First, second, third and fourth
For most of his career my late uncle devoted his life to people living in the Third World. In 1952 I vaguely remember attending his ordination into the priesthood at the Scarborough Foreign Mission House. At the time I was, of course, a bit too young to understand what “ordination” meant and how we would, […]
Turn your radio on
I’ll admit I’ve sounded this theme before. But heck, there are only so many fields you can hit the ball to. I’m drawn to the subject of ‘community’ once again after seeing the wonderful Community Theatre Group’s production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore at the Regent Theatre. I have seen the play several times, […]
At the extremes
Wine grapes, as we know, usually grow between the latitudes of 30 degrees north and 50 degrees south of the equator. But there are always exceptions to the rule. The South Island of New Zealand boasts the most southerly vineyards in its Central Otago region, at 45 degrees. In the northern hemisphere, Sweden has vineyards […]
Entering the Hall with class
For several years, Joe Nieuwendyk had doubts about becoming a hockey player. “At one point in time, I thought I wasn’t big enough to play in the Ontario Hockey League,” he told me after participating in the puck toss at the Hockey Hall of Fame. Each inductee is given a puck and a stick, and […]
Sunday, Sunday. Can’t trust that day
Sunday, November 20, 5:20 p.m. Sunday is the day I get serious about putting a column together for the Wednesday paper. Really serious. Nothing gets in the way of writing a column I’ve been mulling over for a week, sometimes longer. However, if you were to watch me on Sunday, you’d wonder when the H […]
Wassail!
Some topics are really worth revisiting and the wine industry of Prince Edward County is one such subject. It is less than 20 years since the first vineyards were planted here and as the saying goes “you’ve come a long way baby!” Yes, there have been growing pains as vine growers wrestle with soil types, […]
Hey, hey, ho, ho
Can it possibly be halfpast November? What the heck happened to September and October? What happened to those two months, seriously. I think it’s too early to get into the Christmas mood, heck, it’s barely even cold outside. Yet the parades are on the horizon and retailers have busted out the glitter, tinsel and faux […]
The wine standard
Some people in the County have had just about all they can take of the ongoing Italian/Greek/Irish/Portuguese/your-country’s- name-here debt crisis. And they have resolved to do something about it. A recent Town Hall forum has attracted a core of members to found a group named “PEC-IUI,” which is an acronym for “Prince Edward County—Island Unto […]
At the close
Well, it has been a year exploring the history of wine from its birth in Georgia, to the present day. I have written what could be charitably described as an outline of the majesty and wealth of information that is the story of wine; however, each vintage writes its own chapter. Not to mention the […]
Notes from the Hall
I arrived in plenty of time for the introductions and opening remarks at the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday morning. I settled into my seat in the second row, with a clear view of the stage. As the ceremonies were about to begin, a man sat down directly in front of me. In an […]