Celebrate Canada Day early at Nature Nocturne!

 Photo credit: Martin Lipman © Canadian Museum of Nature Canada Day in the Capital is one of the most iconic events of the year! People come from all over to celebrate our nation’s birthday. But what about the night before? The Canadian Museum of Nature is throwing a Canada Day

Halloween

 On this night of all nights Of goblins and bats Wicked witches abound With ominous eyes And the blackest of cats On this spookiest of nights Evil specters alight In graveyards and towns And haunt weary souls With ghoulish delight Nearby on a hill Is a foreboding old place That

The Witch’s Broom

 One spooky night In a lonely pumpkin patch A wicked witch with an evil eye Cursed her sorry plight For try as she might Her broomstick would not fly Over and over again The witch sat on her broom Under the moonlit sky But try as she might Even reciting

Some Thoughts on Aging

 I am withering away No matter where I lie My youth has left me bankrupt Old and gray and hung out to dry I can’t remember what I should forget Nor forget what I should remember My eyes are tired and my hair is white I fear some night that

A Beauteous Evening

 As darkness falls All around me all I can see Are silver stars and blue shadows And the silhouette of a tree It’s a beauteous evening And the only light you’ll see Are the moon’s reflections Shining on the sea As evening wends down And night gradually ebbs away The

Apple Picking Season

 The falling rain Slowly starts to gain On the colored leaves Dangling in the trees It’s autumn in the country As insects flee nature’s bounty For Jack Frost will waste them too Before the night is through The leaves desert the trees Submitting to the breeze And begin their journey

The Vampire Bat

 Black as black As the night could be His shrieking call Was a mystery Like some spider In his dusty web The bat inspires Fear and dread With blood-red eyes And a serpent’s tongue He seeks out blood When the sun goes down With vampire’s teeth He traverses the night

Dreams That Come in the Night

 Dreams that come in the night That force their way Into your slumbering mind Are gifts from another time For at the dawn of day Dreams never reveal Which gifts are real Or the ones they conceal For when you awaken You are never mistaken About the love that’s lost

One Halloween Night

 I was sitting around my room one night When all of a sudden I saw a dreadful sight Right before me covered all in white Was a ghostly figure who gave me a terrible fright I froze on the spot in a horrible state And nervously pondered my uncertain fate

Fool’s Gold

 The silhouette of a witch And the shriek of a bat Conjures up ghostly spirits And the blackest of cats This dark night of fear Sends terror to all But the fright is the worst On a late night in fall For Halloween’s the time To play trick or treat

Ottawa Celebrates Diverse Cultural Roots

 Photo Credit: Connie Kaldor Embrace a return to your roots by taking part in the fourth annual Ottawa Grassroots Festival. The Grassroots Festival plans a spring weekend of family-oriented concerts and workshops each year thanks to its 100 per cent volunteer-run organization. The festival particularly focuses on folk music, dance

How to Get a Good Night Sleep

 Having trouble sleeping? Do you wake up some mornings with back or neck pain worse than the night before? Not getting a good night sleep can leave you tired and grumpy throughout the day. Many people are confused about how to create an optimal sleep environment. Simple and effective changes

Sarah MacDougall: poetic songs from Canada’s North

 Canada’s own northern star is shining bright from the humble community of Whitehorse, Yukon. Nestled within the magnificent landscape and vibrant cosmopolitan lifestyle of the city is singer-songwriter Sarah MacDougall. She is gearing up to release her new album Grand Canyon. “I am excited to share it with the world,”

Why Do I Feel So Achy, Cold and Tired?

 Photos courtesy of Dollar Photo Club Lets talk about Laura, aged 30. It’s 7 a.m. on a January morning in Orleans and Laura leaves her house, jumps into her car and starts her 45-minute drive to work into Ottawa. The mornings are really cold this time of year and although she’s

Fatigue on the Job is a Killer

 It has been known for decades, probably centuries, that working while tired can impair productivity, and that working in dangerous occupations like driving, loading or handling heavy equipment should not be done while tired. So why do railway companies seem determined to risk so many of their assets by asking

A Piece of Renovated Paradise

 Dreaming about your feet sinking into warm sand, instead of numbing snow? Meliã Nassau Beach is the vacation location for you. Meliã Hotels International, one of the largest resort hotel companies in the world, has just updated its Meliã Nassau Beach resort in the Bahamas, making an already luxurious experience

Holiday Giveaway

 Sparkle this holiday season with OLM and Originals by Andrea! Share with us your favourite holiday tradition for a chance to win this stunning, one-of-a-kind necklace from Ottawa’s own Originals by Andrea. To enter, head over to our Facebook page and leave a comment on this post telling us about your favourite

Pass the Wine and Cheese, Please!

 Perusing over a showcase of signature wines from Ontario wineries unavailable at the LCBO sounds like a great night. Join Savvy Company for A Wine and Cheese with a Twist! This taste and buy event will allow you to stock up on your new favourite Ontario wines from Casa Dea

Nuit Blanche Takes Over Ottawa and Gatineau

 Get ready to sleep all day so you can be up all night—The third annual Nuit Blanche Ottawa+Gatineau is this Saturday, September 20, from 6:20 p.m. to September 21 at 4:21 a.m. This one night a year event celebrates local art and culture at its finest. Nuit Blanche aims to

Let Opera Lyra’s Tosca Take you Away

 Photo courtesy of Marc Fowler. There is nothing quite grander than hearing beautiful voices singing about love, betrayal and politics. There is one chance left to catch Opera Lyra’s production of Puccini’s Tosca and you shouldn’t miss it:  Saturday night.  The singing, set, costumes and music will instantaneously transport you