When the vikings came to Iceland in the 10th Century, the place was rich with birch, willow and mountain ash forests. Eventually they burnt them all — to stay warm, to cook […]
A Lesson from Iceland
Forests Are Sacred
Some forests are not planted to be logged. Here, for example, is a birch forest in Iceland, planted a century ago, with the express purpose of creating a country through poetry and […]
Looking for Light and Finding Darkness
The poet Goethe pointed out in his scientific exploration of colour that humans are capable of seeing in the dark, that colour and light are created in the human mind — that […]
The Beauty of Light in Water
Out of darkness, light. A few weeks back, I marvelled at water, and it’s here again, but look at it now … Stream Below the Hengifoss Flotsdalur, Iceland. Is it water? Is […]
Take: An Old Word Reborn
I am rediscovering old words and worlds here in Iceland. I can’t take the country home to Canada, but I can take this… Spring Colours at Littlifoss, Lagarfljotsdalur An inspiration […]
Haunted
In Iceland, there is so much to remind a man indigenous to the Okanagan grasslands that English is not always a colonial culture at odds with place but holds deep indigenous thought […]
What Horses Hate to See
Travellers hate to see it, too. Mývatn, Iceland Fences aren’t for keeping horses in.
Writing and Farming Are One
Some thoughts on “writing” today, including my other love, “farming”, and another one, “art.” A smorgasbord, really! First a note: There are few writers left in the world (but many keyboarders), I […]
Reindeer Guides on the Long Road to the North
Ah, the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia and Washington, a semi-arid region of brittle prickly pear cactus and sagebrush, with summers of 45 degrees and winters of 20 or even 40 Below! […]
Renaming the Seasons: Canada and Iceland in Colour
Spring in the Okanagan … and winter in Iceland and spring in the Okanagan and winter in Iceland Different colour palettes expressing different spirit, but it’s the same season. Here again, […]
