Homes

I'm always telling homeowners to look beyond the lipstick and mascara - the finishes. But finishes are important to many homeowners. It's what they see and live with every day. I get that. And I like finishes too.

Oil furnaces are found only in older homes, but many aficionados won't switch to other fuels

Helen Chesnut >F3

Christ Church Cathedral marks the first day of Advent on Sunday with a special service of candlelight and sacred music. The service is recognized as one of Christ Church's most moving and beautiful.

Dear Reena: I need to ask a question about the drainage system in my new house, which is about three years old. There is an odour coming from my kitchen sink and from my hot water (nothing wrong when we run the cold water).

And so it came to pass that in the eighth year of Pope Benedict's reign, some tabloid and social media decreed that he had cancelled Christmas. The day after Benedict's latest book The Infancy Narratives - Jesus of Nazareth was published on Nov.

I have been taking great pleasure in cleaning through and reorganizing the wall of gardening books in my office, and pulling some out for giving away.

It is crunch time again for students at the University of Victoria. Like gladiators going into the ring, students will stream into lecture halls and gymnasia to confront final exams. In a few hours of focused effort, they will either succeed or fail.

With heating accounting for about 60 per cent of energy use in a home, it's no wonder homeowners want to be up to date on the most economical options.

Mike Holmes >E3