The past months have been unlike any I can remember, culminating in Ontario’s stay-at-home order, which permitted leaving home only for work or essentials such as groceries.  I could share with you all the things I’ve missed most – I’m sure you’ve longed for some of the same things I have during the past eleven months – but instead, I want to focus on the positive and celebrate the unexpected joys of staying home.

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Walks replaced swims this winter, and I’ve discovered walkways, wooded areas and natural beauty close to home.


With more time than ever before and no place to go, hobbies (new and rediscovered) have become central to keeping boredom at bay and anticipating each day with excitement. My daughter is very diligent in practising guitar… but I can’t bring myself to play piano unless the house is empty… and there is always someone at home these days!

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Can you tell that the picture on the right is a rooster? My first attempt. Some like it – others say it must be abstract because they don’t see anything that resembles poultry in that mess of colours!

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My husband spent hours transforming our dingy furnace room into a brightly lit, highly organized workshop. We have buckets of old tools, left behind by an uncle, and Alexis is slowly refurbishing them. Beautiful!

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As a child and teen, I spent hours drawing and painting, a hobby I abandoned decades ago. A few weeks ago, I stumbled across my old tin of watercolour paints and rediscovered the joy of staining textured paper with deep blues, intense yellow and all of the colours that form when you set pigment free to mingle on the page. So fun! Below is my latest masterpiece. I cannot decide if it is the most gorgeous impression of wisteria I’ve ever set eyes on (if I do say so myself) or if it is an enthusiastic, overworked mess. Happily, I paint for my own pleasure, so even if the verdict is abstract disaster which vaguely resembles elephants, I enjoyed the process and like the end result. 🙂