I met Bonnie a little over a year ago up on the hill at the Summerland Ornamental Gardens on the grounds of the Summerland Research Station. Dressed in jeans and a green shirt her small frame belied her confident energy; she was buzzing around like a Queen Bee (an adult, mated female that lives in... Continue Reading →
On what may be in the final game in the 2025 World Series today, and at the end of a remarkable season for the Toronto Blue Jays I am glad to share the appreciation below from the Toronto Sun’s Mike Ganter. AIRWAVES: Blue Jays broadcaster Buck Martinez defies the odds and the adages calling Game... Continue Reading →
Readers of my blog may recall my appreciation for the ministry of the late Dean of Canterbury, the Very Rev. Robert Willis. Dean Willis was gay and in long term relationship with his life partner, Fletcher, with whom he lived in the deanery for decades. To those near him he was open about his relationship.... Continue Reading →
An old bridal tale goes: Something old,something new,something borrowed,something blue . . . In a different tone and context, the good book reminds us: No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. (Mark... Continue Reading →
I can't believe it either, but Marjorie Taylor Greene is starting to make sense, Rex Huppke in USA today Greene bucked the president and her own party in an interview and advocated for health care subsidies and the release of the Epstein files, while accurately stating that Trump has not lowered prices. President Donald Trump... Continue Reading →
No amount of alcohol is safe, at least for dementia risk, study finds. Even a drink or two a day isn’t risk-free, a new study suggests. By Richard Sima in the Washington Post For years, the common wisdom and science was that a little bit of alcohol wasn’t bad — and even beneficial — for... Continue Reading →
A sermon for the combined congregations of St. Stephen Anglican Church and Summerland United Church at the Stone Church in Summerland -- Thanksgiving Sunday, October 12, 2025 -- The Very Rev. Ken Gray It’s a familiar scenario to all of us. We walk into a grocery store, or a car dealership, or into one of... Continue Reading →
“He stood his ground, he knew what was right, he kept his word, and he kept things honest,” says Hamel's widow, Margo Hearne. I first met Peter Hamel at a conference in the Diocese of British Columbia (now “Islands and Inlets”) in 1993. Newly ordained it was an early experience for me of the tempestuous... Continue Reading →
It seems that most people meet online these days, not just in bars or through family connections or through friends. Norma Hill and I met online, not on a dating site as we are both happily married, though not to each other. One early email exchange is dated November 8, 2023 though our relationship feels... Continue Reading →
Like most cities, large and small, the City of Victoria in British Columbia still struggles how best to harmonize the lives of rich and poor, of those who live comfortable lives with those who live at great risk, on the streets or elsewhere in the community. Despite massive amounts of money spent on programs, no... Continue Reading →
