Mythic family figures La version française suit la version anglaise. Happy New Year to one and all! Bonne année à tous et à toutes ! When I was a little kid, New Years Eve and New Years Day always had a particular resonance for my family because January 1 marked my parents’ wedding anniversary; they..
Sad Lisa As a person suffering from acute anxiety, I’m haunted by this beautiful, poignant song. En tant que personne souffrant d’anxiété aiguë, je suis hantée par cette chanson magnifique et poignante. (1) Yusuf Cat Stevens, Sad Lisa, Festival de Viña 2015 HD 1080p – YouTube Sad Lisa She hangs her head and cries on..
My old friend Andy McClelland is a brilliant singer/songwriter, an Indie musician with an amazing portfolio. He has given me a wonderful Christmas gift by turning two of my poems into songs. Here is the second tune called… Anne Is The True Artist In Our Home You can give the tune a listen by..
La version française suit la version anglaise. An excerpt from “Christmas tears”, a story featured in my book My Time with You Has Been Short but Very Funny. I have always wept at Christmas, yes, and sometimes tears of joy. When we were children in Georgetown Ontario, our parents dragged us to church, St…
My old friend Andy McClelland is a brilliant singer/songwriter, an Indie musician with an amazing portfolio. He has given me a wonderful Christmas gift by turning two of my poems into songs. Here is the first tune called… I’m a Grandpa for Rent (Lyrics by Robert McBryde) Give the tune a listen by clicking..
Bangkok Christmas 2023 There are spirit houses throughout Thailand, in secluded fields, along bustling streets and thrumming highways, and in all the malls, everywhere in the ubiquitous malls. These shrines are designed to honour ancestors and also to provide shelter for such spirits that could cause problems if not appeased. In Thailand, it’s a long-standing..
Bangkok Christmas 2023 Antlers in the mall I greet you from Thailand A land that so suits me. Where kitsch is as ubiquitous As an exotic Thai fruit tree. Here people wear antlers For Christmas, for fun. They wear elf hats and reindeer And crowns by the ton. I’m foolish; I’m hackneyed;..
Art for our sake A tribute to the inimitable Art Fidler on his birthday (December 15) I was only 15 years old when a teacher changed my life. His name is Art Fidler. I have always experienced life as a series of random events, a sort of punctuated equilibrium characterized by a chain of chance..
I have no grandchildren of my own, except “fur grandchildren,” so I’ve written this little scrap of doggerel to offer my services to all those parents (and grandparents) who would love a break from the relentless pressures of parenting or grandparenting. I’m a grandpa for rent I’m a grandpa for rent, Long in..
I’m an Indie approved sort of guy Until the other day, I thought ‘Indie’ referred to a famous car race. You know, like the Indie 500… though I just discovered that the race is spelled ‘Indy 500’. Until out of the blue, I received this email message. “We wanted to give you the heads up..