ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti fˈoːɹ, hiː mˈuːvd tʊ ˈɪŋɡlənd fɹʌm kˈænədə wˌɛɹ hiː hæd tˈɔːt ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ lˈɪɾɚɹᵻtʃɚɹ æt ðə jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ʌv mˌænɪtˈoʊbə, ænd sˈʌbsᵻkwəntli bɪkˌeɪm ɐ lˈɪv ɪn ɡˈɑːɹdənɚɹ ɪnðə kˈɑːɹmɪlˌaɪt mˈɑːnɐstɚɹi æt bˈoːɹz hˈɪl, ˈɑːksfɚd.
In 1974, he moved to England from Canada where he had taught English literature at the University of Manitoba, and subsequently became a live-in gardener in the Carmelite monastery at Boars Hill, Oxford.