Wood and wine
For the next few weeks let’s explore how the development of the wooden barrel has affected wine and trade. From 300 B.C to 200 A.D. wine and other liquids were carried in the earthenware “amphorae.” Because they were easy to make—and easily disposable—they were ideally suited to a burgeoning trade. The French city of Toulouse […]
From Toad Hall to City Hall
It’s funny, the way life goes about imitating art. In today’s example, the art is my favourite children’s work, The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. One of the principals, Mr. Toad (of Toad Hall) is an irresponsible purchaser of expensive automobiles, who ends up crashing them into ditches and scaring innocent travellers. The […]
Summer’s end
Labour Day weekend heralds the end of summer for many of us. Our lives, in the County at least, orbit around the tourist seasons. No longer is it just about that brief time from the two-four weekend until this weekend past. Our summer beaches are filled with people getting their share of sunshine vitamins, who […]
Doodlebug
Beavers have holed up the stream banking slack water; lily pads clothe the drowned forest in lurid green. Sitting on the guard rail of the old train bridge on an August day, I watch as a daddy long-legs spider wades through the shadows of timbers that hang above the playground of tadpoles and whirligig beetles. […]
Armstrong stripped of titles
What is it with all of this weeping and gnashing of teeth for Lance Armstrong? He cheated, he got caught. After years of denial, he has finally agreed to go along with the decision of the United States Anti-Doping Agency. “Today I will turn the page. I will no longer address this issue regardless of […]
A light without flame
Long ago, in the mists of time, nomadic hunter-gatherers settled in communities to grow sustainable crops and develop animal husbandry. This change enabled the domestication of the grapevine and the subsequent discovery of wine. The olive tree was one of the crops that enabled man to literally “set down roots.” Even though Neolithic wanderers in […]
Of honour and sinking ships
I’m a big fan of the old Upstairs/ Downstairs and the new Downton Abbey dramas of honour, manners and social station. The first series ends, and the second begins, with the 1912 Titanic disaster. So it was with some interest that I read about a study that looks at the role of male chivalry in […]
Spinnin’ and winnin’
Have you ever had an “ah ha” moment? In my lifetime I’ve had many moments where the little cartoon lightbulb in my imagination clicks on and I “get it.” Yup, sometimes I really do “get it.” This past Sunday morning, while drinking my coffee and reading the newspapers, I had one of those moments. It […]
Steroids and sports
With the recent suspension of baseball’s Melky Cabrera, the ugliness of the steroid era has been exposed yet again. Cabrera has been suspended for 50 games, ending his season. Cabrera has been playing for the San Francisco Giants, and was having a fine year, up to this point. In fact, he recently won the award […]
Distrust and intrigue
We raise a glass to give a sense of occasion. We toast our friends. We toast the bride and groom. We toast in the New Year… But the history of the “toast” is much more sinister, one that betrays distrust and intrigue. In the 6th century B.C. a Greek host would pour wine from a […]