A Symphony of Seasonal Sounds

There's something about living in a place that juts out into the most notoriously unevenly tempered ocean on our wonderful planet. Particularly when you're not too far north for bitter cold or too far south for gentle warmth.

We hover somewhere in between. Living on such a turbulent edge of seasons and natures fell moods makes for one of those sublime perks that is Nova Scotia - the seasonal symphony sounds ones ear can attune to.

In winter it is that quick crack of water and syrup freezing under the bark of the trees as the temperature plunges downward. The woods behind our house snap and pop in a cacophony of chill, a gentle breeze tossing an undercurrent swoosh. When the snow has laid it's canopy over the land and the air is brittle as you walk, that distinctive crunch underfoot wakes you up and carries you hurriedly forward. At times when the snow is heavy and falling hard, caught between freezing rain and ice pellets, the sound against the trees is a mesmerizing

When spring descends upon the land like a warm face-towel at the end of a long red-eye flight through the night it awakens you so suddenly. As if the harsh scrubbing of winter had left the land clear to breathe and start anew. Spring rains hypnotize one to sleep, the uncurling leaves bring a sweet undercurrent of happiness in their song. Falling maple seeds spin and if you listen close, they sound of laughter. Different birds take up their songs and familiar tunes are sung of new birth and delights of the rising early worms.

As spring fades and brightens into summer come, the lap of the waves on the seashores around the province seem to calm, as if the sea were laying down it's angry concerto of the winter and spring months. The tempests and squalls will be but interludes to the pervading calm.

Summer rests hot and humid as august rolls in. The blanketing of a fog just the soft timpani of a muted drum over the land. Drops of moisture like the soft bells across the land. Ones heart is restful then, yet chuckling inside.

As autumn rolls in, the colours of the land turn into brilliant cascades of light. Accompanying this Manet's canvass is the gentle rustle and fall of leaves. In the quiet of a sun-dappled glade as one sits, the falling leaves are gentle in their sound and a sigh escapes them, promising they will return with the turn of the seasons.

Where else in the world is one surrounded by such an ever changing symphony of sounds to inspire and ignite so many emotions? No wonder so many musicians, artists and authors have found such inspiration in this province...

(Photo Credit: Dave Saunders Photography on Flickr)

Halifax is Like Shuffle on your iPod

One of the reasons I like using shuffle on my iPod or iTunes is that you can set a bunch of music to the mood you're in, and let's face it, different weather invokes different moods. And different moods are a great break up in what would otherwise be a monotonous life.

Halifax is like having shuffle for weather. It changes often, and so you can shape your music to the mood that suits the weather. And isn't there some kind of pleasure in that? A rainy day might inspire some kind of cooler or chilled music, while a sunny day may inspire a good rock n roll tune. No matter your taste, I suspect we all associate different kinds of weather with different music.

Just one of those little things that makes Nova Scotia an interesting and inspiring place to live. A place where moods, weather and life can be as exciting and unsuspecting as hitting shuffle on your iPod.

Do you change your music with the weather?