• Before & After - Tasma Lacroix

    Despite juggling multiple activities, interests, volunteering and travel, semi-retired Victoria resident ...

    Despite juggling multiple activities, interests, volunteering and travel, semi-retired Victoria resident Tasma Lee Lacroix is always up for something new. When INSPIRED columnist Pat Nichol gave her a ...

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  • Eat, Drink, Travel

    Meal by meal, spice by spice, sip by sip, nothing is so satisfying as exploring a country through your ta ...

    Meal by meal, spice by spice, sip by sip, nothing is so satisfying as exploring a country through your taste buds. From the exotic spice markets of the Middle East and Asia to the bustling cafes of Pa ...

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  • Visiting Florence

    When planning a visit to Florence, remember one critical fact: you are but one of 16 million people who d ...

    When planning a visit to Florence, remember one critical fact: you are but one of 16 million people who do so every year. The city boasts one of the world’s greatest collections of Renaissance art tre ...

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  • Cycling in Tuscany

    A smiling Bruno Baldini greets us at the Florence train station shortly after 9 a.m. as we disembark from ...

    A smiling Bruno Baldini greets us at the Florence train station shortly after 9 a.m. as we disembark from the Bologna train, eager to begin our eight-day cycling tour of Tuscany. Our rented bikes awai ...

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  • Creating Spaces

    “Who here was married before they were ready?” Every single woman raises her hand. The women tell us what ...

    “Who here was married before they were ready?” Every single woman raises her hand. The women tell us what it was like to be married at a young age, and how it not only affected their lives but the liv ...

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  • Stay Cool with Ceviche

    It’s refreshing, diet-friendly and best of all, incredibly yummy.  If I could pick a recipe to beat the s ...

    It’s refreshing, diet-friendly and best of all, incredibly yummy.  If I could pick a recipe to beat the summer heat it would be ceviche.  This dish requires no oven, only a marinade that cures the raw ...

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  • Dune Bashing in Dubai

    It’s become a national sport for tourists visiting Dubai – a drive out to the sand dunes where caravans o ...

    It’s become a national sport for tourists visiting Dubai – a drive out to the sand dunes where caravans of 4x4 vehicles circle the tops of shifting sand dunes, charging up one side and sliding silentl ...

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  • Travel is Transformative

    Very few things in life have the power to change your perspective like travel does. There’s something abo ...

    Very few things in life have the power to change your perspective like travel does. There’s something about opening yourself up to a new destination that spurs the Universe into giving you thoughts, f ...

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  • Dare to do Edinburgh in August

    Charles Dickens said, “Coming back to Edinburgh is like coming home.” For me, it’s been over 40 years sin ...

    Charles Dickens said, “Coming back to Edinburgh is like coming home.” For me, it’s been over 40 years since I went on an Edinburgh exchange with UBC’s women’s field hockey team. For my husband Ken, it ...

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  • Reboot August 2018

    LINDA DICKEY, a four-time volunteer builder with Habitat for Humanity Canada, says she has always believe ...

    LINDA DICKEY, a four-time volunteer builder with Habitat for Humanity Canada, says she has always believed that “housing is the game changer” when it comes to improving a family’s life. She’s put her ...

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  • Mastery and Muse

    When inspiration comes to BC’s Roger Baird, it isn’t only by performing on one of the many percussion ins ...

    When inspiration comes to BC’s Roger Baird, it isn’t only by performing on one of the many percussion instruments he plays or with his sublime mastery of the drum kit; Roger’s Hedd Wyn Essentials busi ...

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  • My Eyes Are Never Stopping

    "They take me on trips," says Victoria landscape painter Anne Meggitt. “Shireen will book us somewhere to ...

    "They take me on trips," says Victoria landscape painter Anne Meggitt. “Shireen will book us somewhere to stay and Brett will do all the driving.” Road trips are commonplace for Anne, her youngest dau ...

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  • Hiking to the Fountain of Youth

    If one was to search for the Fountain of Youth, it may not be immediately obvious to climb a mountain. Bu ...

    If one was to search for the Fountain of Youth, it may not be immediately obvious to climb a mountain. But for those in search of anti-aging remedies, 72-year old Nanaimo resident Ambrose Knobel may h ...

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  • Russ Froese: Still Curious

    Russ Froese had just put the youngest of his five grandchildren – the two-year-old – down for a nap. “I a ...

    Russ Froese had just put the youngest of his five grandchildren – the two-year-old – down for a nap. “I am actively involved with them,” he says. “They are young and it’s a good time to be there.” He ...

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  • A Visit Home

    “So much of who we are is where we have been.” - William Langewiesche Sometimes, the landscapes of our ea ...

    “So much of who we are is where we have been.” - William Langewiesche Sometimes, the landscapes of our early years can call us back with a visceral urge. My BC childhood landscape held a fusion of emo ...

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