Q. First came the telegenic majesty of the Olympics. Let’s jog by the Louvre. Let’s volley on a makeshift beach by the Eiffel Tower. Let’s straddle impeccably groomed horses over jumps at the Palace of Versailles. (⛔️ Let us all, however, keep our swim trunks hidden until we are well

Q. We’re lost in new worlds, we’re learning, we’re finally hearing from long-distance loves, we’re plotting the next stage of our lives. How have artists captured the wonder of reading over the centuries? . A.   Anonymous. A Man Reading. 1660 . Johannes Vermeer. Woman Reading a Letter. 1663 .

Q. The cleverest of fruit can, with the slightest of tweaks, serve double duty in explaining our moods. What are some common English idioms – current and past – built around fruit? . A. Pleasant Enough Apple of your eye Now this is a person who makes you proud; tops

Q. In kindergarten, one of our favourite games 👀 was ‘horsey’. We’d be cantering around, hands slapping onto hot pavement, neighing when the mood hit. It’s hard not to be reminded of horsey hijinks when watching Olympics steeplechase. Well, add in a shake of extreme athleticism, some steely-eyed competitors, and

Q. It’s hothothot this B.C. long weekend. Whom do we have to thank for inventing this beautifully juicy relief on a stick? . A. Most credit 11 year old Frank W. Epperson of Oakland, California for the invention of the popsicle. After an intense day of outdoor play, Frank retired inside

Q. Few would be surprised to learn that people despise household chores – some have their particular nemeses, some hate the whole lot. I mean, it’s in the word. Cambridge Dictionary defines a ‘chore’ as ‘a job or piece of work that is often boring or unpleasant but needs to

Q. Have you visited a museum recently – at home or when away? What have been some of the busiest museums as of late? . A. The Art Newspaper’s 2023 Visitor Figure Survey reveals a total of 175 million visits to the 100 museums in their analysis. With 8.86 million

Q. Hurray, it’s the Summer Olympics! Time for some ultra high-pressure sports. It’s remarkable that so many athletes manage to remain ‘cool as cucumbers’, even when all those years of training come to a head in just a few minutes – or even seconds – of intense scrutiny and competition.

Q. Plenty of us would be more than happy to have breakfast food at any meal. Eggs, fried potatoes, fresh berries, tea…what’s not to like? What are some of the most beloved breakfast foods? . A. In 2024, the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University surveyed 9,000 Canadians on their

Q. Creative partnerships are notoriously combustible. Yet, somehow, composer Richard Rodgers (1902-79) and dramatist/lyricist Oscar Hammerstein (1895-1960) managed to collaborate for nearly two decades, producing beloved musicals from The Sound of Music (💐) to Oklahoma, Carousal, South Pacific, The King and I. The pair also created the Cinderella musical for