No matter where you are you can always "allow" the BC Ale Trail app to find you a perfect beer destination... or an adventure of connection the dots across this province. Gillian Mann speaks about the many routes that you can jump into at the beginning, end, or the middle, of the region you are exploring. More than events, blogs, and details download this and start the journey:

BC Ale Trail Mobile App · The BC Ale Trail

I cherish my stays and moments at Intercontinental Hotels. I am a fan and have an affinity for the experiences.

Here are two conversations with top administrators in two of the many properties that circle the world: Athens and Lisbon.

In world capitals Intercontinental is the go-to for quality and care. The level of high touch service makes these a touchstone: enjoyment is their genuine goal.

April Fluevog offers more than clarity if you are dealing with an estate... especially if you agreed to be the executor of a will... and you have a house to clear of its contents before it can go on the market. That is another daunting task! What should you dispose of... what should you keep?

Visit Simply Estate Services – Senior Transitions & Estate Clearing

Listen to this episode and learn about emptying a house and how relatives often get predatory. Bequests become more than negotiating points and property becomes a battleground. Do you know you become legally and financial responsible when you agree to be an executor?

When someone dies often families fight. It can become a multiyear process. April explains how to follow some valuable steps. The first one is to change all the locks on the doors of the home in question. From her experience this is vital especially if you know someone will be contesting the will. Bitterness between siblings can become poisonous. The executor is an administrator, not a labourer nor counsellor.

This Vancouver company can help you... if you live elsewhere maybe there someone else who can be of assistance, but don't be afraid to do what is right, what is necessary to be a good executor.

Our cities are changing so rapidly. Solid sixties and fine fifties homes with fir timber beams and real hardwood flooring are not trash. My guest Glyn Lewis is not just saving materials from landfill, but his company is helping on both ends of the transformation. For the contractor/land acquisition company who might just demolish this is a much better route. www.renewaldevelopment.ca comes in with solutions: recover what can be repurposed, and relocate whole structures... if it is feasible.

Think of the logistics!

We talk about Vancouver, but why not your city?

Ever notice how sometimes you don't meet people until it is the right time? I walked by Harbourview Church and Living Edge so often, but curiosity never prompted me to look into their streetside gathering spot. Then one day I had to step in and ask what they were about.

In this episode of QOL learn how Neil, Terry, and so many volunteers ensure those who have need are given the opportunity to choose food they may not be able to access for themselves, for their families. The price squeeze of 2026 is just one factor in this. Some come for community spirit, while others need conversation, still more need food equity, food equality,

The tables are set up, and shoppers (no cash transactions take place) are offered choice and not just cast-offs, day-olds, or beyond best before dates, but quality ingredients.

Maybe you have organizations like Harbourview and Living Edge in your community... or maybe you can replicate the idea and help those who need a hand up.

I was delighted to find Red Truck Lager at the bar in the Ward Room. Kyle Murphy tells me it is in other military messes.

We connected at the annual Formation Fun Day at Work Point and likely our paths had overlapped many other times in the past.

Come along for some Vienna Lager and talk about beer generally. It is that season for fall in a glass.

Maybe you have given blood, or maybe plasma? This conversation with Ann Chabert at blood.ca in Saanich is a valuable introduction for some, and a reminder for others: the need is great, local and national.

We talk about who donates, what the motivation could be, and the cohorts that participate. Could it be you?

Find out how here, or go to:

www.blood.ca/en/blood/donating-blood

I came across posters in Oak Bay and thought "what a great concept!"

And what a delight it was to have a conversation with Nicole Ashlee. She is your "Granddaughter for Hire" and can offer everything from conversation to all sorts of supports.

Older adults will find her a friendly ear and highly engaging; she is here not just when you need a hand, but when you may be experiencing diminishing social interaction because reduced mobility.

She can also help with technology. So many have loved ones far away. A family in New Zealand, or daughter in Halifax, might suggest FaceTime as a better way to stay in touch. Nicole can set it up and explain how to benefit from modern cellphones, tablets, or iPads.

Listen along and learn of all she can provide to improve quality of life.

I do apologize for some intermittent electronic interference in the recording. I've tried to reduce it to a tolerable level. The content is the important element.

Hidden disability? Well, we see a cane - maybe a hearing aid - and we know this person might have had an injury, or a challenge for life... but what if the hurdle is anxiety or autism, or arthritis, or dementia?

Wearing a lanyard or pin with the sunflower is a discrete way to say "I need more time to understand," to move, to answer, or to board a plane, or to have security at the airport to be patient.

Meet Paul White, founder and CEO and he will tell us all about sunflowers.

What a delight to have a conversation with Jasmine Montgomery. She represents several progressive wineries of Argentina. Her 15 year stay brought her into contact with more than Malbec. The "emblematic" grape of the country is still riding a wave of enthusiasm but it is joined by many you have yet to taste.

What was once a country of lighter and more fruit forward styles for domestic consumption, its phylloxera and mildew free vineyards in the last 3 and 4 decades have leaned into exports of high altitude grown, irrigation controlled, and low intervention quality production.

What is the effect of noise on your life? We now know hearing loss can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.

Ingrid Bouday joins me in conversation about quiet, silence and noise; specifically human made noise both persistent and punctuations in our day.

Her group "No More Noise" advocates for healthier, calmer, quieter communities. The focus has been Toronto, but it now operates on a global platform.

Recently Ingrid was invited to the UN in Geneva to contribute to dialogue on 'beyond" the safety sounds of EVs. Auto manufacturers want to install branded sounds in future vehicles and No More Noise naturally wants to halt this additional load on our sound environment.