A worthy goal: Brendan Gallagher and family fundraising for brain cancer research A mini controversy has been brewing in Montreal concerning – what else? – hockey, more specifically the recent elimination of Les Canadiens. A fan favourite, the 14-year veteran Brendan Gallagher, was a “healthy scratch” (which sounds like an oxymoron from the..
Mother’s Day for Moonie A poem dedicated to our sons Daniel and David and to their mom whom they called Moonie Today the world sells roses and bright paper, but our hands are learning a different kind of holding. Anne is not in the kitchen, not in the park, yet she is everywhere you..
The Fox / Le Renard By / Par Anne-Marie Labreque Quebec artist and poet L’artiste et poète québécoise Poem translated by Robert McBryde Le poème original en français suit immédiatement la traduction. The original French poem immediately follows the English translation. Fox: Carnivorous mammal, similar to a wolf but smaller in size..
Ramblings on January 25 to celebrate Robbie Burns’ Birthday Every year, on January 25th, the Scottish people, including the Scottish diaspora, celebrate Burns’ Night. This is the night where Scots highlight the life and works of Robert Burns, a poet and lyricist, and arguably one of Scotland’s most notable figures. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/robert-burns In my..
Anne as an indomitable decorator: A feisty artist whom brain cancer can impede but never defeat Everybody who knows Anne knows that she’s a decorator; she calls herself the “Decorating Turkey.” Our sons have dubbed her “couth”; even the house in which we raised our rowdy boys in suburban Quebec City was “couth” and..
Becoming Jean Chrétien 1982-2025/ Devenir Jean Chrétien 1982-2025 La version française de ce récit suit immédiatement la version anglaise. One very early morning of November 1982 in Quebec City, I was awakened by the screams of our eight-month old baby, who called for his parents’ attention every couple of hours with the howls of a..
Anne et Passe-Partout… Avec Mr. Dress Up et The Friendly Giant/ Anne and Passe- Partout…With Mr. Dress Up and the Friendly Giant The English version of this little story immediately follows the French. Comme beaucoup d’autres enfants au Québec dans les années 1980 et 1990, nos deux fils ont grandi en écoutant Passe-Partout, une..
A life of elections starting with Dief & Mike in Georgetown, Ontario, 1958: reflections in the wake of the general election of April 28, 2025 Some of my earliest memories are of a family life infused with periodic political bile. My father loved to agitate the fecal matter and took no end of delight in..
Woodland magic in the iconic Des Compagnons Forest of Quebec City, Quebec We raised our two sons in Quebec City, more precisely in a neighbourhood known as La Pointe-de-Sainte-Foy, which was carved out of an old-growth forest, the remnant of which has remained intact behind the local high school, Le Collège des Compagnons. ..
A Georgetown Childhood Easter 1955-1964 My Georgetown Easter memories are succulent and sweet. On Easter morning, sausages and scrambled eggs, which my father called “rambled screggs,” were the order of the day. My sister and I were never hungry for this sort of sustenance, and my father’s scrambled eggs were always runny. We were itching..