Tea. Toast. & Trivia.

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

Episode 15: Celebrating Leonardo Welcome to Tea Toast & Trivia.  Thank you for listening in… Today, I want to celebrate Leonardo da Vinci’s 500th anniversary by looking beyond his list of great things accomplished, his titles of polymath, universal genius, renaissance man. Who was Leonardo, the person?  What did he eat? What did he wear?  What music did he hear? Who were his friends? So put the kettle on and join me as I look back on a remarkable life.  A life that was set in a remarkable age and continues to have a remarkable influence on our current reality. I am your host, Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

Episode 14: A Ghost Story. Do you believe in Ghosts?  Even the most ardent doubter listens spellbound to  a great ghost story.  We shudder in fear and then try to laugh off the nagging fear that maybe there is something to the spooky narrative. For those who have seen a ghost - well, ghosts are real to them for they have experienced the explainable. They have apparently joined the chosen few who have encountered an invisible world that at times, seems to intersect our reality.   Scientists generally agree that ghosts do not exist and yet they cannot disprove their existence. So, the ghost hunters continue their explorations.  It seems that deep in our DNA we have links to our ancient past and pre-literate cultures, who believed that ghosts do walk abroad.  Closer to home, think of Marley’s ghost  and the opening lines in “A Christmas Carol.” “Marley was dead to begin with.  There is no doubt whatever about that.  The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker and the chief m

Episode 13: Welcome to Tea Toast & Trivia! Today is Storytelling time. We love narratives.  We read novels, watch movies, attend theatre productions  and follow  television miniseries. Why? To find a story, to share the joys, hopes, challenges that will lead to a happily ever after conclusion. How do we tell our story? So put the kettle on and  join Sarah, Frances and me as we discuss the importance of sharing our personal narratives.  I am your host Rebecca Budd and I’m looking forward to sharing this moment with you. We encourage you to share your story. As Mary Oliver once wrote, “Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.

Episode 12: Tea & Oranges Welcome to Tea. Toast. & Trivia. This is the second podcast in the series called,  “It’s all about tea.” So put the kettle on and join me for Tea, Toast and Trivia, where we will discuss the mysteries and adventures of tea: their origins, myths, aromas and delicious tastes. My name is Rebecca Budd and I’m looking forward to sharing this moment with you. Edmonton was where I was introduced to a famous blend of tea flavoured with a secret recipe (of course it would be secret) of orange rind and sweet spice.  Oh, the aroma was marvelous.  It also was a nod to my favourite young Canadian poet, Leonard Cohen.  Do you remember this... “Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river You can hear the boats go by, you can spend the night forever And you know that she’s half-crazy but that’s why you want to be there And she feeds you tea and oranges that come all the way from China” Ah, Leonard Cohen.  Did Suzanne really serve him tea and oranges that came

Episode 11: The conversation today is about fashion. I am joined by my sister, Sarah and my mother Frances as we look back on how fashion has shaped our personal understanding of elegance, beauty, trends and sustainability.   So put the kettle on and listen in as we discuss sewing machines, patterns, gloves, hats and more. I am your host, Rebecca Budd and I’m looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

Episode 10: Today is World Book Day, a celebration that has been in place since April 23, 1995. UNESCO chose the date carefully. In the past, Spanish tradition sets aside April 23rd as “The Rose Day” when friends and family exchange roses, however in 1926 there was a transition to exchanging books to commemorate the passing of renowned Spanish author, Miguel de Cervantes, who passed on April 22, 1616. April 23rd also remembers William Shakespeare’s anniversary of his death 1616. Two great authors who died a day apart, inspire us today to treasure books - not by placing them carefully behind book cases with glass doors, but by reading them cover to cover, again and again. Words carry ideas and ideas transform the way we think, live and engage within a wider community.

Episode 9: On April 14, 2019, The Sun Run encompassed the Vancouver weekend scene. It is a wonderful event. Participants, both runners and walkers, embarked on a scenic course that runs through Stanley Park, the downtown corridors of Burrard and Georgia before heading over Cambie Street Bridge to the finish line. It was a celebration and testament to months of physical preparation and long hours of planning. Live music filled the streets and added to the high spirits.  What passed by unnoticed in all of excitement of the Sun Run, was an anniversary of another well-known event that happened on April 13, 1742 at the Fishamble Street Musick Hall in Dublin. That night, the world was given a gift of music that continues to captivate audiences to this day. Oh, to be in that first audience of 700. It was a packed crowd. Men left their swords at home and women agreed to wear dresses without hoops to make room for other concert goers.  

Episode 8:  Welcome to Tea. Toast. & Trivia. This episode is the first of the series called, “It’s all about tea.” So put the kettle on and join me for Tea, Toast and Trivia, where we will discuss the mysteries and adventures of tea: their origins, myths, aromas and fragrant tastes. I’m making a special cup of tea today.  And it all started about a week ago, when I happened to meet a friend on the street.  It was early morning and the flow of traffic was in progress. He was on his way to work, carrying a thermal coffee carafe. “Enjoy your coffee,” I said as we parted company. “Oh no, not coffee” he said. "Mornings are about tea and this is a tea that very few people dare to drink.” What tea would be that formidable?  The answer is in the podcast.

Episode 7: I  walk with crows that share the pathway along the Vancouver Seawall. While they guard their territory with a proprietary determination, they have come to recognize my presence and agree to pose for my camera. I look forward to our conversations, and suspect that I am at the greater disadvantage. They seem to understand my language more than I do theirs. Even within our age of technology, we have a deep need to connect with our earth and fellow creatures.  There is a bond between us. That is, the need for community and belonging. We seek the company of those we love and feel a kindred bond. Just as the crows gather in the fading light of a April evening, we look forward to the shelter and safety of homecoming. 

Thank you for joining my mom, Frances and me on Tea Toast and Trivia.  The One Room Schoolhouse is the first in a series of podcasts that look back on a time that will never be again. I am reminded by the words of Søren Kierkegaard who wrote, “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”  Conversations with my mother allow me to explore knowledge transfer from one generation to the other.  Your visit and presence are very much appreciated.  Until next time, safe travels.

Today is Vincent Van Gogh’s 166 Birthday. While he was relatively unknown in his lifetime, he is one of the most beloved artists of our time.  In today’s world, Vincent van Gogh’s artworks rank with the most expensive paintings to have ever sold at auction.  Even so, his legacy is more poignant and profound. Vincent van Gogh’s greatest gift is found in his thoughtful and reverent understanding of humanity’s need to feel complete, to be at peace within nature, to experience and share a deeply felt love that transforms our lives and those around us. “Love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well.” Vincent Van Gogh

Join me as I travel across the ocean to Shetland, where the fresh sea air and rugged landscape captures the spirit of the adventurous souls. Shetland is in the northern region of the United Kingdom just above the Orkney Islands. There are many stories held safe in Shetland’s complex geology of faults and fold axes, metamorphic rocks, granite intrusions and the assemblage of rocks called “the Old Red Sandstone.”  The 1840’s onward were marked by the booming herring industry that propelled Shetland to the pinnacle of Europe’s go-to place for herring. Unst was at the centre of the hubbub. This small island became a vital Herring port - a powerhouse of employment opportunities.    Men would bring in the fish. But a workforce was needed to gut the fish and ready them for market.  It was brave, hardworking women who responded.  They were called Gutter Lasses.

Episode 3: Let’s talk about artists.  Are you an artist? Am I an artist? Most of us, if asked, “are you an artist?” would hesitate to answer “yes.”    After all, that label applies to the great ones:  Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Cassatt, Picasso, Monet, O’Keeffe and the list goes on. Do we dare compare ourselves to that brilliant assembly? How do we define art, talent, beauty, if we do not have some form of creativity within ourselves? 

Episode 2: Join the conversation with Sarah Ahmadi sharing her insights on building a compassionate community.

Episode 1: Join the first podcast of Tea Toast & Trivia. Rebecca Budd discusses procrastination - viewed a different way.