk towards me. I kept my camera aimed at her, and when she noticed I didn’t have my hand out to feed her, she lost interest in me and headed along the riverbank. Behind her a flock of ducks didn’t seem to mind her presence. I thought for sure she’d catch herself a nice fat duck for dinner, but she carried on up the embankment into the trails. I didn’t’ notice the river until I was looking through my images, but what a great reflection!

“Mystic Beach Waterfall” A favourite hike into this beach on the west coast of Vancouver Island brings us to a towering waterfall. So refreshing in the heat of summer.

“Mahone Bay Sunset” stopped me in my tracks! The gorgeous glow of colour as the sun began to set on April 19, 2012 while I was on a solo road trip heading south along the shoreline of Nova Scotia. The houses painted up pretty to match that awe-inspiring scene made enticed me to linger long after I pressed the shutter button.

“Blue on Blue” Seeing an iceberg up close for the first time was such a thrilling experience. On the chartered boat trip at St. Anthony’s, NL, I was able to capture this beauty the day after my birthday. (The charter was a gift from my husband, Rob) Imagine the size of this frozen cone below the ocean!

“Ocean Aglow” A translucent ocean wave rolls in along the shore of Mystic Beach, Vancouver Island, creating a tranquil lull. I can almost hear the repetitive and soothing sound of the crashing waves. Blues and greens make a calming image for any room.

“Shearingham Point Lighthouse” A favourite hike when on Vancouver Island is to wander down the path to the ocean where this old lighthouse stands. A beacon of light has guided many a ship to safety. This lighthouse stands 20 metres high above the rocky southwest coastline and has been a beacon of hope and salvation for more than 100 years.

“Lone Surfer No 2” A lone surfer on Chesterman Beach, Vancouver Island, wades out into the surf in the early afternoon as the sun peeks through the cloudy breaks overhead. Captured on November 28, 2018.

Until next time,

Terrill