Allan’s Amblings

It was sort of strange last week to be talking to a couple of people around town and hear them talk about how winter was […]

I went for a walk Saturday morning. Actually, let me amend that: I went OUT for a walk Saturday morning. For the last few weeks, […]

I had an experience at Pine Centre Mall on Saturday that had me going: “Hmmm.” Actually, it was outside the mall. I was heading into […]

I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t think I’ve been as happy to see a Monday morning as I was two days ago. […]

In previous years, when I was working for the Free Press and papers in other communities, the issues at the end of the year usually […]

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Not. Leaving aside the distinct lack of snow we’re used to seeing in Prince George at this […]

Just some random observations, many of them dealing with COVID and masks. I am used to seeing people in Prince George who have to light […]

I spent a fair bit of time in my apartment this weekend. My shifts at CFIS changed up a bit, so I don’t have much […]

I’m glad to see some of the drivers and pedestrians in Prince George are in mid-winter form already. It didn’t take long for one of […]

The trouble with a kitten is that Eventually it becomes a cat. I am not going to say whether I agree with Ogden Nash on […]

There has been a lot of talk recently about getting more minorities into leading roles in Hollywood movies, and yes, there is still a ways […]

How can you tell the seasons are changing in Prince George? For one thing, last week I wore four different coats as well as some […]

It was my fault. Anyone who was unpleasantly surprised Friday morning to see a bunch of wet snow blanketing the city can blame me. On […]

I was thinking about writing this column last week, but it didn’t seem right a few days before Thanksgiving to talk about things that frustrate […]

I’m pretty sure I’ve said this before, but how can it be the end of another month already? The funny thing is that early on […]

What happened to summer? I mean, I looked at the calendar a day or two ago and it said it was the first day of […]

My take on the COVID-19 mask dispute is fairly simple. If you want to wear a mask at all times, you have that right. If […]

Baby steps. That’s what we’re taking as we try to figure out how to resume activities in the COVID-19 world. Most of the restaurants in […]

As frequent readers of my column know, I like to walk for exercise and to give myself time to think. On Sunday, I had already […]

Look up, look way up, . . . No, it wasn’t the Friendly Giant I was craning to see Saturday afternoon from the balcony of […]

Just for fun, I thought I would take a trip in a time machine this week and see what I was writing about in my […]

The way 2020 has gone so far, I figure if the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse came riding in, they’d take one look and leave […]

It’s another one of those sayings which has been attributed to a thousand different people. “Horse sense is what keeps horses from betting on people.” […]

I had a very unusual walk on Sunday morning. The route was nothing unusual, one of my usual paths around my neighbourhood. What made it […]

The word came down on Friday that Masich Place Stadium will be open for walking starting today (as you read this). That’s good news for […]

I want to start this week’s column with a new feature (if I can stretch that word’s meaning almost beyond recognition). I’m calling it COVID […]

So we’re halfway through 2020, and boy has it ever been a boring year so far, right? Oh, did I miss something? OK, I’m not […]

It seems some local people are starting to feel that wearing a mask makes them a superhero. It makes them invulnerable. That’s the only real […]

I half-expected to be passed by a portly Englishman wishing me a “Good ev-uh-ning.” Last Tuesday, I went through something which felt like something out […]

It should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me that I enjoy the English language. It’s a good thing, too, since I’ve been […]

Last week, the NHL (you remember them? Guys chasing a frozen piece of rubber around on the ice?) released plans for the 2020 playoffs and […]

I was out for a walk early Monday morning, dodging the few raindrops which insisted on attacking me, when I noticed something strange about the […]

On Saturday, I was out and about a bit and ended up with a couple of things to pick up at Spruceland Shopping Centre. While […]

So we are now apparently into a Restart for the province. I, for one, am not going to stomp my foot on the accelerator any […]

Notes from the 422nd week of isolation (or something like that): I’ve been able to get out for two or three walks each day most […]

“I never knew I needed Justin Bieber and Bryan Adams harmonizing together but here we are.” That was one of the comments on the YouTube […]

Some kind of random notes this week on things I observed while on my rambles through the neighbourhood: Actually, the first one was something I […]

Day 154 of self-isolation (or maybe Day 12. They’re starting to blur together.) I came out of my bedroom and found an elephant in the […]

It’s April 1, but this is going to be a serious column (for the most part). Some people still don’t get it. A lot of […]

So it turns out I’ve been ‘self-isolating’ for years to a large extent, and I always just thought I was trying to avoid people. I’ve […]

The last week has been a very different one for me. As most of you probably know, I am a real sports fan. I love […]

Have you ever gone on YouTube, found a video for a song where the song was good, but the video was really strange, but you […]

It’s nice to have friends you can ask for advice. I’m not, at this point, talking about life-changing advice like should I take that new […]

What is the difference between “trivia” and “interesting information?” Last week, I was watching a streamer on Twitch, and he had music on in the […]

I’ve done it a number of times over the years, but this time I decided to make mental notes as I went along. On Sunday […]

I sometimes see situations where I wonder how I would react. About 3 a.m. Monday (don’t ask), I was heading east on Fifth Avenue, set […]

There are times when I miss the old days of journalism. This weekend was one. First some background: Before I started working at CFIS as […]

I will say one thing about the weather in Prince George last week. I was happy the temperature change went the direction it did. I […]

In the 16th Century, scientists who were studying the human anatomy did not have the easiest time finding specimens to work with. Take the Belgian […]

So here’s what I figure happened last week in Prince George. Somebody in charge of winter precipitation (also known as snow) was checking over the […]