Q. In his 1653 Complete Herbal, botanist Nicholas Culpeper wrote: ‘the decoction of the thistle in wine being drank, expels superfluous melancholy out of the body, and makes a man as merry as a cricket.’ ‘As merry as a cricket.’ That’s not something one hears much in 2026. What are

Q. Happy Canada Day! Parades, concerts, barbecues, AC-powered hideouts, red-shirted soccer parties…  Canadians are celebrating in force. What kinds of snacks will we be eating? . A. A survey of over 33,000 Canadians offers some clues. In a broad-ranging, ‘unofficial’ Canadian census, Tod Maffin found… The Best Canadian snack i.

Q. World Cup fever is gripping soccer/football fans across the world. How have  painters captured ‘The Beautiful Game’ on canvas? . A. Some examples… . This is wow upon wow… From the ‘Sports Girls’ series. American Cigarette Company. Montreal. 1889 . Umberto Boccioni. Dynamism of a Soccer Player. 1913 .

Q. Night-blooming jasmine in Harbour Island, machete-cracked coconut in Jamaica, sea-air in Lanai, Scots pine and spruce in the forests of Norway, early morning pastries in Paris, steaming hot espresso in Milan, freshly squeezed lemon in Sorrento … Certain glorious fragrances stay with you long after you return home from