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The Remains Of The Bay

The Remains Of The Bay

It’s been a funny time to be Canadian, lately.

Even watching from afar, the renewed passion for our home and native land (as the national anthem says) has been startling to see, as threats to make the country “the 51st state” have come from south of the border. Think pieces in august publications like The Atlantic have even discussed what an invasion—however unlikely it seems—might look like, if the trade war became a real one.

And the reaction has been passionate. Canadians have always loved the maple leaf on our flag, but the addition of the phrase ‘elbows up’—a hockey defence for when you’re being charged by an opponent, meaning the first thing they’ll hit is a nice sharp elbow.

Democracy Sausage

Democracy Sausage

They say a week is a long time, in politics.

For those of us who live in Australia or Canada—or if you’re a citizen of both countries, like me—this has been a very long week indeed.

Monday was the Canadian federal election, in which the Liberal Party of Canada pulled of the seemingly impossible and came from almost certain defeat to nearly winning a majority government. And here in Australia (as I write this), polls are about 2h from closing in our federal race as well. It’s not nearly as contentious, but potentially just as consequential…

Life of Byron

Life of Byron

We’ve been away.

It’s been quite a while since I posted an essay here—but also, we got out of town for a few days.

If you’ve visited Australia, you’ve probably heard of Byron Bay; it’s one of those towns whose reputation precedes it—beautiful beaches, surfers with Kombi vans, a relaxed lifestyle, music festivals, did I mention the beaches?

And yes, all of that is true, which is why when a friend very kindly offered his house for a week, we jumped at the chance to have a bit of summer in winter. (Yes, this is what Byron looks like in winter!)