I'm a fan of #FontSunday on Twitter sponsored by the Design Museum in London. This week the topic was space-themed typography to coincide with a new Cosmonauts Exhibition  at the Science Museum, also in London. Made me remember a very special Russian vessel, Kosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, that occasionally visited Halifax in the 1970s and 80s. We lived…Read More

Did you notice that LeMarchant Saint Thomas elementary school in central Halifax is going to be demolished and a new school built in its place? If you squint, the old school has an imposing facade facing Watt Street but I'm sure the inside is very tired. The Rhododendron Society I belong to has held plant…Read More

Halifax Transit wants to eliminate our bus.  No bus, not less bus.  NO BUS.  If you're interested, I can tell you what this feels like. The route in question is part of the #15 from Williams Lake Rd, through Boulderwood, Purcell's Cove, Ferguson's Cove, ending at York Redoubt National Historic Site.  My stop is just a weathered sign…Read More

In Europe there has been a sudden interest in fences as waves of refugees spread across the EU. I've had an interest in fences too, but mine was back in the 1970s  when you could still find fence survivors from earlier times. I grew up on one of the nut streets (Walnut) in Halifax. The view…Read More

Have you done any preserving this year?  We've put up three kinds of pickles and next, Sheila tells me, are tomato-based products because TOMATOES! There was a time when we used lots of commercially canned tomatoes and some of you might enjoy my little collection of can labels. My labels are from the late 70s and early 80s (at…Read More

I tried to remember what it was like to go back to school but I couldn't get beyond "Glad that's long past." As for excitement about new school supplies, I was more apt to feel anxiety that I had the wrong stuff. However, there were some moments in the 70s, when my school days were over, that I…Read More

I've watched for some years as members of my generation become grandparents. Friends actively embrace the role and their grandkids seem to value the relationship. Most of my grandparents were dead before I was aware, so  I missed out on what treasures they had to offer. Take for example my maternal grandfather, Melbourne Armstrong. As a child I looked…Read More

Have you been invited to a cottage this summer? I hope so. We spent a couple of pleasant days in the heart of cottage country on Caribou Island in Pictou County. The occasion was a meet up of some classmates of Sheila's from her days at Mount A in the mid '60s. Everyone enjoyed the…Read More