Goodness, where is the time going? Mid-November. No snow. No boots! I should be walking more – there’s no excuse. Okay, I’ll start tomorrow morning. But it’s dark and cold and the bed is so nicely warmed. What a procrastinator I am. Okay, I’ll deal with it tomorrow. I’ve been meeting writer-friends at coffee shops more to talk about writing. This week, Sheila T and I sat at a small table in a cafe in downtown Newmarket talking about how to write a believable sex scene. Only in a writer’s world! We spoke about Erica Jong and ‘zipless f****’. I asked what her characters looked like, which is something she found surprising. I explained that I have to be able to ‘see’ the characters…
… random observations from my journeys through a well-lived life
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Yeah! The clocks fell back and we retrieved a glorious extra hour. So much for technology – dozens of devices need to be reprogrammed and the alarm panel will be wrong until next spring. We even got a newsletter describing how to make the changes. But who cares? If it’s bright out, it’s daytime; if it’s dark, it’s night. A few weeks ago, I got a call out of the blue for a project doing what I love – organizational renewal. So I’ve spent a couple weeks hunched over my laptop putting together reports and PowerPoints so I can show the clients what could be, if only they’ll come to an agreement on the essentials. There’s lots of goodwill, so hopefully we can…
Categories: What I'm Doing
The history of Ireland is inspiring and mournful. We spent a day in Cobh/Cove (formerly Queenstown – renamed after Independence), the site from which many of the three million Irish departed between 1829 and 1970 and the last port of call for the Titanic and the Lusitania, both ill-fated voyages. The exhibit was interactive and our tickets included the name of one of the passengers on sailing ships that plied the Atlantic. Our task was to find their personal story among the artifacts. What a contrast between conditions in steerage (cramped, damp and dark) and the upper deck, complete with fine china, silverware and luxurious saloons. It was heartbreaking to view the Coffin Ships that transported (and buried at sea) thousands of desperately poor…
Categories: Travel
I can’t believe it’s been two weeks since we returned. Getting the garden ready for winter seems to take longer every year! Our first bus tour. My last bus tour. There were 19 Canadians signed up for the last Royal Irish Tour of the season. Five were from Newfoundland, two from B.C. and the rest of us from around Ontario. Luckily, there were no oddballs and only one smoker, so it was a harmonious group. The only wrinkle was on day three, when we changed seats and Hub and I ended up four rows back. Over the left side front wheels. It’s been so long since I rode anything but the train or an aircraft as a passenger, I’d forgotten that I’m susceptible to…
Categories: Modern life
We, who have so much, must do more to share the wealth – not just money, but our energy and our voices demanding change for the betterment of others. Girls living in poverty are uniquely capable of creating a better future. But when a girl reaches adolescence, she comes to a crossroads. Visit girleffect.org for more information.
Categories: Modern life
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