Freedom

In May of this year I got a wonderful gift from my son, Philip.  It is a gorgeous, sparkly dark blue scooter. After the first trip around my neighbourhood, I called her Freedom.  She has taken me to the waterfront, where I people watched, watched beautiful cruise ships come in and out.  I made a new friend, who is a small town girl who is an incredible photographer, who takes beautiful photos of this beautiful province.  I got to go to Halifax Public Gardens and spent some quiet time in the centre of the city.  The Gardens was badly damaged in Hurricane Juan in September, 2005, but thanks to Maritime generosity, the Gardens are as beautiful as they ever were.  There are ponds where ducks and geese gather, flowers, fountaind and statuary everywhere.  There are concerts in the park every Sunday afternoon   all summer.  I went up Citadel Hill, where there is an old fort that is a museum, a gathering place and a tourist attraction.  My favourite place in the city is Point Pleasant Park.  It is about a mile from us and I  had been there several times before I got Freedom but on her I have explored every nook and  cranny of the park. It was badly damaged by Hurricane Juan, but after lots of clean up, nature is renewing itself.  I discovered fields of purple heather, beautiful wildflowers that I cannot name.  I fed squirrels and birds, watched eagles, ate my lunch, while watching people and boats of all sizes.  I could read, write and sometimes just sit and meditate.  I am sad that it is getting too cold to sit outside, but until the snow flies, I will go out as often as I can on dry days and still enjoy my Freedom.