fajrdrako | Long happy day...

Last night I was planning to clean my kitchen and sort out my cupboards before going to bed - a big burst of spring cleaning energy. My plan was to go to bed early, get up early, and go for a walk by the Rideau River, as I did yesterday with Lynne. It was about 7 km - four miles and a bit.

Then while cleaning, I knocked something over and it hit the full glass bottle of olive oil in my cupboard, which fell onto my floor and shattered. So much for getting to bed early. It took me ages to pick up all the little shards and scrub the oil off the floor. And then scrub it again.

Ugh.

But then I woke up feeling alert at 6:30, and thought: okay, I'll go for my walk anyway. And I did. It was beautiful, sunny, and utterly pleasant - until my back got tired and started to ache.

A few of today's photographs:

1. Bench

Walking alongside the river at 7 a.m. there were people walking their friendly dogs - one Golden Retriever dropped his neon orange ball at my feet, and I threw it for him. (I know my cues.) At one point a young man passed me, running, carrying a yoga mat. Later on I passed him: he was doing yoga on the riverbank. Yoga at dawn: classic.

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2. Turtle crossing

The turtle crossing sign. The turtles wander up from the river to lay their eggs, and this is a spot where the road gets close to the river before taking a turn. I'm told that a few years ago, a turtle went into the Windsor Park baseball diamond (which is near this spot) and laid eggs on third base.

I looked, but I didn't see any turtles. I don't blame them: it was a very cold morning.

3. My path

I've always been fascinated by paths - and not just paths, but depictions of paths in paintings and illustration.

It was interesting to see that, because it was so gold, there were animal pawprints - mostly dogs - frozen into the earth.

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4. Nadia

A few years ago a girl named Nadia, a student at Carleton University, killed herself at this spot. Interesting, sad, colourful memorial to her.

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5. Shiny ball

This was the decoration in someone's back yard in Ottawa South. It looked delightful in the sunlight.

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6. Vine at Starbucks

The Starbucks in my neighbourhood has a vine growing along its wall. I love the way it looks; the patterns it makes.

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7. Bicycle of the Day