vancouver island day seven: chemainus, ladysmith, nanaimo
Poor Allan, the only non-morning person in our little group, being faced with three high-octane coffee drinkers every morning! In Chemainus I let him sleep in a bit as we…
personal
vancouver island day six: mill bay, duncan, chemainus
After breakfast, we packed up and said a reluctant goodbye to this cozy spot — mostly the deck with the view — and headed north on the Trans-Canada Highway, towards…
happy birthday to me
We interrupt this retroactive travel diary to wish me a happy birthday. I have been alive on this planet for 57 years. I am now, as they say, “pushing 60”.…
vancouver island day four: downtown victoria and to sooke
After our last lovely hot breakfast at the Beacon Inn, we hit the road to downtown Victoria. It was much closer than we imagined! It’s amazing how quickly you are…
a note about vancouver island
Vancouver Island has several regions, but the first division is between the south island and east coast, as distinct from the north island and west coast. The south island is…
vancouver island day three: sidney and saanich peninsula
The B&B had self-serve coffee starting earlier than breakfast, but for guests whose internal clocks are on eastern time, it was a long and painful wait! I watched the clock…
vancouver island days one and two
Getting from Toronto to Vancouver Island is a long haul. Getting from pretty much anywhere to Vancouver Island — except a few places on the west coast — is a…
retroactive travel blog: vancouver island april 16-24
In April, we spent a week on Vancouver Island — an exploratory trip with an eye towards a possible (probable? definite?) move there. I had already been contacted by the…
on poppies, veterans, trolls, and doxing
First of all, I do not apologize. I have nothing to apologize for. No one should apologize for having an unpopular opinion, or an opinion that the majority finds offensive.…
where i’ve been and where i’m going
Where to begin? Not blogging for the last eight weeks has been difficult! I was reminded how much I need to write, and how much I enjoy writing for readers.…
rip barry crimmins: call me lucky to have known him
In late 2015, I blogged about a remarkable documentary: “Call Me Lucky,” about the life and times of Barry Crimmins. Barry died last week at the age of 64. Describing…
in which i finally give up my blackberry
Well, I finally did it. I gave up my BlackBerry, and got a Samsung Galaxy phone. Yeah, I know, welcome to the 21st Century. Goodbye, old frenemy I previously only…
new year’s un-resolutions
I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions, but I do enjoy using the revolution of our Earth around the Sun as an excuse to take stock in where I am and…
i hate christmas 2017: the return of a wmtc tradition and then some
Last year, I took a break from my annual “i hate christmas” post. I don’t remember the circumstances, but it was probably related to getting ready for our trip to…
our papyrus painting is finally on the wall
You can read the story of how we got these: here. This, below, is the smaller painting that the salesman added to the pot after the price would budge no…
in which i contemplate the personal pros and cons of social media
I’ve been taking a break from social media, and I am feeling the positive effects. But I do miss people. But I feel better…but I miss people…but I feel better.…
in which old photos make me think things
I’ve been scanning some old photos — some of Allan and me through the years, others with my siblings at various ages — and have been posting them on Facebook.…
happy strike-iversary!
The City of Mississauga has a community recognition program, through which community groups can have their banner fly at City Hall for a day. When the program was announced, I…
the great whole foods experiment of 2017
In our home, shopping at Whole Foods was once reserved for special dinners or used a stop-gap during an extremely busy week. Then slowly, over time, it became habit —…