Traci Rae Letellier

The Lakes of Canada

About a year ago, CDL and I bought the recording, Befriended by The Innocence Mission. It's a record we come back to often, especially for suppers by candlelight and rainy Saturday afternoons.

My friend, Katy was appalled (rightly) to discover that I knew about The Innocence Mission but did not know about their lovely song, 'The Lakes of Canada' from their 1999 EP by the same name. So I checked it out, fell in love – and have been singing it ever since.

The skill and insight of songwriter, Karen Peris is an inspiration:

"Oh laughing man, what have you won?
Don't tell me what cannot be done.
My little mouth. My winter lungs.
Don't tell me what cannot be done."

Recapturing wonder

A couple of Saturdays ago, CDL, some friends and I visited the London Design Museum. One of the current exhibitions is a collection by London-based fashion photographer, Tim Walker.

Whimsical. Humorous. Imaginative. Haunting. Magical. Romantic. Quintessentially English. These are some of the ways I'd describe the photographs of Tim Walker. As a child, Walker was inspired by the stories of Lewis Carroll and C.S. Lewis, and you can see these early influences in photographs like, Coco Rocha and Giant Glove (2006 British Vogue).

Walker succeeded in recapturing a sense of wonder and delight in me. His playful approach to photography has got me thinking about how I approach songwriting.