A dull day brightened

It was a blustery dull day, brightened by a late-afternoon video chat with Shelley. 

The news: She has given notice at her apartment, for the end of May. She's putting her earthly belongings in storage and "going nomad," as she puts it. She'll move up to the cottage, probably in late April and stay there except when other family members have it booked, when she'll move to a friend's pied-a-terre in Toronto, or possibly even brother Tyler's home in London for a spell. She's hoping to be gone to Europe in September, home briefly for Christmas, then back to Europe for the winter. 

She's a crazy lady.

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The weather was cool and windy today, overcast except for a few fleeting partly-sunny spells. But there was very little rain in the end. 

I got out for my exercise in the morning, accompanied, as always, by Fred Douglass. We're into the 1840s now, he's a full-time employee of the American Anti-Slavery Society, employed on almost endless speaking tours of the northeastern states. His poor wife, Anna, is at home with - by the early 1840s - three young children. Fred is rarely home for more than a week at a time. 

He is becoming a celebrity, a must-see attraction, who can move audiences to tears, laughter and outrage with his oratorical skills. It's an astonishing tale. He's still only in his early 20s and free of bondage for only a few years. 

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In the afternoon, I got out for a brief ramble, not going far from home. I took pictures, but can't imagine what anyone would make of them.

St. Peter's Catholic cathedral reflected in windows of One Richmond Row

St. Peter's Catholic cathedral reflected in windows of One Richmond Row

One London Place viewed from Victoria Park

Victoria Park: plane tree

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I finished Jennifer Ackerman's The Bird Way this morning - somewhat unexpectantly as there were still hundreds of pages left in the ebook edition I was reading. They were taken up with acknowledgements, bibliography and an index. I'll perhaps report on amazing bird facts from the final chapters in a future post.

In the meantime, I've had an email from a friend in town who is a birder. He says he recently saw a golden eagle - a rare sighting apparently.