No city breaks, no visits to the beach or hikes in the mountains.
Nope, it’s #lockdown2020.
We’re doing okay and managing to stay safe, but it’s not been an easy time for anyone.
Right now we’re pretty much living for the two mile walks in our South Jersey neighbourhood to keep us sane.
Yesterday I decided to actually take my camera out for walkies with me. Yup, the same camera that’s usually photographing 12th century cathedrals and city skylines — I decided to test it out on the streets surrounding our home.
And, despite the fact I’d had some G&Ts prior that may’ve applied a rose-tinted effect, I’m actually delighted with how these came out.
Here’s an -unedited- peek at what we see on a daily basis:
Streets
We live in a pretty residential area. I’ve tried my best to not include people and houses in these photos.
One of the first trees we came to after leaving our home. It’s so pretty and pink and not yet losing it’s blossom like a lot of the others 🌸
A close up 😊
I wanted to include this one with the flags behind it 🇺🇸
Having to duck real low to pass these blossoms 🌺
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I love all of this pink
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On the road down to the river there are some houses with lovely front gardens like this one
It’s not only pink around here — not sure what these trees with red leaves are but they’re very pretty
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This is b-e-a-u-tiful. I know I said I wouldn’t get any houses in- this one was just so pretty.
Tulips definitely aren’t as common around this area as they are in England, so it is even more exciting to find that bright pop of tulip 🌷
Love the contrast between the blossoming tree and that bright white fence
The layers of purple and white ♥
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I definitely spent a lot of time looking up on this walk. If you don’t look up, you miss out.
This cyclist zoomed past, and was out of shot within seconds. More people taking advantage of the lovely afternoon weather.
This is a great corner — I love this huge bushy green tree, and opposite is a beautiful white house with a really gentle blossoming tree, see below
This is the one 🌸
One of my favourite shots — we walked under this tree several times but there were people around each time so I kept my camera away. Until- ha! Finally, on our way back it was clear. This tree is so low-hanging that we both had to duck. Blossom was scattered all over the pavement — it definitely won’t be long until all the pink is gone 🌷
Love this pink overhanging the pavement 🌸
On our walk back a squirrel came *flying* out of a tree and hopped up onto this porch — it was adorable
Along the river
Part of our regular walking route takes us along the Cooper River. Unfortunately the trail that runs parallel to the river is tree-lined so you can barely see the river. There was one spot where there was a clearing — and we found some swans and turtles here 😊
Found this on the green that runs alongside the river — the skeleton of a wasp nest
Spy the geese taking a swim — one of these was chasing the other for a good 10 mins
At one point one flew over to our side of the river
It’s hard to tell but there’s not one, not two, but three turtles on that log in the middle of the river. They were big ones too — looked to be at least a foot long 🐢
I imagine during ‘normal times’ this river is full of canoeists
Reflection in the shallows of the river
This is the pavement that runs parallel to the river. Unfortunately it’s a pretty busy road, and this path is also often full of walkers, runners and cyclists. We had to duck off the path into the trees several times to let people pass.
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I hope everyone is finding a way to make the best of this time.
Stay safe, stay home (if you can), and thank you to all of the nurses, doctors and other frontline staff (including police, paramedics, fire fighters, soldiers, drivers, cashiers, servers and various administrative staff who support them, as well as charity workers, those who work in shelters and feeding the homeless) worldwide for their heroism and bravery right now — it is not unnoticed ♥
go west, my girl 