A Night Out

(sculpture by Elizabeth Macqueen: Jorge Donn)

Photos: October 22, 2016

My daughter and I both love ballet; we go together to Les Grands Ballets Canadiens each year. The performance on Saturday: Romeo and Juliet with choreography by Jean-Christophe Maillot and music by Prokofiev (I'm happy to say there was a live orchestra). It was beautiful, lyrical - simply wonderful. And it is always lovely to share the experience with my daughter.



Our dinner at a sports bar before the ballet was anything but lyrical - it is a place of sensory overload with loud music blaring and more screens than I could count. We were both happy to get out of there. Its only asset was its proximity to the theatre.



Yet more rain greeted us as we left the theatre (this was taken while I was parked - it did not take long for my windshield to be covered with drops). It is not my favourite weather to drive in at night, but I do love the reflections like an abstract painting on the streets.

Rainy Days

Photos: October 21, 2016

There is something about a rainy day that gives one permission to hunker down, to enjoy all those indoor pursuits that feel like nesting. Sunny days pull one outdoors, especially those crisp fall days with the colours demanding attention. On rainy days, sitting with a good book seems like the perfect thing to do. Or baking and filling the place with lovely aromas. Or cooking in the slow cooker.



Let the rain fall while indoors I play music or visit with a friend. We have had a magnificent autumn but now rain is forecast for several days in a row. As it falls, so do the leaves. The days get shorter and the time of grey is returning. Time to find joy indoors.

Rain Today

Steady rain all day. After a delightful concert by Les Songes I walked in the rain. Drops hung on branches like little jewels.



Montreal has many underground passageways joining buildings but also letting people get to the metro without having to go outside. It let me have a respite from the rain. I'm always delighted to hear some classical music being played in public spaces. This violinist, I discovered plays both classical and pop (rock?) as well as world music. You can hear her playing with Nomad'Stones.

Rainy Night

Rain has washed the city
Leaving streets slick
City lights
Look brighter
As the rainy haze lifts

The ground drinks
Feeding the grass
Once winter white
Then sepia spring
Now green growth appears

April showers
To end the month
I am looking to May
With hopes of flowers
And sun to warm them

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
And here ends my month of poems - it has been quite a challenge. There are some I feel good about - others missed the mark. But each has been a way to push me to write, to imagine and to share.

Now I am hoping for that May weather so I can get out more with my camera and concentrate on the photographs.

Spring Rain

Outside the spring rain falls
Working its magic
Greening the grass
Winter's dirt begins to wash away
The air smells fresh

Inside I sip my tea
And bury my nose in a book
Alice Monroe for company
Simple pleasures
On a dreary day

Outside the buds begin to burst
Hints of leaves to come
All around
Growth is speeding up

Inside I wrap a blanket
Around my shoulders
Pour another cup
A day for slowing down

Montreal Monsoon

Montreal Monsoon, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

Photo: August 5, 2012

We have had a number of heavy storms this summer in between our many days of hot humid weather. Last Sunday was one of them. I was caught driving when visibility suddenly went to virtually nothing. (Don't worry - this photo was taken in a parking lot as we were stuck in the car waiting for the rain to subside). The heavy showers which came in a series did nothing to reduce the humidity. Once the sun came out, the evaporating water created a hot blanket. But cooler weather ahead...

Rain

Rain, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

There has been little rain after a winter of little snowfall, leaving water levels very low. A heavy shower washed the city, watering the flowers. While it helped the gardens, it only slightly contributed to the water we need to replenish our rivers.

Drops

Drops, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

Drops of water
Suspended
poised
to drip down
on unsuspecting heads

When Will the Sun Shine?

When Will the Sun Shine?, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Photo: May 27, 2011

One rainy day followed by another. These outdoor tables sit idle - no takers for lunch in the rain. While the lawns are lush and green, I have not been tempted to plant annuals. It's just too soggy!

Bleeding Hearts

Bleeding Hearts, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Every day a new delight. My bleeding hearts have started to open, their hanging charms dangling like from a bracelet. Flowers come in so many shapes and colours.



Rain has settled in for another dreary week. But everything is growing at warp speed. Trees that were bare now sport new pale green garbs. Everything that can bloom is pushing out flowers. My colourless view from my window has changed to technicolour!

Rain Drops at Night

Rain Drops at Night, originally uploaded by susanvg.

A blustery night, with rain, and sometimes sleet, falling steadily. Just a few sparkling raindrops hanging from these cedar branches - a glimpse of beauty on a dreary night.

Fallen Leaves

Fallen Leaves, originally uploaded by susanvg.

I just read Anne Michael's latest book, The Winter Vault. It deals a lot with memory and place. Interesting ideas to mull over and I like her way of writing - very poetic.

On a rainy day, I brought my spouse to St. Donat to see the house and grounds where I spent my summers and weekends from the mid-50s to 1986. I wanted him to peek into my memories. For me the place had layers - with ghosts and visions of years past. I saw not only what was there that day, but also the people and events I lived with and through here. Even the house, renovated and expanded since my parents sold it, I saw as it was. Many of the people who populated that life are now gone - they too are memories.

I have not gone often since the house was sold. And when I do, I go when I know no one will be there. I need to feel that I am not tresspassing. It's hard to go back, to see a place that was home and no longer is, to stare at the view across the lake as a stranger. But every so often I need to look again at the place that is still so much part of who I am.

Sept 7/10: Rainy Reflections

Sept 7/10: Rainy Reflections, originally uploaded by susanvg.

A late night - I caught yet another photo of lights reflected on a rainy road. I have a painting by Sylvia Ary, a Montreal artist which is a street scene on a rainy day. This photograph brought it to mind and I am including a photo of it here. It is interesting to see how different media can portray similar subjects. Each are abstract in their own way - yet each gives the feel of the rain at night.

July 13/10: Summer Rain

Summer Rain, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Distant rumbles announce the coming storm
The sky darkens
Rain, first light then pounding
A waterfall rushes from the roof
Cascading to the ground
Splashing into the pool that wasn't there before
Rivulets race downhill to the street
Summer rain

June 1/10: Rain

June 1/10: Rain, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Much needed rain
Big soil-soaking drops
hit the parched ground
nourishing
falling steadily
quenching the thirsty plants

Apr 16/10: Good Morning

Apr 16/10: Good Morning, originally uploaded by susanvg.

April is always full of surprises. While in the Montreal it rained, in the Laurentians it snowed - wet, soggy, heavy snow - not enough to get in the way but enough to coat things. Yesterday's bright blue skies and warm sun gave way to damp penetrating weather. April is changeable.

Day 286: Crabapples for the Birds

Day 286: Crabapples for the Birds, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Gentle raindrops leave pearldrops on the leaves. The crabapples have ripened. I used to have a crabapple tree in front of my house. The crabapples would cling to the tree even after the leaves had fallen. In winter the birds would come and peck at the frozen fruit. I hope these little globes provide for some birds this winter.

Day 271: Rainy Night

Day 271: Rainy Night, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Rain fell steadily. Lights spilled onto the mirrored streets creating painted puddles. Newly fallen leaves made the surface slick - autumn's ice rink.

Day 169: Raindrops

Day 169: Raindrops, originally uploaded by susanvg.

A rainy day - finally my garden has been well-watered. Some garden work I enjoy. Planting brings such a feeling of hope, knowing that there will be growth and change. Weeding can be relaxing or invigorating depending on my mood. Sometimes I just enjoy being in the garden so the weeding is part of the experience. Other times it is my way of getting out my anger at a situation, with weeds taking the brunt. As I pull off the dead heads, I can stop and appreciate the nearby blossoms. But watering is just a bore. I hate dragging the hose around and dancing around the spray as I move it to the next spot. I let my flowers send down deep roots and hope they will thrive. It's ecological, I tell myself. I don't waste water. But secretly I hope the rain clouds will come and do the work for me. So I appreciate the rain.

Day 93: April Showers

Day 93: April Showers, originally uploaded by susanvg.

April rain started to let up as I drove along this country road. The ground is still not able to soak in the water. Signs of spring are everywhere. As I drove to Casselman last night, I saw many vees of geese flying over. I love to hear their honking as they pass over. It's funny how I never tire of the seasonal harbingers; a robin preening on the fence this morning, the sound of geese, the first signs of growth poking from the ground.

November rain can be depressing - relentless and grey, but April rain brings promise of renewal.