What is the story?

The latest painting...

...what is the story?

April 27, 2020

It has been 12 weeks, 2 days and 2 hours since my last haircut! By the time social distancing is in our past...my hair will be down to my waist!

According to the calendar, before the pandemic isolated us, I should be packing today in preparation for our flight to Greece tomorrow. The dresser would be lined with miscellaneous products and gifts that I would sort through as I attempted to fit everything into our two "carry-on"suitcases. Our luggage has been with us for many years. It is expandable...very helpful for our return trip when we have gathered gifts from friends. Although the luggage is sized to fit in the overhead compartments, we are unable to heft it up top so it is always checked in... with fingers crossed that it will arrive with us! Surprisingly...it always has!

Like us, our extended family in Greece is under lockdown. There is talk about relaxing restrictions to allow tourism to resume as early as July. So far they have had an easier time through the pandemic than Italy, their neighbor. We hope that everyone will stay safe.

So...there will be no travel plans for at least another year. By then we will be past our "Best before date" and probably have second thoughts about going anywhere beyond a 50km range! 

Morning walks

We had an interesting morning today. 

Starting at Derek Doubleday Park...John planted a special rock that my sister painted for him.

As we walked around the perimeter of the park we arrived at the Gapyeong Memorial Stone.

The stone sits in tribute to the 500 Canadian soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the battle

at Kapyong and commemorates the contribution that Canadian forces made in order to prevent

the Chinese capture of Seoul, the South Korean capital.

At the memorial we met several Korean vets who were present to lay wreaths.

Nearby there were three large swaths of orange tulips that were donated

by the Netherlands to commemorate the 75th anniversary of liberation

by Canadian forces at the end of World War II.

Later we decided to explore the back alleys of Cloverdale.

My eye is always drawn to shapes and colours!

Greek Orthodox Easter

This weekend is the most important celebration for the Greek Orthodox Church. It is traditionally marked by religious ceremonies, bell ringing, fireworks, feasts, music and dancing. Greeks flock to small villages and islands to share this special occasion.

This year they will have to celebrate virtually with religious ceremonies online and the odd goat roasted in a clandestine manner. There are reports of bell ringing and a few fireworks but the joyous nature of this Easter weekend has been suspended by Covid-19.

We have enjoyed many Orthodox Easter celebrations over the years on Amorgos, our beloved island. I have even assisted with the cooking of Mayaritsa, the traditional soup that is prepared on Saturday and shared after the midnight Divine Liturgy. The Sunday feasts include roasted, baked or grilled lamb and goat along with stuffed intestines, salads, bread and copious amounts of local wine! The partying continues through to daylight on Monday...resuming later in the day for another bout of dizzying dance laced with alcohol infused gaiety!

It is hard to imagine that Greeks will abide by the self isolation rules that have been put in place for this weekend. We only wish that our Greek family will stay safe and healthy.

A visit from Mother Nature

Mother Nature visited my canvas...

...with a statement for the world.

As we enjoy our daily walks it is very reassuring to see that the natural world is carrying on with its life this Spring...procreating, blossoming and scenting the air. Our environment has improved dramatically with reduced pollution. Nature's small creatures are very busy scampering up trees, flitting through the air and building nests. I am sure that they feel a sense of relief that we are cleaning the air and leaving them alone in their daily activities!

Good Friday 2020

Another beautiful day for a walk around Derek Doubleday Park. The parking area is closed so we were almost alone as we sauntered along. Daffodils bloom under the trees, mole hills are plentiful, robins are busy and trees are in blossom.

We couldn't resist extending our walk out to the tiled bench where we rested while watching small aircraft preparing to lift off. A woman passed us and explained that the bags she was carrying held "mole dirt" from some of the mole hills in the park. According to her this is valuable soil for planters!

Stay safe everyone!!

A new fashion trend

There are some brilliant ideas floating around online.

We decided to test drive a great idea today.

The newest fashion trend is...

...a face mask created with a pair of boxer shorts...

...topped off with sun glasses...

...and a "hang loose" or shaka symbol on his toque!

Apparently he was kept very warm on our morning walk...

...and the rest of the world was protected from him!

Alone in the world

I was alone in our surreal world on my solo morning walk...I was the only human out for a walk when I spotted an elderly man standing in the sun. He was wearing his bathrobe, loosely tied and taking leisurely puffs on a cigarette. As he had his back to me, I stopped and watched him for a couple of minutes. His face was lifted to the sun and, like me, he must have felt alone in the world. When I resumed my walk he heard me and turned. A big smile lit his face and he waved. I called out a "Good morning!" and carried on, no longer feeling alone in the world.

Kalo Mina (Good month) and stay safe!