Tea. Toast. & Trivia.

Episode 35. Remembering My Father. Welcome to a special edition of Tea Toast & Trivia – remembering my Father. Thank you for listening in…A special thanks to Brian, my brother who added music to the podcast. In the third chapter of Ecclesiastes (King James Version)it is written “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die;” We celebrate the first time even as we grieve at the second. And yet, in grieving there is much to celebrate. We have memories to sustain us as we continue our journey. May we create vibrant and joyful memories that build hope and resilience for those who follow after us. My Father passed away on Tuesday, October 25, 2011. Autumn was Dad’s favourite season. He looked forward to the golden red foliage, the gentle chill against his cheek, and the brilliant sun against a light blue sky.  For him, it was a time of rebirth. When he was a young man, my Father was a cowboy in Wyoming and Montana. He took his last ri

Episode 34: Frances on Two Sisters Look Back Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Good morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening!  Wherever you are, thank you for listening in. In one of my last conversations with my Father before he passed several years ago, he asked me to tell the stories.  I gave my promise, without having a full understanding of what telling the stories meant.  Since that time, I have come to know that Dad meant a broader definition of narrative.  There are many stories held in the folds of history that must be heard.  This thought became the genesis of the podcast, Tea Toast & Trivia Today, I am joined by my mother, Frances, as we 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 was a farmer’s daughter.  She knows first-hand the importance

Episode 33:  Stephanie on Bold Moves & Portion Control Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in on Thanksgiving Day in Canada. Family and friends across the country gathered today to celebrate gratitude and share a festive meal, laughter and great conversations.  At times like this, there is a temptation to eat more than usual and then worry that we have overindulged. What better time than now to check in my wellness and workout coach, Stephanie for a conversation on portion control. Stephanie has a refreshing way of looking at meal planning. She says food is awesome – that we should enjoy eating without any guilty sensation.   Food sustains us. Being bold in our relationship with food, will move the mountain of regret and guilt. So put the kettle on join our discussion on portion control.  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 jo

Episode 32:  Brian on The Greater Journey Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in. Brian, my brother, came back to continue the discussion on embracing our creativity. Today, we are looking at the greater journey by celebrating the past and giving relevance to where we are here, right now. Brian talks about our father’s love of music and how it continues to influence our lives, long after his passing. 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.

Episode 31: The Trio on Meditation 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 meditation. Is meditation simply a popular trend, a fad?  Or will it help us to achieve a sense of well-being?  How do we practice meditation, especially when many priorities compete for our time? So put the kettle on. 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. Until next time, may we remember Sarah’s words: “May I be well. May I be happy. May I be loved.” Safe travels wherever your adventures take you today.

Episode 30:  Living our Creativity Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in. I am joined by my brother, Brian,  to discuss integrating creativity within our busy routines that compete for our time and energy. Do we celebrate or minimize the creativity within ourselves?  Brian has a marvelous understanding of the creative process and welcomes you to share your experience with us on TeaToastTrivia.com Put the kettle on and join in the conversation. 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. Creativity, at its foundation, is all about connecting. When we value our creative efforts, we accept an adventure that transcends time and location. We are all creators with a capacity to share our personal stories within the greater journey. One last thought comes from Henri Matisse: Creativity takes courage. ” May we embrace this call to action and celebrate our creative endeavours. So

Episode 29: Edinburgh to Vancouver with Liz Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in. My dear blogger friend, Liz, from the blog Leaping Life suggested a fabulous book written by her friend Maggy Pigott,  “How to Age Joyfully: Eight Steps to a Happier, Fuller Life.”  Liz, an intrepid writer, artist and community builder joined me in a huge leap into the podcasting unknown.  We created a podcast from a distance.  How distant is the distance you may ask? It is a very good question. 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.  How to Age Joyfully: Eight Steps to a Happier, Fuller Life is a profound reflection on what it means to embrace every moment of our journey. This is

Episode 28: Should We Complain? Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in. I am joined by my mother, Frances, and my sister, Sarah, to discuss the question – Should we complain? According to many sources – and you know that there are many sources found in a google search –  complaining is detrimental. One article noted that research clearly indicates that listening to complaints of any kind, including venting our personal grievances, will produce a downward trend in our emotional outlook.  Another article warned that complaining could alter our brain.  YIKES!    Why then, do we indulge in complaining? Should we put on our “happy face” and ignore problems, avoid them, dismiss them?    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 Frances, Sarah and me on Tea Toast & Trivia.

Episode 27: Stephanie on Bold Moves Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in. I am joined by my workout coach, Stephanie, for a conversation about embracing an active and healthy lifestyle. Mark Twain once wrote, “The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not.” This was said in jest, with Mark Twain’s famous tongue-in-cheek style. But how many of us believe there may be an inkling of truth in his words. Stephanie has a refreshing way of looking at her day-to-day routine. A working mother of two beautiful children, she structures her day for planning nutritious meals and physical activity. Well-being is a life-long journey, she says. And it is worth the effort. Everyone is unique and must be guided by individual preferences, depending upon where you are right now. Her motto is “being bold moves mountains.”   For many, including me, that boldness may take the form of baby steps. So put the kettle on and liste

Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia, Episode 26 Thank you for listening in. I am joined by my mother Frances for a conversation about the aging process. I have never really understood the phrase: you are as young as you feel.  Birthdays come and go, and I feel the same. It’s only when I look back at photos that show a young woman of 18 ready to take on the world that I realize the passage of time.  She recognized the possibilities, while I have lived the possibilities, the marvelous adventures that have come through the years.   And yet, we are the same for we live in the moment, with expectation and anticipation. So put the kettle on and let’s talk about aging.  Better yet, the art of aging. I am your host Rebecca Budd and I’m looking forward to sharing this moment with you. Thank you for joining Frances and me on Tea Toast & Trivia.  Embracing and celebrating aging is a choice and acceptance of  who we are in the moment. My dear blogger friend, Liz from Leaping Life sugge

Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia, Episode 25. Thank you for listening in. Robert Louis Stevenson once wrote, “You think those dogs will not be in heaven! I tell you they will be there long before any of us.” I believe this is true because of Daisy, a gentle, beautiful husky that has become an invaluable addition to our family. Today I am joined by Alisha, Daisy’s mother who, along with her fiancé, Ben has given Daisy a welcoming home. So put the kettle on and join in the conversation.  We love to hear from you on TeaToastTrivia.com I am your host Rebecca Budd and I’m looking forward to sharing this moment with you. A special thank you to Alisha.  Check out Daisy’s personal Instagram account, Lazy Husky Daisy.  In September, she will move to Calgary with her parents.  She is going to love the Alberta winters. I can see her playing in the snow. One last thought comes from Milan Kundara: “Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a h

Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia, Episode 24! Thank you for listening in. I am joined by my sister, Sarah and my mother Frances for a lively discussion on personal growth.  Should we have an intentional plan for personal growth, or do we just let life happen and respond as we go along?  How do we know whether we have made progress?  According to experts, personal growth and development is essential if we are ever to realize our full potential.   Personal Growth, Intentional Growth, Full Potential – these are powerful words, but words that hold many meanings and ambiguities So put the kettle on and join in the conversation.  We love to hear from you on TeaToastTrivia.com I am your host Rebecca Budd and I’m looking forward to sharing this moment with you  ****** Thank you for listening in and sharing this moment with Sarah, Frances and me. Reaching our full potential is a choice and acceptance of the possibilities awaiting our arrival, around the next bend in the road. As Henr

Episode 23:  Friendship Through the Voice of Poet Jean-Jacques Fournier Welcome to Tea Toast & Trivia! The refreshing taste of an iced fruit tea on a hot summer afternoon in August adds to the pure enjoyment of reading the poetry of my dear friend and poet, Jean-Jacques Fournier. Jean-Jacques Fournier is a native of Montreal and has been living  in the Eastern Townships (QC) since 2010 with his French wife Marianne. Before returning to Canada, he lived eight glorious years in the South of France, first in Vence, which is situated in the hills of the Alpes Maritime overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Then in Grasse, considered the world’s capital of perfume. It sounds marvelous, does it not? Jean-Jacques’s poetry expresses the emotional depth and breadth of the human experience. Join me as I explore the theme of friendship through the voice and words of poetry by Jean-Jacques Fournier I’m your host, Rebecca Budd and I’m looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

Episode 22: The Power of Listening  Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia! Thank you for listening in on Episode 22 of the Tea Toast & Trivia podcast conversation. I am joined by my sister, Sarah, and my mother, Frances, as we discuss the power of listening. How do we engage our sense of hearing to influence communities, both local and global? So put the kettle on and join in the conversation. I am your host Rebecca Budd and I’m looking forward to sharing this moment with you.   Thank you to all those who have joined the podcast conversation and blog, Tea Toast & Trivia! When I first started to blog, and now podcast, I thought it was all about writing and commenting. Over the months, I have come understand that it is more about listening to the voices in the community.  Listening is dynamic, not static.  It is a powerful activity that can influence outcomes and institute radical change. Speaking and writing can only take us part of the way.  Listening is the dimension where next st

Episode 21: Tea With Poet Mario de Andrade Welcome to Tea. Toast. & Trivia. This is the third podcast of the series called,  “It’s all about tea.” So put the kettle on and join me in discussing the mysteries and adventures of tea: their origins, myths, aromas and delicious tastes.  Today, we are heading to Brazil to meet up with the Mário de Andrade, Brazilian poet, novelist, musicologist, art historian,  photographer and one of the founders of Brazilian modernism My name is Rebecca Budd and I’m looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

Episode 20: The Importance of Being Important Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in.  It is important to be important?  I am joined by my sister, Sarah and my mother Frances as we consider how we give value to ourselves and to others.  Are you important? Am I important? How do we define importance? So put the kettle on and listen in as we take on this, dare I say, important topic. I am your host Rebecca Budd and I’m looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

Episode 19:  It's About Time Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in.  The conversation today is about time.  I am joined by my sister, Sarah and my mother, Frances as we consider the gift of time. How do we honour the moments that have been given? What tools can we use to achieve the best possible outcome for living a full and productive life. So put the kettle on and listen in as we discuss the exciting and sometimes nerve-wracking, to-do lists, day planners, and time management tools. 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.  One last thought on "time" comes from the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus, who lived in Ephesus from 535 BCE to 473 BCE.  “Time is a game played beautifully by children.”  May we remember that our time belongs to us. Let us open this gift with the exuberance of a child. Until next time, safe travels.

Episode 18:  In the Chicken Coop Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Good morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening, – wherever you are, thank you for listening in. 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 on the table. So put the kettle on and listen in as Frances and I look back on farming in the 1930’s and 1940’s. I am your host Rebecca Budd and I’m looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

Episode 17: Dancing with Daffodils. 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’m taking poetry with my tea. 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. So put the kettle on and join me as we meet up with William Wordsworth. I am your host Rebecca Budd, and I’m looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

Episode 16: Conversations with Frances  Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Good morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening, – wherever you are, thank you for listening in.  Your presence is truly appreciated. All of us have a story to tell.  Our lives are full of drama, celebrations, joys, sorrows – even a little mystery, intrigue, and magic are sprinkled on some of the more mundane moments My mother, Frances was my first storyteller.  Over the years we have shared many narratives. So put the kettle on and listen in as mom and I look back on – Well, I’ll let you find out for yourself. I am your host Rebecca Budd and I’m looking forward to sharing this moment with you