This time of year can be brutal. In fact my friend Marco accurately dubbed the time from Thanksgiving to Valentine’s Day as “The Mean Season”. A time when being single is never more obvious or inconvenient to all around you. And the horrific climax of the mean season should be no surprise… Valentine’s Day. I have never liked Valentine’s Day. I think for me it falls into the category of being told what to do…and when to do it. Also, if you are only reminding the people you love how you feel 1 day of 365 due to the social pressure of a greeting card company than I think you need to re-examine your relationships. In fact, I think I will start a petition to replace Valentine’s Day with a second Halloween, which I personally think is a genius idea.
Read MoreI hope and trust 2019 is off to a great start. I was planning on doing Dry January, you know give my liver and some other internal organs a well deserved break…but my only New Year’s Resolution was don’t make any promises you cannot keep. So sorry Ban-uary, I am coming to you with a glass of Chardonnay by my side, 4:45 BST.
As I was recapping 2018 it was a big year of change for me. I have moved house, I lost 20 pounds (although gain five back over the holidays) and I have officially changed my Facebook status to single by dropping another 170 pounds. I have a shiny new outlook on my life and I know this time is my time..and that makes me feel happy and empowered like the skinny legend I have become.
Read MoreLondon is known for its drinking culture. Raising a pint or two with your mates as you unwind from your day, a shaken not stirred martini or just cuz it’s Tuesday. Nothing in my opinion is more British than a friendly “tying one on”. So it is not surprising that London took 3 of the top 5 spots at The World’s 50 Best Bars competition this year. The judges comprised of more than 500 drink experts around the world. I convinced a girlfriend (I think all I had to say was “cocktail”) and we were off to explore this list and see for ourselves what makes them the World’s Best Bars.
Read MoreLike most little girls I had a very strong imagination growing up. I played with dolls, I dressed up like a princess and I imagined (pretty much solely thanks to Disney) that someday my prince would come, riding his white horse and whisk me away from my little split-level bungalow in North Toronto to his fabulous castle with a Michelin Star chef and a full time masseuse... and of course live happily ever after. But what every Disney Princess did not know was that behind the castle gates, after that sun had set there lurked the in-laws...ohhhh the Royal in-laws. With their pending pre-nup, royal wedding planner and most importantly the countless rules and regal protocol for marrying into their family.
Read MoreBRACE YOURSELF... MY "HAPPY AS SHIT" PLAYLIST WILL CHANGE YOUR DAY
I am going to share with you something that only one other person on the planet knows about me, and because of it he thinks I am a little crazy. Every morning I when I wake up I hear music in my head. No, not voices but actual songs. Actually they are never the whole song but rather a continuous repeat of the chorus generally. Sometimes the song in my head makes sense as I may have heard it somewhere the day before but other times, most times it a random song that comes out of nowhere and will haunt me all day until some other song replaces it. This morning's song was Hell's Bells by ACDC, no idea where that came from...... I think they call that an earworm or brainworm where some involuntary piece of music (usually the same 8 bars) continually repeats in my brain until I go insane....but for me it starts the moment I open my eyes.
Read MoreOf course like most things in life I do expect that a little rain must fall but no one warned me I would have benefited greatly from building an ark. I lost both my parents in 2017. My dad on the 2nd day in January and my mother in May on my birthday. They had been married 56 years, 4 months, 26 days. As with any loss the "firsts' of birthdays, holidays or special occasions are particular hard but when it comes to Christmas... well that was my mother's favourite time of the year and her absence is resoundingly deafening.
So how do you do it? How do you find the joy in the holiday season after losing someone you have loved so very much?
Read MoreLondon has always been an exciting, creative city. Its history, art, culture and subculture has shaped the world scene today and I am not just taking about The Beatles or that Grandad Boy-Band, The Rolling Stones. I was very interested in learning that some of my favourite things (insert Julie andrews singing here) were born out of London.
Read MoreFor those who know me even a little you would know my obsession with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint has gotten waaaay out of hand. In fact there are family members who have suggested that they are concerned for me and my mental well being when I run out of things to paint. Well luckily that day is not here yet. So I thought I would share my obsession and take you through step by step my latest Annie Sloan Chalk Paint project as I repurpose someone else's junk, two old side tables into my personal treasure...all while not spilling a drop of rosé.
Read MoreI might not be in Canada celebrating my homeland's 150th birthday but boy oh boy did London step up and throw a great party. Trafalgar Square was full of Canadians (and friends who love poutine and beer) as thousands joined in to celebrate Canada Day.
Read MoreHas it really been a whole year since last I was standing fully dressed "betwixt" all these naked cyclists? Where does the time go? The World's Naked Bike Ride took over the streets of London... as well as 70 other cites in 20 countries. And me.... I of course had to be smack dab in the middle of the action.
Read MoreSince I moved to London I have been very blessed and fortunate that I have been doing a lot of travelling. Not since my days of television production and pre-children have I accumulated so many frequent flyer points. As result I have learned a few very important things along the way that I thought I would share about travel. In particular what to carry-on. I have not solved the huge mystery of my severely over-weight checked luggage...but one travel challenge at a time.
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