In a few days we’ll be at the halfway point of 2025. How is that even possible? The older I get, the more time seems to pass at warp speed! June has been full. Church activities and commitments keep us busy and focused. We’ve been enjoying end-of-semester activities like BBQs, potlucks, and volunteer thank-yous along… Continue reading Halfway through 2025!
I’m sure you’ve heard of Emily Carr, one of Canada’s (and B.C.’s) most famous artists. Carr was born and lived for most of her life in Victoria, B.C. (December 13, 1871 – March 2, 1945). She painted in a loose Post-Impressionistic style, not unlike her contemporaries in the Group of Seven. Favourite subjects were B.C.… Continue reading Emily Carr As I Knew Her – review
The Way of Letting Go: One Woman's Walk toward Forgiveness by Wilma Derksen My rating: 5 of 5 stars The abduction of their 13-year-old daughter in November off 1984 shunted Winnipeg residents Cliff and Wilma Derksen onto an unfamiliar and horror-strewn track. The discovery of her body seven months later, bound and frozen, provided closure… Continue reading The Way of Letting Go (review)
I’m delighted to be joining the celebration of former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins and his 76th birthday on March 22nd. (Thanks to Heidi Mordhorst and others for the suggestion and heads-up on this!) Though I don’t have any complete books of Billy Collins’ poetry, I’ve come across many of his poems online and have… Continue reading Collins and Canada
January Almanac Frosted black pavement Slush hillocks turned ice, packed snow Slippery when wet Streetlights spot diamonds Every street a booby-trap of black ice East outflow winds Harsh, strong, glittering, long freeze-drying Winter Puffy Capsize coat Icebreaker socks, Northside boots my new best friends © 2017 by Violet Nesdoly (All rights reserved) **************** Winter has… Continue reading January Almanac
YesterCanada: Historical Tales of Mystery and Adventure by Elma Schemenauer My rating: 4 of 5 stars In YesterCanada Elma Schemenauer tells thirty historical tales of Canada. Using her considerable story telling skill she puts us right into the various Canadian settings these stories inhabit, from the grassy fragrance of the Saskatchewan prairie, to the bone… Continue reading YesterCanada (review)
Today (July 1st) is Canada Day! A Happy 149th Birthday to Canada, the country I love. As you can imagine, the birthday celebrations this year will be eclipsed by celebrations next year when Canada turns 150. (Our poetry society is planning to publish a book of poetry to commemorate the event. Our members are busy… Continue reading Vancouver Island
A Traveler's Advisory by Marcia Lee Laycock My rating: 5 of 5 stars In A Traveler's Advisory, author Marcia Laycock takes readers from the Arctic Circle to the jungles of Papua New Guinea and home again. Each of the 52 meditations draws spiritual lessons from a travel experience (sections are titled "In the Air," "On… Continue reading A Traveler’s Advisory (review)
Our weather has turned gorgeous again after a couple of weeks of welcome rain. The last few days remind me of a September holiday we took some years ago. We spent part of it in the area of B.C. called the Sunshine Coast. On that trip we drove the whole highway from Langdale (near Gibsons)… Continue reading Savary Island in September
Our poetry group is part of the Abbotsford Arts Council meet and mingle event at Mill Lake Park on Saturday afternoon. We'll even be giving a short poetry reading. Because Canada Day is just around the corner I was reminded of and have decided to read a couple of Canadian poems that I wrote a… Continue reading Canadian Rivers
Violet Nesdoly 