It is coming up on the eighth anniversary of my admission as a chevalier to France’s Ordre des Palmes académiques. It was — and still is — a great honour that continues to motivate me to write as best I can about whatever interests me at the moment.

The odd thing is that although my admission took place in 2008, I didn’t find out about it until 2011, when a letter arrived from Rideau Hall. It clearly takes quite a while for Canada to approve honours given to its citizens by another country.