Saved once again...

... by flowers! 

I knew those tulips would come in handy...It was another miserable, rainy day, best spent indoors doing indoor things by the fire; so, although this is an emergency blip, it does actually represent my day - that pot of tulips on that coffee table is what I looked at all day! 

I hardly budged from the sofa. I got working on my 2002 Tuscany photo book project and before I knew it, it was mid afternoon and I had missed lunch! I was totally absorbed in the task...

Usually I take too many photographs on a trip..but now I wish I had taken more on that one! I am not sure why I didn't. I guess I just wasn't into it then as much as I am now?...And ...I wish I had labeled the ones I DID take!  Geez..what was I thinking? ...that I would actually remember all those details 20 years later? At least I kept a journal! 

So, here I sat, surrounded by my old photo album, my journal and some reference books to look up which church was which and in what village was that grape festival we went to? 

And I got to thinking...that it is amazing how we trust that our memories will always be there...we assume we will never forget that unforgettable vacation...And it isn't just the people we met and the places we visited that we often forget.. Sometimes, the memories themselves stay, but become distorted as time passes..sometimes they become rosier... 

What surprised me the most in reading through my journal was that I didn't have as marvellous a time as I remember having!  I had forgotten the frustrations and the days when nothing went right..the days when I just wanted to go home...I actually wanted to go home? I don't remember that!  Those days were clearly outlined in my journal, but not evident whatsoever in the photo album ..or in my memory...The frustrating things that have stood out clearly in my memory are the ones I was able to laugh about at the time - and there were plenty of those! The less funny ones? They faded...and reappeared today in my journal - but now I can laugh at those ones too....Time heals!

I knew this project would take time, but I got a lot done today, and it is looking less intimidating now. I took photos of the old photos and started creating the new book on the computer.. all the while enjoying the sight of those lovely tulips in front of me....