The Observer
The acknowledgements didn’t make a lot of sense when I read them before starting The Observer by Marina Endicott. Neither did the author photograph on the back jacket flap. Both…
Flag Day
Sixty years ago, the maple leaf was raised for the first time as Canada’s official flag. On February 15, 1965 it replaced the Red Ensign and Union Jack. Not all…
28 Days
Close to 5 pm, for 28 days, the back doors of the barn, looking to the east. Every day I empty the wheelbarrow, then turn to close the barn doors.…
Photography
I’d like to introduce you to a new photography website - ta-da - jimstewart360.ca. Lots of photographs of places and objects. Also lots of information on farm equipment and astronomy.…
West Country Trilogy
I’d heard of the Battle of Jutland, but that’s it. No idea of who, when or where. Now I know, thanks to The Redeemed, third in Tim Pear’s West Country…
Officers and Gentlemen
Commander Ralph Neville was one of several English naval officers living in Bay St. George, Newfoundland in the early 1900s. They shared a love of salmon fishing (see Part 1).…
Dr. Gino Strada
Friday on the news, I heard about the death of Dr. Gino Strada, Italian surgeon and founder of the medical NGO Emergency. He was 73. He'd worked in war zones…
Pelé
In the late 1980s in Costa Rica, my Spanish language teacher was trying to convey 'juego', or game. She gave what she thought was a huge clue. She tapped…
John Prine
When I hear the name John Prine, I think of Rwanda in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide. Yesterday, John Prine died from Covid-19. Yesterday was also the 26th anniversary…
Plantar Fasciitis
Nearly a year ago, I bruised my heel. So I thought. When it didn't stop hurting, I went to my doctor. Plantar Fasciitis, he said. What's that, I said. The…