It’s convenient having your birthday on January 1. You get to double up all the “new year, new me” aspirations with all the feelings of aging. Get it all over with in one big emotional burst. My 35th came and went with a quick breakdown, the smiles of friends, and the retail therapy of buying a new camera. It’s a wild luxury item to be buying in these times but after six months of researching and trying to convince myself I deserve it, I finally had enough reasons (extra freelancing cash, desire to capture precious puppy memories, birthday, lonely winter, not doing anything else, motivation to go walking, etc.). And now I’m continuing that justification with a photo journal (I currently have three journals on the go, wish me luck). Maybe it can get me away from Instagram?
January 9 we walked around Horth Hill for the first time. Hazel was very excited to be out for a proper hike after being ill throughout most of the holidays. I think we were all excited to be around each other. Still, I mostly hung back and took photos of trees. Afterward we enjoyed our Paradise Parfaits and a cedar tub dip.
The rain broke for a bit on the evening of January 11, so I got to try out some wet city street shooting. Made the city feel big.
It’s absurd to call January 15 spring, but you could definitely feel it on this walk around Fairfield. Andrew and I reflected on how little we’ve seen of our neighbourhood beyond the three blocks we walk the dog every day. Surrounded by the huge old houses, we discussed what our dream homes would look like. Neither of us want those repairs.
I started playing around with film stock simulations and the results are pretty fun. Will have to get out beyond my window to really see.
Finished up work pretty early on Friday 22, so I wandered around town following the long light. I’m not really comfortable snapping strangers at all yet. But buildings don’t care. And hey, I ran into Tina and Sean!
The forecast was looking miserable ahead, so we grabbed the last bit of sun with a breakwater walk on the 23rd. The water was really busy: full of schools of fish that were attracting gulls and seals and handsome divers. Hazel wasn’t a big fan of walking along the breakwater. Maybe it’s too high for her, or she was just unnerved by how many people were around. She’s been pretty isolated for the last month. Great walk though and really nice to spend some good time catching up.
We stopped by Kegan’s art show after at Deluge. I wished I hadn’t left my camera at home because it was a beautiful collection and would have been nice to snag a portrait of him there. But viewing art is pure therapy.
