Val’s Book Reviews The Driving Force The Famous Five: Canadaâs Crusaders for Womenâs Rights by Barbara Smith Victoria: Heritage House, 2019 $9.95 / 9781772032338 In this very important book, Barbara Smith tells the in-depth stories of five women â Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Louise McKinney, Irene Parlby and Henrietta Muir Edwards â who collectively changed […]
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In August of 1910 in a town called Skpje in the Republic of Macedonia, Nikola and Dranafile Bojaxhiu, both of Albanian descent, were blessed with a daughter. The following day the baby was baptized and given the name Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhui. We know her today as Mother Teresa. When Agnes was eight her father, a
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According to Donald Dossey, a folklore historian, the origin of the Number â13â being unlucky originated with a Norse myth about 12 gods having a dinner party in Valhalla. A trickster god named Loki, who was not invited, arrived as the 13th guest and arranged for the god Hoor to shoot another god, Balder, with
Motherhood! The dictionary defines it as âthe state of being a mother or having the spirit or qualities of a mother.â And so what is a mother? Again, according to the dictionary, a mother is a creature who âcreates, nurtures and protects.â Today we will once again celebrate Motherâs Day. We will honour mothers who
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Val’s Book Reviews Terminal City Spooks Vancouverâs Most Haunted: Supernatural Encounters in BCâs Terminal City by Ian Gibbs Victoria: TouchWood Editions, 2021 $20.00 / 9781771513180 Ian Gibbs, who has spent years collecting and sharing ghost stories as a Ghostly Walk tour guide in Victoria, British Columbia, has done another impressive job in his second book
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Although William Shakespeare apparently died in 1616 on this date (April 23rd), his words have remained timelessâpartly because he was able to capture human emotions that are still relevant today. We still use many of the expressions he coined in his plays such as âlove is blindâ from The Merchant of Venice, âbreak the iceâ
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Val’s Book Reviews A naval labour of love Dutchyâs Diaries: Life as a Canadian Naval Officer in His Own Words, 1916-1929 by John Crispo Inglis âDutchyâ Edwards, edited by Helen Edwards [Victoria]:Â Helen Edwards, 2020 $29.50Â /Â 9780969728252 Helen Edwards, a well-known heritage professional researcher in Victoria, has achieved a work of immense importance to naval
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âThe First of April, some do say,  Is set apart for All Foolsâ Day. But why the people call it so, Nor I, nor they themselves do know.  But on this day are people sent  On purpose for pure merriment.â I wonder how many people still consider April 1st as being âopen seasonâ to
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Saint Brigid of Kildare or Brigid of Ireland (Irish: Naomh BrĂd; Latin: Brigida; c.â451 â 525) is the patroness saint of Ireland, and one of its three national saints along with Patrick and Columba. According to medieval Irish histories of the saints, St. Brigid was born at Fochart (or Fothairt), near Dundalk in Co Louth. She became an abbess who founded several convents of nuns, most notably that of Kildare, which was one of the
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No one can deny that the Irish are full of charm and a whole lot of blarney, But St. Patrick himself, for whom March 17th is celebrated each year, was also something of an enigma. Contrary to popular belief, he was in fact neither Irish nor Catholic! Hard to believe, I know. Some say he
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