One Year Ago Today

It was one year ago today that I loaded four dogs, a cat, and the last of my belongings into my vehicle and made the move from the Fraser Valley to the Cowichan Valley. The year has brought a lot of changes, a lot of joys and some sadness (though none so sad as the loss of my beloved shelties, Oliver and Belle, these past ten days).

We have explored many great parks and trails......

View from the summit of the escarpment

Swallowfield

Crofton Sea Walk

Crofton Lake

Seen wonderful birds and sea life.......

Oystercatcher ballet

Jellyfish

Ducky reflections

A strange looking crab

Eagle-eyed

Sand dollars submerged

Watched incredible sunrises and sunsets....

Sunrise from the sea walk

Father and child

A rainbow at sunset

Saltspring sunrise

Skies Aflame

Made many new friends – both human and canine.....

Joined in community celebrations and events....

SPCA garage sale

Christmas parade in Crofton

Olympic Torch comes to town

Paws for a Cause

Chemainus Days

Shearing time at the farm

....and adapted to a life of retirement, which at many times felt busier than when I was still employed.

It has been a good first year, the deaths of my shelties notwithstanding. I know not what the year ahead will bring, what new friends I may make, what deaths I may grieve, what experiences I may have - but such is the nature of life.

This morning, I was listening to an interview with Neil Pasricha, the author of The Book Of Awesome . He is a writer who was dealing with some sad stuff in his life and decided to purposely focus on the awesome stuff that happens in the course of our everyday lives. (You can read his blog here).

His philosophy is not unlike my own – it is all too easy to get dragged down by anger, fear, loss and negativity and though we cannot (and should not) ignore the evil and the grief, we must not lose sight of the positive, the happy, the awesome things that happen. Little things – like a call from a friend at the moment you most need one, or the sound of a songbird when you least feel like singing - can help keep us sane, can give our lives balance.

And so, on this anniversary of my move from one part of our beautiful province to another, I share with you today's awesome-ness:

A wall of California lilac

An eagle, a heron and a boat at low tide

A shell polished bright by water and sand

Wild rose

I finally captured my first close-up of the heron!

Heron pilates

Dahlias and a card left by my door by a friend

Baby birds, almost ready for flight now!

My first strawberry ripens!

And, of course, my three awesome couch-potato critters!