I am a writer. I live in an old house that overlooks a bay on the Atlantic Ocean. I spend most of my days in the old house, by myself. Much of that time is spent writing, or doing tasks related to writing (research, pitching, interviewing, editing, translating), and to the things you need to do if you want to continue writing (finally getting around to answering emails, sending invoices, answering your bookkeeper’s questions).
A few months back, I realized I needed a temporary change of scene. So, I applied to spend a week at Jampolis Cottage, in Avonport. The cottage is owned by the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia (disclosure: I am on the board) for use as a writing and artistic retreat. The cottage was bequeathed by its former owne…
I am a writer. I live in an old house that overlooks a bay on the Atlantic Ocean. I spend most of my days in the old house, by myself. Much of that time is spent writing, or doing tasks related to writing (research, pitching, interviewing, editing, translating), and to the things you need to do if you want to continue writing (finally getting around to answering emails, sending invoices, answering your bookkeeper’s questions).
A few months back, I realized I needed a temporary change of scene. So, I applied to spend a week at Jampolis Cottage, in Avonport. The cottage is owned by the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia (disclosure: I am on the board) for use as a writing and artistic retreat. The cottage was bequeathed by its former owners, the late Neil Jampolis and Maritza Jane Reisman Jampolis (who went professionally by Jane Reisman), who were American scenic and lighting designers for theatre. They lived in Los Angeles, and the cottage was their summer home. In the last year of his life, Neil would fly to Boston for treatment for his leukemia, and then return to the cottage.
On the face of it, leaving our old house overlooking a bay on the Atlantic Ocean, where I spend much of my time writing, to go spend a week in another old house overlooking a different bay on the Atlantic Ocean, in order to spend much of my time writing, seems somewhat absurd. Like, what am I doing here?
But, of course, my daily life doesn’t just involve sitting around writing. There are the various responsibilities that come with being at home, running errands and doing chores, and all that ancillary stuff — the emails to answer, etc.
I told people I would be away for the week, kept a Zoom meeting and a couple of other essential work things on the calendar, and headed off to the cottage after a very stressful couple of days of packing everything I would need while I was away, including food. (My daughter allayed my stress by pointing out that she lives 10 minutes away and could drop off anything I needed that I might have forgotten.)
Last Sunday, my partner and her dad (who, coincidentally, had worked with Neil Jampolis) dropped me off at the cottage.
Here I was, with the gift pretty much every writer I know asks for: time to write.
But with time to write comes a moment of truth: Are you not writing as much as you’d like to because you’re really all that busy? Or are you avoiding and making excuses?
I grew up with a father whose chief pieces of advice were, “Work expands to fill the time available,” and “Don’t fritter away your time.” So in the weeks leading up to my retreat, I felt increasingly despondent, convinced that I was, in fact, going to fritter away my time, and that I had not done enough to prepare for being away.
My vision, you see (go ahead, laugh), is that I would wake up in the morning, get something to eat, do my qi gong practice, and then sit down and write all day. I’d stop long enough to make something quick for lunch or dinner, but that would be about it. I had planned out a menu to avoid spending a lot of mental energy trying to decide what I would eat each day, which, yes, is something I would definitely do. I might go for an afternoon walk too, but most of the day would be write, write, write, write, write.
I have a partially written crime novel (40,000 words so far), and my goal was to finish plotting it out before going to the cottage, and then finishing the manuscript while I was there. I mean, sure, this would likely mean writing 10,000 words or so a day, but why not? (Like I said, go ahead, laugh.)
But I also have a non-fiction book proposal to write, and I had been struggling with it for a few months. I clung to the idea of the crime novel, but soon it became apparent that it would make far more sense to write the book proposal. “I can baff it off in a couple of days,” I told my partner, “and then I can focus on the crime novel.” She knows I have a completely unrealistic view of time, but she very tactfully nodded at this.
I will be somewhere new! It will transform me into a completely different type of writer!
In the end, I did not fritter away my time. After a couple of days of working on the book proposal, I realized it was going to take me all week. I wanted to really focus on it, and produce something thoughtful and in depth that I could be proud of.
I also realized there is a limit to how much I can actually write every day, and it’s probably pretty similar to how much I can get done at home. I am not a machine, and while I can get into a very focused state while working on something, I can’t sustain that for an extended period of time. I used tools (hello pomodoro timer) to keep me on track, and certainly not having any other responsibilities helped, but in the end there were still plenty of times during the day when I was staring out the window thinking (or not thinking), dozing off on the couch, reading a book, or looking at my phone.
The Jampolis Cottage property. Credit: Philip Moscovitch
There was a time when I would have thought these were all bad things, and, honestly, I still kind of do, but staring out the window and going for walks is part of the process.
Despite my realization that I can probably get as much done at home as I did during the retreat, ultimately I consider it a success. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why it’s a success. Going away to write made me think about how I could work that amount of writing on projects that aren’t paying the bills (right away, anyway) into my day.
And, by the end of the week I had a proposal that was 95% written, and that I can polish in the next day or two before sending it off. Plus, I got to spend a week looking out at the ever-changing and always fascinating Bay of Fundy. You could do worse.
(To send or post this item, copy the website address at the top of this page.)
NOTICED
1. B.L.T. Rails to Trails association steps back
Cranberry Lake, along the B.L.T trail. Credit: B.L.T. Rails to Trails Association
It’s been a rough few years for trails in the Halifax area and the South Shore, with extreme weather leading to washouts and major trail damage.
Riding my bike along the B.L.T. and St. Margarets Bay sections of the trail this summer and fall, I could see an enormous amount of work being done to prevent future damage: new culverts, deeper ditches, vegetation cut back far from the trails. In some places, riding the trails feels more like being on a highway than on a trip through the woods. (I say this understanding that this work is essential if we don’t want the trails destroyed by future storms and floods.)
It all seems like a lot to manage for the volunteer groups that operate and manage these trails. And recently the B.L.T. (that’s Beechville-Lakeside-Timberlea, not bacon-lettuce-and-tomato) Rails to Trails Association announced that it is ceding management of the trail, returning its letter of authority to the provincial government. The decision comes after a vote held by members on Nov. 18, 2025.
In a letter to the provincial Department of Natural Resources (incorrectly addressed by its former name, which included the word “renewables”), the organization’s board of directors writes:
The trail has connected neighbourhoods, supported active transportation, welcomed visitors, and strengthened the sense of community that defines the B.L.T. area. It stands as a testament to what volunteers, local partners, and residents can accomplish together…
The current community development model, the funding structure, and the limited number of volunteers mean that we can no longer maintain the trail to the expected standard. The last several years have shown the growing impact of natural disasters in our region, each requiring considerable repair work and immediate, sustained attention. These challenges have made it clear that the trail system now requires full time operational capacity that a volunteer organization is no longer able to provide.
The association says it wants to hand back its authority effective March 31, 2026.
On the organization’s website, the letter is followed by a FAQ that says the requirements of maintaining the trail have increased, while the number and availability of volunteers has gone down:
Washouts, erosion, and major structural impacts have required extensive repairs, often costing more than one hundred thousand dollars per event. Each repair effort has also required hundreds of volunteer hours. The repeated scale of damage has made it clear that ongoing stewardship requires full time attention and long term resources…
Since the flash floods, more than three hundred and thirty thousand dollars in repairs have been completed. While the Association has received support through the Disaster Relief Fund, the future availability of this fund is unknown.
The association is recommending that the province directly take over management of the trail or find a new partner.
The board of director’s claim that the trail has “connected neighbourhoods, supported active transportation, welcomed visitors, and strengthened the sense of community” is no exaggeration. It is full of dog walkers, kids on bikes, families out for a stroll, commuters, and others heading out for a bit of recreation. One of my favourite rides is to Cranberry Lake, where I’ll sometimes even go for a swim (if it’s not too cold).
(Send this item: right click and copy this link)
2. Joe Dick, Billy Tallent, and one of my favourite films
L to R: Billy Tallent (Callum Keith Rennie), Pipefitter (Bernie Coulson). Joe DIck (Hugh Dillon) and John Oxenberger (John Pyper-Ferguson) of the fictional band Hard Core Logo, in a still from the 1996 Bruce McDonald film of the same name
Is it OK if I point you to an article that’s nearly a decade old? Not exactly breaking news, but I just came across it recently, and thought it was great.
Hard Core Logo is one of my favourite films. I first saw it in the theatre when it came out (along with a friend who had been a roadie, and who said it was the closest thing he’d ever seen to what it was really like to be on the road with a band), and when I was younger than the characters portrayed in the film. I still think it’s a great film, now that I am much older than those characters.
Hard Core Logo, directed by Bruce McDonald, tells the story of a (fictional) legendary Canadian punk band going out on the road for one final five-day reunion tour. Singer Joe Dick (Hugh Dillon) is hoping his childhood friend Billy Tallent (Callum Keith Rennie) will see the light and want to re-form the band permanently. Billy though, has his eye on bigger things, biding his time until he heads off to Seattle to join grunge superstars Jennifur, managed by the devious Ed Festus.
It’s a film about music, friendship, dedication to art, misguided ideals, toxic masculinity, and so much more. And it is uniquely Canadian. I might be talking myself into watching it again tonight.
Anyway, the article in question is called “An Oral History of Bruce McDonald’s ‘Hard Core Logo’” and it appeared in Vice back in 2016.
At the heart of Hard Core Logo, both the film and the book by Michael Turner that it is based on, is the relationship between Billy Tallent and Joe Dick. So it was interesting to read about the relationship between the actors who played them — Rennie, an actor who knew nothing about playing music, and Dillon, a singer (he fronts the band the Headstones) who did not have an acting background. (He sure as hell has one now.)
From the story:
Bruce McDonald: People go, “Why does it still seem so relevant now? Why does it seem so true?” And it’s because of that relationship. It was so totally clear that there was this kind of “brodeo” going on and that these guys found each other hilarious. There was great respect on each side. There was this great balance of this actor who was terrified to be a rock ‘n’ roller and looking foolish, and a rock ‘n’ roller terrified to be an actor and looking foolish…
So there was a kind of mutual dependency society with Hugh telling Callum, “Don’t worry, man, I got your back, I’ll tell you how high or low to wear your guitar, I’ll tell you how you should dress, I’ll tell you what you should drink…” and Callum was like, “I’ll tell you what hitting your mark is, I’ll tell you why they pull out fucking tape measures, I’ll tell you why you have to do it again, I’ll tell you about not overlapping dialogue..” and you know they clung to each other, like the other one was gonna fucking save them.
I also loved this bit, from Rennie:
I don’t play the guitar… So I booked some music classes, but it’s a Canadian film, so you know you’re doing it like three weeks ahead of time, and there’s only so much you can learn on a guitar. So I learned some basic chords and went ok, so how do you cheat it? So in the film I turn my back to the audience a lot, and everyone was just like, “Don’t sit on it too long to make it noticeable.”
I want to hear from the Hard Core Logo fans (there must be some of you among the Examiner readership) in the comments.
(Send this item: right click and copy this link)
RECENTLY IN THE HALIFAX EXAMINER:
Halifax council to debate revised regional plan, assessment cap
Halifax City Hall in February 2025. Credit: Suzanne Rent
Suzanne Rent has a preview of what’s on the agenda for tomorrow’s Halifax council meeting:
The main event will be the first reading of changes to the minimum planning requirements in the regional plan. You can find that document here…
Deputy Mayor Patty Cuttell and Coun. Kathryn Morse have already weighed in on the changes to the minimum planning requirements. Cuttell wrote about that in her newsletter here.
Two of the nine suburban growth area opportunity sites are in Cuttell’s district. They are at Melville Heights and the Spryfield Shopping Mall. That’s on top of 26 sites that were approved in her district under the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF).
Cuttell writes that Spryfield doesn’t have the infrastructure it needs to support that development, including transit, recreation, and schools, nor does it have enough commercial capacity.
Click or tap here to read “Halifax council to debate revised regional plan, assessment cap.”
(Send this item: right click and copy this link)
IN OTHER NEWS
1. Settlement approved in class action over schools for deaf children
Photo: Halifax Public Library
At CBC, Frances Willick writes:
There were tears and embraces in a Halifax courtroom on Friday as a Supreme Court justice approved a settlement in a class action lawsuit over abuse at two schools for deaf children.
Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Peter Rosinski approved $36 million in compensation for former students of the School for the Deaf in Halifax and the Interprovincial School for the Education of the Deaf in Amherst, N.S., which operated between 1913 and 1995…
In addition to the $36 million in compensation for class members, the settlement will include $3 million for collective benefits, which could include things like improved interpretation services or education for the Deaf community…
[Representative plaintiff Michael] Perrier said the monetary compensation will make a difference to former students who were not given an adequate education and have suffered repercussions throughout their lives.
(Send this item: right click and copy this link)
2. Right whale breath
Photo: Peter Duley/NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Willick also has this cool story about researchers using drones to collect information on whale breath — and using it to understand the health of the whales. From the story:
Scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts used drones to capture spray from the blowholes of the endangered species. They then analyzed the bacteria in the spray and connected that information with other data to gain a clearer picture of the health of individual whales…
The researchers at WHOI have collected 103 samples from 85 North Atlantic right whales in Cape Cod Bay, Mass., since they began using the drone technique in 2016.
It involves flying a drone carrying a petri dish above a whale until it releases a breath through its blowhole. Once the spray hits the petri dish, the drone flies back to its pilot, who is aboard a nearby boat, the dish is swabbed and the sample is preserved for future study.
(Send this item: right click and copy this link)
Government
City
Monday
Tuesday
Province
Monday
Tuesday
On campus
Dalhousie
Monday
Tuesday
King’s
Monday
Tuesday
Mount Saint Vincent
Monday
Tuesday
NSCAD
Monday
Tuesday
Saint Mary’s
Monday
Tuesday
Literary Events
Monday
Tuesday
In the harbour
Halifax 06:00: Tropic Hope, container ship, arrives at Pier 42 from Philipsburg, St. Croix 14:00: Rt Hon Paul E Martin, bulker, arrives at Gold Bond from Tampa, Florida 15:30: Themis, car carrier, arrives at Autoport from Southampton, England 16:00: Augusta Luna, cargo ship, sails from Pier 27 for sea 18:00: Szare Szeregi, bulker, sails from Pier 28 for sea 18:00: Lake St. Clair, bulker, sails from Pier 9 for sea 20:00: Tropic Hope sails for West Palm Beach, Florida
Cape Breton 14:30: HTM Warrior, oil tanker, sails from EverWind for sea 15:00: Indigo Sun, oil tanker, arrives at Canso anchorage from New York 15:30: Kmarin Reason, oil tanker, arrives at EverWind from Tees, England
Footnotes
Watched Hustlers over the weekend: “This city, this whole country, is a strip club. You’ve got people tossing the money, and people doing the dance.”
