I glance in the mirror, and I look old. And haggard. My last birthday, friends were still joking that I was doing a Benjamin Button, getting younger every year. 2024 has not been easy. My ruptured appendix in January, compounded by a melanoma, put paid to my surfing season and led to cancelling of travel … Continue reading Sorrow
“You run in those?” Scott completing a half marathon in his “slippers.” “You hike in those?” Pilatus, Switzerland “You wear those in the snow?” At the Matterhorn Yes, yes and yes. When I met Scott he wore sandals for pretty much everything. The only time I saw him in boots was on the ski hill. … Continue reading You Run in Those?! The sandal life
Seven years ago today, I was on my “trip of a lifetime,” my first solo overseas trip and (I thought) one last big adventure before settling down on my well planned path to a comfortable retirement. Kowloon harbour on a water taxi. Despite having no words in each other’s language besides “thanks!” We communicated quite … Continue reading Riding the Wheel
It was overwhelming at first, but now the sort moves smoothly. List on Marketplace. Pack for BC. Give to charity. Leave for next tenant. Paddle boards back to Mary. Give spices to Neil, so he can practice after the cooking lesson I gave him last week. Drop off memory foam, coffee grinder and drying rack … Continue reading Leaving Barbados
“Ada’s having a YogaFest. Let’s go to Anguilla!” My suggestion was not as simple as it sounds. Anguilla was not an easy country to get to, especially from Barbados, even though it was less than 500 miles away. During Covid, Ada had to fly to Grenada, catch a ferry to Carriacou, then sail on a … Continue reading Living the Life on Anguilla
“I’ll go to Canada for that.” The doctor looked at me in— surprise? disbelief? “No. You can’t fly. You need to see a surgeon today.” And so began a new adventure. It had actually started a week earlier, on Old Year’s Night. I’d woken that morning thinking I shouldn’t have had that last margarita the … Continue reading Get Well Soon: Barbados Medical Adventures
“Your fourth year in Barbados! You are living the dream!” Well, yes. It is pretty amazing. But I often feel that people are picturing us on vacation all the time, just multiplying their tropical holiday by 20. When you live here you experience a lot that someone visiting might not even notice. Storm is past … Continue reading Living in a Tropical Paradise: the Flip Side
I didn’t have a dance party on my 60th birthday. That had been the plan. Crosbie, whose standing joke was that I was his older friend (by one month!) was all for a joint party. We knew where (Moose Hall) although we hadn’t decided between the local band that did covers of 70s and 80s … Continue reading Keep on Dancing
“Oh, it’s so touristy,” a friend told me. “And really busy.” True. After all, the Amalfi Coast has been a popular tourist destination since the 18th century, part of the Grand Tour and later a favourite of the jet set. I’m sure I’d seen it in a Fellini film, as well as many other movies … Continue reading La Dolce Vita: a Week on the Amalfi Coast
We sit on the terrace in the vineyard, looking over the rows of grapes that slope down towards the lake. Their pinot gris was a bit sweet for me, but this glass is excellent. No, I’m not in France, Italy or Germany. I’m not in the Napa Valley or, closer to home, the Okanagan. I’m … Continue reading Surprising Switzerland
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