Lots of people love rants; just ask Rick Mercer, who built a comic career around them. They can be a great way to let off steam. They can help us discover who our friends really are. They can be effective social commentary or pure entertainment. They can appear in text, audio, or video formats. Some... Continue Reading →
Come fly with me
When visiting Victoria recently I finally had the opportunity to watch and photograph parasailers. At other times, driving by Clover Point on Dallas Road, I would often glimpse brightly coloured sails that looked like miniature parachutes, a semi-circular chair cum hammock for an airborne sailor. As we were always going somewhere else and there was... Continue Reading →
Coffee stains with Justice — Justice one step beyond fair trade
UPDATE: Tuesday, May 7, 9:30-11 a.m. Oasis United Church, 2964 Skaha Lake Rd (near Green), Penticton -- Come for coffee with Neydi Juracán, a Guatemalan land defender and promotor of fair trade coffee. She will share stories of how small farmers work to protect land rights, using fair trade coffee as a tool for social... Continue Reading →
Retirement well deserved
A tribute to the Most Rev. Linda Nicholls, soon to retire Primate (senior archbishop) of the Anglican Church of Canada Shared on Facebook by Scott Sharmon, ecumenical officer for the Anglican Church of Canada and the Diocese of Edmonton I thought Scott’s words were lovely and am pleased to share them in this blog. The... Continue Reading →
It’s in the bag now – Making a double zippered kit bag for toiletries
First I made one for my son, Cameron. Next I made another for the husband, Ken. These accomplished, I will never make another one again! They are a lot of work, worth the effort, but there are limits to everything, including making these bags. That said, you may wonder what’s involved in making these bags.... Continue Reading →
66 — More than just a number
It’s just a number, couched between 65 and 67, not one of the “big ones” where birthdays are concerned, not yet 70, but certainly no longer 50. Today is little different from yesterday, but today I turn 66. No song today like When I’m 64, but the music—and my life— goes on. Thankfully. The number... Continue Reading →
Three Long Weeks — A Stress Bucket Diary — by Juno
Juno is an increasingly famous dog blogger. She has followers now from three continents, and a few from the Twilight Zone. Enjoy. Welcome to my personal stress-bucket diary. I know, I know; you see me prancing around and cannot imagine that stress is part of my four-pawed life. But apparently it is. Change it seems,... Continue Reading →
Together again – Reflections on loss
My beautiful and favourite Irish woollen cap and I are together again. As cats are said to have nine lives, this lovely green and blue topside dome of comfort and warmth is back in my hands and on my head. During a recent trip to Toronto to launch my recent book I left it, somewhere.... Continue Reading →
How will I use an extra day this year?
A few days prior to February 29, 2024 I want to think out loud about how I might use this quadrennial leap year gift. Once every four years, a day is added to compensate for approximations within the calculation of time, as earth continues its spatial and temporal riot through the cosmos. So help me... Continue Reading →
Lines, bloody Lines
With apologies to John Cleese and his Meetings bloody Meetings Everyone agrees that air travel isn’t much fun these days. The lingering effects of COVID, complications arising from Boeing aircraft malfunctions, capped off by continuing security concerns all make travel--especially through large airports--complicated, tiring, and lengthy. Consider my recent trip through Toronto’s Pearson airport, arguably... Continue Reading →