Gentle Jolt

Well. Just now, I got the proverbial slap from Cher that made me snap out of it.

I've been making excuses for not doing much (any) photography lately... it's cold out, I'm tired, I have to feed the cat, it's my day to do nothing... but the biggest excuse? There's nothing nice to look at out there.

This time last year, my neighbourhood was blooming. Spring came early to my neck of the woods in 2010, and it was warm and sunny, and I was enthralled with the beauty of nature around me. This spring has not been like that. It has been cold and dreary, and while my allergies are telling me that something somewhere is pollenating, everything still looks brown and lifeless, and not particularly inspiring.

Then this morning, I check the weather network to see what kind of a day is predicted - it's part of my morning ritual... I look outside, try to guess the temperature and how the day will play out, then I check the weather predictions.

Anyway, I came across these images, both posted by Stefan Gatti-Cavanagh:




Both were taken not so far from my neck of the woods. Apparently, I have been ignoring what is right in front of me... I've been waiting for some brilliant and flamboyant show of spring to stop me in my tracks and take my breath away.

I am suddenly appreciating the meek and gentle nature of this Spring's character.

And though I do have work to do today, when the afternoon reaches its peak warmth, I am going to go out and find something sweet to photograph in my neighbourhood. I know it's there, because it has now been reignited in here.

You can view these images and others here... but they change frequently, so I don't know how long they will be up.