We got our first taste of the Camino in Italy. Olga and I were making another pilgrimage, to the medieval town of Assisi as part of our travels this past May. The three city trip was a return to Italy, the first ten days on our own, Assisi then Florence; the last third in VeniceContinue reading “Walk the Way”
Tag Archives: #memoir
Camino Primitivo
There is no turning back now, the tickets have been purchased. AC824, seats 26A and 26C, September 2, Toronto to Madrid. A short subway jaunt the next morning to Madrid Chamartin in time to catch the 11;23 train for a 3.5 hour ride to Oviedo where our pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela begins. In truth,Continue reading “Camino Primitivo”
Imprints
The Ones Beatles show began with three questions for the Roy Thomson audience: Where were you when John F. Kennedy was shot?Where were you when man first landed on the moon?Where were you when the Beatles played the Ed Sullivan show for the first time? November 22, 1963. I have no clue, the tragedy notContinue reading “Imprints”
Keep your files thin
Alight at Freshfield and turn right onto Victoria Road.DO NOT cross the railway line.It is a 200m walk to Herbert House on the left. These are the last words of instruction on this now four and a half hour convoluted 354 km train ride from Heathrow airport involving six transfers and three different rail lines,Continue reading “Keep your files thin”
Pics or it didn’t happen
The ubiquity of digital and cell phone photography has translated into the accumulation of thousands of photographs by individual people, many shared through some form of social media, the bulk stored on the devices themselves or on terabyte size hard drives. There is no risk in continually pressing the button. Mistakes, blurriness and bad anglesContinue reading “Pics or it didn’t happen”
Looking Back, Looking Forward
December 2021 has come to an end, finishing with my monthly review of books read. The year began in a flurry, ending with a mere trickle in the remaining three months. The last book for the year was a memoir, recommended by the instructor for the writing course. For the same reasons my reading peteredContinue reading “Looking Back, Looking Forward”
Novememoir
If one is intending to write a memoir, reading other people’s version would be a logical way to improve and learn. My goal for enrolling in the memoir writing course was to enhance my writing skills. The work published in my blog seemed to me to lend themselves more to history; yet, after a fewContinue reading “Novememoir”
By definition
A section in the memoir writing course discusses structure; more specifically, whether or not adhering to a predetermined one assists or inhibits creativity and achieving the goals. Sticking to a plan can be beneficial for some while restrictive and static to others. At the same time abiding by a particular practice, like the writing ofContinue reading “By definition”
Good things come in threes
One of the exercises in my memoir writing course challenges participants to write a story using only three word sentences. There is no expectation to be grammatically correct; rather it is in an exercise in parsimony, being able to communicate your message without elaborate sentences. The exercise is part of a chapter on what toContinue reading “Good things come in threes”
The Last Breath
I remember Mom’s last breath. It was more of a heave, a bursting of air, a quick exhalation preceded by days of shallow, open mouthed panting. We had sent Dad to our house, imploring him to get some decent rest. He had held vigil for the last five days, never leaving the hospital since heContinue reading “The Last Breath”
Wonderings 