Canada 150: 15 Canadian tunesters

There is so much more to Canadian music than J***t*n B**b**, D***e, and C***ne D**n, but still, this is not a definitive list (unless you’re using it to define a 1960s-born west coast Canadian who has lived about half her life outside Canada). I hope it’s a reflective list though, showing off the range of…

Canada 150: 15 thank yous on Thanksgiving

As autumn starts to show her lovely colours and I begin preparing for Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend, I thought no better way to mark it (okay, pumpkin pie would be a better way, and so would caramel-topped pear pie, but both those will be on our table – woo hoo! – so what better OTHER…

Canada 150: 15 random thoughts on camping

This post is based on BC provincial campgrounds. Apologies to all the other provinces and territories – we’ll get to you later. Why camping? We are doing for recreation what people did to survive barely a century ago: hauling our own water, working by lantern light at night, cooking over a simple stove or fire. It…

Canada 150: 15 Ways to Experience Nanaimo Bar

In my post 15 Canadian foods you need to find and eat, I described Nanaimo bar: “Chocolate, butter, sugar, nuts, coconut: what’s not to love? This iconic treat is a celebrity in my hometown and deserves a post all on its own.” It’s been tough, but I’ve done it. Armed with my trusty Nanaimo Bar Trail brochure,…

Canada 150: 15 Great Canadian Destinations

  Second largest nation by land area, Canada ranked just 17th for annual number of international tourists (2014), before Macao and after Poland. Not known for sun holidays (though the summers can be amazing) or for huge casinos and massive cities, there is a vast amount to see in Canada – with the emphasis on vast. I…

Canada 150: 15 Canadian foods you need to find and eat

How can we celebrate Canada’s 150th without a feast? 1.Maple syrup: I know everyone’s waiting for this one, but you can’t have a list of Canadian eats and not include Sirop d’érable. When I was 17, my high school French class went on an exchange visit to Quebec and one of our day trips was…

150: 15 Things you might not know about Canada

  From the land that brought us insulin and peanut butter, electric wheelchairs and buses that would accommodate them, here are 15 things you may not have known about Canada: (just in case you were wondering) 1. We almost had a province called Buffalo. Instead we got Queen Victoria’s daughter, Alberta, and the tongue-twisting Saskatchewan, also known…

150 things, the start

It’s all about 150 in Canada this year as we mark the anniversary of confederation in 1867, so I thought I’d try to compile my own list of 150 things about this country I still call home. It’s a bit much to ask people to read a 150-item long list, so I’m breaking it down…