Teaching Country Dance for Beginners to actual rural folk proved to be an eye-opener
Back in my not-so-halcyon days of youth and yore, when I practised the challenging social craft of ballroom dance instruction, I accepted a contract to teach 'Country Dance for Beginners' at a community centre in the small hamlet of Thorhild, Alberta. I had taught at various community centres in and around Edmonton to urban posers,…
Trade, trade, trade your way to the perfect family
A few years back my dog suffered from GDV, gastric dilatation volvulus, a sudden killer that can affect the healthiest dog. GDV is more commonly known as gastric torsion, where that cute, furry little quadruped stomach flips like a young Eastern bloc gymnast and is quite often fatal if not caught in time. Even if…
Canadians never really know which way to go when practising that murky art of American or British usage
It is hard not to be skeptical when spelling in Canada. Our spellings are coloured by our Commonwealth heritage and Canadians are in the unenviable position of never really knowing which way to go when practising that murky art: American or British usage? One has to admire the sheer efficiency of American spelling; they do…
Too often, the truth can set you free – from jobs, relationships, money and social opportunities
The first thing to remember in this day of mass media saturation is that there are no great lies – if something is repeated often enough it becomes the truth. That being said, the ultimate great lie is that it is always better to tell the truth. There are needful lies; lies of omission, white…
The Romantic Road is a 400-kilometre prescription to treat stress and anxiety
Germany’s ‘Die Romantische Strasse’, the Romantic Road, will not only rise up to meet you, it will seduce you, charm you, and make you fall in love – with fairy tale visions, historic architecture and pastoral beauty – not just a physical journey through nearly 400 kilometres of sublime German countryside, but a magical passage…
Is this what life is all about?
Domestic violence, no matter the gender of the victim, is wrong
How to use the colon and semi-colon