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For this you should be grateful. I plan to outlive everybody who watched Cheers in the 1980s, only because I want to be able to walk into a room without every witty soul present calling out, “Hey, Norm!” as if I’ve never heard it before. If I had a nickel for every time that’s happened,…

The SS Royal William was built in Quebec City for John Molson and a syndicate of other shareholders, fitted with a steam engine in Montreal in 1831, and soon entered into packet service between Quebec and Halifax. Until 1839, the Royal William was the largest passenger ship in the world. In 1833 she crossed the…

It was August 1914 and the First World War had just begun. In those days, horses still played their part in the military, and veterinarians were nearly as important as doctors. So it was that in the first wave of Canadians to answer the call was a veterinarian called Harry Colebourn from Winnipeg. Harry was…

Back home, there are two kinds of people. The locals, and those who come from away. The CFA’s, as they are called, are nice enough folks, it’s just that, well, they’re from away. Don’t get me wrong. There’s no place more courteous, more welcoming, more accommodating, or just plain lovely than Down East. The Broadway…

This tribute is about fifty years overdue. Teaching was the first of my three formal professions, and in many ways my happiest and best. Among the highlights was watching the unfolding and blooming of a young girl called Tracy. Tracy was one of those kids who sat at the back of the class, her goal…

My two dogs are funny creatures. They teach me so many important life lessons. Take when I put treats in their respective dishes. I will drop an identical handful of goodies in each dish, simultaneously. You know exactly what’s going to happen, don’t you? Of course– Holly bolts for Meic’s dish, while Meic dashes over…