I remember so clearly the moment it all changed for me. It was December 2022. I closed a book, realizing that I had just wasted several hours of my life that I would never get back again. The book in question took its title from one of my favourite poems by my very favourite poet; […]
Archives for 2026
Book Talk: Rereading
August 17, 2026 by 66 Comments
I was curled up on the couch when my younger son walked by and made a woof sound. You had some pretty rough reads, hey? he said. I looked at him, puzzled, and he nodded toward the copy of Commonwealth on the table beside me. You’re reading Ann Patchett, he said. You reread your favourites […]
I Just Called To Say I Love You
August 10, 2026 by 59 Comments
I had the most delightful, friend-filled week. It started with a visit from my friend Suzanne (HI SUZANNE). Suzanne is a very talented writer and a dear friend, and being able to see her in person, as opposed to on a screen, was wonderful. I can’t believe you’re HERE, I kept saying, and I couldn’t. […]
Midsummer Plant Murders
August 3, 2026 by 55 Comments
We have reached the point in the summer where, with the exception of a couple of rows of very hardy kale, all my greens have bolted in the heat, necessitating their removal from the garden. I am reduced to shopping at the farm market for all my leafy green needs; how they are keeping them […]
Nicole’s Favourite Things: The Summer Essentials Edition
July 30, 2026 by 51 Comments
I will confess that for many years, I thought the change of the seasons was highly overrated. In my defense, I was living in Calgary, where winter is endless, spring and fall are so short they could be considered almost nonexistent, and summer was marked by cold winds, thunderstorms, hail, and mosquitoes. I could really […]
It’s Bananas
July 27, 2026 by 56 Comments
Some people righteously boycott certain shopping experiences or coffee shops, but my line in the sand is the phenomenon known as the celebrity podcast. I quite smugly and obnoxiously refuse, on the grounds that celebrity podcasts have pushed out smaller, independent podcasts. I will not have it. I will not have it! You can keep […]
House Tour
July 20, 2026 by 64 Comments
Saturday marked exactly three years since I packed up Rex and the Subaru, said goodbye to my beloved, cosy bungalow and life in Calgary, and drove eight hours to our new home in Kelowna; the guys and the moving van followed a few days later. It feels like an actual lifetime ago. It WAS a […]
