Cold morning.

Steady, soaking, cold rain. 
It takes its coldness from the ice.
That chill is unmistakeable. Inescapable. It burns.
It’s hard to breathe.
I suppose I was a fool to not expect that.
And so the rain continues: I wonder if it will ever stop.
What started as a surprise downpour has become an all-pervading bleakness that feels like it will never end. 
I long for the sunshine; I long for its kiss, the warmth of its touch on my skin, its heat radiating into my soul. 
But it has departed and all that remains is the misery of winter.

I am heading for warmer weather, but part of me will remain frozen in this moment.

I don’t believe that I can ever be the same again.

Roadtripping #2

Today is bathed in sunshine.
There are still drifts of snow by the road and in the fields, thickest under the pines and cedars where the sunlight has not yet penetrated. If this weather keeps up, that won’t last too much longer. Canada might actually get the spring weather she has eagerly awaited for so long.

We’re driving on Route 401, heading for Ottawa.

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Departure.

Leaving the home and company of a wonderful friend is a sad thing to do, but great memories have been made and our friendship cemented.
My buddy was always going to be a friend for life, but now the adoption is formalised. He’s my brother.

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Toronto Zoo.

It’s a misty three degrees Celsius.
It’s beautiful. Ethereal.
A still-frozen pond sets a tail-end-of-winter scene.

Lions laze together, her head over his back. He yawns. She goes to sleep.
Olive baboons huddle in a corner, but observe curiously. Although they don’t miss much, they are not their usually playful selves.
A tiger paces the boundary of her enclosure, her hugs paws padding heavily.
Raccoons doze lazily in their log while the cougar hides in the shelter of rocks.
The lynx is nowhere to be seen.

A pair of bald eagles are nesting: she lines the nest with leaf litter; he watches carefully, making sure no threat interrupts her work.

The she-moose is friendly and inquisitive, but wanders away to investigate the contents of the feed trough.

Grizzly bears, just out of hibernation, relax on large rocks.
An arctic wolf wanders from the pack, sniffing the air and eyeing the newcomers cautiously.

Mist turns to soft rain as the polar bear tries to get in the door that keeps her from her sleeping cub.

Dense mist falls like a late-afternoon blanket as the animal world drifts into its nightly slumber.

Arrival.

We’ve been looking forward to meeting for months. Tonight, that moment finally arrived. It was so cool that you waited out the front for us in the cold: you really didn’t have to do that, but I know you were excited to see us.
It felt so good to see your smile, to say hi and have a great big hug. Meeting you and spending time with you has been fantastic.
It has confirmed everything I already knew about our friendship.
Your kindness, thoughtfulness and care for my comfort and happiness are way beyond the call of duty. I want for nothing here, you have made absolutely sure of that.
The only conclusion is that you are an absolute gem; you have a heart of gold, and I am blessed to be your best friend. I am a million percent richer for having you in my life.

Niagara Falls.

Absolutely magnificent.

Last night we saw the American side of the falls under low lighting. 

That was breathtaking in itself.

Today I saw the falls from both the US and Canadian sides.

I saw the American side of the falls in weak, wintery sunshine. By the time I had crossed over into Canada via Rainbow Bridge, it was misty grey. It seemed like a different world altogether, where the falls had created their own ethereal atmosphere

There were still frozen sections of the falls because it’s still wintery even though it’s technically spring.  There are icebergs in the river that flows over the falls. The spray from the falls is icy cold on your skin, then chillingly damp as it melts into hair and clothing. It is wetter than rain, colder than ice, but incredibly delicious for the soul. 

I have dreamed of seeing the falls ever since the first time I saw them on TV.
Today, that dream became reality. 

Words cannot express how it felt for me to be there and witness the power and majesty of the falls. 

I left there feeling as though, in some way, a part of my soul had come home.