On a beautiful day recently, A and I walked for 4 hours. At Sunnyside Beach, where in another time people danced to the music of big bands in the Palais Royale, I saw a swan. I learned that this is an aggressive and invasive species, unlike the native swans with
Continue readingTag: Beautiful
A Novelist's Eye: Lilian Nattel Online: Sunrise on New Moon
(click to enlarge) Part of my project for 2014 is to pay attention to the day. Every morning I jot down in a notebook the time of sunrise and sunset, moonrise and moonset, the phase of the moon, and the weather, not the forecast, but the feel of the day:
Continue readingA Novelist's Eye: Lilian Nattel Online: Real Winter
kitchen window (click to enlarge) I thought that climate change would end winter. Instead it ricochets from one season to another. Everything at hyper-speed, plants, animals, viruses on the move. We’re riding the rapids. Hang on! Filed under: Beautiful, Concerning Tagged: winter photography
Continue readingA Novelist's Eye: Lilian Nattel Online: Cat’s Eyes or Owl’s
Winter night It was pitch black to my human eyes, but this is the way an owl sees or a cat, I thought. The camera was on a tripod, the lens wide open for six seconds. The world was light. Filed under: Beautiful, Interesting Tagged: night photography
Continue readingA Writer's Playground: Lilian Nattel Online: Creatures in Lake Ontario
Today I rambled along the boardwalk of Toronto Island and this is what I saw: Cormorant The cormorant stood drying her wings for as long as I was taking photos. Mink I never knew that mink had such cute faces. He scrambled up and down the outcrop of rock, swam
Continue readingA Writer's Playground: Lilian Nattel Online: Elephant
Toronto Zoo Click to enlarge and see her beautiful eyes as she looked at me on my birthday. The elephants are being prepared for transfer to an elephant sanctuary. It was a joy to see her before she goes. Filed under: Beautiful Tagged: urban photography
Continue readingA Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: Art in Progress
Artist at work: an Ancient Egyptian style decorative collar by M (click to enlarge). And it’s finished! Filed under: Beautiful Tagged: young artists
Continue readingA Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: Railroad Ramble
It’s been a while since I’ve had one of these. It was beautiful up there in the sun with new leaves all around. I saw so much in that peaceful one hour walk. Here’s a bit of it. (Click any photo to enlarge.) Filed under: Beautiful Tagged: urban nature
Continue readingA Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: Wordless Wednesday
Spring (click to enlarge) Filed under: Beautiful Tagged: spring buds
Continue readingA Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: Wordless Wednesday
Filed under: Beautiful Tagged: urban nature
Continue readingA Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: Starling
(click to enlarge) This is a starling, not one of the nobility like eagle and hawk, but a common bird. I see them around here all the time. They’re extroverts, gregarious, noted for nothing more particular than their strong feet. But look at the sheen on the feathers, the
Continue readingA Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera
Portrait of Diego Rivera and Malu Block and Frida Kahlo de Rivera by Carl Van Vechten (Click photo to enlarge) I am drawn to survivors whose spirit pushes through trauma to emerge in a life affirming way despite it all. In Frida Kahlo’s case, that emergence is a fireworks of
Continue readingA Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: Hanukah Last Night
click to enlarge Do you see the blue lights? And the evanescent ball hanging out with the plant? Who can say whether they are optical effects or angels? Filed under: Beautiful, Personal Tagged: Hanukah lights
Continue readingA Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: Sea Turtles Swim to Freedom
Sea Turtles Swim to Freedom – YouTube. Filed under: Beautiful, Fun Tagged: good news
Continue readingA Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese
This is a beautiful, heart-breaking, and ultimately redemptive novel about an Ojibway (Anishnabeg) man’s journey from childhood in the bush to his undoing in residential school, experiences in the Native hockey league and in an NHL farm team, his subsequent alcoholism and recovery. It is a narrative as familiar as
Continue readingA Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: ‘Small Damages,’ by Beth Kephart
“Dreamlike” is one word for Beth Kephart’s latest novel, “Small Damages,” in which an American teenager is exiled to Spain after she gets pregnant. Her percolating story emerges through Kephart’s lilting prose in that same hazy way you’d meander through the narrow white streets of Seville in the noontime sun
Continue readingA Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: Panda Playground
If you need a smile today, here it is: Cute pandas playing on the slide – YouTube. Filed under: Beautiful, Fun Tagged: nature videos
Continue readingA Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: My Hawk and Grad
A week ago today, M graduated from middle school (grade 8). I tried hard not to bawl as the class procession walked through the gym and that was quite a task, I can tell you. My eyes tear up thinking of it. The boys were funny, some of them attempting
Continue readingA Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: Heat and Skyline
Spring came early to Toronto. Summer arrived early too and I don’t like heat. Thank goodness it’s supposed to break next week. But we’re on the way to the island again. (Correction…I just stepped outside, and it’s too muggy for roller blading–it’s the mall for us. Kids just shouted hurray!)
Continue readingA Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: Saving The Children | Tales from the Reading Room
Inside our minds great forces rage and collide and strange convoluted processes are developed in order to avoid internal obstacles and keep the status quo. Former versions of ourselves wander through the inner labyrinth, exerting terrific pressure on our decision making and often dictating reactions in illogical ways. We have
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