24/7 mostly in the house on March 31, 2020

Sitting in my Queen Ann chair completed with Cozy Desk, MacBook Air and iPhone has been the rule rather than the exception. I could draw upon activities inside and outside the house. Now, it's mostly inside. Virtually all of my time during these days, now that the world is trying to deal with COVID-19, is in the chair in front of the screen; in the evening I am in front of a much larger screen watching the News, Netflix, Prime Video movies and Youtube. Stop for a News Flash - Terryl just ran into my daytime space and said, “How come we don’t get channel 485? It has tons of movies all classified by decade and genre?” In another flash I’m on a Chatline with Rogers and Megan is looking into it while I hold. After ten minutes Megan's typed answer arrives and I say to myself, ‘it’s always in the fine print.’ We learned that the channel 485 with its movies has always been there for us and are either rentable or free to our existing subscription. 

As you know from previous posts my refinement has been nurtured by travel, sports, reading, photography, writing and art appreciation. I remember an exquisite 8 iron shot propelling itself toward the 13th hole at Brampton - it went in for an ace - only a few years ago. I remember travelling to Antarctica in our winter of 2019 and many other activities that I cherish and truly feel my life and demeanour are enhanced as a result. Here are three photographs that I cherish (humbly of course).

Do you see the curvature of the earth here in Antarctica?

It's less than a mile from ship to shore of Antarctica

These animals are truly Kings of the Falklands

Do you think that Travel expands awareness and makes you more attentive to the world outside yourself, which in turn makes you a more interesting person? Mark Twain said, "Travel opens your mind." However, the traveler must tune in, pay attention, practise humility and self-reflection to open one's mind. It seems to me that this practice applies to every day life, and if one is steadfast about this, one will be a better person for it.
When I learned the subtleties of the camera within the iPhone my interest in Photography peaked. I found the stark beauty of black and white, and that cropping could make wonders out of what started out as an ordinary photo. I learned how effective shadows improved composition and drama; and that the decisive moment in the photograph can be paramount. Let me stop here because I'm itching to show you the award-winning single photograph out of 2100 entries in Azamara Quest's photography contest. Was it a King Penguin or ice scape using a 3' camera by Minolta? No it wasn't and I'm trying to practice humility here so I'll stop writing and simply show this shot to you:

This is a selfie. It won the first prize 

I know what I like about this photo, and many friends have commented favourably upon seeing it. I gushed and went out of my way to tell the story at that time and for months to follow, now I quietly go through the process of taking the shot and receiving the accolade and go on to another subject. The refinement has sunk in and humility in this endeavour is the order of the day.
I think we will end this post here. Additional entries will endeavour to find focus InRefinement.