Sepia is an essential pigment for watercolour artists, says Beth Parker, but don't ask where it gets its colour from! ...

Next time you run out of ultramarine blue, remind yourself that there was a time when the ultramarine blue pigment was so expensive, no...

"Labour Day can be bittersweet when it's time to leave a Muskoka summer behind and return to the city", writes author, Beth Parker....

We have our own Larry, Daryl and Daryl ...

Spread a little kindness during these days of COVID and bad news....

Okay, I know I shouldn’t take mask wearing lightly, but the other day I was in a bank where every...

Take yourself back a year when someone cut you off in traffic, causing you to miss a turn and making...

There’s lots of predictions “zooming” around these day as to how
the world is going to look post COVID-19. Many,...

A cottage road means an unending supply of interesting walk-by traffic....

Regent Park School of Music performs at Harbourfront. A school that for over a decade has had a mission to bring music education and experience to kids in Toronto by removing financial barriers. ...

Boathouses aren't meant to last on Ontario lakes but our grand old dame of a boathouse on Lake of Bays served us well, until this spring....

Beth Parker writes on the how we live in a "word landmine" where some errors and mis steps are accepted and others make headlines. ...

I resolved for 2019 not to make resolutions. Instead of adding new “shoulds”, I decided to accept my foibles and...

No, I haven’t got the quotation wrong. Like many sayings, the phrase “Stick to your knitting” has actually morphed from its original intent, “Attend to...

Remember when the big reveal following the birth of a baby was the question, “Boy or girl?”
The answer’s not the mystery it used to...

It was a rare opportunity: a good friend donated her lovely farmhouse in Nova Scotia to selected artists so they could paint. I was asked...

For 10 months of the year, I’m “urban Beth”. I hang out on Queen Street East, enjoy downtown shows and theatre, and when bored with...

In a fit of nostalgia, I re-watched Mary Poppins the other evening. As a child, I loved the story (both the book and the movie)...

I grew up with Easter being a “big deal”. At least half the day involved being inside a church with serious music, white lilies, and...

After two weeks in an Olympic-induced comma, I couldn’t stop thinking about those who almost made it— the bobsled team that fell behind by two...

It’s one of my worst nightmares. My computer screen is black and it stays that way no matter what I press.
So I do what...

At the beginning of December, store shelves were brimming with Advent calendars filled with chocolates.
Not for me. I was presented with an “Advent Jar”...

It was one of my most bizarre shopping moments.
I’d just met with a client to confirm we’d be moving ahead with a project. Feeling...

Okay, folks, loosen up. Today’s challenge is a biggie. We’re going to pick a stunning place to visit, take in a breathtaking, awe-inspiring, once-in-a-life time...

The waiter explained that the restaurant had a rodent problem. I’m still speculating on what happened when he returned to the kitchen to explain to...

When you pack for your vacation, what is “all you need?”

Assume that the basics of life are covered (i.e. food, shelter).
These are...

Anyone who’s been around little kids has a special place in their heart for the word “more!” How many of you have sang “The Wheels...

There isn’t a company out there that doesn’t claim “customer service” as the one unique characteristic that sets them apart. Yet as consumers, we continue...

It was the kind of conversation only a mother could have with her son in a car on the way back from the airport.
“How...

I’ve learned quite a bit from Dr. Seuss over the years. He’s been a career counselor (Oh, the Places You’ll Go!), a guide to hiring...

While writing a blog on productivity, I came across an alarming statistic—apparently more time is lost searching for, and trying out new productivity apps than...

It started with misdirected email. For a few exhilarating seconds, I believed that US authors and publishers were tracking me down. Then I realized that...

My mission was to “repoint my DNS settings”. I had an immediate vision in my head of my mother, apron tied about her waist. With...

Technology has made my life (mostly) easier—thank you, IT gods, for that. But there are details that need to be worked out. Take passwords, for...

Thank goodness for Downton Abbey.
The art of drinking tea had been reduced to warm water in a Styrofoam cup or some concoction of berries...

This month I participated in my second art show, which means not only do I submit a new piece of art but also a new...

During those first bright, new days of January, I love writing down goals for the coming year —not necessary doing them—but definitely writing them down....

Every year at this time, there it is—the prerequisite article about the commercialization of Christmas and why we should all feel guilty about too much—too...

As I write this, there’s a woman out there struggling to free herself from a shapewear attack. Her adventure started out innocently—a relaxed weekend shopping...

As long as I can remember, I wanted to go to art school. The option was strictly forbidden for me, strange when I consider that...

I rarely visit a library in the city. With all the technology we can endure at home, plus books I’m certain procreate when we’re not...

The silence is what I listen for, if that makes any sense. Driving north, it’s not until the rock cuts north of Gravenhurst that I...

It’s an urban horror story. In the middle of the night it starts, incessant chewing above your head. Then you realize it’s probably on your roof...

So someone hands me a bag of money and tell me I have to spend it all on traveling. It’s enough for an extra long...

I recently visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art with one objective in mind—19th century European (including British) painters. I even narrowed my focus down to...

I was eleven years old when my parents loaded me, my grandmother and aunt into our ‘65 Buick and drove downtown from Toronto’s west end...

Our son headed back to Toronto from Yellowknife early in January, this time with a cat handily packed in a pet carrying bag that looked like he was...

An impromptu search for the perfect dress to wear to my book launch turned out to be an advertisement for Toronto as the best “livable”...