Last month I wrote about how I was exchanging books with my 16-year-old niece, Avery, for my summer reading selection. She would read a book of my choosing, and I would read one that she picked out. I gave her Treveryan, by Angela DuMaurier, and she gave me The Last … Continue reading
Since shooting pictures at the Okanagan Lavender Herb Farm for the Legacy of Lavender story we ran earlier this month, I have had the above picture as my wall paper on my computer. The lavender dancing across the screen and the bold combination of colours both inspires and entrances me. … Continue reading
I love having a patio. Especially on days like today, when you can’t get the kids in bed fast enough (bless them, but you know what I’m talking about, right?), the house looks like it was hit by a hurricane (or worse, two tiny but busy little people) and the … Continue reading
We recently lost a member of our family. Our dear cat, Sarah Vaughan, recently went to live in a new home. After sharing my abode for the past seven years, fate (aka two vivacious children) determined that it was time for Sarah to move on to a place she would experience more … Continue reading
“Lavender’s blue, dilly dilly, lavender’s green, when I am king, dilly, dilly, you shall be queen. who told you so, dilly, dilly, who told you so? twas my own heart, dilly, dilly, that told me so.” Even before the row upon row of lavender bushes at the Okanagan Lavender Herb … Continue reading
Not long ago I posted something on a 25 Club I belong to. There’s 12 of us in the group and we meet once a month. Each time we get together we bring $25 to put in a jar. Before the evening ends, someone’s name is drawn and the winner … Continue reading
“Life is deep and simple. Society has made it shallow and complicated.” -Mr. Rogers I envy my mother’s childhood. Growing up in the orchards of East Kelowna, she had one of those childhoods where the kids would hit the countryside shortly after breakfast and stay out until lunch – or … Continue reading
Judith Barta whipped up her first batch of honey mead in her kitchen about 10 years ago. Just for fun. She recently came upon some remnants of that batch – properly sealed and stored, naturally – and was pleased with the way it stood up over the years. Of course … Continue reading
For Canada’s 143rd birthday, we pulled out all the stops – as we do every July 1, pumping up our stereotypically modest patriotism for the day. We took our flag out of storage, donned red and white attire, and – best of all – feasted on pancakes with strawberries and … Continue reading
-Editor’s note: The Pear Tree is pleased to welcome Avery Philip as a guest columnist today. Avery is participating in a summer book exchange with her aunt, Pear Tree editor Lori-Anne Poirier, and is writing to introduce the book she chose. At the end of the summer, we will post … Continue reading
“Treveryan. I like to think of you stately and once so loved, at the end of the avenue of beeches; where once a yew tree stood; where a lake was in which swam wild swans.” -Angela du Maurier, Treveryan I first heard of the book Treveryan, by Angela du Maurier, … Continue reading
This morning I popped into the Women’s Emergency Shelter Thrift Shop on Lawrence Avenue, downtown in Kelowna, on a treasure hunting expedition. I hadn’t even gotten all the way through the door when my eyes fell on this little beauty. It’s a wooden, swinging cradle – presumably hand made, in … Continue reading
This spring and early summer in the Okanagan (and other, more far distant places I’ve read about) can hardly be described as balmy. Not so much gloriously sunny as one might hope. In fact, it’s been wet. And while it’s certainly not the rainiest June in memory (does anyone remember … Continue reading
Lindsay Goertzen has always loved being pampered. When visiting family in Kelowna, back in the days when she was a paramedic living in Manitoba, a spa visit was usually on the agenda. Occasionally, however, there were challenges. Like booking a party of friends or relatives for a treatment all at … Continue reading
Can a person fall in love on the back of a motorcycle? There was a time when I would have guffawed at the suggestion. Maybe in the movies, I would have said, but not in real life. Not in my life. Because I’ll also admit that there was a time, … Continue reading
Beauty, according to West Kelowna entrepreneur Jannine LeMere, comes from a love of life, passion for what you do and a little bit of shimmer around your face. These key ingredients have helped launch Jannine’s burgeoning business, Vintage Beauty Skincare Inc., into a going concern with a client list that … Continue reading
As the weather warms and new plants and seedlings take root, it sometimes seems that the Okanagan itself – soil, water, air and all – is about to burst into bloom. And indeed, within a couple of weeks there will be colourful blossoms around every turn. It’s hard to compete … Continue reading
Near the end of last year, I was invited to join a ’25 Club.’ Have you ever heard of one? It’s a social club – or group (it’s pretty informal) – with a mandate to gather once a month to socialize. But there’s a twist, and this is the clincher: … Continue reading
It’s small, black and dignified. But that’s not why I bought the Plain Reporter Pocket Moleskine Notebook. No, I fell, hook line and sinker, for the sales pitch: “Moleskine is the legendary notebook used by European artists and thinkers for the past two centuries, from Van Gogh to Picasso, from … Continue reading
Here in the Okanagan we claim to celebrate four seasons, but in truth it’s more like two – winter and summer. The weather usually stays so mild through the autumn months that if the leaves didn’t change colour you might not know that summer is passed. And no sooner does … Continue reading
In the language of the flowers, a carnation can mean anything from a woman’s love (if it’s pink) to disdain (white), my heart aches for you (red) and capriciousness (purple). But since the early 1900s it has, at least in most of North America, come to be the symbol of … Continue reading
It’s a little bit off the beaten path, tucked, as it is, away up in the orchards of East Kelowna. But if there’s a time when a leisurely country ramble to visit The Ridge Restaurant is really a must, it’s Mother’s Day – when the pace of mom’s day should … Continue reading
I inherited from my mother my dark hair, my love of reading, a sense of independence and a bit of a stubborn streak. And in my three short years of being a mother myself, I can see that most of these characteristics are already being passed down to my son … Continue reading
“The perfect blossom is a rare thing. You could spend your life looking for one, and it would not be a wasted life.” – The Last Samurai In countries such as Japan, Korea and China, the arrival of the cherry blossom is a not-to-be-missed event. Old people, families and young … Continue reading
-The table was a large one, but the three were all crowded together at one corner of it: ‘No room! No room!’ they cried out when they saw Alice coming. ‘There’s PLENTY of room!’ said Alice indignantly, and she sat down in a large arm-chair at one end of the … Continue reading
Welcome to my blog.
I’m Lori-Anne. I’m a writer, photographer, wife, mother, coffee lover, adventurer and dreamer. Did I mention I love old stuff? Pour yourself a cup of something hot and stay a spell – I’d love to get to know you!
