From time to time I get emails from folks who’ve read Finding Me in France offering their reviews. They are incredibly kind and gracious and say things like, “Oh I laughed and laughed,” or, “You’ve inspired me to travel more,” or, “Overuse of the word arse gets tiresome.” That last one has been my favourite [...]

Overall this aging business is what I would describe as an up/down affair. I do enjoy being past the years of giving a rat’s arse about what other people think; the times of doing what was expected of me, of being the person I was ‘supposed’ to be. On the other hand, yesterday I woke up [...]

I’ve been a West Coaster for just under a year now and already I feel entitled to the chorus of songbirds outside my window in late March. Even the assaultive grind of a lawn mower from yesterday morning was welcome. I feel like all my winters spent in the North Atlantic have granted me the [...]

I have nothing remotely exciting to relate on this fine day. Instead I offer you a load of rant and righteous indignation. And let me say that I feel fully entitled to it, perhaps because another birthday has come and gone for me. No big deal really as I have collected 46 of them. Now, [...]

At first glance it appears my book may have actually bored some poor soul to death. I’ll admit that’s entirely possible, but in this case I’m blameless albeit shameless. How much mileage can someone get from one goofy book you might ask. Well, it all depends on how clever that someone is when it comes [...]

Well, another hour of daylight means winter is on its last leg. Here in beautiful Victoria the signs of spring come on early and come on strong. The towering B.C. cedars are growing greener by the minute and the cherry blossoms (one of my favourite things on the planet) are bursting open with the white [...]

And so the Olympics have finally come to a close. Those were the longest two months of my life, although I have to admit being completely impressed by Team Canada, especially our women representatives. The marriage remains relatively intact, a feat deserving of a gold medal (me, not him). If I’d had the budget I [...]

Yesterday I saw buds on a few trees. No big deal, right? Except yesterday was February 15th. Today, while Rusty was off golfing, I spoke to my mother who is toughing it out on the Rock in the North Atlantic: Newfoundland, ground zero of the Polar Vortex. Gale winds, ice pellets, freezing rain, snow drifts, [...]

True, I once abandoned my home country for France and Switzerland, but that doesn’t mean I can’t muster up a bit of national pride as the Olympics get under way. I like to back a winner and Canada “owned the podium” at the Vancouver Games, so I expect good things again. This year, there’s a [...]

According to Chinese astrology, I was born in the year of the monkey. Makes sense, as those of us classified so are said to be fun loving, cheerful, energetic, charming, humorous, clever folks. In fact, one zodiac source I read said give a monkey a boring book to read and she’ll turn it into a [...]

Oh that guy I live with takes a fair bit of ribbing whenever I spend time at my keyboard. What can I say, he’s a treasure trove of blog material. But today is different. Today I shall pay un petit hommage to my better two-thirds and I’ll tell you why later. He started out like this…

Uprooting your life can be a daunting endeavour, especially if you do it repeatedly as I have. Kids, don’t try this at home, remember I am a professional idiot. But in the grand scheme of gambles I’ve made, I’d say the payoffs have outweighed the perils. Sure, I’ve seen many wonderful people come and go [...]

One of the best things about living on the West Coast of Canada, well, apart from the balmy winter weather (I’ve been keeping mum on that out of respect for my Newfie peeps battling an apocalyptic winter) is the mix of many fascinating cultures, what with Canada being so wonderfully diverse and all. Last week [...]

Well, I don’t know about you, but I had me some swingin’ holidays. I took a little leave from work and so began my first holiday as a working person that didn’t involve being on call. At one point a fit of nostalgia took hold and I thought about heading to the nearest Emergency Room [...]

I’ve featured some of my favourite men here before, Rusty taking centre stage of course. He’s easy fodder for humour, plus he’s the only man I have. To be sure he’s European at heart despite his love of fleece and hatred of skinny pants and scraggy facial hair. Just in case you forgot this gem [...]