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Summer's Last Gasp
It's the last weekend of summer. The autumn of summer, we might say. Soon we'll be saying, "Ah yes, remember last summer? Those white hot days at the beach, the languid afternoons, the warm, starry...
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On Being a Tourist
Hubby and I are off to Italy before too long. Our plans were mostly completed months ago. Right now we're refreshing our memories, reviewing all the arrangements we made way last spring. Reconfirming...
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Planning My Travel Wardrobe for Italy
Our three weeks in Italy are coming up very soon. So, obviously I've been musing about my travel wardrobe. That's nothing new. What should I wear? And, how should I decide what to wear? These are...
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Much Ado About Very Little
It's the calm before the storm around here at the moment. Hubby and I are treading water, not quite twiddling our thumbs, finishing up tasks on our list that need to be done before we leave for Italy,...
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21 Days in Italy: Packed and Ready to Go
I have a new mantra for travel packing, my friends: pack to please myself. Period. That sounds so obvious, doesn't it? But since last week when I decided on my wardrobe plan for this trip, I've been...
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Italy Prima Parte: Water, Water Everywhere
I'm sitting in our B&B room in Agerola, high above Amalfi, as I write this morning, looking out at the clouds that sit on the terrace, with the windows wide open desperately hoping that the...
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Italy: The View from My Couch
We've only been back in Ottawa for four days and already Italy seems long ago and far away. Rome was a faint memory when we arrived home a few nights ago, the wind blowing fallen leaves against my...
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Italian Chic: One Canadian's Perspective
Hubby and I love to travel. But when we're away for a few weeks, we start to long for home. And certain things at home. Popcorn, mashed potatoes, tea and toast, the view of the river from our sun room...
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Italy: Taking the Roads Less Travelled.
Snow is falling this morning, the leaves that haven't been raked yet are a sodden mess, and everything everywhere is melting and dripping. Hubby is up to his usual late fall tricks. It's too soppy and...
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Fall Rhapsody in My Closet
Fall is glorious in our neck of the woods. It's my favourite season. Not just because of Hubby's return to his rightful place in the kitchen, our very own version of "Return of the King," without the...
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When the Skies of November Turn Gloomy
What should one do when, in the words of the famous Canadian singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, "the skies of November turn gloomy?" How will you manage when the temperature drops, the rain lashes...
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Time Marches On and All That
You might know, if you read my last post, that I'm home in New Brunswick for the next while, visiting my Mum. As I sit in Mum's kitchen this morning pondering how to begin this post, I keep thinking of...
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Vintage Connections... Wearable and Otherwise
Hope you don't mind, my friends, but this is a "reprise" post. I'm still at Mum's and we've been busy with no time to blog. I missed the Ottawa Vintage Clothing Show this year because I was in...
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Teaching Empathy in the Age of Trolling and Scrolling
Still at Mum's this weekend. Just finished reading a book that partially dealt with a daughter helping an aging irascible father to cope with his altered state in life. Ha. Applicable, do you think?...
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The Long and Short of Personal Style
There's so much talk these days about the difference between fashion and style, personal style. How women needn't be slaves to the most recent trends, how we should dress to please ourselves, how style...
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A Little Bit of Canada This November Morning
So. Late the other night, replete with good food and good conversation, I drove home from my book club meeting. My headlights piercing the darkness, I watched for black ice created by snow blowing...
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The Accidental Shopper
This year, I accidentally shopped the Black Friday Sales. Really, I did. I'm usually anti-Black Friday; I've even written about it here on the blog. I abhor the whole frenzied shop until we (or the...
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New Tricks
Be honest. How do you feel about running a brush through your hair in the morning, maybe gathering it into a ponytail or stuffing in under a toque, then pulling on your clothes, and heading out into...
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Travel Without Breaking the Bank
When I was young, I always thought how wonderful it would be to travel to far away places. To hike mountains in another hemisphere, ride a camel, or sail around tropical islands. To walk the cobbled...
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Going Cold Turkey: Two Weeks Without Eye Make-up
It's highly ironic, I'd say, that just when I get my make-up professionally done, learn new tricks to help my aging skin look brighter, purchase a few new products and learn new ways to use the old...
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