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I'm not a fan of tattoos. I've never quite seen the attraction, at least not when done in excess. A subtle one — a beautiful butterfly on an ankle or a tiny symbol on the inside of a wrist — I actually think can be rather sexy. But big, bold and gaudy-ful I will never understand. From his early teens my youngest child threatened he would one day have a tattoo.  I foolishly tried to reason with him. I had created a beautiful, flawless child, I told him. Did he understand how difficult it would be for me to see him covered in things? No surprise my pleas didn't work. What was a surprise, however, was how long it took before he acted.  His three siblings had all secretly personalized their bodies many years before the family baby got around to it.  You can be assured, however, that he has more than made up for it since, with a right arm covered in a colourful design of monkeys and a carousel.  Oddly, I don't hate it, because while the other kids got smaller tattoos

Today being Thursday, I thought it might be nice to enjoy our own little version of the popular hashtag 'game',  Throwback Thursday. The original idea behind this is to include an old photo of yourself, not something from a week ago, but years or decades. It's little wonder it's become as popular as it has — people love nostalgia. Certainly, living in the present is the most important thing, but  let's face it, it's always fun to share a few memories and glimpses of who we were before we became who we are. I've never thought spending some time in the past was a bad thing. It can be a lot of fun, which might explain why nostalgia tends to be so popular.  From entertainment to fashion, we revisit and relive the past in a variety of ways. Old tunes, old styles, old movies, even old images are fun to return to from time to time.  So for my Throwback Thursday offering, here are some vintage collections of photos that bring yesterday to today. iPHOTOS.co

A walk around my garden and deck this morning was an excellent reminder of summer's impending demise.  Frost-bitten plants, remnants of once beautiful blooms now dead and dreary, line the perimeter. Potted flowers struggle to maintain their once glorious glow.  The birds' songs are quieter, squirrels are busier. Yet, while we must soon say goodbye to the flowers that brightened our outdoor living spaces, we need not leave all the colour of autumn to the trees. A walk around your neighbourhood on a gorgeous fall day provides plenty of evidence, with porches, beds, decks and patios boasting collages of mums, cornstalks, bales and pumpkins. The latter of course are a big part of the season, holding centre stage from early autumn decorating, to the Canadian Thanksgiving and Halloween, through to the American Thanksgiving.  And you don't just have to carve one to be creative. There are some fun tutorials online to help you draw and paint a pumpkin with Photoshop. Here are

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by another name would smell as sweet; So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called." When it comes to romance Romeo and Juliet knew a thing or two.  In the practical world of keywording, however, you know that people searching online image sources for a rose will be calling it a rose when looking for it. People are occasionally surprised with the search results that turn up when they're seeking illustrations and photos online. The thing to remember, however, is that attaching appropriate words to an image in order to make them easier to find is a human science.  Behind the scenes, it's just regular folks looking at an image and putting as many applicable words with it as they can.  All then, are open to individual interpretation. For example, finding stressed businesspeople when looking for 'rat race' make sense. Conversely, however, if you use just 'race' to search you would probably be a bit confou

The annual Fall Fair is coming to my town this week, an celebration that stirs up plenty of memories. The big deal surrounding this event started literally from the beginning for me.  I was born on Fall Fair day in my hometown a bunch of decades ago.  My sister, who was 10, proudly boasted to the world that she'd won a budgie and got a baby sister (note the order of importance). In the ensuing years, therefore, it was with heightened enthusiasm, knowing that another birthday celebration was on its way,  that I greeted the arrival of this community event. Truth be told, the excitement was palpable among most of the kids in town as the time neared.  There were the intensely serious marching practices to perfect our one, one, one, two, three for the school parade. There was the afternoon out of school to hang out with friends, and the arrival in town of our country cousins to join us. There were the midway to ride, candy apples and cotton candy to devour.  And I can't forg