Fleur d’horloge
The magic in the everyday is something that personally fuels the spirit. I find, though, that ya gotta be open to it, and I admit that many times with my head being elsewhere I miss out. I like to believe that I work at it though; eyes wide open to the smallest of things that […]
Of cappuccinos and cinnamon buns
I am now making good on my threat to return to the subject of obituaries. Given the death rate as compared to available editorial space, few of us can expect to be the beneficiary of an obituary written by the paper’s editorial staff: we’ll have to settle for the self-funded, family-written death notice. So let’s […]
Ah, London
It’s our last Sunday here. It’s going to be interesting heading back to Picton, leaving a big city in the UK for a small community in Ontario. But I do miss the peace and quiet of the County. I miss my pillow. I miss going to the gym. I miss my friends and the Canadian […]
The macaw and the African elephant
In a recent announcement that excited only other scientists, researchers say they have discovered Bald Cypress trees in a North Carolina swamp that are over 2,500 years old—which is about a thousand years older than any previously known trees in the region. With core samples taken from the trees, climate historians can examine annual growth […]
Sunday best behaviour
I’m still away! And if you know me, and some of you really do, you know how much I love museums. My love affair with museums began with my first visit to the ROM in Toronto in the 1950s, and the fire was stoked with a visit to the Dalziel Barn when I was in […]
Toast of London
Still in London. Oh, yes I am. Until this morning, Saturday, London proper hadn’t experienced a drop of rain since our arrival. I’m sure Londoners are grateful for our visits when we bring Ontario’s sunshine. I’ve been following the goings- on in the County and I must say I am a bit surprised by the […]
On a Tiny Dancer’s shoulders
Is it reasonable to expect an 11-year-old child to carry more than 40 other actors on his shoulders? That’s the question I asked myself as I settled in to watch Billy Elliot, The Musical, at the Stratford Festival last week. The book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who also wrote the movie screenplay; while […]
Zugehörigkeitsgefühl
My wanderings this morning have taken me to the shallow landing at the eastern foot of the Kente Portage at Carrying Place. Lemon-bright finches gather in the shrill of the red-winged blackbird; a breeze separates low clouds opening for a lazy sun. Its quiet here; a Manitoba maple leans into the stillness of the Bay […]
Moms
Ah, Mother’s Day. I’m on a plane winging my way to see family in the UK, on Mother’s Day. LOML takes great pleasure in telling everyone, who’ll listen, the trip is his Mother’s Day gift to me. The truth of the matter is, he also takes pleasure in telling people he doesn’t buy me Mother’s […]
The midnight ride
The air gathering off of the lake has a soothing yet soaked ambiance to it. The window is lowered in my truck as I sit in a short line of quieted car engines waiting on the Adolphustown shore. I’m on the return from a Kingston jaunt and its a little past midnight. I spot the […]