social distancing

what would Pooh say today

January 1, 2021Art, essay, humor, Uncategorizedcompassandcamera, corona virus, Covid-19, family, gratitude, Happy New Year, iPhone, love, New Years Day, separation, social distancing, watercolor, Winnie the Pooh, Words of PoohAndrew Seal View all 2 comments

On March 19th last year inspired by my dear blogging friend Kelly who started a Daily Dose of Beauty on her wonderful CompassAndCamera blog to help us “feel and understand our shared humanity” as the days of isolation were just beginning, I joined her in committing to posting every day during the pandemic never thinking that it would continue to the end of the year and beyond.

Both Kelly and I have indeed now posted every day since last March and through her wonderful CompassionAndCamera we have all had the pleasure of seeing the beauty of the world through her lens and learnt so much from her brilliantly descriptive travel writing all from the comfort of our self-isolated armchairs at home. So as we begin this New Year I would like to pay tribute to Kelly and thank her for inspiring us each and every day. Thank you Kelly from all of us in your loyal fan club.

Now as for today, on this first day of the New Year, this will be the last of my daily posts. Rest assured however I am not going anywhere and the posts will continue on The Changing Palette, but perhaps at a little less frequency. I thought about what today should be about and decided that as we seem to have come full circle with lock downs and self-isolation returning everywhere I would revisit the second of my daily posts from last March, which was really meant for the children as a way of talking to them about locking down and staying home and not visiting friends. If Pooh and Piglet can do it, so can we all.

For children everywhere.

And they did indeed FaceTime with Eeyore who couldn’t have been happier to see them.

Happy New Year everyone. Stay safe and well in 2021 and just like Pooh and Piglet take care of each other, check in on loved ones and friends, and thank the heroes around you, as I try to do as often as I can, who are working so hard every day for us all until we get to reach that light at the end of the tunnel. It’s getting closer.💕

together apART

May 17, 2020Art, Uncategorized#Nova Scotia Strong, Art, Art studio, Canada Strong, canadian snowbirds, Covid-19, family, love, social distancing, together apart, watercolorAndrew Seal View all 2 comments

What could be better than spending time in the studio virtually with my beautiful artist granddaughter today.

Together apart takes on a whole new meaning.

Sadly whilst we were in the studio word came of the crash of one of the Canadian Snowbird planes with the loss of life of one of its team members, Captain Jenn Casey. This heartbreaking news comes as they have been crossing Canada to pay tribute to those fighting Covid-19. I send my heartfelt condolences to her grieving family and to all of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds team. I would like to dedicate my Kite Under The Rainbow painted today to Captain Casey’s memory. 🇨🇦

Canada Strong. Nova Scotia Strong

social distancing – what’s that?

May 9, 2020photography, UncategorizedCovid-19, On the move, photography, postaday, social distancing, The Daily Post, travel, Waterloo StationAndrew Seal View all 4 comments

I thought I would repost this from six years ago today when if you had asked someone what “social distancing” meant they might have thought you were referring to how essential having First Class travel was on British Rail so that one didn’t have to sit with the riffraff in Second Class. Now, here we are six years later and the meaning couldn’t be clearer.

On The Move To Waterloo May 9, 2014

I hope you are all now moving to one of Abba’s greatest hits, Waterloo. I certainly am!

all the world’s a stage

March 28, 2020Art, humor, photography, UncategorizedCovid-19, humour, iPhone, photography, Shakespeare, social distancing, watercolor, Winnie the Pooh, WorldTheatreDayAndrew Seal View all 4 comments

Yesterday was World Theatre Day.

All the world has now indeed become a stage. I know we all look forward to the day when theatres, galleries, concert halls, sports stadiums will all come to life again. In the meantime we must thank our dedicated health professionals, first responders, hospital employees; essential service providers of every kind be they in food, pharmacy, truck drivers, flight attendants, and so many countless others.

The time is out of joint; how fortunate we are that they were born to set it right!

“reflections and thanks” revisited

March 27, 2020Art, Painting, photography, Uncategorized, Weekly Photo ChallengeArt, blogging, blogosphere, Covid-19, gratitude, Italy, journalling, photography, postaday, reflection, social distancing, watercolor, weekly photo challengeAndrew Seal View all 5 comments

I posted this photograph six years ago today in response to The Weekly Photo Challenge that so many of us used to be part of. Given how we are all supporting each other in the blogosphere, the world’s safest place to practice social distancing during these challenging times, my thanks today are for all the heroes and heroines working so hard to save us all.

The photo was taken early one summer’s evening from the Youth Hostel in Cortona, Italy and shows the bells of the Chiesa del Torreone reflected in our bedroom window with Lake Trasimeno seen shimmering in the distance; a moment of pure magic.

My little watercolour shows reflections in the window of another Italian youth hostel in Finale Ligure, the magnificent Castello Vuillerman, recorded in my Journal on July 2, 1999. We’ll never forget climbing the more than three hundred steps, with packs on our backs, to the Castello where the view of the city, seen in this window reflection, was well worth the climb.