Tea. Toast. & Trivia.

S5 E4: Celebrating Up Helly Aa with Sarah McBurnie January 31, 2023, the last Tuesday of January, the fire festival of Up Helly Aa is happening. A huge torchlight procession of hundreds of Vikings is marching through the streets of Lerwick, carrying flaming torches and singing traditional Norse skalds. 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 have arrived virtually in Lerwick, Shetland to meet up with my friend, Sarah McBurnie who was our intrepid guide on our 2018 Shetland adventure. Up Helly Aa is happening tonight. Sarah has invited us to celebrate Shetland’s Norse heritage with her.   I have always wanted to attend Up Helly Aa, so join me for a Viking adventure that promises feasting, music, and dancing! Listeners, thank you for joining Sarah and me on Tea Toast & Trivia. And a special thank you Sarah for sharing the excitement of Up Helly Aa.   You were an excellent guide

S5 E3: Celebrating Robert Burns & Address to the Haggis Some hae meat and canna eat, And some wad eat that want it, But we hae meat and we can eat, And sae the Lord be thankit.” Robert Burns is one of the most important figures in Scottish culture and history. Every year, Scots and people around the world come together to celebrate the life and works of the beloved poet. There are many reasons why we should celebrate Robert Burns and his contributions to Scotland. Regarded as the national poet of Scotland, Robert Burns writings celebrate Scottish culture and identity. He wrote extensively about the history of Scotland, and his works are often seen as a representation of the struggles and triumphs of the Scottish people. He was a great advocate for social justice. His poetry and narratives are often used to inspire people to strive for a more just and equitable society. Robert Burns’ poetry is varied in its themes and styles, and his writings have been adapted to numerous musical genres. His best-known wor

S5 E2: On the Road with Bryan Davis and Cary Hubbard “Cars are almost part of my physiology. I grew up playing amongst the dusty shelves of my family’s auto parts store. In my reckless youth pushing our delivery trucks to the point of mechanical failure was the best way I could find to learn about cars and how they worked. As a responsible adult I channel that interest into connecting with fellow enthusiasts through events, writing and social media.” Bryan Davis, Esoteric Automotive Antiquarian 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 travelling virtually to Albuquerque to meet up with Cary Hubbard of Cary’s Garage, who you know from the Project Z Car Revival podcast series at Tea Toast & Trivia.  From Albuquerque, Cary and I are winging our way across to New York to connect with Bryan Davis, Automotive Writer, and Social Media Manager.  Bryan is known as an Esoteric Automotive Anti

S5 E1: Catherine Cavendish on Writing Gothic Horror “1941. In the dark days of war-torn London, Violet works in Churchill’s subterranean top secret Cabinet War Rooms, where key decisions that will dictate Britain’s conduct of the war are made. Above, the people of London go about their daily business as best they can, unaware of the life that teems beneath their feet. Night after night the bombs rain down, yet Violet has far more to fear than air raids. A mysterious man, a room only she can see, memories she can no longer trust, and a best friend who denies their shared past… Something or someone – is targeting her.” Catherine Cavendish, Dark Observation 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. Join me as I travel virtually to the sea in Southport, England, to meet up with writer, Catherine Cavendish, who has given us paranormal, ghostly, and Gothic horror novels and novellas. Her novels include Dark O

S4 E46: Season‘s Greetings from Ottawa, Ontario Wishing You The Joy Of Family The Warmth Of Friends & The Gifts Of Laughter, Peace & Love! Rebecca A special thank you to my brother, Brian R Brodhead, who provided the music accompaniment of Silent Night.

Season 4 Episode 45: Merril D Smith on A Poet’s Voice "frost-specked the grass glistens  in October moonlight, silvered pale…a scurry of mice, ghost-like."  Merril D. Smith, The Moons of Autumn: Word Weaving # 1: A Word Craft Journal of Syllabic Verse 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. The Moons of Autumn: A Word Craft Journal of Syllabic Verse, edited by Colleen M. Chesebro and JulesPaige is a profound exploration of Japanese and American syllabic poetry.  The theme of this journal was influenced by the Harvest, Hunter’s, and Frost moons, which are the names given to the three full moons that transpire during the autumn months.   Within the pages of this poetry collection, the diverse mix of syllabic poetry has ignited my desire to explore a poetic journey. Today, I am delighted that Merril D Smith whose poetry is featured in “The Moons of Autumn” has joined me to

S4 E44: Emma Trotter on Lyon in Mourning and the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion "The Lyon in Mourning is a collection of Journals, Narratives, and Memoranda relating to the life of Prince Charles Edward Stuart at and subsequent to the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745.The formation of this collection was to a great extent the life-work of the Rev. Robert Forbes, M.A., Bishop of Ross and Caithness.” From the Preface, Lyon in Mourning Welcome to Tea Toast & Trivia. Thank you for listening in. I am your host, Rebecca Budd, and I look forward to sharing this moment with you. Dr. Leith Davis, Professor of English at Simon Fraser University is a co-founder of the Department of English’s Master of Arts program with Specialization in Print Culture. She is the Director of Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Scottish Studies.  Her current project, which she discussed in a previous TTT podcast, is on The Lyon in Mourning, Memoirs of The Rebellion of 1745. It is a collaboration with the National Library of Scotland and

S4 E43: Timothy Price on Music and Creative Endeavour Reflections dive deep Into swift waters stilled Winter’s magic ethereal light Walks on water, river sprites Tiptoe under thin light gleaming Watchful sliver moon alone Slips between shadows, darkness Chimeric light leads me home Excerpt from a Walk in Winter by Timothy Price @TimothyPrice 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 traveling virtually to Albuquerque, New Mexico to meet up with my blogger friend, writer, poet, musician, and photographer, Timothy Price. He joins me today for a discussion on music and creative endeavour. I have been following Tim’s blog since my first introduction to him on Resa McConaghy’s blog,  Art Gowns, The Art of Glamorous Fantasy. Tim has a marvelous sense of humour and a love of photography and music.  What I especially appreciated about Tim is that he provides sustained support and encouragement f

S4 42 The Trio on Living the Dream Welcome to tea Toast and Trivia Thank you for listening in! I am your host, Rebecca Budd, and I look forward to sharing this moment with you. Today, I am joined by my mother, Frances, and my sister, Sarah, for a discussion on what does it mean to live the dream life. I invite you to put the kettle on and add to this exciting conversation. Frances, Sarah and I look forward to your thoughts on Tea Toast & Trivia! Until next time we meet, safe travels wherever your adventures take you. Music by Howard Harper-Barnes "Memories of Marigold"  #EpidemicSound https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/YldSXDgo21/

S4 E41:  D.L. Finn on A Poet’s Voice blood red trees autumn’s forest glows hunter moon D.L Finn, Word Weaving # 1: A Word Craft Journal of Syllabic Verse 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. The Moons of Autumn: A Word Craft Journal of Syllabic Verse, edited by Colleen M. Chesebro and JulesPaige is a profound exploration of Japanese and American syllabic poetry.  The theme of this journal was influenced by the Harvest, Hunter’s, and Frost moons, which are the names given to the three full moons that transpire during the autumn months.   Within the pages of this poetry collection, the diverse mix of syllabic poetry has ignited my desire to explore a poetic journey.  Today, I am delighted that D.L. Finn whose poetry is featured in “The Moons of Autumn” has joined me to give voice to her poetry. Welcome to the first podcast in the series, “A Poet’s Voice”, which brings words

S4 E40: Tristan Price and Cary Hubbard on the Project Z Car Revival 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. A few weeks ago, I attended a family wedding in Squamish, British Columbia, the town famous for mountain biking and hiking in summer and snowmobiling and back-country skiing in winter. When we arrived in the parking area of our hotel, we were surprised to find a Red 1993 Suzuki Sidekick JL parked in a nearby parking space.   Even more amazing, when we looked closer, we realized that this was the car that we purchased in 1993.  When we met up with the current owner, we were told that she was the fourth owner of our car. Cars have personal histories, too! Today I am excited that I will be heading back Cary’s Garage for an update on the Project Z Car Revival project.   You will recall that Tim Price from Off Center & Not Even  introduced me to Cary Hubbard fro

S4 E38: Looking back with Frances on Farming "There are few left alive now who remember those days.  There were none of the new inventions of tractor driven machinery that became available to the more prosperous farmers in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s.  The machinery was horse or mule driven.  For the women, there were no modern stoves or refrigerators.  Milk and butter were kept cold by lowering the items into the cisterns in the warm summer months.  Cooking stoves used for preparing meals made the kitchen extremely and almost unbearably hot in the summertime.” Frances, My Mother's Memoirs Welcome to Tea Toast & Trivia. Thank you for listening in! Today, I am joined by my mother, Frances, to remember what it was like to live on a farm in the 1930’s and 1940’s. We invite you to put the kettle on and add to this exciting discussion. Thank you for joining Frances and me on Tea Toast and Trivia. Until next time we meet, safe travels wherever your adventures lead you.

S4 E38: Darlene Foster Reading Amanda in France: Fire in the Cathedral 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. Public libraries and bookstores have expanded their reach into a global community. Book readings have gone virtual.  We are learning to embrace technology in new ways.  Welcome to the podcast series, “Authors Reading their Books”, which brings authors and their books from across the world to your home.  I invite you to put the kettle on and join the conversation on Tea Toast & Trivia. I am your host Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you. I am thrilled to introduce Darlene Foster who has graciously agreed to b

Season 4 Episode 37: H.S. Eglund on the Sun and Solar Energy Welcome to Tea Toast & Trivia. Thank you for listening in. I am you host, Rebecca Budd, and I look forward to sharing this moment with you. I am travelling virtually over 7900 kilometers to Berlin, Germany to meet up with my friend, Eglund, journalist and writer, to discuss the sun and the energy that comes from the sun. Eglund believes that the topic of solar energy should not be reduced to the technical side of solar cells.  Humanity has had and continues to have a connection to the sun throughout history. Eglund is an engineer and publicist. He worked as a science journalist and reporter in Africa for several German newspapers.  Since 2005, his focus has been on the environmental initiatives. As a specialist journalist for renewable energies, he works within media related to the ecological energy transition, first of all about solar energy. I invite you to put the kettle on and add to this exciting conversation on Tea Toast & Trivia. Than

S4 E36:  Shehanne Moore on Dundee’s Famous Poet, William McGonagall “I may say Dame Fortune has been very kind to me by endowing me with the genius of poetry.” William McGonagall, The Autobiography of Sir William Topaz McGonagall 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. Join me as I travel virtually to Broughty Ferry, Scotland, Dundee’s Historic Seaside Village, to meet up with my friend, writer, and publisher, Shehanne Moore. Shehanne has given us exciting historical romances – O’Roarke’s Destiny, His Judas Bride, Loving Lady Lazuli, The Unraveling of Lady Fury, and the list goes on. As many of you know, Shehanne, has extensive knowledge of classical literature.  A few months ago, she introduced me to William McGonagall, one of Scotland’s best-known poets. I confess that I had never heard this name before. William McGonagall was the son of the working-class Irish handloom weavers

“There is no way to define my engagement in this process other than to call it a passion.  A passion for supporting immigrants and refugees in every way possible and for enhancing communication and understanding for all people.” Joseph Macdonald, Strategic and Business Development Specialist S4 E35:  Joseph Macdonald on Engaging within a Global Community 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 travelling virtually across the Canadian Rockies to Calgary, Alberta, where I am meeting up with Joseph Macdonald, an innovative thinker who connects with businesses to facilitate overcoming challenges.  Joseph is a brilliant communicator who fosters a sense of purpose and commitment within organizations, both private and public, enhancing opportunities for growth and influence. He believes that collaborative problem-solving encourages personal growth and increased job satisfaction. Joseph is

S4 E34: Looking Back with Frances on Sod Houses Welcome to Tea Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in. I am your host, Rebecca Budd, and I look forward to sharing this moment with you. May 22, 2022, The City of Vancouver held a symposium to feature best practices in green roof design, maintenance and policy making on the West Coast.  This was in response to Vancouver’s ambitious targets of having all new buildings “carbon neutral” by 2030.  One of the strategies is to promote green roofs as a way of managing rainwater.  It is called the RainCity Strategy. The United States Environment Protection Agency supports this strategy: “Green roofs have been proven to help reduce heat islands.”  The European Commission recognizes the multiple benefits of green roofs in a new EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change. Green Roofs are emerging as a global strategy.   And yet, green roofs have been with us throughout history.  We continue to build on knowledge that has come

S4 E33: Traveling to Halifax with Michelle Hunter Welcome to Tea Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in. Living in the reality of Covid-19, travel has been curtailed, internationally as well as domestically.   While travel is coming back, I have found that virtual travel is possible through the alchemy of technology. Welcome to Tea Toast & Trivia – “The Virtual Journey” which will explore new horizons through the eyes of a friend.  As Marcel Proust reminds me, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” Today, I am traveling back to Halifax to meet up with my friend and colleague, Michelle Hunter. Halifax is located in the Maritime Province of Nova Scotia on the Eastern Coast of Canada. Halifax is also the home of my Alma Mater, Dalhousie University, where Michelle and I first met twenty years ago. Michelle Hunter is the Acting Director of the Centre for Executive and Graduate Education, Dalhousie University.  She has been a

S4 E32: Dan Antion Reading “Knuckleheads: Book 1 in the Dreamer’s Alliance Series” 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. Public libraries and bookstores have expanded their reach into a global community. Book readings have gone virtual.  We are learning to embrace technology in new ways.  Welcome the podcast series, “Authors Reading their Books”, which brings authors and their books from across the world to your home. I invite you to put the kettle on and join the conversation on Tea Toast & Trivia. I am your host, Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you. I am

S4 E31: Lily Style on the Love Story of Emma, Lady Hamilton & Lord Nelson Lily Style “Horatia’s Secret” Lady Hamilton, illuminated by the early evening sun, smiled radiantly. “Horatia, my darling, but you are doing so very well. You are walking all by yourself, and so far! Good Lord Nelson will be so proud when I tell him; and I am proud too! God bless you, my darling!  Come here and give me a hug.’ She held her arms wide, encouraging her to toddle further, but caught her as soon as she stumbled, and drew her in close. “Oh, you are such a clever, and very good girl!’” 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. Lily Style, writer, historian, and genealogist, and I are once again connecting the village of South Brent in Devon, Britain and Vancouver, Canada to discuss the remarkable life and legacy of Emma, Lady Hamilton, the great love of Admiral Lord Nelson. Lily is the direct descendant of