By Piyushi Dhir
While I am a writer, I am also an avid reader. As a child, I maintained a diary where I recorded every book I read. Of course, this was before the time of spreadsheets and Goodreads. Once I discovered Goodreads, I was a convert. It was the best place for me to maintain a list […]
Continue readingBy Piyushi Dhir
When I look back at the year that just went by, it is easy to think of it as a year of viruses, restrictions, lockdowns, fear and loneliness. After all, we just lived through the single biggest pandemic that has ever affected the world. But I refuse to call 2020 a “write-off” as so many […]
Continue readingBy Piyushi Dhir
How the world lights up during Christmas, isn’t it? Festivities, décor, glittering Christmas trees, shiny gift boxes and happy smiles abound. Sometimes, all one needs to do is get into the car and drive around after dark to feel the magic of Christmas. After driving through the famous, decorated houses of Old Scugog Road, Bowmanville, […]
Continue readingBy Piyushi Dhir
2021 Update: The Christmas Lights will begin on 1 Dec 2021As the countdown to Christmas begins, there are festivities and lights at every turn. But nowhere as much as at Old Scugog Road in Bowmanville. If you live in the far east of the Greater Toronto Area, you may have been let into the secret […]
Continue readingBy Piyushi Dhir
Rick adjusted himself on his chair. His back hurt more than usual these days. He watched the red and orange leaves fall to the ground. Winter was not far away. A woman walking her dog stopped outside his house to see the pile of household items lying beside the sidewalk. Rick watched her skim the […]
Continue readingBy Piyushi Dhir
Post updated on 9 Oct 2023 Fall… such a beautiful season! A time to see nature’s glory in its vivid colours, a time to decorate your porch with pumpkins and everything orange, a time to do ‘fall’ crafts with your little ones, a time to breathe in the crisp air and feel its cool […]
Continue readingBy Piyushi Dhir
The Sunflower Farm, Beaverton I was scrolling my Instagram feed early in August when I saw photographs of a friend at The Sunflower Farm in Beaverton, Ontario. I knew instantly that I had to visit too. It was two weeks before I was able to make it and it was the fag end of the […]
Continue readingBy Piyushi Dhir
Mom says Corona is going… I was excited to hear that. “Can I play with my friends?” I asked. “We have to take things slowly,” Mom explained. “We can start by making a social bubble.” “What’s a social bubble?” “Now ten people can meet among each other, but we still can’t go to the market […]
Continue readingBy Piyushi Dhir
My preschooler has recently entered the phase where he must ask me “Why” a billion times in the day. He reminds me of a poem I had heard as a child: I know a curious little boy, Who is always asking “Why?” Why this, why that, why then, why now? Why not, why by-the-by? Having […]
Continue readingBy Piyushi Dhir
Guest post, by Gaurav Dhir, editor at Help and WellnessBeing new immigrants to Canada, we have been constantly learning and discovering a new way of life. Our biggest source of information about a new lifestyle has been our friends, neighbors and acquaintances. We were prepared for many new things in a new country. But one […]
Continue reading