For the second time in the space of four days I am sat in candle-lit darkness. It is not uncommon for rural areas in Canada to experience frequent power cuts, especially if power lines are surrounded by trees like we are here. Last year, several times, my residential area was affected by trees pulling down power cables and blocking the route into town. Once in a while the power outages go beyond my residential area, affecting the entire region; today…
This week the mailbox has been extrordinarily full with letters from old friends and new penpals. A few years ago, when I participated in a European study abroad program (ERASMUS), some of my friends and I kept in touch by regularly writing letters to one another. We were all away doing our own thing and exploring various European countries so we usually had a lot to write home about and I still get excited about receiving personal letters and postcards….
Sitting out on the front porch, on a little wooden bench like in the movies, under the evening sunshine, listening to the birds chirping as I read and write is quite different from how I was spending my evenings this time last year. At best it would have been on some terrace in front of an overcrowded, over-priced café with the sound of traffic, and the rumble of the metro beneath my feet. If there’s one thing about the rural…
Summer afternoons in Paris can only really be spent in one manner – whiling away the time in one of the many parks scattered around the city. Whether you prefer large or small, green or gravel, with water or without, there really is a park to suit every taste or activity. I know that for dramatic effect I should build up to my favourite park but I’m going to start with it because if you only visit one park in Paris, make…