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"Her book is a gift to all of us."— Patrick Lane, author of There is a Season Following the lead of her earlier bestselling books, Anny Scoones once again charms and inspires readers with her insights and observations. Using her experiences on a farm as a backdrop, Anny muses on the environment, fate, time and aging. In this collection of personal memoirs, Anny reaches deeper into what nature, rural life and agriculture mean to us. She explores the thrills, joys and disasters of what really happens in the countryside and nearby towns. Stories vary from a rescued dog Anny met in the town bank, to a grand old white pine tree that was given a new purpose, to a horse who couldn’t relax without blackberries, to the joys of the garage sale—even a recipe for quince jelly. The book is illustrated by renowned Canadian artists Molly Lamb Bobak and Bruno Bobak. True Home is the third and final part of the Glamorgan Farm collection, tales of one of the oldest pioneer farms on Vancouver Island.
"A collection of humorous anecdotes about Vancouver Island's unique quirks, from the south end to the north from beloved storyteller Anny Scoones."--
Join beloved storyteller Anny Scoones as she sets out to discover the quaint and quirky charms of Victoria, BC. Not just a book of facts, Hometown is a gentle stroll through a diverse region with a fascinating and layered history. Observe, pause, ponder, and have what Anny likes to call "a little think" on the various characteristics and personalities of these areas. Consider not only how public art, beach creatures, monuments, heritage and historical features create a neighbourhood and contribute to a larger city, but also how they make us feel, how they move us. Illustrated with 120 original watercolours by acclaimed artist Robert Amos, and featuring unique poems by Victoria's poet laureate, Janet Rogers, Hometown: Out and About in Victoria's Neighbourhoods presents Canada's most livable city as the locals see it.
Join beloved storyteller Anny Scoones as she sets out to discover the quaint and quirky charms of Victoria, BC. Not just a book of facts, Hometown is a gentle stroll through a diverse region with a fascinating and layered history. Observe, pause, ponder, and have what Anny likes to call “a little think” on the various characteristics and personalities of these areas. Consider not only how public art, beach creatures, monuments, heritage and historical features create a neighbourhood and contribute to a larger city, but also how they make us feel, how they move us. Illustrated with 120 original watercolours by acclaimed artist Robert Amos, and featuring unique poems by Victoria’s poet laureate, Janet Rogers, Hometown: Out and About in Victoria’s Neighbourhoods presents Canada’s most livable city as the locals see it.
Molly Lamb Bobak (1922-2014) was the first woman to travel overseas as an official Canadian war artist. She was also the daughter of famous Canadian artist Harold Mortimer-Lamb, whose contemporaries included Emily Carr, A.Y. Jackson, and Jack Shadbolt. In this homage to her artist mother, Anny Scoones rounds out her mother's public profile by revealing personal stories. Anny's memories reveal the funny and touching details of her relationship with Molly, from the road trips they took together to the visits Molly would make to Victoria to visit Anny on Glamorgan Farm, and the lovely chaos that ensued when Anny's five dogs would greet Molly in the car. Anny shares their little inside jokes and the memories they made together in a way that brings their connection-beyond mother-daughter bond to close friendship-to life for the reader.
Shortlisted for the 2016 Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize. Tod Inlet has been a place of refuge for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, but few are aware of its history. This tiny fjord, less than a half hour from downtown Victoria, is part of Gowlland Tod Provincial Park and is accessed by a forested path beside Tod Creek. For centuries it was the home of the WSÁNEć (Saanich) people, providing everything for their spiritual and material sustenance. In the early part of the twentieth century a small company town grew on its shores. Houses, a railway, a clay mill, a factory and a dock for steamships were built for the Vancouver Portland Cement Company. When the cement company had exhaus...
A wealthy madam who was known from San Francisco to Victoria in the early part of the 20th century, Stella Carroll was glamorous, worldly and determined to succeed. Her bordellos were fashionably decorated and patronized by the affluent and the powerful; she offered the best of everything--fine food and wine, cigars, entertainment and, of course, girls. The author, with the cooperation of Stella's family in California and New Mexico, has provided an intimate portrait of this infamous, unrepentant woman, her business and her tenuous relationships with double-dealing politicians and corrupt police, whose cooperation was essential to her success in the shadowy world she inhabited. Stella was a woman of contrasts. Her scandalous lifestyle and fiery temper often landed her in court on morals charges, yet she was devoted to and supportive of her family and gave generously to orphans and charities. This compelling non-fiction narrative is a fascinating look at Stella's life and at how things were in Victoria 100 years ago.
In her best-selling first book, Home: Tales of a Heritage Farm (2005), Anny Scoones introduced readers to historic Glamorgan Farm. In Home and Away, Anny presents more stories about the joys and sorrows, excitements and mishaps and also takes readers farther afield, sharing with them her travels to other parts of Canada, to New York and to such places as Malaysia and Belarus. Her travel tales offer not only her keen observations on what she sees and experiences while away, but also her perspective from afar on the importance of having a place to return to that truly is home. Anny has owned Glamorgan Farm since 2000. Located in North Saanich, B.C., it's one of the original farms and homestead...
A collection of humorous essays about Vancouver Island’s unique quirks, from the south end to the north from beloved storyteller, Anny Scoones. Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands have a reputation for their ineffable charisma, laid-back pace, and distinct grooviness. As Anny Scoones travels the length of our beloved Vancouver Island, and visits the little coastal and inland towns and iconic places, she shares her observations, musing on its fascinating and layered history. Whether it’s an account of the chainsaw carving festival in Campbell River, a take on the giant gnome just north of Nanoose Bay, or a description of folks met at the Foggy Mountain Fall Fair in Cumberland, this book...
Two friends. Five months. One car. Ten provinces. Three territories. Seven islands. Eight ferries. Two flights. One 48-hour train ride. And only one call to CAA. The result: over 100 incredible Canadian recipes from coast to coast and the Great White North. In the midst of a camping trip in Squamish, British Columbia, Lindsay Anderson and Dana VanVeller decided that the summer of 2013 might be the right time for an adventure. And they knew what they wanted that adventure to be: a road trip across the entire country, with the purpose of writing about Canada's food, culture, and wealth of compelling characters and their stories. 37,000 kilometres later, and toting a "Best Culinary Travel Blog"...