One of our favourite annual fall pastimes is a visit to the apple orchard to handpick a fresh batch of apples. Luckily just outside London, near Thorndale, we are blessed with the amazing Apple Land, a pick your own orchard with train ride, pumpkin hollow, a store and small petting barn. This year’s weather has been dicey, but Saturday we risked the cold temperatures and were rewarded with a wonderful sunny day. For anywhere between $20 and $30 a family can spend an afternoon on site enjoying the sunny brisk fall day, have a train ride, enjoy the animals and play on…

I am nothing if not an avid reader. In fact, I have never needed a whole lot of encouragement that way. As a child reading was an escape and as an adult it is the way I unwind, learn and build better writing skills. My children luckily are both turning out to be book lovers, not entirely by accident though. In order to encourage budding readers I followed famed New York Times columnist and author Anna Quindlen’s advice of books in every room of the house. So in my bathroom is a drawer full of children’s books and in my living room are…

I am the world’s biggest fan of summer for several reasons, not the least of which is the BBQ. From Friday night to Sunday in mid-May until the end of October I can typically count on my darling husband to BBQ. Sometimes it’s delicious – (steak marinated and cooked just so) –  and sometimes, not so much –  (experimental kabobs last night that flopped),  but it’s always most importantly not me doing the cooking. Yeah! Let’s hear it for barbecues. Which brings me to my sad story of the evening and the explanation of this picture. Having returned from long…