Fried egg sandwich and Champlain
Jimmy got a new haircut. I saw him today while I was conjuring an image of the explorer Samuel de Champlain accompanying a war party of Huron First Nations descending the Trent River. Interesting, both Jimmy and Champlain came to the exact same spot on the global map from similar paths; Sure, maybe 350-odd years […]
A silver lining, a pony and a needle
They say every cloud has a silver lining, somewhere. That inside every pit of manure is a pony. That every haystack, if searched thoroughly enough, contains a needle. So it is, perhaps, with the saga of Lane Creek, that precious, partly subterranean body of water that flows through the heart of Wellington and out into […]
Lifting and losing
September is coming to an end as I write this column. Early in the month, our family celebrated (via long distance calls, text and social media) the wedding anniversary of our youngest daughter and her wife. The very same day, LOML and I celebrated one of our long-standing favourite days, the not going to work […]
Corrida de Toros
Many of you have been fascinated with television coverage of the Running of the Bulls, which takes place during a fiesta week in Pamplona every year. There are courageous folk who run in the streets, trying to avoid the horns of angry bulls. It is a dangerous practice, to be sure. But that same activity […]
To chill or not to chill
Open a bottle of white wine and pour two glasses. Place one in the fridge and leave the other on the counter for five to ten minutes. Although they come from the same bottle, they will taste different because of the impact the temperature has on the wine. White wine, rosé, sparkling and dessert wine […]
The tummy trouble defence
We have all heard ingenious defence arguments in criminal proceedings. But here’s a new one to me: I’m calling it the ‘tummy trouble’ defence. “My Lord, my client Mr. Farnsworthy takes the position that he was away at a spa in Grafton when the alleged burglary took place; and in the alternative, if he was […]
Spare the rod
“I was spanked as a child and I think I turned out alright.” Maybe you’ve seen that message posted on social media. Maybe you’ve said something similar to a friend, over coffee and a biscotti. At the very least, you may have thought as much when you see a child having a meltdown in the […]
World basketball championship
This year’s edition of the World Basketball Championship wrapped up on Sunday night. Naturally, the games were serious stuff here in Spain, as they took place in Barcelona and Madrid. There was a serious setback for the local fans in the quarterfinals, as the Spanish team fell to the French, 65-52. That was not supposed […]
Personal nuances
Beyond the senses of smell and taste, touch and hearing can also contribute to the wine experience. The sensation of touch is apparent, since it registers when we allow wine flow over our taste buds. The sense of hearing is a stretch — you can hear wine being poured into a glass or you can […]
The art of lost and found
What drew me to the bridge this morning was the fact I had lost track of my sketchbook. I had a hunch it was more than lost under the pile of mail and collection of artifacts that seem to cluster daily on the kitchen table with the tenacity of burdocks clinging to a sheepdog. I’m […]