Tea. Toast. & Trivia.

Season 3 Episode 50: Debby Gies on Being an Eclectic Memoirist and Conversationalist Welcome to Tea, Toast and 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 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. I invite you to put the kettle on and add to t

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

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 joini

Season 3 Episode 47:  Margaret Lindsay Holton on Listening, Repeating, Inventing, Creating ‘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 Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in. 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

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 w

S3 E45: Marcelle Glock, Ceramist on the Wood Fired Ceramic Tradition 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. 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

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. Happy Halloween! 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 pos

Season 3 Episode 43: Dan Antion on Random Thoughts, Life Lessons, Hopes and Dreams 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 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. Thank you for joining Dan and me on Tea Toast & Trivia. 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

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

Season 3 Episode 41: Happy Thanksgiving “Come, ye thankful people, come, raise the song of harvest home; all is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin.” “Come, ye thankful people, come” 1884 Henry Alford Tune “St. George's Windsor" by George Job Elvey Welcome to Tea Toast & Trivia. Thank you for listening in. 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

Season 3 Episode 40: Liz Humphreys and Elisabeth Van Der Meer on the Midpoint of the #KaramzovReadalong “For all is like an ocean, all flows and connects; touch it in one place and it echoes at the other end of the world.” Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in. I am your host, Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you. The #KaramazovReadalong has reached a milestone in our journey.  We are at the midpoint of the book. “For all is like an ocean, all flows and connects; touch it in one place and it echoes at the other end of the world.” Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov Liz Humphreys from Edinburgh, Scotland, and Elisabeth Van Der Meer from Porvoo, Finland have joined me to look back on what we’ve learned, and look forward to what may come. 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 Ka

Season 3 Episode 39: Sally Cronin on Short Stories and Reading “A New Beginning” Our Legacy Writers seek to inspire those of us not yet great to leave behind a legacy of worth. Fame and fortune are not required if we are remembered for our acts of kindness. Sally Cronin “Life is Like a Mosaic: Random Fragments in Harmony” Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in. Bookstores, libraries, and coffee shops are great places for book readings. There is something extraordinary about hearing the voice of an author reading their stories. Their voice and intonation are nuanced by the many hours of effort putting pen to paper.  They created the characters, structured the plot, and lived every twist and turn that creates bumps in the storyline. Living in the reality of Covid-19 for the past months, book readings at public libraries and bookstores have been curtailed.  We are learning to embrace technology in new ways.  Welcome the podcast series, “Authors Reading their Books”

Season 3 Episode 38: Tina Do on Poetry in a 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 excited and thrilled to connect with my friend and poet, Tina Do, to discuss the poet’s journey in a global world. Tina Do is a Vancouver-based poet, unashamed dinosaur aficionado and Master of Arts student at Simon Fraser University living and working on the unceded traditional and ancestral territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the Səlil̓wətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwitlem) and xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. Tina was honoured with her first publication credit from The /tƐmz/ Review and was longlisted for the CBC Poetry Prize in 2020.  Her poetry will be featured in the forthcoming Best Canadian Poetry, and Canadian Literature. These days, you can catch her reading up on whether or not dinosaurs had lips and trying not to over-love her plants. Tina and I

S3 E37: Miriam Hurdle on Poems of Gratitude and Beatitude 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 poet and writer, Miriam Hurdle and I are connecting California and British Columbia to discuss how nature’s capacity for healing has ignited her poetic journey.  Miriam’s book of poetry, “Songs of Heartstrings: Poems of Gratitude and Beatitude” is an exploration into the breadth and depth of the human experience, of feeling the joy of being alive, of living with hope even when faced with difficult pathways. I invite you to put the kettle on and add to this exciting conversation on Tea Toast & Trivia. Thank you for joining Miriam and me on Tea Toast & Trivia. And a special thank you, Miriam, for sharing your love of poetry, art, and music.  You have inspired me, and I know that you have inspired readers and listeners to see life as a symphony, to emb

Season 3 Episode 36: The Trio on Safety Nets Welcome to Tea Toast & Trivia! Thank you for listing in! I am your host, Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you Today’s podcast is a look back to a time before COVID-19 changed the trajectory of our global journey. I came upon an audio file that was located in an old file that was hidden and forgotten in my digital filing system. It seems that, even in our world of organizational efficiencies, things can be misplaced. Perhaps it was meant to be lost until the timing was right. My mother, Frances, and my sister, Sarah, discussed the idea of safety nets and how they have evolved over time. Little did we know that in a few months after we recorded this conversation, we would learn how to create safety nets in a virtual world. A safety net is defined as a safeguard against possible hardship or adversity, a system to help those who have serious problems and no other form of help. So put the kettle on and add to this discussion on Tea

Season 3 Episode 35: Valerie Peachey on Beginnings, Adventures & Life Stories 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 heading over to Spain to meet up with Dr. Valerie Peachey.   I have been looking forward to connecting with Valerie ever since my friend and neighbour, Chris, said that Valerie was a kindred spirit and introduced us via e-mail. It was one of those serendipitous moments when you know that a friendship is about to happen. Dr. Valerie Peachey is a non-traditional, semi-retired university professor. Having grown up in many countries around the world, Spain is now home. She is passionate about helping others create and realize their dreams. As a highly respected educator/leader, she believes that open pathways, flexible and well-designed learning opportunities, can yield transformative results. Individuals gain increased opportunities to reach their personal and pr

Season 3 Episode 34: Karen Saunders on Books, Book Clubs & Belonging “A book, too, can be a star, a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe.” Madeleine L’Engle 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 long-time friend, Karen Saunders, has joined me on Tea Toast & Trivia to discuss how book clubs build compassionate communities and encourage life-long learning. Karen called New Brunswick home. That is, until her family decided to settle on the other side of Canada in North Vancouver, British Columbia.  Karen is passionate about literature, languages, and books.  She attended the University of Victoria and graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts, a double major in English Literature and French Language.  In 1983, Karen obtained a Master of Library Science from McGill University, Montréal, QC.   Dur

Season 3 Episode 33: Shehanne Moore on the Writer/Publisher Connection Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in. 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 over 7,000 kilometers to meet up with Shehanne Moore in Scotland to discuss the connection between a writer and publisher. Shehanne, also known as Shey, is a published author of stories that detail the best and worst of human behaviour, as opposed to pouts and flounces.  She set up Black Wolf Books, a small royalty paying publisher, presently taking submissions by invitation only. Today, Shey shares her thoughts on how to foster an authentic relationship with a publisher motivated by a mutual desire to publish books that resonate with readers.  Shey is a storytelling who understands the process required to bring those narratives to readers. Thank you for sharing this moment with Shey and me on Tea Toast and Trivia.  A special thank you,

Season 3 Episode 32: Susan Abernethy on Adventures in History “To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. For what is the worth of human life, unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history?”  Marcus Tullius Cicero, Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in. 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, and I have bridged the distance between Denver, Colorado and Vancouver, British Columbia to discuss why we should study history. Susan Abernethy has a degree in history and is a member of the Rocky Mountain Medieval and Renaissance Association and The Historical Association.  Her blog, The Freelance History Writer has been continuously publishing historical articles since 2012, with an emphasis o

Season 3 Episode 31: Dave Astor on Misty’s Adventures “What greater gift than the love of a cat.” Charles Dickens Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in. Dave Astor and I are once again bridging the 3,923 kilometers between New Jersey and Vancouver to bring you the first podcast in the Misty series.  Every morning, without fail, my mother, Frances, and I meet up via Facebook with Misty and Dave on their adventures. This morning, when we went into the woods, Misty advised that he thought that theatrical productions may be coming back. Misty is a futurist, making brilliant predictions about the future based on current trends. Following Misty is not for the faint of heart.  You will walk on fences, jump from opens grates, run across the grass, meet up with deer, and trudge through the snow.  Misty reminds me that living in the now, embracing the power of being present creates a sense of well-being and of being whole. I am thrilled that Dave has graciously agreed to share Mist