outdoors

I make myself laugh

I looked over from where I was barbecuing some hot dogs and saw Khalee sitting in one of her favourite spots in the garden.

My first thought was ‘Strange flowers grow in’ round these parts.’

Clearly I need to get out more.

A photo of a dog sitting on the grass under a tree
Image description: a photo of Khalee, my light haired dog sitting in the lush green grass under some trees. She has her legs folded under her and she is looking around contentedly. Patches of late afternoon sun are coming through the trees here and there.

A good way to spend a Saturday night

Don’t worry, this took place is a safe zone for an outdoor fire and it was in a well-established fire pit.

Sitting around this fire with 4 of my dearest friends was a terrific way to kick off my summer of contemplation, revaluation, and relaxation.

Yep, those three things are my summer priorities.

The tricky part is putting them into practice.

a small outdoor campfire burns within a circle of large rocks.
Image description: a small outdoor campfire burns within a circle of large rocks.

Flowers by my front step

I love seeing these return every year.

A close up photo of the blooms on a lilac tree.
Technically, this is a tree (or a bush) but still, it *is* flowering and I like it. image description: a close-up photo of one set of blooms on a lilac tree. The flowers are light purple and the leaves are lush green.
Bright orange flowers surrounded by leaves.
I think these are some variety of poppy. They have been growing every spring ever since we moved in over 20 years ago. Image description – bright orange flowers with 5 rounded petals blooming amidst greenery.

Decisions, decisions – a good problem to have ;)

This is the kind of evening I dream of when I feel tense or when it feels like the winter will never end.

I’m sitting on my patio on a warm summer night, deciding whether to draw or to read while I drink my (non-alcoholic!) beer.

A photo of a table with a bottle, an ereader and a sketchbook and markers on it.
Image description: a angled-down view of a small red patio table with a bottle of Corona Sunbrew non-alcoholic beer (which is covered in condensation), an e-reader in a blue and gold patterned case, and an open sketchbook with six markers on top of it. In the background there’s another patio chair, the bottom of the railing, and the end of a string of warm white lights.

Walking Meditation

I chose to do a short meditation while walking today.

I’ve enjoyed them when I have done them before but I usually use a guided meditation recording.

Today though, I decided to just set my timer, breathe slowly, and pay attention to the world around me.

I noticed how nimbly Khalee was walking, how the wind felt on my face, how many different shades of green were surrounding me, the sounds different cars made as they passed, how my legs felt tired but ok and how comfortable my shoes were now that I am using inserts to reduce pronation.

I felt quite peaceful afterwards and I will definitely be doing that sort of walking meditation again.