“Tea is drunk to forget the din of the world.” – T’ien Yi Leng
I woke up this morning with new energy and resolve – hoping to shake up the routines I’ve clung to these past few months and invite some fresh air into my life!
Right now, I’m waiting for the warm sun to envelope the space I’ve carved out on our balcony with my faded blue camp chair and old wooden table. The chair is facing the glittering water of English Bay, instead of tea nearby, a crystal glass sits on the table filled with sparkling water, a small change in the works already. After a walk through the busy park, the peaceful feeling unfolding nine floors up underneath a perfect blue sky steadies my heart. There is still some cleaning to attend to on our balcony but so far, I’ve been able to savour a morning tea in a patch of found sunlight and have begun writing on the odd afternoon.
There is a resident city robin who sings every morning and evening – during a recent morning its cheerful notes were overshadowed by rumbling thunder as I drowsed underneath our woolen blanket. It sang through three waves of thunder and I wondered if it was teaching the young robins to sing no matter what. Rain fell, too and coloured our world grey as it used to do years ago before fire season became the new normal after warmer springs. Perhaps the stillness we’ve all come to embrace has recalibrated natures’ rhythms, restoring a balance we feared was lost forever.
Our part of the world is now disturbing that very hush as businesses, schools and restaurants are being encouraged to wake up. Nearly empty streets are filled once more with roaring sports cars on their way to the beach and downtown. The playgrounds host laughing children as we wait patiently for the park concessions to open imagining those first oil spotted boxes of freshly cooked fish and chips. Some little things are worth waiting for…
We cannot wait it seems and did the next best thing – toting homemade potatoe salad and picking up some take-out from the Stanley Park Pavilion to bring to our still undiscovered picnic table. While we ate our delicious fare, we could hear raven young calling to each other, safe in the lush canopy above just behind the shuttered and fenced Railway Cafe concession – their haunting calls reminiscent of a more ancient time than this.
Every little thing is everything during this unprecedented time – the feathered visitors who join me as I do yoga in my tiny studio (by moving the coffee table towards the balcony door and putting down my yoga mat), foraging for lichen covered twigs and branches to create botanical bouquets for summer (inviting the forest inside) and the relaxing hour reading before sleep takes over. Small things and moments easing the new normal that overshadows what once was…
I’d love to hear about your own little things that are “everything”!
I had the privilege of hearing all of the ravens at the Railway Cafe this week. I came outside the concession and was surrounded by 4 of them, it was cool and eary at the same time. Almost like a scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. But a little good new, Lumbermen’s Arch Concession will be open by July 10, finally fish and chips available in the park again!!
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Hi, Travis!
What good news, Lumbermen’s Arch Concession is opening soon…I can almost taste that first bite…I just came in from a wild and windy seawall walk and heard a young raven near the Second Beach Concession.
Terry was happy to read your message, too. Thank you so much for stopping by!
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birds of the feather
must
still gather together~
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What beautiful words! Thank you so much for sharing them here…
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my pleasure it was well written
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Thank you so much! Your words warm my heart…
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I am so thrilled to know your also practicing yoga. Been doing it too especially during this pandemic where our access to outdoor walk and run is very limited. I am perfecting some of the posea which i was having difficulty with for the longest time. I also had enough time working back on my site doing editing for typo errors and other issues.
Send my love to Shirley ..and i am glad to know things are easing down there🥰🥰🥰
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Hi, Mich!
I’m glad you’re practicing yoga, too and you’re right, it gives us a chance to work on those difficult poses…I hit the mat three times a week and have noticed how calming it is. My mat faces a beautiful green chestnut tree outside my windows and I think I prefer it to the studio I used to practice in!
Thank you for sending your love to my Mom!
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I love reading your posts Kimberlee. It makes me see the world through a different perspective. I loved how observant you are, especially on the robin singing. For me, that would’ve gone over my head as background noise. Beautiful pictures as well.
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Thank you so much, Mark! Being so close to nature is a wonderful balm for soothing the sameness of these pandemic days…I hope you and your family are doing well….it seems our world is moving through some tricky times as we try to regain some sense of normal.
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We truly are Kimberlee, until then…stay safe my friend.
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all very pretty and sounds like you make maximum use of your space!
I have another week at the family home with lots of long walks and then back to my tiny as volunteering starts up again in July, looking forward to that 🙂
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Lots of long walks sound so relaxing, Kate! I’m excited to hear that your volunteering is starting up again…
Thank you for stopping by and enjoying the read, you’ve left me smiling!
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good for you, we should be smiling more … we are alive 🙂 ❤
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Yes! We’re blessed to be alive…
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A wonderful peek into your life! My little things are a jar of ticket stubs that I’ve collected over the last 37 years – lets me take a trip down memory lane any time I want. I’ve got a shadow box holding rememberances, and a dish of glass candy. They all hold special reminders that make me smile.
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You’ve just given me a great idea for my ticket stubs so now I’m on the hunt for another thrift store Mason jar!
Thank you so much for stopping by and participating, I’m glad to learn more about the “little things” that my readers love.
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Another beautiful post, Kim. It’s wonderful to hear about your world waking up. Little things that are everything? Yesterday two young deer wandered into my garden to munch on my roses and my kale. They’ve visited before, but yesterday as I strolled onto the deck to shoo them away. I was perhaps 12 feet away. They looked up at me with their little fuzzy antlers and dark eyes. And then kept munching while I talked to them. They were my everything yesterday (despite their destruction). 🙂 Be well and enjoy the newfound freedom, my friend. ❤
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Your everything sounds absolutely beautiful, Diana! I can imagine those fuzzy antlers and see their dark eyes…it’s always such a lovely gift when we get a chance to commune with the other.
Even though our newfound freedom is wonderful news, there are many who are acting as if the danger is over…my heart goes out to them even if I have to dodge and dance because all of this has been quite a shock…I hope we don’t forfeit our one step forward for two steps back!
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What’s happening in the US should be a good warning to the rest of the world when it comes to the virus. 🙂 Take it cautiously. ❤
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My heart breaks when I see what’s happening in other parts of the world and to our neighbours to the south in the US…we’re not out of the woods yet with the fall flu season hanging over our heads!
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The idéal calm exists in a forest walk. The sound of nature is the best music. You are a star in making your environment serene.You describe so well the little things that are everything. I can hear the sounds of your ravens and robins. I can see you having tea on your new oasis ( balcony).My little things are much like yours. I also love blue hues on the ocean. Sitting at my window and meditate while watching the clouds caressing a sunny sky, cutting papers for collages while Jonathan ( the seagull ) is watching me. Listening to my favorite music. Those are a few of my favorite things 🎶🎵. We are lucky to live so close to the park and bay. See you soon for a tea dear neighbor. Love.💐🎻🧚♂️
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Aw, Huguette, now I want to go for a walk in the forest…it nourishes my soul and fills me with bliss…I love your little things, they are what sustains us through these uncertain times!
Yes, we’re due for another picnic or a socially distant tea at Veranda Cafe soon…
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I love your botanical bouquet, very elegant! It’s a strange time of transition when everything feels like it’s moving towards ‘normal’ but yet it doesn’t feel as though much has changed – definitely a time to treasure every little thing.
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You’re so right, Andrea! Some establishments have opened, only to quickly close as patrons test positive for the virus…I’ve made the decision to go deeper into nature this summer…I just came in from watching an eaglet stretch its wing in its nest with an adult eagle on watch above.
I created a smaller botanical bouquet which sits on our bathroom counter holding dried lavender and three small foraged twigs tucked into a thrift store Mason jar!
Thank you so much for stopping and enjoying the read, Andrea.
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I love the glimpses of Stanley Park Kimberlee. It does look beautiful. Your floral arrangement is very Zen and rather lovely. Nature is my go to healer too. Today marks the opening of restaurants, hotels, cafes and pubs here in Ireland. I am looking forward to meet ups with my friends in our local coffee shop.
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We’re so lucky to have such plucky gardeners and landscapers working through the pandemic, the park has been an oasis for so many…I hope you have a wonderful meet-up, Brigid and that you continue to feel well!
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Yes, the world is slowly waking up again. And those little things are so precious. The birds chattering, nature changing with seasons, sounds of children playing. Last weekend we enjoyed fish and chips beachfront with a couple of friends. Simple pleasures. This was a beautiful read Kim, calming and peaceful. Have a lovely week ahead my friend. 💙
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Now, I really can’t wait to dive into those delicious fish and chips…I’m glad you’re getting out an’ about, Miriam! I always welcome your lovely words here, thank you so much…
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It’s a true blessing to notice the little things and fleeting moments Kim 💜 We’re enjoying how the young cygnets and ducklings are beginning their lives in a quieter world and how it lifts people’s spirits. There’s been a lot to treasure in these quiet times and we hope that the good things are here to stay 💚
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Yes, let’s hope “the good things are here to stay”, Xenia! I can still see that cygnets’ sweet face that you captured…
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You are like a creative conduit for Beauty!! I love your voice and your eye!
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Oh, my! Your lovely words warm my heart, thank you so much for stopping by, you’ve brightened a rainy morning, my friend.
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Ahh, I do agree with that quote. A warm cup of tea always works wonders when you need a little moment of peace and quiet. I hope you are finding your little moments and continue to have these little things that are your everything 🙂
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Hi, Jade!
I’m hoping to enjoy a summer of little things that will become my everything…I hope your summer unfolds beautifully…I recently visited my hair stylist, it’s time to be bravely cautious as our part of the world continues to open up! X
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So true. We have learned the importance of every small thing during the pandemic..be it things, or food we always kept aside in the pantry, or even people we forgot in our busy life.
Great post.
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Thank you so much for stopping by! I’m so glad you enjoyed the read…and yes, this pandemic has brought our lives into sharp relief, encouraging us to treasure every little thing.
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Absolutely
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Your words echo the tranquillity reigning around us before the chaos of everyday life starts anew, and like you, I find everything in these little routines we have created for ourselves in the midst of the chaos of our minds. I wonder if I will not miss this quietude…I quite suspect I will. The singing of your friend, the robin, reminds me of the resident cuckoo that trills in my parents’ backyard. My mother wakes up to its singing every day and thrills at it. The way she elaborates on this cuckoo’s routine on the phone makes me think she is my mother alright.
Since I am finding much pleasure in botanical art and studying botany alongside, I do appreciate the beautiful bouquets you are foraging and putting together. Forage on, my friend, and may this time be reminiscent of such idyllic pleasures as this. xx
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The image of your dear mother thrilling at the cuckoo singing each day warms my heart, she sounds like a wonderful kindred spirit!
Your lovely comments have added the most beautiful layers to my post…thank you so much for wandering by and enjoying the read.
I hope your summer is filled with botanical and green delights…
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She is alright. Grown mellower with age and transformed into a friend who loves rambling about politics, plants, and birds.
You are most kind, Kim. I find quiet joy in your posts, so thank you. Let your summer ring with an abundance of green delights too! xx
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I always get the feeling of reading a classic novel when I read your posts, Kim. Your style of writing is very rare in the present time and I enjoy every bit of reading it. I especially loved the line “Perhaps the stillness we’ve all come to embrace has recalibrated natures’ rhythms, restoring a balance we feared was lost forever.” Those are my exact thoughts but I’ve struggled to put it as beautifully as you. Wonderful post and pictures.
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Thank you, Shreya! Your lovely comment warms my heart…
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You raise a good question about what are the little things that are “everything” to me, to anyone? I’ve become more aware of colors lately. Since being home more I’ve come to enjoy seeing our primary-colored coffee mugs in the morning, or the multi-colored green leaves in the trees out the windows, or just the colors in the artwork on the walls inside the house. Suddenly colors provide the spark I need to feel I’m in the right place now, in time with what must be for me.
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Thank you, Ally! I’m so glad you stopped by, your little things are everything are very precious during these challenging times…we continue to enjoy our precious ritual, cups of freshly brewed tea each afternoon…a point in time that grounds us and fills us with gratitude!
Take good care and hope you have a lovely weekend…
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There’s a wind chime on my window and whenever the morning breeze blows it tinkles and I love that sound because it reminds me of my granny who had gifted this to me probably a decade ago. My window overlook some small hills and since it’s monsoon in India now, there are some clouds that descend and cover up the peaks of the hills. It looks lovely and I often lose myself in that dreamy landscape. The other little thing is my ukulele which I can’t play very well but I love strumming it randomly. It was my only companion when I was stuck in the other state of my university for three months due to quarantine. I love it to bits. ❤
It was amazing reading your post and all the other mellow thoughts left by others here before! 😊
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Your beautiful every little things are everything are lovely and take me on a relaxing visual journey…I’m so glad you stopped by and enjoyed the read (and the other lovely comments!).
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Thanks for sharing your posts with us. It’s an absolute delight 😊☺
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Thank you so much!
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I’m feeling my way through your blog to get a sense of who you are. I very much appreciate your visits to mine and will be visiting more often. I love morning walks just after the sun breaks. That time is later and later as autumn marks it’s days. I only get to walk in my housing complex of manufactured homes but Oregon requires more green space than many places so I have my small plot of rented land to grow. We have humming birds whiz by in the summer and owls in the trees all year. Every time I look out my back window, it takes my breath away. I’m always grateful for the beauty in my area and manage to see it with fresh eyes most days. Especially now that we almost lost it. I love where you get to walk and being close to the ocean is a special gift. It’s been two years since we made a trip to the coast. I do miss it.
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I love the idea of a reader feeling their way through my blog and getting a sense of my voice…you are welcome to drop by anytime…owls in the trees sound magical!
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