All posts by Raymond Tomlin

About Raymond Tomlin

Raymond Tomlin is a veteran journalist and educator who has written frequently on the political realm — municipal, provincial and federal — as well as on cinema, mainstream popular culture, the arts, and technology.

A Sojourn to Montréal, The 61st Birthday Jubilee Commences

Montréal, Quebéc

If it is 9 a.m. and you are reading this first travel post covering our journey to Montréal, we are somewhere over the Rocky Mountains, aboard WestJet Flight 366 (on a Boeing 737-800, seated near the front of the plane beside a window, in seat 6F), heading towards Toronto, where (the gods willing) we’ll arrive at 3:20 p.m. Eastern Daylight Savings Time, before continuing what will be our Québec adventure. We will arrive in Montréal at 5:10 p.m.
VanRamblings has brought along two cameras: our trusty Panasonic Lumix FZ28 and our somewhat newer Canon Powershot Elph 300 HS, both of which shoot photos and video in glorious HD. Over the course of the next 8 days we hope to record anecdotal photos and video of our experience in la belle province. Yes, we’re going to take in the sights: old Montréal; the world famous Schwarz’s Deli (hey, VanRamblings is Jewish; oy vey, like we’re not going to partake of an authentic smoked meat sandwich); the Notre-Dame Basilica; and … well, you’re just going to have to come back to VanRamblings either later tonight or tomorrow morning for a couple of photos, and maybe, just maybe, a brief, illustrious and spectacular video.

Julia Stone, Mesmerizing Tenderness, Harmony & Vulnerability


ANGUS & JULIA STONE, click on picture for more info

Quite simply, there is no ‘new‘ Australian singer-songwriter we love more than Julia Stone (although, we harbour deep affection for Kasey Chambers and Missy Higgins), with her twee voice chock full of warmth and hope.
Breaking from her brother Angus for her 2011 solo début, this is light and airy, melancholy and pensive music that VanRamblings finds entirely captivating, and altogether marks one of the stunning tour-de-force music endeavours of this year or any other year. Absolutely worth a listen.
Without further ado, then, meet the glorious and remarkable Julia Stone …