Fleeting

It is comforting to know that even monumental things can fade away or vanish completely. Icebergs for instance. These white giants who have traveled from Greenland to the Northern tip of the Canadian island of Newfoundland, can look intimidating when one gets close. And thinking that only a small part of them is visible, most of the body is under the surface of the North Atlantic!

Iceberg near Hay Cove in Northern Newfoundland. Photo @Bernadette Calonego

Maybe the fascination with icebergs stems from the thought that they are ephemeral. They exist for a short time and eventually turn into water. I had the opportunity to see icebergs in Northern Newfoundland up close because a fisherman took me out in his boat. I took pictures but also mentally took notes because an iceberg will play an important role in my next murder mystery.

The fisherman who took me out in his boat did not like my hat which made me laugh. Photo @Bernadette Calonego.

Ich spent most of my adult life in Switzerland before emigrating to Canada. There are lots of lakes in Switzerland but no ocean. Today, I cannot live without the sea, I especially love the North Atlantic. The ocean dominates the fishermen`s lives in Newfoundland, it provides them with fish and other sea creatures but sometimes it also takes human lives. It is too cold for a swim, even with a wet suit. Right now, the fishermen harvest lumpfish for the caviar that is exported to Germany. I am staying in Northern Newfoundland where I have taken up again my walks with a dog named Coco.

Coco and I are spying on our neighbours, the ancient Vikings, in L`Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland.

Two days ago, visitors turned up in our backyard. They are polite and don`t come close. They don`t want to be called “covidiots”.

Moose cow and her calf in our backyard in Northern Newfoundland.