Back to Bliss

Yes! Victoria is being re-launched! I have a collection of Victoria magazines that I refer to again and again. Someone asked me once why this particular magazine held such appeal for me. I liked to think of it as a "thinking woman's magazine." Home decor, cooking, fashion, beauty, travel, handiwork and much more were covered from a thoughtful perspective - one that didn't urge the reader to rush out and purchase more, more, more.

Victoria was a treasure to me in the years I lived in South America. During a quiet afternoon, the house more or less tidy, the rain dripping off the eaves, I would sit in my tree-shaded living room in the Amazon rainforest with a cup of tea and Victoria. It was beauty and relaxation. And after a time with Victoria I was inspired to create beauty - through a meal for my family, a flower arrangement, making a pretty gift, or just tweaking the objects on the piano.

I was also inspired to read - Catherine Calvert, Madeleine L'Engle, Francine Prose, Nancy Mitford and others were featured in the magazine. I traveled in my mind to England, France, Italy, Turkey and even to Vancouver Island, never imagining that I would one day live here.

It's both exciting and frightening to think about Victoria's re-launch. Exciting to contemplate the return of something familiar, yet frightening because I know that it can never be the same. We live in a different world. It can't be the same, but maybe, just maybe, it could be better.