It is indeed ages since I have read or heard this poem. A marvellous presentation by Louis Armstrong (Sachmo). Not sure of the piano accompanist but might have been Marian McPartland. Brilliant and sensitive playing. Other great seasonal links in the Youtube comments and description. Happy Christmas to all. https://youtu.be/cmt2TZWGoO8
No cats under my Christmas Tree this year โ Seasonal gift suggestions, by Juno
Internationally known dog-blogger, Juno, a six year-old Labradoodle, lives with her humans in Summerland in the BC interior. Meet Sesame (pictured above), a cherished former member of the Gray family household who left them years before my arrival. I am told that in those days, one returned home to two dogs and two cats, a... Continue Reading →
Come and get it
Christmas Day lunch at Colwood's Anglican Church of the Advent Reprinted from Victoria News It all started in 2023 when Reverend Sr. Ingrid Andersen was โfeeling a bit sadโ because her son and daughter-in-law were unable to join her at Christmas. โI was thinking nobody should be alone at Christmas,โ she said. โAnd I went... Continue Reading →
The Way I see Street Photography
On my daily troll through online news, sports, and entertainment items I often check out Fstoppers.com, an excellent source for photographers of all abilities and interests. A recent blog talked about street photography and how photographers must practice care, discretion, and resilience to get good shots. For some persons appearing in public, the taking of... Continue Reading →
Meet my friend Ray
Ray Fletcher and I go back a long way, to the winter of 1983. We had both gone north to the Anglican Diocese of Yukon, Ray as a parish priest first in Atlin and later Dawson City. I arrived to join the Yukon Apostolate, an informal order of laity keen to serve the Church in... Continue Reading →
Decisions, decisions, decisions
A sermon for the congregation of St. Stephen, Summerland, Canada โ The sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, September 28, 2025 โ The Very Rev. Ken Gray We heard some months ago Jesusโ declaration of blessing and woe: โBlessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you... Continue Reading →
Out of the mouth, of primates โ How Climate Change is Rewriting Our Future
https://youtu.be/2creIhQvRLw Political Primate on YoutubeTranscription and highlights, KJG The clock is tickingโand our planet is sounding the alarm louder than ever. From raging wildfires to devastating floods, climate change is no longer a distant threat; itโs a global emergency happening right now. Ah, climate change. Behold the great paradox of our age. Ours is the... Continue Reading →
Truth spoken here
I started piano lessons when in third grade at school; I was around eight years old at the time. I remember my first lesson. (For Victoria friends, my first teacher was Robin Wood โ I lasted about three lessons): Right hand only โ C D E - E F G - switch fingers 5/4 -... Continue Reading →
Cerebral Palsy or A Lie about Famine?
Source, Facebook They say that a picture is worth 1,000 words. Others suggest that some photographs can influence a generation. Think of Falling Man (The 911 terrorist attack); Napalm Girl (Viet Nam); Hiroshima (The plane that carried the atomic bomb to Hiroshima). Each of these images document a contemporary, now historical event in order to... Continue Reading →
Testament
Anas al-Sharif with his daughter, Sham, and son, Salah. Photograph: Facebook โIf these words reach you โฆ Israel has succeeded in killing meโ: the last words of a journalist killed in Gaza Anas al-Sharif, an Al Jazeera reporter, was killed along with four other journalists by an Israeli airstrike last Sunday night. This is the... Continue Reading →