Robbie Burns Statue in Stanley Park, Photograph by Laurel Mae Hislop I decided not to do a New Year’s piece this month, not because it’s shopworn and predictable, but because of the flu which laid me low for weeks. So, instead of turkey or ham, I’m giving a thumbs-up to haggis. Not that most of …
The best of the season and a Happy New Year, everyone. My holiday wish for you, is that each minute of every day in 2020 is outstanding. Lately, I’ve been reflecting on how to make the most of my time. Must be my age. It seemed a perfect moment when I snapped this photo. It’s …
“In Flanders fields the poppies blow, between the crosses row on row…” John McCrae Photograph by Monica Galentino When I was a schoolgirl, November 11 was a monumental day in our household. My parents were both veterans of the Second World War, which shaped their lives and cut my father’s life short. I can still see …
“The key to success in life is using the good thoughts of wise people.” Leo Tolstoy Painting of Leo Tolstoy by Nikolai Ge My current bathroom book is “A Calendar of Wisdom” by Leo Tolstoy, translated from Russian by Peter Sekirin in Toronto. I’m fascinated by the lives and whimsies of enlightened artists. Quirks of …
“Fiction is art and art is the triumph over chaos… to celebrate a world that lies spread out around us like a bewildering and stupendous dream.” John Cheever Available for Pre-order Coming September 24, 2019 Available at Ingram Spark, Apple Books, and Amazon. I am super excited! My book, f-holes of MELANCHOLIA, comes out on …
Three weeks ago, a woman who lives in our building asked if I’d recently seen my next-door neighbour, Sue, aka, “The Crazy Lady.” I hadn’t and no one else had either. She whispered, “There’s a funny smell coming from her suite.” “Oh no,” I said. I had noticed a certain mustiness, but we live in …
“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” Plato Painting by Laurel Mae Hislop When I was four years old, my mother took me to our family doctor. I didn’t sleep much and used to …
Chopin’s romantic songs play from the speaker and the dishwasher is swooshing in the kitchen, an apt metaphor for my life, this combination of technology, work and art. Bloggers tend to fixate on the ills of social media. It’s the latest buzz. Twitter is deemed the new cocaine. I don’t understand. Opting out of Facebook …
“The world seems never to offer anything worthwhile without also providing a dreadful opposite.” No one has ever quoted this sentiment so well. It’s from Stephen Fry’s MYTHOS. This is my current bathroom book, best absorbed in small excerpts. I scrutinize each part twice to devour the wisdom and language, reviewing what I read the …