“ So the darkness shall be the light and the stillness the dancing.” – T. S. Eliot
Summer has returned for a few days, giving us a chance to go on one more picnic in the park, drink another iced chocolate and feel the warmth of the sun once again. These idyllic moments encourage me to dance despite the dark, to push back the tide of fear and negativity swirling all around – first by switching off the strident voices emanating from the TV and leaving the ink smudged newspapers for others to read. I think back often on the happiness that coloured our days when we spent time in Mexico cut off from familiar media streams – we relied more on the natural rhythms present in our day to day, life distilled down to exquisite moments comprised of simple pleasures.
There’s a luxurious layer to these fall days upon us, a sense that winter is nipping at the heels of autumn – my eyes keep checking for freshly fallen snow on the mountains that ring the city and so far, I’m greeted by the same dark green forest of summer. In no time at all, it seems, summer vanishes and a warm rain chases me into our local library where I come upon an unusual scene – a small girl, a fairy child, is building a fort among the adult chairs scattered near the children’s area, meticulously placing soft-cover children’s books one on top of the other. There is a treasure trove of books to touch and sort giving life to these words flowing onto my pages. As the rain gently fell, I watched her father and baby brother for a few moments, both trying to help put the many books back in order on the racks much to the chagrin of the library staff member coming upon the fairytale castle of books. It is magical moments like these that chase darkness away…
We celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving this autumn long weekend and my heart is full – I’ve spent time with my second cousin and her husband drinking fragrant English Breakfast tea at our favourite gathering place while eating a delicious brunch. The threat of rain hovering among a sky full of dark clouds only added to the adventure of hopping on the skytrain out to their Burnaby neighbourhood. This past Sunday found me catching up and sharing a creamy hot chocolate with my friend Yvonne. What a fairytale afternoon it turned out to be – the sun came out summer-warm and a soft breeze gently shook colourful leaves down from the trees, birds chased each other among the berry laden ones leaving me feeling, that yes, it is still possible to find oneself dancing in the dark!

We sat on Terry’s favourite hill near Brockton Oval in Stanley Park (Vancouver, B.C.) on Thanksgiving Day enjoying some more fall colour!

We came across two woodpecker trees on another favourite trail in Stanley Park (Vancouver, B.C.). I could not believe how lush the ferns still looked!

This beautiful Barred owl decided to hang out at the Rhododendron Garden here in Stanley Park (Vancouver, B.C.) just minutes from our apartment building, reminding me of Harry Potter!
“Only in the darkness can you see the stars.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
Love the owl! So amazing
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Thank you for stopping by, I’m so glad you enjoyed the photo of the beautiful owl!
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The owl, what a blessing. I find in these trying times, little bright lights emerge, and make us filled with joy. I love reading about our Canuck Crow and am lost in his love and joy of his best friend. It is in these difficult times, that nature comes to the fore doing its dance. Always showing us her brilliance and light up our lives. When you see him again , blow him a kiss from me.
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We haven’t seen the owl in the last day or so…we have heard that there is also a Great Horned owl about and I would love to see him! Thank you, Mom, for mentioning our crow celebrity, Canuck, he is a joy to watch (for those of you on FB, you can find his antics/adventures @Canuck and I, there is even a documentary to view!)! We are indeed blessed to be visited by nature’s wild ambassadors!
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There’s so much colour in Canada with your Indian Summer. The pictures are glorious but none more so than the magnificent barred owl that obviously is so used to humans it must belong to a student wizard at Hogwarts.
xxx Hugs Galore xxx
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You are so right…there were 5 of us standing ever so quietly…one was a well known retired naturalist/photographer!..this lovely owl preened and closed its eyes for a long while without a care in the world!
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Really great pictures Kimberlee. I love the fact that you’re able to get outdoors and escape into your surroundings to get away from reality for a moment. You get to soak up all what nature has to offer you and use it to your benefit. That brief respite must do wonders for you. Thanks for sharing this.
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Just yesterday we were treated to the sights and sound of some Cooper’s hawks as we spent another sunny day in the park! We are very blessed to have this beautiful sanctuary located in a major city – I remember the lovely green spaces of Hawaii we explored…I hope you’re able to seek some respite when you need it as well! Thank you (always!) for adding your thoughts to these pages…
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Awesome! Yes, I actually need to make time to explore nature’s backyard the way you do and be inspired.
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Hi Shirley..you are right, the presence of the owl could really be a blessing especially at this point in time when so much and so many happens in the world.
I too am goin through a really tough time right now…seeing Kim’s post on summer and the hope it brings…gave me another reason to keep goin.
Bless you both…😇😇😇
I wish to be back blogging soon…and i wish to get back on my oldself soon too…
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Mich…thank you for sharing…my heart goes out to you and I hope you’ll be feeling stronger and like your old self soon! You are a beautiful light and I’m blessed to have your words here!
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Have always been a lover of birds, dogs,cats. For fun had a fruit fly in my kitchen all summer one year and I named him Doug. Just a little brevity. All of these little incidents, little angels I call them, surface and show us, peace, tranquility, and love. Thanks for you comments. Love that we hear from you.
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wow! how lucky you were to get the owl pic.
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Thank you for stopping by, it means a lot!
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Beautiful quotes and writing. You seem to have a wonderful sense of the present that enables you to capture the precious and magical moments of the day and the changing season. ❤
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In light of the darkness permeating our world, these two quotes were calling out to be included! Thank you again for your lovely words…you’ve brightened my day!
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Such precious days. I hope you get many more soft autumn days yet before winter. I love your owl. He is a real cutie. 🌼
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The sun is shining today in between storms and soon I’ll be heading out for a walk – thank you for stopping by, I was delighted to see your sweet face pop up on my site and I’m so glad you enjoyed the photo of the owl!
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I’ve often feel like I should stop reading the news – those endless massacres, those petty, corrupted politicians… it feels like it’s a waste of time, and it’s always the same, history repeats itself whether we like it or not.
I’ve often felt proud to know what was happening in the world, but now, it’s more like a burden. I try to focus on the things that matter to me, science for instance, but it’s difficult… I’ll keep trying.
This owl is beautiful, thanks for mentioning it in your comment on my own blog, I had missed it ❤
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You’ve used a good word for this, the reading of or watching the news – “burden”, lately I find myself immersed in British programming about travel or baking, it’s much more interesting and is good for the soul! You must be captivated by the science behind the recent news about two neutrons colliding so many millennia ago and how this collision created the precious metals that we value today! Enjoy your day, Samuel and thank you for stopping by with your thoughts.
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Yes I’ve read about this gravitational waves… but astronomy is a bit too esoteric for me, I prefer biology ^^
I read that, if sea birds have black upperwings and white underwings, it’s not (only) for camouflage but because, under the sun, it creates a difference in air temperature, which in turn creates a movement of air between the upper and lower parts, which creates lift! I found that fascinating 🙂
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Good to know that the warmth of the beautiful summer is doing a lot of good to you. Enjoy your time outside and enjoy the warmth of friendship and happiness, Kim.
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We are in between storms at the moment… it feels good to see the sun once again…thank you for your lovely friendship here in the WP world, it means alot!
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Oh! Prayers that you have more sunny days, Kim. Thank you too your support and friendship, Kim. It’s so lovely to hear from your side of the world.
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Very lovely words and photos!
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Thank you so much for stopping by & leaving such a lovely comment…I hope you continue to enjoy the beauty of autumn in your part of the world!
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