Conversations with a fox
Milkweed pods sail over the bay as three mute swans descend onto the stillness. The shine on the lake captures a dozen more of the birds at rest; merganser ducks fly above; Indian Island drifts in the hush of Indian summer. I lean against the steel railing anchored into the concrete piers that extend out […]
Season’s greetings
Last Monday I attended the annual Christmas luncheon of the National Hockey League Players’ Association. There is a monthly luncheon, held at a dear old Shopsy’s north of the 401 in Toronto; however, the December meeting is always special for a variety of reasons. At the past few December meetings, a member of the group […]
The French connection
Last week we addressed the VQA designation that is applied to wine from fruit grown within the wine regions of Canada. This week I want to continue the series by examining French classifications. Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée first applied to food. The original AOC was granted to Roquefort cheese by parliamentary decree in the 15th century. […]
Doing 50, turning 70
The pop music milestones are piling up. Paul McCartney, who is knocking them dead on his current Canadian tour, has just turned 70. The surviving members of The Who, both in their late 60s, having weathered numerous ‘farewell’, ‘goodbye’ and ‘last chance to see us’ tours, are once more touring to play their album Quadrophenia, […]
Santa potential
December. It’s here. It should be cold outside. The local parades have paraded— truth is, as I write this column, the Picton Parade is happening in the rain. It’s more like April than December. In spite of the “weather outside” the wish lists have been written and rewritten. If you have to drive anywhere, parking […]
Grey Cup aftermath
What horse? All this talk and all these words written about a Calgary horse that runs along the sideline every time they score a touchdown! Even when they did score, the horse had been put out to pasture. At that stage of the game, the fat lady had sung, folded up her musical score, and […]
VQA FAQ
The festival of Wassail affords each and every one of us a wonderful opportunity to taste the difference between “V.Q.A. Prince Edward County” wines and those made with grapes from other jurisdictions. Introduced as recently as 2000, the designation V.Q.A. stands for “Vintners Quality Alliance.” Regulations require that wine displaying this designation be made only […]
The wristwatch jingle
Okay, Christmas time is coming, and we must brace for the predictable wave of ‘bling’ ads. The well-to-do will say that we should give them a break, because it’s better to spend their money than to save it; and better that they wear ridiculously pricey watches than load up on SUVs or embark on jungle […]
Citizen Durning
I’ve always thought I was a good citizen. You know, the kind of person who doesn’t put the garbage out too early, pays her taxes (as close to the deadline as possible), keeps the sidewalk clear in the winter, doesn’t burn without a permit, and votes. Last year the test of my goodness came in […]
Grey Cup 2012
The concierge at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto shuddered a little when he heard the Calgary Stampeders had won the West. Stampeder fans are now heading east in droves to prepare for the game. Traditionally, they bring everything. That includes the horses that like to canter down the foyer in the Royal York. An […]