We’re moving!
A move to independence has been in the works for some time, but the day is finally here. Expatlogue is going self-hosted which means that instead of riding in the car, I have the keys!
A move to independence has been in the works for some time, but the day is finally here. Expatlogue is going self-hosted which means that instead of riding in the car, I have the keys!
Canada bowed its head in sadness on Wednesday with the news that a Canadian legend had passed away…
It’s true! My mother was once a nun. As a child, I gazed at the brittle black-and-white photo of her and a fellow novice in their stiff white habits – starched smiles and wimples – and wondered about her other life.
Sometimes, her other life came to visit…
As we walk back out of the wide double-doors T berates me for my poor timekeeping and my mind goes back to the days when my father was supposed to be collecting my sister and I from school. I smile to myself at how lucky he is; I know all about waiting…
I recently completed a piece of mindfulness homework that had an unexpected effect on me.
It seems the wonderful people who run the blog at Mind thought it was pretty special too. They asked me nicely to remove the swear-words, and then… they published it.
Yesterday, after a shooting downtown left four injured and the gunman still at large, schools in the area took the precaution of adopting a “Hold and Secure”
If any of you grew up with The A-Team, this’ll make you laugh…
This is just a short post to let you know about a piece I wrote recently for Black Dog Tribe, a website launched last year by comedian Ruby Wax with the aim of providing a sympathetic user-generated community for those affected by mental health issues. Websites like Black Dog Tribe have an important role to play in …
I write because it costs nothing. Ikea give you free pencils and there’s always something around to scribble on – a napkin, a receipt, a wall, a limb. What kind of writer waits until they’ve saved up enough for a Montblanc or a Visconti?
All it takes is for one of the kids to wrap their fingers around my neck in play and I’m transported back in time to the day a man strangled his daughter on the stairs of their home while her mother and siblings watched…
You know you’re in Canada when…
– Your snowblower has more miles on the clock than your car
I always tell him he saved my life but he shakes his head and looks away.
Continue reading
The other night I watched a documentary about UK women who’d converted to Islam. A convert myself, I was curious to hear their experiences and find out what people think when they hear of westerners converting… Continue reading
In a conversation about mental illness. I ticked off the people in my life who’ve led me to experience the rockier road of mental health but it wasn’t until later that evening I realized I’d forgotten to include myself… Continue reading
My youngest child holds a special fascination for me. K has always maintained she has my mannerisms and facial expressions – certainly my temperament! From the moment she was able to involve herself in the family communications, the evidence to support his case grew and grew… Continue reading
Expat life can be rewarding in so many ways, but it never crossed my husband’s mind that it would bring him the opportunity to grace the pages of a glossy magazine… Continue reading
The idea of my writing a book has been floating around our house for a while now, slowly shedding it’s aura of incredibility. That quip I made about my life reading like an Amazon bestseller took root and, with a Pinocchio-esque insistence, demands to become a real book… Continue reading
Not nearly enough is written about Borderline Personality Disorder, and often what little there is, however insightful, leaves you with a foreboding sense of the enormous obstacles preventing us from functioning on a similar level to those free of this frustrating and debilitating condition… Continue reading
Signs you’ve been here awhile… Continue reading
What a night! I couldn’t be classed as a sports fan by any stretch of the imagination, but as some of you know from yesterday’s post, Monday evening saw K and I brave the cold to take the GO train to Toronto for our first ever hockey game… Continue reading
The Toronto Maple Leafs will be playing on home ice for the first time this season tonight, and thanks to a lucky break, K and I won Platinum tickets… Continue reading
Today brought a return to more seasonal temperatures (with a windchill of seventeen below) and a long-awaited package… Continue reading
Canadians have a global reputation as peacekeepers and pacifists but, just like the rest of us mortals, their patience isn’t limitless; some things are guaranteed to get them fired up. Here are five situations where you’re unlikely to see them at their best… Continue reading
Making an intercultural marriage work takes dedication and strength, but on the plus side, we have a super-strong family bond, a vast capacity for empathy and understanding and the confidence that comes from knowing you’ve forged your own path in the big wide world and you have the cojones to deal with whatever comes your way. No regrets, right? Continue reading
Ten years ago today, I stood corseted in sumptuous silk, satin and brocade and consented to be sold to the man I now call my husband for a “token sum” of thirty pounds… Continue reading