All about stout
Stout is a dark beer made with the simple ingredients of malt, hops, water and yeast. Beer made with roasted malts was called “porter”, and when it began to be made in greater alcoholic strengths to cater to the whims of the public, it was called “stout”. A dark beer or porter with an alcohol […]
Yodel ay ee-oh oh
I was killing time in a reception room the other day. After having exhausted all the news of the big George Clooney wedding, I turned to the Wall Street Journal, hoping to pick up the latest lively bit of scandal about interest rate setting at the Federal Reserve Board. Instead, I read a front page […]
Where there’s a will
What’s that expression? Where there’s a will, there’s a relative. Having a will is something LOML and I got shamed into many, many years ago. The lawyer we had chosen to close our first home purchase suggested that if we were old enough to buy a house, we should be wise and protect our family. […]
Ryder Cup
There were some pretty nasty comments floating around, following last Sunday’s conclusion of the Ryder Cup. Every two years, an American contingent of golfers takes on a group from Europe for bragging rights. There is a wee cup that goes to the victors, 17 inches tall. That little cup is perhaps the most hotly contested […]
Wine at any price
In today’s world, you can purchase an excellent bottle of wine at a price level that suits you. A higher price doesn’t necessarily mean a better experience. It always amazes me when I can purchase a decent wine from Argentina or Chile at such a reasonable price. I am similarly impressed by wines from Languedoc […]
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 […]