Tea. Toast. & Trivia.

S2 E6 Dave Astor on Connecting via Books Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in. Today, Dave Astor and I are bridging the 3,923 kilometers between New Jersey to Vancouver. Winter is a time for books, tea, great conversations and more books. Dave will be sharing his thoughts on how to decide what to read next, how to write a book review and should you read a book you don’t like? Put the kettle on and add to this exciting conversation 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 t

S2.E5 The Cake that Travelled Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in.   This is a Christmas retrospective conversation that occurred during the December holiday season. Frances, Sarah and I never had time to make this cake, but the story is a profound reminder that traditions keep our families and communities focused on the things that matter and make for unforgettable memories. So 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.

S1.E3: Elisabeth on Ivan Turgenev Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in. Elisabeth van der Meer from the extraordinary blog, A Russian Affair, has joined me from the far distance of 7,514 km or 4,669 miles. Yes, I am thrilled to report that once again, we are connecting Finland and Canada via Russian Literature. Elisabeth has come back to discuss the life and work of the brilliant writer, Ivan Turgenev, and the complicated relationships that existed between the great Russian writers. So, put the kettle on and add to this exciting conversation.  I am your host Rebecca Budd and I’m looking forward to sharing this moment with you. Thank you for joining Elisabeth and me on Tea Toast & Trivia.  And a special thank you to Elisabeth for sharing your love of Russian literature.  I am truly grateful for your willingness to come back and speak about Ivan Turgenev. I would heartily recommend Elisabeth’s blog “A Russian Affair” which is highly entertaining and an invaluable resou

S2.E3: Frances on The Art of Sewing Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia.  Thank you for listening in. Frances and I are in the sewing room, with the material stacked on one side of the room and on the other, the finished costumes for an upcoming dance performance.  It’s exciting to see the progress, week to week on the colourful tutus and jazz outfits. Sitting in this vivid assortment of cloth and glitter is a reminder of Frances and my many sewing projects of past years. Sewing has an ancient history and has been around since the Paleolithic age aka, the “Old Stone Age.” After all, those caves were rather cold in the wintertime, even with the discovery of fire.  And well, necessity has always been a motivation for progress.  Archaeologists have been busy in their digs finding bone, antler or ivory needles and thread  of sinew, catgut and veins.  These were the beginnings of today’s enormous fashion industries. Thousands of years passed before the sewing machine came into being in t

S2.E2 Martha on Librarians Are Awesome Welcome to Tea Toast & Trivia.  Thank you for listening in. Neil Gaiman said “Librarians are the coolest people out there doing the hardest job out there on the frontlines. And every time I get to encounter or work with librarians, I'm always impressed by their sheer awesomeness.” Librarians have awesome, even magical powers.  They are the champions of literacy; they safeguard our stories and keep record of our ideas.  Above all, they are the wizards that facilitate learning.  We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to their determination to preserve and protect our civilization. We live in a world where technology and connectivity are growing exponentially.  Now, more than ever, we need librarians to be our guides.  How to annotate texts?  Ask a librarian.  What is copyright and fair use?  Ask a librarian.  How to determine whether the information is honest?  Ask a librarian. Librarians keep us grounded and create spaces that encourage and support exploration. I am ple

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 det

Episode 49: Stephanie on the Holidays Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in. 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 &

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. Merry Merry Christmas! 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 t

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 ket

Episode 45: Frances on Milking the Cows Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Good morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening, – wherever you are, thank you for listening in. 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. Today we are milking the cows. 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 –

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

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

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 sam

Episode 41: Thanksgiving with Frances 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 meet in her sewing room amongst the material, patterns and threads - a perfect acoustic environment for recording our voices. We set up a mic, close the door and talk.  It seems simple enough but facing a mic and wondering what to say next is rather daunting.  A huge thank you Mom, for heading into the podcasting unknown with me every Wednesday. Tomorrow, our neighbours to the South will be celebrating Thanksgiving. Frances and I will be joining the festivities as we remember Thanksgiving in the past. 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 yo

Episode 40: The Trio on Time For Us. Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in. I am joined by my sister, Sarah,and my mother, Frances, as we consider the idea of what is called a multiplier effect,  which suggests there are ways to boost our personal productivity.  If we adopt efficiency strategies, such as learning to prioritize our day, eliminate nonessential duties, or simply delegate or delay tasks, will we improve our lives? Will we achieve a higher level of effectiveness? So 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 Frances, Sarah and me on Tea Toast and Trivia. On last thought before we go is by Eleanor Roosevelt, “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” Until next time, safe travels wherever your ad

Episode 39: Liz On Finding Excellence Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in. The search for excellence is intertwined in the story of humanity. Consider the Chinese philosopher, Confucius who said centuries ago, that “The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.” In our world, there is a plethora of books that guide us on our search. My question is – will we ever find excellence? Or will we be able to know when we have reached the exalted state of excellence? For answers, I turn to my dear blogger friend, Liz from the blog Leaping Life.  Once again, we are linking Edinburgh and Vancouver, which is 7,059 kilometers or 4,387 miles. So, 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

Episode 38: Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in. Today, is World Kindness Day. Join my brother, Brian, and me as we discuss the question: What is kindness? So put the kettle on and join in the conversation.  Stop by TeaToastTrivia.com and share your insights. We would love to hear from you. I am your host Rebecca Budd and I’m looking forward to sharing this moment with you. Thank you for joining Brian and me on Tea Toast & Trivia.  And thank you Brian for sharing you thoughts on short notice.  I always enjoy our conversations. For more information on World Kindness Day, check out the link The World Kindness Movement.org One last thought comes from Henry James: “Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.” Safe travels, wherever your adventures take you!

Episode 37: Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in. Russian literature has captured my heart ever since I read the opening paragraphs of Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak. A funeral and a mother’s grave – profound, moving, unforgettable.  I was 15 years old. Boris Pasternak may have opened the door to Russian literature. Complex, dramatic, haunting – the roots of Russian literature can be traced back to the Middle Ages.  But it was my dear blogger friend, Elisabeth van der Meer  from the blog A Russian Affair who has been my unfailing guide in the exploration of Russian literature. Elizabeth has joined me in a huge leap into the podcasting unknown, from the far distance of 7,514 km or 4,669 miles. We are connecting Finland and Canada via Russian Literature. So, 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 joi

Episode 36: Stephanie on Bold Moves In Exercise Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thanks for listening in... It is time to check in with my wellness and workout coach, Stephanie who reminds me daily, that being bold moves mountains.  Today we are heading into the gym, so wear comfortable shoes and prepare to be amazed by how much fun exercise can be. According to the World Health Organization, physical inactivity is now identified as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality. Physical inactivity levels are rising in many countries with major implications for the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and the general health of the population worldwide. Stephanie and I 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 Stephanie and me on Tea Toast & Trivia. And thank you Stephanie for joining me from a distance – a distance of almost 1200 kilometers. One last thought comes f