Home at Last! (The Final Installment)

Okay! Flash back with me one more time to Aug 21.10 as the MV Caribou approaches the rocky shores of Port aux Basques Newfoundland. There's nothing like knowing that in a few short minutes, your feet will be touching the sacred soil of HOME!

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We had a little less than a 3 hour drive before we could be with our loved ones. Driving in Newfoundland must be done with extreme care. All along the highways are signs like this one: .

If you hit a moose while driving, the chances are that you and your vehicle will not survive. They are huge, rock-solid creatures, so you have to be constantly scanning the horizon for them. We encountered one on the drive back to the ferry to NS; but we recognized him from a distance, slowed down, and were able to watch him for a few minutes before he ran across the road and into the woods. They are so majestic! (And delicious when cooked slowly with lots of onions and served with rice! Yum yum!)

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Finally! I've reached George's Lake and the cottage property that my folks have called home for the last 18 years. They'll both be 80 this fall; so I'm here to help them move out of their beloved cottage home and back into the city. Bittersweet!

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After the slow 2 km drive over the dirt road (where you must still scan for moose), I'm HOME!

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I saw lots of bunnies and toads on the drive in, but didn't encounter a moose until I was turning into the lefthand driveway. Then I noticed a young 2 yr old bull moose standing in the righthand drive; he ran across the drives, and by the time I reached the entrance, he was running up the left side of the house and back into the woods. Nature at your back door here!

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In between mornings spent packing boxes for my Mom and evenings spent playing SkipBo, eating potato chips and drinking my Dad's home-made Cranberry wine, I visited my immediate family in Corner Brook. Corner Brook is a small city of hills which all overlook the beautiful Bay of Islands and the mouth of the Humber River. Here's my own panoramic view of a small portion of the Bay and the fiord that leads to the ocean. You can drive either side in about 2 hours return, lovely meandering roads with magnificant coastal scenery! .
And if you continue north past Corner Brook, you come to Marble Mountain, the best sking this side of the Rockies, and on to Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But these are not the sights I took in on this trip. This was a mostly working vacation. And when you're working hard, you need to refuel often! Correct?

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So, there was this visit to Brewed on Bernard where I met eldest daughter, Cindy, and where we fortified ourselves with this:

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And after my overnight visit with Cindy, there was a quick stop here to stock up on NL "lassy buns" (molasses baking soda biscuits), raisin bread, cinnamon twists and date squares. A girl needs to keep up her strength!

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About a week later, Libby flew into Deer Lake, just outside Corner Brook. My Mom and I went to visit her youngest sister, Mable -- my favorite Aunt! I have many, many wonderful memories of weekends spent with my Grandma here. And look at that view from the house! Across the bay is the pretty little village of Meadows..
And then we all drove to Deer Lake for supper at the Big Stop -- home of delicious fish 'n' chips and fantastic coconut cream pie -- the latter being the reason that Aunt Mable and Mom are smiling so broadly - before we picked up Libby..
The days after I picked up my baby girl were a whirl-wind! I continued to spend my mornings packing boxes; but my afternoons were now spent moving Libby into nursing residence and treking around every Dollar Store in town for "necessary" do-dads and thingie-gummies for her room. And although I cried like a baby to leave her there, I sure was a proud mama..
Judy and I left our loved ones and drove back to Nova Scotia on August 31st. There was much moaning, gnashing of teeth and tearing of hair as we left the island and drove back to our day-to-day reality. You know, 9-5 work, taxes, mortgage payments and responsibility!

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Waaaa! I want my Mommy!

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PS - I sure miss Newfoundland. There's no place like it.

Gifts from Mexico

There's always an exchange of gifts when new students arrive. I usually give a few school supplies, a small notebook with home address and phone numbers (and for taking notes such as new English slang words or things that they want to remember), a new toothbrush and a soft fluffy stuffed toy; most of these girls have left pets behind at home, and they always appreciate something to cuddle at night.
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And they in turn bring me a little of their own home country. Sometimes they ask what you'd like (but unfortunately, cannot fit a "rich, handsome, hot-blooded latin man in their suitcase" -- DANG BURNIT!). Most times, they just surprise you.
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Mexico was not to be outdone by Germany this year!

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I love this beautiful and so colorful covered basket; haven't decided what to put in it.
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And then there are these two beautiful pieces of Mexican pottery..
The thing that I requested that could be fit in the suitcase was a "mole" (pronounced molay) mix. Mexican moles are sauces which are used in traditional cooking; they contain a variety of chili peppers and other ingredients and often include dark, bitter chocolate!
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Yup! The first time I read about that I wanted to try it. Chicken and chocolate? Why not! Sounds good to me.
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I've been told by my student that there's a mole upstairs for me; but I've yet to see the proof! (Not unlike God's word to me about that rich, handsome man!)
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I'll let you know when and if I receive either of the above items! AND although I'll share what I cook up with the one, I certainly will not for the other! Nosy people!!\
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And here's the other gift I received from Mexico and the bearer of all these wonderful gifts ... Carolina. Isn't she a stunner!

Rednesday Sept 8.10

Wednesday! Hump day! Half way through the week (yay!!) and my first day back to exercise class in 3 weeks! (I'm focusing on how good I'll feel after class and not on how rusty I'll be!)
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(And how do I get through my exercise classes? I focus on the lunch I'll have afterwards! Sad huh?)
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And here in NS on this overcast, cool September day, I have a yummy Rednesday post. This is the gift I received from my little German student, Gini:

• A book on Hamburg, her home city
• A beautiful red mug (my current favorite) and
• A huge box of chocolate covered Marzipan (a favorite that I share)

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Two more days until the weekend! Aren't short-weeks great!

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Have a wonderful day! And check out my blog friends this REDnesday with our lovely host, Sue, over at It's A Very Cherry World.

First Day of School ...

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There are juice packs and granola bars in my cupboards; the refrigerator contains sandwich meats and cheese; and the large platter on the shelf is full of apples and bananas. We're ready!

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School has officially begun on the South Shore. And even though my baby is thousands of miles away at Nursing Orientation today, I'm still sending kids off to school.

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My latest babies packed up their lunch bags and headed off for their first day of school in Canada! Carolina from Mexico is 18 and in Grade 12; Gini from Germany is 15 and in Grade 10. As I dropped them at the school door this morning, I felt the same trepidation that I did 13 years ago: Will they be scared? Did they pack enough for lunch? Will they make nice friends? Are they wearing the right brand of sneakers?

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Even though these two have many years of schooling under their tiny little belts, this is new, and mixed with the excitement is, I'm sure, a little fear. After all, this is not just a different school with different faces and subjects; this is a different language! A whole new experience! A brand new start!

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But this Mama knows they'll be fine. They're young and smart and confident; what great stories there'll be round the supper table.

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The beginning of school is like a new start for me as well. After Hurricane Earl this weekend, there's a definate change in the weather. The mornings and evenings are quite cool; and I do believe I can smell Autumn! So, I find myself making new lists and reminders to myself.
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Not like my summer lists to go to the beach or read a few summer romance novels.

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My Autumn lists remind me to clean out the shed in preparation for storing the garden paraphernalia and to spend a day in the month preparing meals for the freezer. They remind me to savor every last sun ray and warm breeze and to watch for the first red and gold leaf. They remind me to get back into my exercise routine at the YMCA, and to feed both my body and my mind with good, healthy food -- harvest time is coming soon!

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The lists also tell me that it will soon be time to pull the boxes out from under the bed and #1 check the Xmas gifts (that's always fun!) and #2 check the winter clothing (can be kinda fun??). After my weight loss since I joined TOPS, are any of them too big? And after my 2 weeks vacation in NL, are any of them too small?

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That that can remind me to

"STEP AWAY FROM THE ICE CREAM CONE"!

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Oh Dear!!

Do you have your own autumn lists?

Bee-u-tea-ful B&B!

Vacation - Let me take you along on the second leg of our journey. We arrived Thursday evening at about 9 pm at beautiful Annfield House (shown here in the daytime). Ours is the 3rd floor with the cute arched window - "The School Room".
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"The School Room" is the largest room in the Inn and the only one with it's own bathroom. Two double beds and one single: here's my really comfy bed ...And here's Judy's equally comfy one .....
After a full day of touring The Trail ...and then carrying our suitcases up those 3 flights of stairs!, we were pretty pooped. So, we quickly changed into our jammies. But what's this in Judy's suitcase?.
Yes! Now we're really ready for our sleepover! You remember sleepovers, right girls? It's where we talk about school and our parents and makeup and kissing boys! Ooohhhh! Kissing boys!!
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Well, we covered all those topics that night. We talked about work (no homework & we're allowed to chew gum, but goofing off is not nearly as much fun!) And our parents (aging & health & moving into senior's homes). And which face cream fills in those wrinkles and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. And kissing boys!!! Ooohhh! Kissing boys!! (Well, we covered how neither of us had kissed a boy in ages! But both of us were s-u-r-e lookin' forward to that again someday!)
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(Note to self: Don't show prospective kisser those knees until after the kissing has successfully taken place!)

It was a fun night and a delightful bottle of wine!
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The next morning, we toured the Inn: the rooftop terrace directly across from our room, the stairs up to the fantastic Widow's Walk, an unoccupied 2nd floor bedroom and then down the red staircase to the 1st floor. There we found a lovely parlor, several dining rooms and the foyer with the baby grand and the elevator! ...The elevator which is out of service and now houses creams and lotions for sale..
Breakfast was really nice: fruit cup, fresh oj, whole grain toast & 3 different mini quiches and oodles of delicious dark-roast coffee. Umm um umm! A long walk through the garden and a brief conversation with the horse in the back yard were necessary before getting in the car again. (And I'm not saying, but ya know -- there may have even been a burp or a toot that took place while conversing with Ole Nelly out back! That was some yummy breakfast!)
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We arrived at the North Sydney ferry terminal in plenty of time for check-in. We even had time for a bit of a walk around North Sydney (where I can safely say that no burping or tooting took place)..

It's finally time to board the "MV Caribou", sailing from North Sydney NS to Port aux Basques NL! Here's we are driving up the ramp into the gaping maw of the ship! How excited we were!.
Once onboard, we found ourselves a booth and settled in for our 6 hour journey across the gulf..

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Homeward bound!

Fertilizer Friday Sept 3.10

I'm slowly assimilating to being back in Nova Scotia and back to work. But after two weeks of being in beautiful Newfoundland, of waking at the cottage home to birdsong (and the occasional roar of a quad), packing boxes and sorting through memorabilia, drinking Dad's homemade cranberry wine and playing SkipBo every evening with my Mom; it's really hard to settle. I want to be back there!

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Nevertheless, it's time to be grown-up and responsible again!

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One lovely little German girl has arrived; one more should arrive Sunday morning; one 18 yr old daughter is away at nursing school (sob sob); one more is back home (for how long??) and asleep in the downstairs bedroom; and I'm back at work trying to deal with the huge backlog of paperwork that can only happen when you're "the office"! Eeek!

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Slow and steady wins the race!

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My little garden has suffered with my being away for 2 weeks and our having record breaking temperatures. So today, I invite you to take a look at the gardens at Annfield Manor, the B&B we stayed at in Little Bras'dOr in Cape Breton (click here for website).



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Please join Tootsie Time for Fertilizer Friday and more garden walking.

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I'll be spending my free afternoon taking in the garden paraphernalia and bracing for whatever we'll receive this weekend from Hurricane Earl!

Cape Breton Beauty!

There was no sadness in our eyes as we waved goodbye and headed to Cape Breton on Aug 19.10. As predicted, the sun was shining and we didn't encounter any (major) yahoos on the road.
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Malcolm was ready for the road as well; and we brought along a good mystery CD just in case the radio stations weren't up to our taste. (We needn't have worried about being entertained.)

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We stopped for coffee & a breakfast sandwich in Antigonish and reached the island of Cape Breton by 11 am. Because we were ahead of schedule, we also took the Ceilidh Trail (pronounced kay-lee) which meets up with the Cabot Trail. The western side of the island is mostly Scottish/Gaelic ancestry; and I love the fact that the signs are in both English and Gaelic! We listened to Cape Breton's own "Rankin Family" as we drove through the beautiful little villages. (I think it's probably against the law NOT to play them!!).

Just outside the mouth of the Cabot Trail, we stopped to stretch our legs. In a little field next to a fragrant wood mill, I found what could be the man of my dreams! At least, he met most of the things on my list: single, refined, quiet, doesn't matter if he's bald. I wasn't able to find out if he was rich or not as he was unresponsive to all my flirtations!.
A little further on, we stopped for lunch in the Acadian village of Chetticamp..
You simply cannot drive through Chetticamp without stopping to say hello to "Joe's Scarecrows". Judy and I met the Queen Mother (God rest her sainted soul!), Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan and many others..

We also stopped at the Catholic church for a walk through. Beautiful architecture and lovely atmosphere!.
After one more stop to buy Cape Breton oatcakes, we were on the road again. And we soon reached the start of the Cabot Trail and our scenic drive through the highlands. Malcolm was a little put out at the construction, but I think his mood was more delayed anticipation of what was to come..
Come with us now as we drive the Trail. It was absolutely breathtaking in its beauty!.
This was where I discovered that my camera's memory card was full! Drat! Can't trust your own children to keep you up on your equipment!

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Judy took more pictures. But suffice to say, it was absolutely beautiful.

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We had a light supper at "The Clucking Hen" in St Ann's, took the tiny ferry across at Ingonish and reached North Sydney by early evening. After we successfully hunted down a Shopper's Drug Mart and a larger memory card for my camera, we checked into our B&B.

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But that's another day! Stay tuned ...