Tea. Toast. and Trivia.

Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in.

I am delighted that blogger and non-fiction writer, Debby Gies and I are connecting Toronto and Vancouver, Canada.

Debby is a Canadian author, writing under the pen name of D.G. Kaye. She writes about life, matters of the heart and women’s issues. Her intent is to inspire others by sharing her stories about events she has encountered, and the lessons that have come along with them.

Debby is an empathetic fashionista and shopper extraordinaire who loves to laugh. She is an eclectic memoirist and conversationalist who writes to empower by sharing slices of life.  Her blog is a wide-ranging mix of randomness, where you will find anything from writing tips to tales from the past, to travel tips, book reviews, and author interviews.

And a special thank you, Debby, for sharing your insights on living life in the now, with humour and expectation.   You have inspired me, and I know that you have inspired readers and listeners to head into the unknown with courage and determination.

I invite you to meet up with Debby on her blog, D.G. Kaye Writer.com , on her Amazon Page and on Goodreads.  It is a place that welcomes profound conversations that reminds us to Live, Love, Laugh and Breathe.

S3E49: Liz Humphreys, Elisabeth Van Der Meer and Mandy Henderson on Farewell to the #KaramazovReadalong and Welcome #WarAndPeace2022

Above all, don’t lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.” Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

I am your host, Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

The #KaramazovReadalong has reached the end of the journey which started on August 27, 2021. Today, we are saying a farewell to The Karamazov Brothers by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

Liz Humphreys from Edinburgh, Scotland, and Elisabeth Van Der Meer from Porvoo, Finland have joined me to look back on what we have learned and look forward to what may come. We have a special guest, Mandy Henderson, from Christchurch, New Zealand who has come to join the farewell celebration.

This is the first time we have linked four time zones on Tea Toast & Trivia. A special thank you to Don, the techie behind the scenes.

You may recall that a few months ago, I received an invitation from my blogger friend and book aficionado, Liz Humphreys to join her on a readalong of The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.  This readalong was to coincide with the 200th year anniversary of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s birth. The stars aligned when Elisabeth Van Der Meer, from A Russian Affair, agreed to join the party.

What have we learned? What are the takeaways that will stay with us? What comes next? These are the questions that will be discussed today. So put the kettle on and add to this exciting conversation on Tea Toast & Trivia.

Thank you for joining Liz, Elisabeth, Mandy and me on Tea Toast & Trivia.

Thank you, Liz, for your willingness to take on this massive project and for your invitation to enter the world of Russian Literature. Thank you, Elisabeth, for adding breadth and depth to our understanding. Thank you, Mandy for joining the #KaramazovReadalong.

Listeners, you can connect with Liz on “Leaping Life,” Elisabeth on “A Russian Affair,” and Mandy on  “Silkannthreades” You are only an internet click away from entering a world of books and brilliant conversations.

S3 E48: Yvonne Thevenot on Mentorship Within a Changing Global World

Welcome to Tea Toast & Trivia. Thank you for listening in.

I am your host, Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

I am delighted and thrilled that my friend and Business Strategist, Yvonne Thevenot and I are connecting Toronto and Vancouver to discuss change management and mentorship within an evolving business world that spans the globe.

Yvonne is a certified change expert and business transformation specialist who employs a client-focused, and people-centric approach to strategic change.  As an executive mentor and thought partner, she creates a space that invites a rich and fulfilling dialogue. She is a passionate change agent whose work creates more confident and capable employees. Her goal is to foster a creative and innovative spirit vital to thrive within a dynamic environment

I invite you to put the kettle on and add to this exciting conversation on Tea Toast & Trivia.

Thank you for joining Yvonne and me on Tea Toast & Trivia.

And a special thank you, Yvonne, for sharing your thoughts on mentorship, change management and work/life balance.   You have inspired me, and I know that you have inspired others to participate confidently, with compassion, within a world that needs creativity and innovative thinking.

Listeners, I invite you to meet up with Yvonne on her on LinkedIn.

‘Write because you must — respect your body and your brain. Listen carefully. Music helps. Repeat slowly. Then, riff. Invent. Create. Keep trying. Give and Take. Engage. Flow. Grow. And Go.’ Margaret Lindsay Holton

I am you host, Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

I am beyond thrilled that I am travelling virtually to the southern shore of Lake Ontario where I will meet up with Canadian Artist & Author: Margaret Lindsay Holton MLH) at her fabulous ‘open-loft’ 2-storey studio on the Lake Ontario waterfront

Lindsay is a self-taught, born and bred Canadian artist, author, and filmmaker from Southern Ontario. She was voted ‘Arts Person of the Year’ by City of Burlington’s BEST Committee in May 2017, and an ‘Alumni of Influence’ by the University of Toronto in 2018.

Thank you for sharing this moment with Lindsay and me on Tea Toast and Trivia.  And a very special thank you Lindsay for sharing our knowledge and experience. I want to end with these words from your introduction to Sticks & Stones:

"It is my hope that these tales will stimulate greater interest in the reader’s own reading and thinking.  I am also sharing them to those in the middle of their love affair with thought and language in the hope that the stories will nurture their own developing thought processes and evolving perceptions."

Listeners, you can connect with Lindsay on Amazon, Facebook, Twitter and her blog canadadaPHOTOGRAPHY.  It is a place that welcomes profound and rewarding conversations.

Season 3 Episode 46: Jean-Jacques Fournier on Poetic Interest, Inspiration and Evolution

Welcome to Tea Toast & Trivia! Thank you for listening in.

I am your host, Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

I am delighted and thrilled that my dear friend and poet, Jean-Jacques Fournier, is with me today to share insights on the publication of his 17th book of poems, Poetry in Brief – a day in a life –.  This collection of short poems comes in a pocket-size-book edition and an e-book version.

In a recent e-mail discussion, Jean-Jacques wrote these words:

“You asking me about my poetic interest, inspiration and its evolution, etc., that instilled the need for me to write in this medium. These are things I haven’t profoundly thought about in years. Despite the adage of old memories being more readily available than newer ones, as we get older, regardless one must awaken the possessive demons that try to prevent memory’s disclosures.”

Jean-Jacques started writing in earnest while living in California in the early eighties. In France, he published his first three books.  But his journey started in Quebec, Canada.  Today, we will be exploring how personal history and experiences influence our creativity.

This promises to be an exciting conversation so put the kettle on and stop by Tea Toast & Trivia to join the discussion.

Jean-Jacques’s poetry expresses the emotional depth and breadth of the human experience.  I am pleased to announce that his eighteenth book of poetry has just been published, entitled, Poetry in Brief – A Blissful Silence.

Jean-Jacques graciously provided the first poem in this collection.

A Blissful Silence

Thank you for joining Jean-Jacques and me on Tea Toast & Trivia.

And a special thank you, Jean-Jacques, for sharing your insights on poetry and how our personal journeys influence our creative spirit.

Dear friends, I invite you to meet up with Jean-Jacques on his blog Poetry on a Canapé, a place that celebrates words and encourages profound reflections.

I am your host Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

Today, I am heading over to Mudge Island, located within the scenic Gulf Islands, between Vancouver Island and Gabriola Island.   I am delighted and thrilled to meet up with Marcelle Glock, Ceramist to discuss the wood fired ceramic tradition.

Marcelle is a remarkable artist. Her pottery and sculptures sit in private collections around the world. Her artwork encompasses stoneware, raku, and local wild terra-cotta.  Marcelle forms clay into extraordinary artworks – from functional to sculptural, wearable and oracle.  She imbues each piece with a primal reverence toward the natural world.

I invite you to put the kettle on and add to this exciting conversation on Tea Toast & Trivia.

Thank you for joining Marcelle and me on Tea Toast & Trivia.

This conversation has been pure magic, Marcelle. I cannot believe that we have been talking for over two hours and it feels like twenty minutes.

Listeners, thank you for joining Marcelle and me on Tea Toast & Trivia. You will be pleased to know that this is just part one of a two-part conversation with Marcelle.  Stay tune for our ongoing discussion in part two which will take you deeper into the journey of an artist working in the wood fired ceramic tradition.

And a special thank you, Marcelle, for sharing your insights, your journey, and your connection to nature through the medium of clay.  Your continued awareness, respect and reverence for your art and the medium in which you work inspires me.  I know that you have encouraged listeners to recognize artistic endeavour is a calling and a responsibility

Listeners, I invite you to meet up with Marcelle on her website, Mad Mudslinger on Instagram  and YouTube.  And if you are visiting Gabriola Island, Marcelle’s work will be featured in the November 2021 grand opening of Free Spirit Gallery on North Road.

Until next time we meet, dear friends, keep safe and be well.

Season 3 Episode 44: Legends & Traditions

Welcome to Tea Toast & Trivia. Thank you for listening in.

I am your host, Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

On the days of October 31 and November 1, we are celebrating traditions that have come to use through the centuries.  The ancients who commemorated the Celtic Festival of Samhain would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts, marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter or “darker-half” of the year. All Saints Day originated with Pope Gregory III, in around 731 when he designated November 1st as a time to honour all saints.

Soon, as is the way with legends and traditions, All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain.  What was first known as All Hallows Eve, became Halloween, a day where activities like trick-or-treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, festive gatherings, donning costumes and eating treats have entertained us over the years.

I am posting this podcast at the stroke of midnight on October 31, 2021, the very point of transition between Halloween and the coming of All Saints Day.  The trick or treaters are safely home with their stash of candy.  The candles illuminating the jack-o-lanterns sitting on steps leading to doorways have long since burned out.  Now, a ghostly, intense darkness envelopes our side of the world, magnifying the noises of night.  Do you hear the whispers? Do you hear the creaks in the floorboards, the cold wind whistling around the corner of the house?  What is tapping at the windowpane?

We find a young scholar reading books of “lore” by a dying fire on a dreary night in December.  Lamenting the loss of love, the young scholar is seeking a way to forget the death of the beloved Lenore.  A tapping at the chamber door reveals nothing.  But the tapping is repeated more incessantly, now at the window. When the window is opened, a raven flutters into the chamber and the perches on a bust of Pallas above the door.

As the poem progresses the young scholar begins as “weak and weary,” transitioning to regretful and grief-stricken, before passing into an angry frenzy when the raven says “nevermore” to being reunited with the beloved Lenore.

As we pass into the night, join me in reciting The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe.

Thank you for joining me in reciting The Raven.

The dawn in near, morning is coming, and a new day will come again.   Having faced darkness, it is time to live in the light.

Until we meet again, dear friends, keep reading, keep reciting poetry, take care and be well. I leave you with these words by Edgar Allan Poe.

Season 3 Episode 43: Dan Antion on Random Thoughts, Life Lessons, Hopes and Dreams

I am your host, Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

I am delighted that Dan Antion, blogger, writer, woodworker, cyclist, photographer, geek, and I are connecting Hartford Connecticut and Vancouver British Columbia.  This promises to be an exciting conversation so put the kettle on and stop on by TTT to join the conversation.

And a special thank you, Dan, for sharing your stories and your passions that present opportunities for observation and exploration.

I am also sending my gratitude on the wing to Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene, my writer and blogger friend who introduced me to Dan.

I invite you to meet up with Dan on his blog No Facilities Random thoughts, life lessons, hopes and dreams.

I invite you to meet up with Teagan at Teagan’s Books . Stay tuned for a podcast with Teagan that will be discussing the evolving adventure, “Dead of Winter,” that has come to readers in a series of Journeys

Until next time we meet, dear friends, keep safe and be well.

S3 42: Susan Abernethy on Catherine of Braganza, Queen of England and Regent of Portugal

“Amidst all the commotion created by King Charles II and his flamboyant mistresses, there actually was a Queen. She was Catherine of Braganza, and she led a very interesting life in England as the King’s wife and later as ruler of her country of origin.” Susan Abernethy, The Freelance History Writer

I am your host Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

My blogger friend and historian, Susan Abernethy from the blog, The Freelance History Writer, has returned to discuss the complex life of Catherine of Braganza, the subject of soon to be released book. I invite you to put the kettle on and add to this exciting conversation on Tea Toast & Trivia.

Thank you for joining Susan and me on Tea Toast & Trivia. And a special thank you Susan, for offering us fresh insight into the life of Catherine of Braganza. Bold, strategic, and determined – a woman who dedicated her life to her king and two nations.

I invite you to meet up with Susan on her blog “The Freelance History Writer.” It is a place where history comes alive. You are only an internet click away from a virtual time travel adventure where you will meet Alfred the Great, find yourself in the court of King Henry VIII and travel to the land of the Vikings.

Season 3 Episode 41: Happy Thanksgiving

I am your host, Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

October 11, 2021, marks the celebration of Canada’s Thanksgiving Day.

Autumn, with its crisp winds and changing colours, ushers in moments of reflection and a feeling of warm nostalgia.  It is harvest time, when visions of canning vegetable and preserving jams and jellies remind me of family and community gatherings.  What better time to commemorate thankfulness?

Thank you for celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving with me on Tea Toast & Trivia.  A special thank you to my brother, Brian for his rendition of the hymn “Come, ye thankful people, come,” which was set to St. George’s Windsor, by George Job Elvey.

Until we meet again, dear friends, I leave you with the words of Meister Eckhart, German theologian, philosopher, and mystic.