isobelmtl

Writing under a Montreal sky

Recent Blog Posts

about

Isobel Cunningham has published short fiction and poetry. Her book, Northern Compass is available on Amazon. She was born in Wales but Montreal is her adopted home. She speaks French, Modern Greek ( it’s a fun story) and a little Spanish…oh, English too, of course. She welcomes comments on her blog and looks forward to chatting with you over cyber-space.

The window cleaners

Came today. They came late which meant

I had to stay in on a sunny, relatively warm day.

They were characters, the two who did the actual physical work were wiry chaps who wasted no time in removing a winter’s grime from screens and panes. The supervisor was a chubbier type who took a great interest in my apartment, the art on the walls, his recognition of a Murphy bed in one wall and a china ornament my mother left me. He had no hesitation in taking it down from the mantelpiece and remarking on it. When he went off to see to another apartment, one of the chaps actually cleaning had no hesitation in chuckling about “nosey’s” big mouth. He assured me he went on like that all day. They were fast, they did a good job and their fee was reasonable enough for me to be able to give a decent tip to the men who actually cleaned the windows.

As soon as they left, off I went to my beloved park. I dared a spring jacket and was rewarded as soon as I entered with takers for my birdseed. Of course I can never take pictures of that but I saw other wonderful things today.

There are finally green buds
There are these wonderful red “pre leaves”
There was a raccoon

You can see the stripey tail if you look closely.

I saw a strange reddish groundhog ( I think the name Marmott is much nicer) but couldn’t get a shot.

Best of all was this!

Can you see him sitting up between two parallel branches? I think he is a young falcon. He sat there for such a long time. He was sunning himself and preening his feathers. His wings were quite dark and his chest, as you see perhaps, à creamy pale pinkish colour.

I sat at least twenty minutes waiting to see if he would fly off and show his wings, but no, he was sunning himself quite happily.

He was my recompense for having to stay indoors waiting for the window washers.

isobel cunningham's avatar by isobel cunningham

Can I finally stop complaining?

This is a monument in the huge park close to my home.

He’s the guy I have to thank I guess for a beautiful opportunity to see spring birds. Not many, mind but the wonderful thing was it was finally…..warm! I brought bird seeds and timid chickadees took their time coming to my hand. The big thrill was this guy though.

À cardinal

I know it’s not a great picture but to my amazement he allowed me to approach and exchanged calls with me until I got weary of the game. He wasn’t giving up!

Not a bud or leaf on a tree

And huge pools of water everywhere. Other parts of the province are in serious flood trouble so I shouldn’t complain about à bit of mud,

You have to notice things, after all
Not every day you find a pair or gloves!!
Just when I thought there really were no buds !
And at my front door

Lillies-to-be. Thank you Spring!

isobel cunningham's avatar by isobel cunningham

Pascha is behind us

Christ is Risen

My grandchildren made these wonderful Easter eggs. It was a strange sort of Pascha. In the middle of Lent our beloved priest was “reassigned” . I’m not going to go into the whole sad story but it was really hard. I am in choir and during Holy Week there is a lot and I mean daily services. In fact on Good Friday I sang in three services. It was strange, disconcerting, to hear an unfamiliar voice leading the services. Last year I was walking the Camino Invierno in Spain during the Paschal season and I vowed I would be at home this year. Now, remembering the Spring flowers, the long days of walking, the camaraderie of being with other pilgrims, I must say it was a more spiritual experience than what I’ve just been living.

Still it’s up to me to keep the spirit alive

I’m lucky to have those kids come to dye the eggs. I’m lucky to be here to grumble about the cold and gloomy spring. I’m lucky to hear the birds who have faith and are busy singing merrily, buildings nests and starting the next generation of chicks.

So cheer up, roll up your sleeves, write something and keep the faith, Isobel. Brighter days ahead!

isobel cunningham's avatar by isobel cunningham

Meow! Meow, I said!

No, not mine

I wish but I travel around a bit too much. So, I had an errand to do today in Verdun and since I had always been a bit curious about the concept of a cat cafe, I decided to drop in on one. This place is about two blocks west of the Verdun Metro station and even though it was a rainy day, or maybe precisely because of that, I searched out the place

It’s at 4833 Verdun Ave. Cafe Chato

I had a lovely hot chocolate and a little feline company.

I loved the ginger one but… well, you know cats. They make up their own minds about who’s going to pet them!

One special thing about this cafe is that you have to take off your boots and put on beach slides provided by the cafe.

They arrange adoptions and I was very tempted by this little tortoise-shell one.

Some neighborhood kids were enjoying the furry ones and most of the clientele was settled in with their lap-tops busy with work or studies.

It was a nice break. The only jarring note was a “ lost kitty” sign fixed to a telephone pole nearby. Apparently he gloried in the name of “ Toothless”. Hope they find him soon!

isobel cunningham's avatar by isobel cunningham

Still not yet!

From this morning!

It has been a long time since I made my favorite walk around this “ lake” in Angrignon Park. The temperature was still low and I was glad of my winter coat and hood but the sun was so bright I could not resist. I took some birdseed in hopes of feeding a few hungry chicks. A couple of pretty fat robins hopped along but, silly things, they would not approach. A few chickadees appeared and pecked up a few seeds from my palm. I spotted several of the most vivid and beautiful cardinals I have ever seen but they stayed aloof too. I know the weather is the eternal subject for Canadians but really I think we can all agree that this year things have been long and tiresome. It is getting particularly difficult to put up with Amazon photos serving me up anniversary snaps taken in Greek or Spanish springs.

Like this from last year!

I mean,come on people! I could not even make it around the lake today as the pathway was so icy I had to walk along the verge.

The pathway was a sheet of ice

At one point it was turn around or wade into the water!

Another waiting game has been a health issue. I will spare you most of what a witty friend of mine calls the “ organ recital”. Suffice it to say I had to cancel my latest Camino enterprise set for February 15 at the last minute. When your GP pokes your abdomen and asks” what’s that?” You pay attention. How about a very large non- malignant mass? Because of the situation with waiting lists à central system has been set up and I got sent to à French hospital in what we used to call the “ east end” ( spoken in a subdued tone) .

Surprised by this at the main entrance!

No objection from me … but what ever happened to laicite ( the great push by the provincial government to erase any and all religious signs from public venues? ) The other thing that amazed me was the willingness of everyone to speak to me in English at just the sight of my name! I wrestled my way up the list for all the diagnostic tests and now I am told I must wait for a letter for my surgery date. Can’t be soon enough for me!

À letter? Im inclined to look out for a carrier pigeon on my balcony railing!

So yes, it is a long Spring season of waiting and let’s hope the payoff is worth it!

isobel cunningham's avatar by isobel cunningham

À consolation

From my dear daughter

who is far away in British Colombia. My daughter who lives here offered me much appreciated practical hands-on help yesterday. What was all the fuss about? I’ll spare you ( most of) the details but…. Yesterday I had my first colostomy test. People are quite right when they say the prep is the worst part and I admit to a profound relief that I live alone while navigating the 24 hours prior to the procedure.

I will undergo surgery soon and this was part of the “ run up” to the much anticipated day. I am happy that I really don’t have much in the way of symptoms but if you must know, I am pretty enthusiastic about getting a large and mysterious mass removed from my abdomen.

To my surprise I was assigned by the Provincial Health Board powers that be to a woman surgeon in a primarily Francophone hospital quite far from my home. This is part of a scheme to even out wait times for surgery. Every time I have gone there over the past few weeks, the employees have taken one look at my undeniably British-sounding name and launched into English! À surprise in Quebec where even “ Bonjour/Hi” is considered Hersey by some. When I asked the admitting clerk to repeat instructions, blaming my poor hearing, he emerged from his plexiglass booth and, commiserating with me confided that his own hearing had been damaged when he worked as a bouncer in a bar on St Lawrence Blvd. Somewhat surprised by this revelation I was touched to see how kind and caring he was to elderly patients limited in their mobility. He came out of his post and offering his arm even escorted one lady down to the examining room.

I was a little afraid of this test and very relieved that the results were good. It was comforting to have my daughter, Helen, drive me, stay with me and take me home for soup and “ a little rest” on her couch. As soon as I got home, my beautiful flowers arrived. Each in her own way with me.

I can hardly wait for the MRI

isobel cunningham's avatar by isobel cunningham

Almost forgot!

More than ten years ago I self published this book of poetry. To my surprise, it’s still for sale on Amazon. If anybody’s interested, check it out. They’re listing it at $19 …. I just wonder what would happen if anyone bought it. I had a great experience publishing it on the advice of Judyth Hill, à wonderful poetry teacher I met at the San Miguel Writers’ Conference.

The cover illustration is a statue here in Montreal that’s part of a monument to Georges Etienne Cartier.

Why not read some poetry today. Spring’s coming, promise!

isobel cunningham's avatar by isobel cunningham

It is really coming – Spring!

My usual resting place

On my way around the big pond in my neighborhood park. I’ve posted lots of shots from this vantage point. This is the first one this year though. It has simply been too brutally cold and snowy to tempt me out here. The treadmill at the gym has been a sporadic substitute. Sometimes even getting there was too risky. However, the days are getting a tiny bit longer and yesterday there were even a few hours of sunshine. It was hard to walk through the snow on my usual path but on the wider sections, to my surprise here was a snow-blower!

The driver was a young lady with a perky ponytail

A few old friends were happy to see me with my bag of seeds. The chickadees were chased off for a few moments by this little warrior, à woodpecker who would not allow sharing ftom my palm.

My lunch! Do you understand?

When I go to the gym I listen to a podcast about the Camino de Santiago “ the Wise Pilgrim” It’s about the old days, the Middle Ages, and how the pilgrims travelled, what they ate ( no energy bars then!) and the dangers ftom robbers and unscrupulous innkeepers.

I should have been one of those “ innkeepers” by now as I was to be hospitalera in Porto for the last two weeks of February. Ah, but a surgery looms. Nothing very serious but after all , one can’t let mysterious “ masses” hang around in one’s abdomen! À surgeon is lined up and I will beg, cajole, plead for an early surgery date. In the meantime more walks as my beloved ducks now have tiny rivals. They have better manners than the ducks too, one of whom was pecking at my pants leg when all the day’s seeds had been thrown down . “C’mon spill!” He seemed to say. My chickadees come and land on my hand and take ftom my palm.

Today is Ash Wednesday and unusually, the start of Ramadan too. Many people walking towards the light.

isobel cunningham's avatar by isobel cunningham

I Promised and … I Did

Come on guys!
And they came!

I had regular birdseed and inspired, I included the ends of some green beans I had been preparing

Errr, no!

The few that picked up à bit of greenery- spat it out!

Read up on what to feed them and will include some steel cut oats today.

My friend, the crow refused to enter the fray and kept watch on a tree branch.

I am in awe of how all these ducks have survived this brutal winter here in Montreal. I know, I know, eider feathers but their little webbed feet!

isobel cunningham's avatar by isobel cunningham

These boots are made for walking…

Only they’re not going to….

for a while anyway. Some of you know that I have been planning a stay of two weeks as hospitalera in Porto and then walking the end of the Portugese Camino. So, I splurged on Columbia( my favorite) waterproof shoes. Hmm, the best laid plans… last week I got a diagnosis which will mean staying home for a bit for testing and probably surgery. I will not indulge in what a dear friend of mine calls the “ organ recital”. No need to freak out! It’s very boring and routine but it’s better to get on with things and not be faced with some crisis in the wilds of Galicia.

Today was “ milder “

if I can use that word at this time of year. January was brutal and so when I came out of the Metro today it was a surprise to get the urge to walk home through the park. Someone had been cross-country skiing and some feathered darlings

we’re still hanging out on the pond

I’ve never seen it so iced over. Out of view is a wide and fast-moving source of water flowing into the pond. It never ices over completely but with many days of -20 degree temps lately, the ducklings have not had much paddling room.

As soon as they saw me

they all rushed toward me! Poor babies! I guess they were hoping for something to eat. I promise I’ll bring something for them tomorrow. I know, I know, not bread!

The days are a little longer and there has been a magnificent moon for the past two days. All is well and all is going to get even better – for me and for the ducks

isobel cunningham's avatar by isobel cunningham

I Hate Squirrels

Would any normal creature

do this in the middle of the longest cold snap in memory? I have never liked these rats with attitude and their attack on the upholstered arm on one of my balcony chairs à couple of weeks ago had me shaking pepper all over the place. Normally I love animals… dogs, cats, fish, birds, men ( oops, sorry!) but anything rodent-like is not for me. Beavers and maybe muskrats make the cut but squirrels are the bane of my life.

Feeling a little crotchety, Isobel? Yes! On Friday as I gasped my way to the bus stop I vowed not to spend another January in this frozen hell. To add insult to injury, my daughter on Vancouver Island just sent me these pictures taken in her yard. Yes! Blooming flowers and shoots of daffodils and tulips!

Helbore
Same family also called Christmas rose?
A promise if spring
Gotta love it

Of course, rather than squirrels, she is plagued with deer but a high fence has kept them out recently. Ah well, the grass is always greener…..and squirrel – free!

isobel cunningham's avatar by isobel cunningham
The North Star

I think! It certainly isn’t north of my home but it is the first star to appear. It certainly wasn’t anywhere to be seen tonight as the day was mostly like this

And now that it’s dark

it’s still snowing. Snow can be beautiful, white and silent it covers a lot of ugliness. It’s romanticized by people who never have to shovel it. It covers dirt and bare branches. It muffles the sound of traffic. It looks lovely from behind à wide window when you’re curled up with a soft blanket and a fascinating book.

But… at this stage in my life – I’m done! For the past two weeks I have not set foot outdoors without a hiking pole. I have walked hundreds of kilometers on hikes and Caminos and now I toddle along with spikes on the soles of my boots and a glorified cane, terrified of falling. I have a subscription to à gym. How ridiculous it would be to fall on an icy sidewalk and break à bone as I make my way to exercise class!

Enough! Over the past 24 hours, confined to my warm and comfortable apartment, I have drunk two pots of coffee and eaten an embarrassing number of tangerines while struggling with a short story that wants to become a novel.

I know how lucky I am. Sixty thousand households in and around Montreal had no electricity for many hours over the past weekend.

A woman in her sixties was found dead of hypothermia this afternoon. No electricity means no heat for many of us here.

Again, I know I’m lucky. Because I worked almost all of my adult life, I have a decent pension. My family responsibilities are not onerous and so, I can do something about my newly developed anathema to months of cold and snow. Soon enough this book will be dog-eared. My preoccupation will be avoiding not falls, but blisters.

Yes, no more snow

and I’m counting the days , not the months.

Dear reader, excuse the rant but remember me and call me to account next year. No more long snowy winters for me!

isobel cunningham's avatar by isobel cunningham

Goodbye, until next time

Into the box you go!

There is only one king in my crèche. I know a playful dog ran away with Balthazar decades ago and we only found a chewed up remnant weeks after Christmas. The dog, Katie, suffered no ill effects. What happened to the other Magi … I cannot tell. This set was bought by my parents at least forty years ago and the little white sheep is certainly an interloper. She’s china and the rest is pure mid century plastic.

Lights from the tree and folksy decorations

The poor tree is out on the balcony, waiting for city pick-up day.

How quickly the season passed but there are other wonderful things to look forward to now.

God bless and may all come round again to a happy Christmas in 2026

isobel cunningham's avatar by isobel cunningham

The day before Christmas Eve

Flowers from my daughter, Elizabeth
And the tree is up!

It’s snowing properly today and it almost certainly will be “ a White Christmas” I have a visitor staying with me for a few days. My dear niece, Katy, is here from Greece.

Here we are at warmer times

She was so kind when I was in Kefalonia, it was a pleasure to have her here in Montreal

Christmas Eve service and carol sing tomorrow night and then Christmas Day with Helen and her lovely family. Thankful for good health and to be living in my beloved country of Canada.

Merry Christmas all!

isobel cunningham's avatar by isobel cunningham

She’s baaack!

Leaving the Island

It was a pretty torturous travel itinerary from Vancouver Island to Montreal on the 15/16 th. I know, I know … winds off the island made take off difficult. I was rewarded with some beautiful shots over the Strait of Georgia though.

After days of rain

A lovely sky. Getting out of Vancouver was no easy feat. And who knew the meal vouchers don’t include a drink which I certainly needed to while away the many hours before I finally got on a plane to my home town. I mean how much Duolingo can I do? However, finally sitting safe and sound in my home is a blessing. I miss the green of the Island though.

Till next time!

Now, get stuck into Christmas card writing ! Yes, I’m that old! Love sending and getting them.

isobel cunningham's avatar by isobel cunningham

Feeling a little Christmassy on Vancouver Island

Found on the trail

next to the Strait of Georgia. Someone put up a few little signs for walkers to find

Here’s another one!

I’ve seen wild trees decorated along here in the past too but never quite so ambitious as this one

Of course nature, herself
Adds a touch of hope!

It’s so lovely to see little baby trees springing up from what looks like dead wood!

Here’s another one!

The biggest hopeful touch for me was a little blue parting what feels like endless cloud here on the island.

View of the mainland
Want a moss garden?

Gotta have damp, I guess!

isobel cunningham's avatar by isobel cunningham

Some sights on the Island

A Vancouver Island Eagle

Yes he really was right across the Oyster River as I went for my noon walk. This picture is a bit fuzzy as I had to crop it. I took it just in time as he soon spread his wings and flew up the river away from the sea. You would never seen him here in the summer. Too many people about! The sea was absolutely calm and some seals were playing, slapping their fins and tails but they were too far away for pictures.

Hellebores

Also known as Christmas Rose although they have nothing to do with roses.

Holly without berries

I couldn’t find a single bush with berries.

A little fish showing me the way home
isobel cunningham's avatar by isobel cunningham

On the West Coast

In Vancouver airport

I had to return to the island a bit unexpectedly…. Family business. Whenever I see this sculpture in the city airport I feel reassured! This trip always reminds me of how huge our country is. Flying over vast expanses of black with a few dots of light around a lake here and there only emphasizes the scale of our home. There was no hop on flight until the next morning so I had to sleep overnight close to the airport.

On the flight to the Island
View from my daughter’s front door
“Betty” our beloved Pacific Maple
On my walk
A mushroom
Oyster River so different in winter

This is winter, right?

A west Coast winter!

It is unbelievably quiet here! Lots of time for writing… ok, ok, blogs are writing too!

Lots of fallen leaves

But green life springing up too!

Enjoy your kind of winter, whatever it is.

isobel cunningham's avatar by isobel cunningham

A Banditry of Chickadees

Yes, they finally came!

On Thursday I was out in Angrignon Park and I spotted a cardinal.

Just visible!

While I was trying to get a good shot ( and failing!) I was being dive bombed and harassed by chickadees! I decided the next day to bring bird seed. In the past these cheeky birds have eaten from my hand in the park. I figured they must be preparing for winter, stocking up!

However, yesterday I was disappointed that not a single bird sang, chirped or rustled a leaf, I didn’t have much hope today and after my first turn around the lake I was almost resigned to going home without seeing any of these masked cuties.

However, I decided to try one last spot off the trail. Well, it turns out these babies don’t just want you to shake the seed box, or even open it, or call them with a ridiculous imitation of their call. There was not a sign of a bird until I poured seeds into my hand and then … whoops there they were

This is what they want!

Turns out they like the sunflower seeds best although with their little beaks I was amazed they could swallow them down.

And then! A surprise!

A Nuthatch! He was bigger than the chickadees but more timid. They certainly liked the seeds from my hand but some of them visited the container too, standing on the rim and chasing each other off!

I stood there until my hand was pretty cold, now I know where and how, I’ll be back, I hope they will too, little bandits! And my favourite, too, the Nuthatch,

isobel cunningham's avatar by isobel cunningham

It’s Over

This year’s carpet

Although we’re still above freezing here in Montreal high winds and rain on Halloween night meant that most of the trees are bare. Not all…

But even my “ green holdout”

of last week looks like she’s ready to join the crowd.

One thing that bare branches allow one to notice are the distinct messy leaf nests of squirrels and something else

Wasp nests!

I remember taking an empty one to school in a tin can for a botany/ biology class. I thought the nun would praise my enterprising spirit in bringing a real example of nature’s wonders. Unfortunately in the time it took to take it to school some sort of chemical reaction took place in the air tight can and upon opening it we were all treated to the most powerful and unpleasant stench.

“Miss Cunningham! Get rid of that thing!” The janitor had a good laugh I remember.

Here’s another one!

Pull out your gloves, people. There may be no wasps around but winter winds can sting too!

isobel cunningham's avatar by isobel cunningham

A Halloween birthday

The props

There were plans for this birthday but nature had other ideas. It poured with rain all day and a high wind caused the electricity to cut out. My beloved grandchildren had arranged to come over with a birthday cake and to sleep over. With no lights, and no stove it might have been atmospheric but we all finally agreed to postpone the party.

They will come tomorrow and that will be lovely.

I could not resist this festive setting though. Every year on my birthday my daughter, Elizabeth sends me flowers. How welcome are these lovely blooms just as the year turns on this special day.

isobel cunningham's avatar by isobel cunningham

Gold in the Gutter

 

 

 

image

Gold in the gutter
The hour, the golden hour has come
For you to flutter, for you to fall.
Your song becomes a stutter, a cry.
The others lie though they too were so proud against the sky.
Gold and high but no more can they fly the flag of beauty.
Gold in the gutter

Once green, lush
A sign of life, renewal
The hours, cruel hours rolled
Clocks have chimed, bells have tolled.
Now became your when.
How green changed hue. Now still gold on blue,
Still hanging on the branch
This day a chance, a little gasp, one grasp of an Autumn day
So soon gold in the gutter.

isobel cunningham's avatar by isobel cunningham

From a few Days Ago

Still fall

and doggies eating patiently for their walker to get it together at the entrance to my local park. One big black fellow ( just out of sight) wanted so much to get acquainted but his business-like walker soon put a stop to that . “ He jumps up and I can’t be responsible for any injury.” She was right I suppose but doggie and I exchanged a mournful glance and off I went.

A breezy day

that brought down many leaves but the temperature was still mild. We’ve been enjoying a sort of enchanted fall this year with lovely colours and mild temperatures.

It won’t last
Soon to take cover

I awoke to a temperature of 4 degrees this morning. Even the geraniums must come in now.

Was it only a few months ago that I saw an elderly gentleman standing , half-dressed in this pond on an infernally hot and humid day?

Canadians have the reputation of being moderate and reasonable people. Perhaps we cultivate these qualities in the face of a climate that is anything but.

Ah, found them!
isobel cunningham's avatar by isobel cunningham

Why are you still Green?

In the park

near my home, a mystery. While autumn is well underway with its special beauty

The clouds, the still lake,

One tree among all the others pretends it is summer

Others cling to last brilliant leaves

But one stalwart clings, instead, to the color of life. It looks like an ordinary maple but there is something extraordinary about it.

If anyone knows the secret to this mystery,

Drop a note

isobel cunningham's avatar by isobel cunningham

It’s Over

It was stopping

but not quite over as I rashly decided to make a run for it. What really seems to be over is the magic/ spooky summer that just wouldn’t go away.

I set off to train on the toboggan hill today. It was humid with a mixed sky. After being spoiled for so many weeks I trusted the patch of blue over the ominous thundercloud. I bet on the wrong horse- patch of sky that is. No sooner had I done my measly four up and down the hill than it began to spit rain. I made for a nearby bus shelter where I spent one hour listening on my phone, transfixed by Dylan Thomas.

I love Walt Whitman for his excesses of language. I had forgotten about Thomas who is just as tripping, trailing and terrorizingly over the top. I had neglected to cancel an introductory offer on Amazon music and last night managed to persuade a very polite and accommodating employee to give me a few freebies before I pulled the plug. The BBC recordings of Thomas and Richard Burton reading lots of Thomas’ work was one I chose.

As the rain poured down I listened, entranced, to parts of Under Milk Wood that I had forgotten.

Rain teemed down, busses stopped and left, my clothes almost dried out. When I noticed that an hour had passed in the company of Thomas’ all too believable fantastic characters, I resolved to watch for a slack-off of the deluge.

As if by magic the rain tapered off to a few lazy drops….. only to tamp down again as soon as I got a block away from my bus shelter. I could hear old Dylan chuckling overhead. “I told you to take an umbrella” the chant of every Welshman from here to Llanfair…. echoed in my dripping eardrums.

The wind blew and I was chilly in my now soaking wet clothes. Another bus shelter loomed but the heavens relented and I was able to continue on home. A hot shower and a “ nice cup of tea” set me up for a cosy afternoon

The rain cleared off the nearby chestnut tree.

Good thing, I suppose. The other day I was explaining what “ conkers” are to my grandkids. It doesn’t translate well into French somehow.

isobel cunningham's avatar by isobel cunningham

Long autumn walk in Montreal

Pick your enthusiasm!

Our home and native land …. Or autumn fantasy

After a chat with a hearing aid dealer in Verdun, one of my favorite “ down home” Montreal neighborhoods, I decided to walk home. Her verdict , “you can hear but you can’t understand” was rather discouraging and , putting it down perhaps to a translation issue, I decided to walk and brood my way home. It is rather a long way – 7 to 8 km but it was warm and I was treated to some beauty.

Along the calm river
These hydrangeas were showing their age

But since they are favorites of my daughter in B.C. I could not resist.

Seed pods bursting and fall asters still blooming
Coming over the canal

that separates Verdun from LaSalle there were Canada geese having a cool down. I wonder when the will fly off. It’s so warm (23 degrees yesterday) that they must be a bit confused like most of us.

Back in my stamping grounds

Google maps led me straight through Angrignon Park where some trees are into fall and some aren’t.

I suppose it was a pretty long walk so I was tired and went to bed early. The result being that I woke up even before the morning started rose.

I made an ernest effort to go back to bed later with the usual result of extremely vivid dreams. This time I didn’t mind because they were about corgis! I shall have to look that up in the dream book!

isobel cunningham's avatar by isobel cunningham