Patricia Sands

Author

Social issues

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

by

Today marks the beginning of National Breast Cancer Month and this link has an excellent supply of information. Our family and so many friends have battled against this pervasive disease and I’m sure many of you would say the same. Great strides have been made in the treatment of this and other cancers but much is left to do.

Let’s show our support in whatever way possible. Three cheers to all the people (and their pets) who were running, walking, rolling, in the CIBC Run For The Cure yesterday in so many communities!

In September, the dynamic Weekend To End Women’s Cancer walk was held in Toronto. If you’ve never participated in this inspiring challenge, perhaps next year will be your turn! Call your besties and get organized!

I was proud to host The Canadian Breast Cancer Support Fund here a few months ago. Here’s the link to that post. They have an innovative approach to raising funds that provide short-term financial assistance to breast cancer patients who are facing financial difficulties while they are undergoing treatment.  Every donation, small and large, helps us to provide financial support for breast cancer patients for food, shelter, medication, prosthetics, childcare, various treatments and restorative therapies.

Think Pink Live Green

When you think of breast cancer, we want you to think pink and live green.

Think Pink Live Green

What a great logo! Founder Donna Sheehan recently let me know their new “GREEN” online store, Holly & Ivy, is up and running. 50% of all profits go directly into the cancer support fund. Pop over and take a look. There’s nothing better than paying it forward.

 

 

I want to send an enormous shout-out to Cynthia O’Neill, the founder and organizer of the Power of The Purse. This women’s conference  (mentioned here last week) was an enormous success last Thursday. It was a privilege to be invited to speak there and the women of London, Ontario could not have been a more enthusiastic and involved audience. The energy in that conference centre was quite astounding! But then… that’s what women do so well … 

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO WAS THERE!

Here’s how the White House kicked off the month …

On to the next event …

by

We’ve exchanged whines for wine in our home today! Woohooooo!  I’ve climbed out the trench that has been my workplace for the past few weeks as I worked on the developmental edit of my new novel, The Promise of Provence. My long-suffering husband is discovering I am capable of more than muted one-syllable responses and I might even finish the book I began reading weeks ago. At least for this evening anyway …

Tomorrow is another day. Oh, yeah! Susan Sommers and I will drive to London in the afternoon  (an easy 1-1/2 hour drive from Toronto) to prepare for our presentation at the Power Of The Purse one-day women’s conference on Thursday. We’re looking forward to having dinner with the other speakers tomorrow evening and enjoying a schmoozefest with these dynamic women. Thursday is going to be an exciting and energizing day! If you are coming to the conference be sure to find us and stop for a chat!

Never a dull moment!

 

Coming up for air …

by

While I’ve been working on the revisions for my next novel, I’ve also been preparing for an exciting speaking event coming up soon. No wonder my e-mail box is overflowing and I’m waaaay behind on all the blogs I love to follow. Sorry, gang, I’ll get caught up … sometime …

The fourth annual Power Of The Purse one-day women’s conference will be held on Thursday, September 27th in London, Ontario, not far from Toronto.

This high-energy and enjoyable day celebrates all women including those making an impact in the corporate world, women as creative forces in the arts world, as researchers and healers in healthcare and as generous philanthropists helping those in need.

A local non-profit charity is supported through this event and the important work of Anago’s Parkhill Therapeutic Residence is being spotlighted this year. Anago serves complex needs girls requiring protection, youth at risk with the law, and individuals with developmental challenges who may also be medically fragile. Kudos to them for all they do to make the community a better place to live!

I’m honoured to be among the dynamic … oh yes, we all are, honest! …  presenters for the day along with my fabulous friend and speaking partner,  Susan Sommers, co-author of the ‘must-have’ fitness book Power Source For Women.

Although Susan and I write in very different genres, our messages are based on the same philosophy.  We focus on women’s stories and  celebrate how they empower and support each other through the connections they make.

Our presentation reaches women of all ages with a message about fitness, friendship and the potential and possibilities change can offer at every stage in life.  Be a possibilitarian (thank you Amber West!) and make life the very best it can be!

The best part for us is having the opportunity to hear the incredible stories of other women. They inspire and motivate us every single time we are asked to speak! We love it!

Later in the day the Conference Centre is transformed into the popular Vendor Networking Marketplace showcasing local entrepreneurs and their products and services.  It is a terrific chance to connect, support and learn who is doing what in your community … okay … and to indulge in a little retail therapy too!

If you live in the area, we hope we’ll see you there. It’s going to be a blast!

Have you attended a conference like this? What was the most important part of the day … and not just those fabulous earrings you couldn’t resist!

World Oceans Day … oops, I forgot to click publish!

by

I was caught up in a wonderful graduation day yesterday (Friday) for the daughter of dear friends. She received combined MBA/Law degrees plus an award for top marks in both. It was indeed a day to celebrate! Beginning with a beautiful ceremony at Convocation Hall, in the magnificent grounds of the University of Toronto, we lunched while awards were presented, then rushed home to shower, change and drive back downtown to the terrace of The Fifth for dinner and party-time!

In fact I was having such a great time celebrating, I forgot to move this post out of draft by hitting “Publish”. So here we are … a day late. But, never mind, let’s celebrate World Oceans Day every day and do our part as best we can.

If it’s Friday, it must be France …

The Mediterranean is a sea. A beautiful, historical body of water that has a unique magical aura. In fact, connected to the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltor, the Med (as it is affectionately known) is defined as a sea because it is mainly surrounded by land.

June 8th is World Oceans Day so please click this link take a minute to visit their website. I should have been talking about this weeks ago but, to be honest, in my state of *finish the MS total self-absorption*, I wasn’t aware of it.

In fact, it was my friend Tele Aadsen’s blog that gave me the reminder. As well as a writer, she fishes commercially in Alaska and no one in my world  is in a better  position to speak on this topic than Tele. She also has a video in this post that she shot as five whales accompanied them on one of their outings. If you haven’t already visited her blog, do it now. You’ll be very glad you did.

Tele also introduces us to Roz Savage whose memoir, Rowing The Atlantic, describes her 500 days at sea in a 23-foot rowboat. CAN YOU IMAGINE? I am always fascinated by individuals who take up such challenges and can’t wait to read about it.

Fellow writer/blogger Nancy J. Nicholson and her husband live on their sailboat and are cruising the Caribbean at the moment. Needless to say, they have a strong commitment to doing all they can to support the ongoing work of preserving our oceans. You can find her here.

In Toronto, we live on Lake Ontario and last weekend saw the annual lakeside clean-up by everyone who cares to give a day and help take care of the lake shore. An annual event, the turnout is always impressive – rain or shine!

Late afternoon view from our balcony in Toronto

Last summer we lived in Antibes on the shore of the Mediterranean for almost five months. Living with that awesome view of the Med and the hills and mountains beyond was a very special experience, we’ll never forget.

The view from our terrace in Antibes.

We never tired of the view or of spending as much time as we possibly could hiking the coastal trails, enjoying the catch of the day, or doing beach-time. Here are a few of my favourite Med shots.

Hiking the Cap D’Antibes
Secluded cove – hiking Cap D’Antibes
Overlooking St.-Jean-Cap-Ferrat from Eze Village
Sailing class in Antibes
The Med – driving through the hills of Corsica
Breathtaking Corsican landscape
Corsica – Marine Preserve – can it get any more blue than this?
Plage Beau Rivage – our favourite beach in Nice
A calanque near Marseille
Calanques – between Marseille and Cassis
Overlooking Cassis from La Route Des Cretes
Sanary-Sur-Mer
Sanary-Sur-Mer – fishing boats
Plage Des Graniers – St. Tropez
A gem – Plage Mala, Cap D’Ail

Okay, okay … I’ll stop. I had a great time sorting through my photos for those and could go on and on …

How far do you live from the sea or an ocean or any body of water? Let’s make a commitment to do all we can to conserve and protect our rivers, lakes and oceans today and every day.