Reason to celebrate - a period of hope begins!

Wednesday
I had to change my original image as I inadvertently ran foul of copyright regulations, having taken a photograph of the inauguration on the TV. Fortunately in the evening we decided to celebrate with a glass of Prosecco, and I had taken a picture of that, so I am using that instead! Fortunately Blipfoto were able to return my words to me, so I didn’t have to write the whole entry again!
Much of the day we were glued to our TV screen, watching the Inauguration of Joseph Biden as President, and Kamala Harris as the first woman, first Black American and the first South Asian American in the office of Vice President.Since the events of January 6, I had been so nervous and anxious for this day, hoping and praying it would go off smoothly and safely. and I am now so thankful that it did. The ceremony was so moving for a number of reasons - the stark contrast to previous inaugurations, with severely limited numbers in attendance due both to the security aspect as well as Covid concerns, the greatest possible contrast between the outgoing president and the incoming, and for me, and I think many others, one of the most memorable moments was the reading of The hill we climb, by 22 year old Amanda Gorman, the first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate. The words were amazing and she read with such poise, eloquence and intensity - remarkable for one so young and in front of a global audience. I’m sure she has a great future ahead of her. If you haven’t heard it or read it you can do so here.
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-20/watch-and-read-amanda-gormans-inauguration-day-poem
I know it’s going to be a huge uphill struggle for Joe Biden with all that he is facing, including the huge divisions in this country, so greatly exacerbated by Trump, but after today I can feel a little hope return, and a little peace knowing that the tumultuous last four years are over, and we have an experienced, diplomatic, decent and caring man in the White House, who cares for the country and not just his personal self aggrandizement.
Although the day started with overcast skies, by the time we had seen all that we wanted of the inauguration coverage, the sun had come out and there were clear blue skies, so we got out for some exercise at Rowe Woods, where we were treated to the sight of a red-headed woodpecker, that I have put in as an extra - he wouldn’t pose in the best position, so I couldn’t capture all of his body, but he did look handsome against the blue sky!