The Canadian Flag, eh? by J.C. Kavanagh

To purchase your copy (or all three!) of this award-winning series, click here:
https://www.bookswelove.com/shop/series/the-twisted-climb

The flag is only 61 years old. That, in itself, is hard to believe as Canada, the country, will be 161 years old in July.

So, what's up with that?

Canada's history dates back hundreds of years. After many battles between France and Britain and the U.S. for control of the 'new land,' Britain prevailed and Canada's unofficial flag, from the 17th Century until 1871, was the United Kingdom's Union Jack. After that, a newly designed flag, the Red Ensign flag representing the Dominion of Canada, was unveiled, one which added Canada's official Coat of Arms.

The United Kingdom's Royal Union Flag, commonly referred to as the Union Jack.

The Red Ensign flag, commonly used at sea and land since the 1870s.

It wasn't until the 1920s, after World War I, and again after World War II, that the Canadian government moved forward with the development of a new flag. There was much opposition to the idea of a new flag, especially one that did not reflect British history. Nevertheless, three prospective flag proposals were presented to the government in 1963. The idea was to have a new flag designed and approved before Canada's 100th anniversary of Confederation in 1967.

Canada's flag committee, 1964. Hanging above the men are some of the proposed flags,
selected from the thousands of submissions from Canadians country-wide.

After much discussion, the committee shortlisted three finalists.

Dubbed the "Pearson Pennant," this was the then-Prime Minister's recommended flag.

This version included Britain's Union Jack and France's historic golden fleurs-de-lys.

And the winner... inspired by the flag of the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario, which was itself inspired by the red and white stripes of the Canada General Service Medal (1866 - 1870).
The 13 points of the maple leaf were later reduced to 11 points as to be seen more clearly from afar.

The new flag was officially recognized and raised in Canada's capital city, Ottawa, on February 15, 1965. Then Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson marked the occasion with these words: "May the land over which this new flag flies remain united in freedom and justice... sensitive, tolerant and compassionate towards all."

February 1965 - raising the new Canadian flag for the first time
in front of Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario.
Photo credit to the National Film Board of Canada.

If the name 'Lester B. Pearson' rings a bell, the international airport in Toronto, Ontario, was named after him. Mr. Pearson served as leader of the Liberal Party from 1958 to 1968 and was Prime Minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968.

There you have it. This info could very well contain a winning answer for all you trivia buffs out there.

Question for you trivia people: In which country is The Twisted Climb series' Dream World / Un-World located?

I do hope that this new year, 2026, brings peace, compassion, joy and prosperity to you and yours. And don't forget to tell the ones you love that you love them!

J.C. Kavanagh, author of
The Twisted Climb - A Bright Darkness (Book 3) Best YA Book FINALIST at Critters Readers Poll 2022
AND
The Twisted Climb - Darkness Descends (Book 2) voted BEST Young Adult Book 2018, Critters Readers Poll and Best YA Book FINALIST at The Word Guild, Canada
AND
The Twisted Climb,
voted BEST Young Adult Book 2016, P&E Readers Poll
Voted Best Local Author, Simcoe County, Ontario, 2021
Novels for teens, young adults and adults young-at-heart

Email: author.j.c.kavanagh@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/J.C.Kavanagh 
www.amazon.com/author/jckavanagh
Instagram @authorjckavanagh
https://www.bookswelove.com/shop/series/the-twisted-climb

 

Joanie on a Pony Welcomes All to Mardi Gras!

 

Find my latest books here!

Have you ever been to New Orleans? I am discovering new treasures with every visit. Mardi Gras is a season here, not a day! It begins every year on January 6th, which happens to be the birthday of the city's unofficial patron saint, Joan of Arc, also known as Jeanne d'Arc and Joanie on a Pony, after the wonderful statue that was a gift from France to the city.

Joanie on her pony

The Krewe de Jeanne D'Arc starts off the parade season with a walking tour through the streets of the French Quarter, led by a lovely lass as Joan...

Joan of 2026, on birthday 614

The parade features scenes from The Maid of Orleans's life, her accomplishments on behalf of France. Marching bands, both 15th century and modern, dancing gargoyles, a dragon, angels, French peasants and plenty of wrong-minded clerics to boo at! They all pass out lovely home-made gifts to parade goers. 

Joan's Angels

Did you know that St. Joan had to wait 500 years for the church to declare her a saint? By that time the suffragists had adopted her, so, yes, they were represented at the parade...

And it looks like New Orleans has decided not to wait another 500 years to declare our own Saint Dolly Parton!

Krewe of Dolly, founded 2020

Happy Mardi Gras from your very own (self-described!) Mardi Gras Museum Queen of New Orleans...

 

Muddling Through a First Draft

                              Please visit the BWL website for book and author information

Last summer, I started a new novel. I got half way through the first draft by Christmas and set the manuscript aside for the holidays. My New Year’s Resolution is to finish the first draft this spring.

The novel’s story begins in Czechia aka Czech Republic three months before the start of World War One. I chose this time period to make use of the research I’d done for my last novel, A Killer Whisky, which was set during WWI. This era also ties the new book to my maternal grandparents, the inspirations for the story. They emigrated from Czechia (then part of the Austria-Hungary empire) shortly after The Great War and settled in Canada. 

Matous & Emilie Slovacek 

Unlike A Killer Whisky, this novel-in-progress isn’t a whodunit mystery. A murder will take place – I think – but it won’t happen until later in the book. My original plan was to kill off the victim at the book’s one quarter mark, prompting my protagonist and her friends to escape to North America to avoid the police and imminent war. But as my writing of the story progressed, I didn’t want to rush the killing and stumbled upon a different first quarter turning point. My characters remained in Czechia and hatched a criminal plan, but it still didn’t lead to murder half way through. Their prospective victim was also becoming fun, in an evil way, and I wanted to keep him in the story.  

Before my Christmas break, I outlined enough future action to take place in Czechia that I’m pretty sure my characters won’t cross the Atlantic Ocean before the end of the book. There are advantages to keeping them in one location. Sending them elsewhere would mean creating a new supporting cast and researching another historical setting. Instead, I can develop my existing support characters more deeply and give them larger roles in the story.

My Czechia setting of Karlovy Vary will also become more important. A positive will be the opportunity more richly describe Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad in German), a beautiful spa city known for its hot springs and healing mineral waters. Goethe, Beethoven, Chopin, and Peter the Great were frequent visitors. A negative is that I don’t live there. I visited Karlovy Vary thirteen years ago but feel a need to return to check out the locations in my story and learn more about the spa city’s history. 

View of Karlovy Vary from Diana Lookout 

So, this spring, I’ll be adding a week or so in Czechia to a holiday in southern Germany. In Karlovy Vary, I’ll soak in some spa baths, drink the (extremely salty) mineral water from a classic sippy cup, visit the history museum, trace my characters’ footsteps on forested hill walks, stroll the river promenade, dine in the luxury hotel murder site, and absorb the city’s baroque architecture that hasn’t changed since the era of my story.  Not a bad incentive to finish the first draft of a book. 

Sippy Cups for sale - (above) Drinking hot mineral water from a sippy cup

Susan on the promenade

The 6 7 Phrase Phenomena – By Barbara Baker

 

I was playing goalie in the basement with two grandsons when, out of the blue and between my screeching at their high-speed wrist shots, someone shouted, “How old are you, Gramma?”

I put my hands up to stop the game. “How old do you think I am?”

Without hesitating, the youngest said, “Fifty-two.” He just became my favourite eight-year-old.

I threw my gloves and stick down, rushed over and gave him a hug.

“Did I guess right?” He wiggled out of my arms. “You’re fifty-two?”

“No.” I smiled. “I’m not. But I love that you think I am.”

“Well then, how old are you?” asked his big brother.

“I’m sixty-seven.”

They froze. Their eyes got round. Their mouths made perfect o’s. I glanced back and forth between them because their expressions were confusing me. What in the world had I said this time?

“Gramma,” the oldest one shouted and then did this weird hand waving motion. “You’re 6 7.”

“Yup, I’m sixty-seven.”

“No, Gramma.” He shook his head. “You’re 6 7. That’s so cool.”

And then the pucks started flying again and I retreated back to the net silently gloating at my apparent 6 7 coolness.

When I got home, I did some research to figure out what this expression meant so I could truly appreciate my new status.

Trusty Google had a plethora of facts and trivia to sift through. These are abbreviated versions of the ones that caught my attention:

• The expression started from a Philadelphia rapper, Skrilla, who used repetitions of 6 7 in his song Doot Doot (6 7) but he states he never intended there to be a specific meaning to the numbers.

• The expression grew legs in late 2024 and became more popular in 2025. 

• Generation Alpha (born 2010 and later) are the prime users. 

• People often use it when they hear the numbers 6 and 7 – i.e. a teacher says, "open your textbooks to page 67" or someone says, “do you want to get together at 6 or 7 o’clock". The response is an exuberant “6 7!” 

• Often when 6 7 is said, the user moves their open-palmed hands up and down alternately (like a weigh scale). The gesture can mean ‘it’s like this, it’s like that’, ‘it’s so, so’ or ‘it is what it is’. That was the weird hand movement my grandson did.

• Some teachers ban it’s use in the classroom because of the commotion it causes amongst the students. 

• According to Dictionary.com it is the Word of the Year because of its widespread cultural impact. Their definition of 6 7 is ‘a burst of energy that spreads and connects people long before anyone agrees on what it actually means.’ 

• The saying is a meaningless inside joke to indicate you’re part of a group and to exclude older generations who have no idea of its insignificance. 

• Adults who try to seek a logical definition make the joke funnier to the kids who use it. 

Well, that last one stopped me in my tracks and temporarily diluted my coolness status. But it also took me down another rabbit hole to see what the nonsensical expressions were back in my day.

 

I might have been heard chuckling when I reviewed the list.

    Nonsensical expressions from the 70s

• Catch you on the flipside
• Do me a solid
• Dream on
• Gimme some skin
• Put a cork in it
• Up your nose with a rubber hose (my all time favourite)

Nonsensical expressions from the 80s

• Gag me with a maggot
• Grody (to the max)
• As if!
• Gnarly
• Rad
• Psych

It’s fun and funny how expressions change with each generation. I now have more appreciation for my parents who navigated through our slang without the aid of Google and still managed to have conversations with us. And I love the eye roll or head shake I get from my adult children when I intentionally drop an oldy. I’m sure they must think ‘Mom must’ve been pretty rad back in the day.’

Putting all research aside, for the next few months, I’ll continue to bask in my 6 7 coolness.

Happy New Year.

 

Summer of Lies by Barbara Baker — BWL Publishing

What About Me? by Barbara Baker — BWL Publishing

Jillian of Banff XO — BWL Publishing

Baker, Barbara - BWL Publishing Inc. (bookswelove.net)

Barbara Baker Author Page Facebook 

 

 

The trip that never ends by J. S. Marlo

 

Deep Beneath the Surface

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Red in the Snow

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To buy any of my books, visit

J. S. Marlo's Books

Over the holidays, Hubby and I flew to visit our son, daughter-in-love, and two little granddaughters. Getting there was an adventure. My friend dubbed it "the trip that never ends". We were supposed to arrive at 4:30pm but ended up arriving at 3:00am. Not only did cancelled and delayed flights made it for a very long day, but my granddaughter was very disappointed when her dad told her that she wouldn't be picking up grand-maman and grand-papa at the airport.

Fast forward a week later, after making lots of new and wonderful memories, we left yesterday and should have arrived late last night. Well, we didn't arrive, not even close. We're stuck at the Calgary airport, halfway between my son's home and ours, after an unexpected night at the hotel. As of now, we're rebooked on the midnight flight, so we may be home by 2am...

At this rate, I'll need a vacation to get over that holiday vacation.

Since I have nothing to do right now but wait until I'm allowed to drop my luggage at the airline counter and cross security, I thought I'd write my blog.

One may think that bad weather is the most commun reason for flight delays, but surprisingly, it's number two, well behind the dreaded number one: Technical Issues.

I have no idea what is included under "technical Issues", but over the years, I've experienced my share of strange delays. These are the two most memorable:

- Years ago, the pilot ran out of the cockpit minutes before the plane was supposed to leave the gate. His wife had gone into labour so he decided to go to the hospital instead of flying the plane. The plane was delayed for hours until the airline found another pilot. 

- Last February, I was flying back alone from visiting my son. I had an evening connection in Calgary. It had snowed all day then the temperature had dropped. By the time I boarded my connecting flight, the plane had sat at the gate for many hours and the tires of the wheels had frozen into the ground.  The little truck tried pushing the plane off the gate, but it wouldn't budge. I had a window seat with a direct view of the left wheels. We sat on the plane for nearly two hours while the ground crew used shovels and giant heaters to thaw the ice and clear the wheels. That was quite interesting. 

This is the reason a love to set my stories in winter when snow and cold temperatures can swallow a whole town for days on end. I can always count on Mother Nature to wreck havoc with anyone's best laid plan LOL

Stay Warm & Happy Reading! 

Hugs!

JS

Quick update: I made it home by 2:30am.

 

 

J. S. Marlo's Website