Oct
26
If you happened to be driving along Victoria’s Gorge Road last Saturday and saw six people hauling an outrigger canoe down the street – that was my team. Here’s the story: We belong to a recreational outrigger group called The Slackers that paddles out of the Go Rowing club headquartered at Garbally Road on Victoria’s …
Oct
19
I knew I liked Antonio Banderas for a reason – and it’s not just because he’s an exotically good-looking movie star (although that’s a pretty good reason)! I was reading an article about Banderas today and was struck by a section about his 1987 film Law of Desire in which he plays a gay character. …
Jul
21
I’m so proud of our youngest son Ryder. He was interviewed by A Channel News for a story about mental illness. He candidly and articulately described his experience when he was hospitalized earlier this year under the Mental Health Act. That took a lot of courage, I’m sure, so good for him because as a …
Jul
12
When my pal Jocelyn and I visited Duncan recently, I convinced her to buy a fabulous and funky pair of grey shoes. She’d been looking for a black pair and frankly, with her conservative sartorial inclinations, there was no way she would have bought these shoes without my encouragement. I posted a photo of her …
Jul
04
A few months ago, I took up the daily WonderWord puzzle to help keep sharp my brain sharp in the face of the dreaded “mental-pause” syndrome that strikes so many of us in middle age. In my daily ponderings of this word puzzle I have realized it has much to teach us about being creative …
May
18
Yesterday I cleaned my laundry room. I’m not expecting a drum roll here, or cheers or accolades (though that would be nice!) My point is about starting tasks – that often it only takes just starting to get something done. I’d let the laundry room get ridiculously cluttered for weeks. It’s a multi-purpose room that …
May
02
May 1 – 7 is Mental Health Week in Canada. It’s a good occasion to remember what each one of us can do to promote and maintain our own mental health. I’ve analysed my weekend to see what I’ve done to support my mental well-being recently. It turns out it was a pretty good weekend! …
Apr
05
There we were: seven artists and me gathered at the Denman Island Arts Centre for a two-day art workshop called Altered Images with Victoria-based photographer and artist Tony Bounsall. I tried to swallow my panic as I wondered, “What the heck am I doing here?” Everyone else was an experienced artist. Two of them were …
Apr
01
I have a handful of simple yet striking floral designs in my repertoire. They come courtesy of a demonstration for laypeople from Victoria florist Susan Ramsey of Ramsey and Ramsey Flower Merchants. This week I was reminded how little I know about this art when I attended a lecture by Belgian floral designer Tomas De …
Mar
31
I grew up in a North Vancouver home that had a back yard and garden that was magical for a child. There was a garden hill made of stone-walled tiers capped with a wishing well. A creek wound through the back, with an arched cement bridge that led to a narrow garden lining the back …
