Category: Books
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In the Footsteps of Madeline in Paris
In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines. Read more
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What My Grandmother Was Doing 79 Years Ago Today
My paternal grandmother, Antoinette, was the illegitimate child of a French-born Count living in Switzerland and his mistress-employee, Francoise Mallet. Neighbours described Francoise as having fallen victim to “droit de seigneur,” and soon after her birth in 1907, Antoinette was brought to Montreal to be raised by a governess, Aldea Hogue, under the loving eyes… Read more
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Dear Mr. Gopnik
16 September 2012 Mr. Adam Gopnik, Author, “The Table Comes First: Family, France and the Meaning of Food” c/o The New Yorker, New York, NY Dear Mr. Gopnik, I discovered Through the Children’s Gate on a trip to New York for Number Two Son’s 6th birthday. So it seemed fitting that I bring along The… Read more
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Encyclopedic Knowledge
And the train of thought goes like this: How did I marry someone who has the identical leather-bound, gilt-edged set of Encyclopedia Britannica that I have? Where do encyclopedias go to die? Where did all the door-to-door salesmen go? How come it’s mainly political candidates and religious folks that drop by? Now that I’ve framed in and… Read more
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A Carpenter’s Life: As Told By Houses
I was encouraged by my elders to “follow my heart.”…Would not our world be a better place if we all followed what our hearts tell us to do? People with heart won’t fight senseless wars, they won’t strip-mine a beautiful mountain, commit genocide, pollute our land with toxic waste and chemical fertilizers, foul the air… Read more
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Welcome to Beckinfield, Pop. Unlimited
Town where you live too boring? Want to trade in your neighbours for new ones? Dream of being an actor when you grow up? Perhaps you’ll find comfort in the haunted (and virtual) town of Beckinfield. Residents of the fictional town of Beckinfield have a lot going on, what with all the ghosts and other supernatural intercessions that… Read more
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“For the Remainder”
Absolutely gorgeous. An atmospheric, painterly animated short by Omer Ben David about an old house cat that bids farewell to his home in his final moments. Read more
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Living Inside the Belly of a Whale
A Thule Whalebone House, circa 1,000 a.d. “One thousand years ago, a group of people began a trek across the far north, up above the Arctic Circle. They were following the bowhead whales that they hunted for food. The whales gave them other things as well. The whale bones were the building materials for remarkable… Read more