We all have our heroes – people we admire for what they have achieved, how they behave, or simply who they are.
Some of mine are:
This category is about why nature is important in our lives and for our mental health,and in particular, why children should spend more time in natural environments and less time in front of screens.
It will also be about some things I find interesting in nature, such as this article on how to grow Kentucky coffeetrees from seed.
If you were looking for a few acres to build a cottage on, and found a beautiful 101 acre property, what would you do with the extra land? That was the issue we faced in 2005. We bought the property … Continue reading →
Cuba Cruise In December 2014 Meg, Kate and I did a cruise around Cuba. We had a few hours to explore Havana, which had some fine old buildings: …. and some which were in dire need of repair:
Continue reading →We went to The Netherlands in January 2015. We loved the place. It was just so … Dutch. All the cliches were absolutely true – the canals, the bicycles, the cheese, the art, design aesthetic. The people were friendly, the … Continue reading →
When I was eight years old I decide I wanted to be a doctor. I never changed my mind. I went to medical school when I was 17 and have been studying medicine ever since. I have worked in over 25 hospitals in five countries on four continents. Almost every penny (or cent) I have ever earned, spent or invested came from the practice of medicine.
My speciality is anesthesiology. I come to work every day with the aim of making things better for people, specifically by getting them through difficult and painful experiences like surgery and childbirth as safely and painlessly as possible.
I enjoy my work. It is a rare privilege to be able to earn good money by doing something you believe is good and right. But it is not all sweetness and light. There is a lot which happens in healthcare I am concerned about. Those issues will be the theme of this blog.
I am appalled by the six million unnecessary deaths caused, every year, by tobacco. I am dismayed that, more than sixty years after we learnt how lethal cigarettes can be, we are still allowing them to be manufactured and sold. This issue was featured in a series of blog posts during Canada’s National No Smoking Week, January 17th – 24th, 2016.
My current favourite TV show is House of Cards. Frank is now president and his wife, Claire, is US Ambassador to the UN. They go to Moscow, in part to try to get a US gay rights activist out of … Continue reading →
If you are ever having one of those days when you feel unrealistically happy, when everything seems perfect in your world, when you have a spring in your stride, and feel that tomorrow will be even better than today, may I prescribe one of Monbiot’s columns for you? They are available for free in convenient pre-packaged single dose format at www.monbiot.com . Continue reading →
The Oak Hills Farm Prairie was planted on May 18th 2008, as a recreation of the Tallgrass Prairie which used to exist along the shores of Rice Lake. It is situated on 2.7 acres of gently rolling hills, with spectacular views over Rice Lake, between Port Hope and Peterborough.
The Oak Hills Farm Arboretum encircles the prairie. It was established in 2007/8 to demonstrate the range of native trees and shrubs which can be grown in Southern Ontario. All the trees and shrubs in the arboretum grow wild in Southern Ontario, although some are Carolinian species which normally only grow in the extreme south-west of the province. At present many of the trees are only 2 – 3 feet tall but they are very healthy and growing rapidly. Continue reading →
