Evergreen Post: Summer Lovin’

I’ve been taking a blogging break while away from home these past couple of weeks, so today I’ll share a photography post from a beautiful July day six years ago.
Remember 2014, when life was simpler?  ~*sigh*~

I plan to return to regular blogging with a new Sunday Snap, on—you guessed it—Sunday!

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Summer in my province of Newfoundland and Labrador, compared to most of North America, is short but ever so sweet. What makes it so cherished, to my mind?

The following photos were all taken in Lead Cove, the little community where I raised my children.

I love my home for its natural beauty,
its refreshing, rugged and
unspoiled charm,
for its clear and wide blue skies
without a whisper of smog.

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I love the clean, sparkling water
and the glistening rocks adorning the coastline
that beg to be traced
and trod upon by eager footsteps.

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I love summer in Newfoundland
for its breathtaking views
of seascapes and landscapes
when I embark on a hike.

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Whether I traverse
its beaches of sand or
climb its rocky windswept hills,
I know my camera will find its aim.

I embrace it because
the bushes and shrubs,
green and lush,
are heavy with fragrance
and of wild roses in bloom…

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…while in the gardens,
the planted perennials are brilliant with colour,
delighted at last
to spread their bright petals to the sun.

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I love the hardy trees of Newfoundland
in summer…

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…as they stretch
their ripe foliage to the sky.

184Shot through with rays of sunlight,
a shimmering haze settles over the treetops
like a warm summer veil.

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After a long winter and dismal spring
of cold, naked branches,
they, as I do,
breathe a sigh of gratitude
at the return of this warm and golden season.

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Are you filled with summer lovin’ where you live, or is the pandemic interfering?

Originally published here on July 29/14

Smile

Lots of Winter Ahead Yet, But…

… the days are noticeably getting longer. And in six weeks, we spring forward as Daylight Savings Time kicks in!
Newtown in Winter 2020It isn’t just me who looks forward to spring around here. Practically every day, Vivian and Maisie go outside to check things out. They don’t stay out long, only long enough to confirm that winter with all its snow and iciness is still firmly in place.

One of the loveliest features of the longer days?
The sunsets, just as pretty in winter as in summer.

No two are ever exactly the same.

As gorgeous as they are, you’ll still find us hanging out mostly indoors for a few weeks yet.

Hanging out with my muse – or is it mews?

How about you?
Do you embrace winter,
or are you counting the days until summer like me?

“You are my fantasy on a cold dark night, my muse during the light of day and the one wish my soul would make.” ~ Grace Willows

Sunday Snaps: First Snowfall (and Fun Neighbours)

This past Thursday, Perry’s Point welcomed its first little snowfall for the season, just enough to get this cranky-pants in the festive mood for Christmas.

Speaking of being welcomed, our neighbours rolled out the welcome mat in more ways than one that evening when they invited us over for supper.

Unbeknownst to us until we ventured outside — and unnecessary because there were only a couple inches of the white stuff — “W” had cleared a path from our house to his. A sweet little gesture that put smiles on our faces. Check it out:

A look back at our house from the path
Taking the turn to their house
Follow the blacktop road!
The next day, a crisp, gorgeous afternoon for a walk.

“Kindness is like snow. It beautifies everything it covers.”
~ Kahlil Gibran

Sunday Snaps: A Saturday in Lead Cove

Last weekend, we took the five-hour drive to Lead Cove, Trinity Bay, where my daughter and her family have their summer house.

I took a few photos on our walk to the beach on Old Lead Cove Road. When I lived there many moons ago, we called it Lead Cove bank.

Lots of dogberries once meant we were in store for a harsh winter, but that belief has since been debunked. Whatevs – they all seem harsh to me.

Of course, Archie came along.
His first time in Lead Cove.


Love this one.
Every year, a little closer to collapse.


An old root cellar,
still used by locals to store vegetables.

An abandoned root cellar figures largely in my new novel,
so I had to grab these shots.

Archie LOVED the freedom of his off-leash run.

This beats a dog park any day!

My kids played on this rocky beach many a time.

“Grand-Paul” describing erosion caused by the sea.
Either that, or he’s found an ostrich egg.
🙂

***

This past week, Paul and I drove to Deer Lake for work,
another five-hour drive each way. So all together,
20 hours of driving since last Friday.

Still, I do like fall road trips around the island!

Summer’s End

Tomorrow, Monday September 23rd, is the first day of fall. Specifically, the 2019 fall equinox will begin at 3:50 a.m Eastern Standard Time on that morning. We tend to think the season starts September 20th or 21st, but the date varies. It ranges from Sept. 21 to Sept. 24.

Aside from this, I’m still trying to figure out where summer went. While I sulk over its all-too-brief appearance on my patch of the planet this year, I’m wistfully sharing this snap taken from my back deck on one of our loveliest summer days, August 4th.

While everyone else seems to have embraced fall and are busy with their updated plans and schedules, I’m here wishing I could turn back the calendar. 🌞 🌞 🌞

A Rocky Isle

jenniferkellandperry.com


“She’s a rocky isle in the ocean

and she’s pounded by wind from the sea.
You might think that she’s rugged and cold
but she’s home sweet home to me.” *

jenniferkellandperry.com

*from “Song For Newfoundland”
   by Wayne Chaulk

Where is your “home sweet home”?
Please share!

Evergreen Post: Snapshots from a Summer Day*

Now that summer has officially arrived–at least according to the calendar–I’m sharing an evergreen summer post from July 2015. Happy Sunday, everyone, and have a wonderful week!

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*Selected verses from Summer, a poem by Jennifer Kelland Perry, 2012
Photos ©2015 jenniferkellandperry.com 

Are You More Creative in the Morning?

newtown Sunrise
Sunrise in Newtown, Bonavista Bay
Newtown sunrise 2
Ten minutes later

 Research has proven the brain is most actively creative immediately following sleep.

Your subconscious mind wanders and makes connections while you sleep. That is what creativity is – making connections between different parts of the brain.

This makes sense to me. I think my writing is better and more productive in the morning.

Yet I hear some writers and creatives say they are more attuned to creating in the afternoon, evening or night. Is it simply a matter of being a morning person or a night owl?

Still others say they have no choice but to write whenever they can find the time.

When do you do your best creative work?

Seagull Spring

Seagulls squeal a spring duet
Swim in pairs around ice and rock
Glide as swans in graceful tandem
Hush broken by caw and squawk.

Two by two with white forms glinting
All-consumed to multiply
Nests to feather whatever the weather
Tasks that cover sea and sky.

Sun sets, wind drops, fog rolls in
From the east without a sound
Just the squeal and cry of seagulls
Nature’s twilight songs abound.


I took these photos in April 2015. This year the sea ice left early, but we still have our mating seagulls on the rocks. I love to see them pair off with each other every spring.