Ski-s the Day …

Had my list written
the day all planned
Rain was called for
but what is this …. ?
Blue skies,
morning sun bouncing off the snowy mountain.
Gotta seize the day …
might be raining tomorrow.
Pick up the phone,
“Spontaneity check … want to go skiing?”
How could we not?
laugh all the way to Grouse.
The city stretches below us
Sun on our faces
Snow is soft and fast, lots of it.
Wahoo – look at us!
Down the Peak, up the chair
From the top we see
freighters in the harbour
sunshine glistening on Georgia Strait
islands in the distance
over to Blueberry, down Blazes
every run open
every run awesome
found places we’d never been before

… What list was that?


© Colleen MacDonald 2006

Morning Window

Out my window, Mount Seymour catches

the first rays of morning sunshine.

Fresh snow covers the trees.

Glimpses of blue sky beckon.

I wonder if it's a good day to get up to the snow?

Birthday Thanks

Thankyou for

another year

friends and family

laughter and love

hopes and joy

and dreams that really do come true

. . . fun !

Seal and Salmon

Out my window I spot a sea otter pulling a salmon up onto our rock islet. It drags the fish onto a ledge, and tears it apart.
Seagulls and crows hover nearby.

I run for my camera and dash down the stone steps, snapping pictures.
The otter sits up and looks at me, then slides down the rock and into the ocean.

The water is as clear as a swimming pool. The otter glides towards where I'm standing on the dock and slips underneath.

Seagulls and crows land on the island and attack the fish carcass.

An eagle swoops into the cove and clings to the tall fir tree, weighing down the branches.
The sea otter climbs back onto the rock, finishing its catch.

The eagle circles above the otter. The otter looks up then slides away, and the eagle lands and rips the salmon apart. Seagulls and crows scream and swoop overhead. The eagle looks nervous and takes flight. Seagulls chase it in circles around the cove, then out of sight.

Looking out my window at Whiskey Cove.

..............................................................

Bonne Annee

Bonne Annee
Happy New Year
en Quebec

white snow everywhere
blue skies
reflected sunshine
icicles reaching the ground
snow sliding off roofs
looks like a furrowed brow

words swirling in french
grab the occasional word
get the jist
... or not

quebecois christmas trees
no needles or leaves,
sparkling branches

a visit to Grandmere's
homemade donuts
maple butter
-20 outside

lots of relatives at the New Years party
traditional Quebec songs
Dom's aunts singing and playing the spoons
tortierre
Oncle Piero cooking rabbit
and jambalaya
and fruit fondue with maple sauce
a different kind of new years for us
but not for them!
fun to glimpse into another world

and looking forward to coming home
and seeing our world again

Bonne Annee et HAPPY NEW YEAR 2006