Tea. Toast. and Trivia.

Season 2, Episode 1 Happy New Year with Frances & Eleanor

Welcome to Tea Toast and Trivia. Happy New Year! Thank you for listening in and celebrating January 1, 2020, the beginning of a new decade.

Today, I am joined by my mother Frances to go back in time to another New Year’s Day. January 1, 1936,  with Eleanor Roosevelt and her column “My Day.”

Eleanor Roosevelt would have thrived in our social media milieu of 2020. She was blogging before blogging was invented, which incidentally happened in 1997 and became a household name within a few short years. According Merriam-Webster dictionary "blog" headed the list of most looked-up terms on its site during 2004.

Eleanor Roosevelt’s newspaper column made its debut on December 30, 1935. From that day until to 1960, My Day was published, without fail, six days a week. When Eleanor Roosevelt was too ill to work, the columns appeared every other day until September 26, 1962. Readers across the country, indeed the world, benefited from Eleanor’s fearless determination to spread her ideas which included her thoughts on race, women, Prohibition - topics that challenged the status quo. It was her diary, her platform and she used it with enthusiasm.

The recommended citation for the January 1, 1936 column, My Day is: Eleanor Roosevelt, "My Day, January 1, 1936," The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Digital Edition (2017), accessed 01/01/2020,

So put the kettle on and join in the discussion. Frances and I look forward to your insights on TeaToastTrivia.com.

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

Thank you for joining Frances and me as we remember a remarkable woman who chose to share her ideas and her daily life with anyone and everyone. As we move forward, may we have courage to bring forward our ideas in a way that reflects our individual values and adds to the vibrant voices that engage in life-affirming conversations

Until next time, dear friends, safe travels wherever your adventures take you.

Music by Johannes Johannes Bornlof "Flight"  Epidemic Sound 

Episode 49: Stephanie on the Holidays

It is December 27th and within a few short days we will welcome 2020, a new year and a new decade.  Have you made your resolutions yet?  Every year, the top resolutions are always about taking care of ourselves.  Whether it is losing weight, getting in shape, learning something new, traveling to new places, or spending more time with family – it is about wellness and reducing stress.

We live in a world that demands our time and energy.  These are precious and scarce resources.  There is only so much time and we have only so much energy.

Time to check in with my wellness coach, Stephanie from Bold Moves, for an energy boost and a great conversation on what’s next in 2020.

So put the kettle on and add to our discussion on TeaToastTrivia.com.  I am your host Rebecca Budd and I’m looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

Thank you for joining Stephanie and me on Tea Toast & Trivia as we welcome 2020.

One last thought comes from Neil Gaiman:  “Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it.”

Episode 48: Merry Christmas from Tea Toast & Trivia

Thank you for listening in...

December 25, 2019. Christmas has arrived.  With the last-minute shopping completed, we ready our hearts for this special day anticipated since the beginning of December.  All the plans have been made, the gifts have been wrapped and the baking completed.

This is the time to feel the magic of the holiday season. Thank you for listening in to a special Tea Toast & Trivia podcast. I am grateful for all your encouragement and support of this podcast.  Soon we will be entering a second season and I am looking forward to all the conversations that are awaiting our arrival in 2020, a new year, a new decade. As I look back to Christmases of the past, what I remember most is the time spent with family and friends. Christmas is the quintessential time when we want to embrace the best of life, whatever that may means to us at this moment.

In our modern age, we measure our lives by benchmarks to determine whether we have attained the desired level of excellence. Even at Christmas we use subtle benchmarks as a check-in to see if we have achieved the best of the Christmas spirit. Not that benchmarks are bad. They are very helpful and come from a good place. We measure our abilities to give gifts to our children because we want them to know that they are loved and that we understand what makes them happy.  We look for the best eggnog recipe, add a few more names to our Christmas card list so as not to forget a friend.  We worry whether we will have enough chairs for guests invited to our dinner table.

We have one simple, yet profound desire. We want our family and friends to know that when they come to our house, they are welcomed with great joy.  We exchange Christmas letters that confirm that we have been blessed over the past year and that we remember each other, valuing friendships and connections.  Every year, on December 25th we want to create an environment that will be remembered in the years to come.

Episode 47: The Gift December 19, 1843

Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia.

Good morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening, - wherever you are, thank you for listening in.

The tradition of gifts at Christmas has been with us for a very long time. Tonight, I am going back a couple of centuries to discuss a gift that returns to us every Christmas to remind us of the true spirit of the holiday season.

So put the kettle on and add to the discussion on TeaToastTrivia.com

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

Episode 46: Dave Astor on Literature

Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia.

Thank you for listening in.

Winter is a time for books, tea, great conversations and more books.

Yes, books. I have a stack ready for January 2020 along with a stash of tea: English Breakfast and Irish Breakfast, each with a subtle nuance. Chai, Green, Oolong, and White. I am looking forward to a long winter.

The book on top of my stack is Dave Astor’s Fascinating Facts About Famous Fiction Authors and the Greatest Novels of All Time: The Book Lover’s Guide to Literary Trivia

Dave has a marvelous way of going deep to find the story that is hidden in the folds of history. He leads you on a treasure hunt that ends with golden informational nuggets that will entice you to read further.  From Ray Bradbury and Emily Bronte to Nikolai Gogol and Daphne du Maurier, the lives of writers may even be more exciting than the narratives they write.

Today, Dave Astor and I are bridging the 3,923 kilometers between New Jersey to Vancouver

Put the kettle on and add to the conversation. We would love to hear your thoughts on TeaToastTrivia.com

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

Thank you for joining Dave and me on Tea Toast & Trivia. And a very special thank you and shout out to Dave from the blog, Dave Astor on Literature. 

In closing, I wanted to share a quote from Dave’s book, Fascinating Facts: “Literature can send our minds to another time and place, allowing us to forget our lives and troubles for a few precious hours. It can educate us about history, open our minds, increase our empathy, make us think, give us things to converse about, and/or provide plenty of excitement along with the escapism.”

Connect with Dave on Dave Astor on Literature.  Be prepared for an adventure.

Until next time, dear friends, safe travels.

Today, I am joined by my mother Frances to look back to farming in the 1930’s and 1940’s. The United Nations designated the year 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming (IYFF).  This year, on May 29, 2019, the United Nations launched  the Decade of Family Farming from 2019 – 2028.  My mother, Frances was a farmer’s daughter.  She knows first-hand the importance of family farming to provide food.

So put the kettle on and join in the discussion. Frances and I look forward to your insights on TeaToastTrivia.com.

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

Thank you for joining Frances and me as we looked back at farming in the past.  Technology has transformed the Dairy Industry, but one thing remains the same for farmers throughout the years – the love of the land and the animals in their care. The Dairy Farmers of Canada, an organization run for farmers by farmers is committed to:

Stop by Tea Toast & Trivia and view a video produced by the Dairy Farmers of Canada. They believe that “Dairy cows are a central figure of our dairy farms. They’re a huge part of why Canadian dairy farmers love what they do. See how many Canadian dairy farmers view their cows (hint: it’ll likely make you smile).”BY DFC – PLC, COMMUNICATIONS TEAM

Episode 44, Rituals & Traditions with Liz

Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia.

Thank you for listening in.

December is the season for traditions and gatherings of family and friends. Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, St. Lucia Day, St. Nicholas Day, Christmas and New Year. It is a busy and joyful time of the year.

Celebrations embrace rich traditions and rituals that connect our lives by associations with activities and memories. My dear blogger friend, Liz from the blog Leaping Life and I have once again bridged the 7,059 kilometers between Edinburgh and Vancouver to consider how we create new traditions over the years.

Put the kettle on and join in the conversation. We would love to hear your thoughts on TeaToastTrivia.com

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

Thank you for joining Liz and me on Tea Toast & Trivia. And a very special thank you and shout out to Liz from the blog, Leaping Life!

The hashtag Liz mentioned for people feeling lonely on Christmas day is #JoinIn. Stop by TeaToastTrivia.com and read the screenshot from Sarah Millican’s twitter account. Sarah is a well-known comedienne in the UK– and according to Liz, some might say ‘national treasure’! #JoinIn is a marvellous project and so many people seem to benefit from it.  Even now, this hashtag is trending on twitter.

In closing, I wanted to share the quote that Liz mentioned. It is by T.S. Eliot, “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”

Connect with Liz on Leaping Life!

Pause, Breathe, Live!

Until next time, dear friends, safe travels.

Episode 43: Shirley on Wellness

Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia.

Good morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening, - wherever you are, thank you for listening in.  Every Wednesday, I meet up with my mother, Frances for tea and a wonderful conversation, which has, over the past few months, become our time to create a podcast discussion. We usually meet in her sewing room among the material, patterns and threads, but today we carried our mic over to see our long-time friend, Shirley, a reflexologist and aromatherapist.

Lexico, power by Oxford defines reflexology as “a system of massage used to relieve tension and treat illness, based on the theory that there are reflex points on the feet, hands, and head linked to every part of the body.”

The Mayo Clinic goes into more depth, confirming that it is a way of seeking relaxation and stress relief. As in all areas of health, you should talk to your doctor whether reflexology will be a benefit for you.

Put the kettle on and add to the discussion on TeaToastTrivia.com.

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

Thank you for joining Shirley, Frances and me on Tea Toast and Trivia. A very special thank you to Shirley, for sharing her thoughts on seeking wellness within a fast-paced world.

One last thought comes from an ancient voice, Virgil who is traditionally ranked as one of Rome's greatest poets.  “The greatest wealth is health.”

May we devote our time and effort into investing in our health.

Until next time, dear friends, safe travels wherever your adventures take you.

Episode 42: Tea with E Pauline Johnson

Welcome to Tea Toast & Trivia

Good morning, Good Afternoon Good Evening – wherever you are, thank you for listening in and joining the podcast conversation.

Today, I am taking tea with a poet that has gone before us – E. Pauline Johnson. Poetry is necessary. It is an intense, emotional language that speaks to our spirit, to our deep need for understanding and belonging. We respond to the sounds, symbolism, rhythm of poetic language.

Poetry gives us the confidence to explore our fast-paced dynamic world. It also gives us a glimpse of past ways that may be unfamiliar to us in our current reality. When we read poetry, we must place the words within the context of history. Poetry cannot be limited to time for it gives power to what comes next. I am learning to see a wider perspective that is not confined to the lens of our time, our values, our societal constructs. Pauline Johnson forged a personal identify, and in so doing, widened the path for others. May we do the same…

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