With thanks to Tzeporah Berman who writes: Yes I do grieve for the carefree summers of the past.This piece by Rebecca Solnit is exactly how I have been feeling this summer as I watched in horror as the numbers of the dead due to heatwaves in Europe have climbed and feared for my son who... Continue Reading →
An image of our condominium behind an approaching helicopter captured Saturday, August 9. We live in the left unit in the building on the right, top two floors. So far, our home is safe, but I suspect very smelly and smoky. From CBC News. So much for the lazy, now hazy days of summer in... Continue Reading →
Charlie Angus / The Resistance - Jul 03, 2026 Do you remember the summers we grew up with? Those long, lazy, hazy, crazy days that seemed to last forever? When dealing with forest fires was handled by college students as a summer job? Before the mass evacuations and the heat domes? Before the Super El... Continue Reading →
Rachel Ward's journey from Hollywood to regenerative farming - Reposted from Forgotten Facts on Facebook In the spring of 1983, a British actress named Rachel Ward appeared on American television for four nights, playing a character named Meggie Cleary in a miniseries called The Thorn Birds. Around 140 million people watched. For four episodes she... Continue Reading →
Reposted from Castanet Snowpack levels in the Okanagan and surrounding regions are catastrophically low this year, which has led to wide-ranging concerns over drought and the health of local watersheds. On Wednesday, the Syilx Okanagan Nation formally declared a watershed emergency across the Okanagan, Nicola, Similkameen, Kettle, Salmon and Bessette watersheds. The Nation says it’s... Continue Reading →
Michelle Cyca, The Narwhal — Via BC Assembly of First Nations [Michelle Cyca] "The latest power struggle over the future of the Canadian economy — a hypothetical new pipeline from Alberta to the B.C. coast — has devolved into a rote debate: are First Nations blocking economic progress? Coastal First Nations — an alliance of... Continue Reading →
[Ken Gray] I spent my first nineteen years in Victoria. I return to visit frequently. I have lived in neighbouring communities from Sooke to Sidney and places in between. I know it well. Obviously things change over time; I get that. But what Gene Miller proposes below is a transformative vision which could, if enacted,... Continue Reading →
In this, my last holiday blog, I reflect on the place of BC Ferries in my life. Enjoy. And see you next in Active Pass BC Ferryland With apologies to Ferryland, Newfoundland and Labrador. I grew up in ferry-land British Columbia. While Kathie and I visited the Newfoundland site a few years ago, we both... Continue Reading →
One word: Photography. My favourite activity when on holiday is taking pictures, no less so then during our extended staycation in Victoria, a five-week adventure that will end this coming weekend. Home feels good, but it’s been a blast in the meantime. I blogged a few photo shoots here. There are too many more to... Continue Reading →
I am so pleased to help my writer colleague, Norma Hill launch her new book A Summerland Stories Scrapbook at a special event on Sunday night, May the 4th at 6 p.m. in the “Stone” Church on Prairie Valley Rd in Summerland. Years in the making, Norma has assembled, transcribed, edited, and arranged literally hundreds... Continue Reading →
Take Note - Reflections on life, music, politics, retirement and more by Ken Gray 