Halifax colour

One thing I miss about living in Halifax is the colourful houses. Just look at the pea green house sandwiched between blue and yellow-- it's like an artist's palette or a section of rainbow. It wasn't until I moved from Ontario to Singapore to Nova Scotia within a span of 13 months that I understood or even noticed light quality. Light in Ontario changes with the seasons; it is crispest on a cold winter day. The light in Singapore is consistently brash and the shop-houses are painted bold yellows, pinks, and blues-- and it works brilliantly. Halifax light is occasionally crisp, but usually ranges from light grey to very grey. This is where colourful houses brighten the landscape and the spirit. The house colours that work the best with the light quality are cheerful but not bold like the Black-eyed Susans in the boulevard garden. Now I'm living in Ontario where people rarely paint their homes such happy colours. Sigh.