Winter, Spring and Summer

 

 

 

Our Maritime winter started very slowly.  We had lots of rain but really no snow to speak of.  The end of January came and I flew home to visit my mom who had fallen and was in the hospital.  I expected to be gone for 2 or 3 weeks but that turned into 2 months.  The Ontario winter wasn't too bad but it was something altogether different back home in Nova Scotia.  Michael was faced with ice, ice and more ice.  He lost count of the number of times the driveway was sanded.
 

Spring was really slow coming with our nights in the single digit right through June.  It was so bad in the spring that we were buying blueberries as food for the robins who couldn't break through the ground in search of worms and bugs.  We thought we would never feel the heat of summer.  Slowly it started to get warmer. The apple trees blossomed, grass turned green, daisies grew in the meadow, daffodils pushed through the ground and turned their beautiful yellow faces toward the sun, lupins came up by the old rock and wild roses bloomed everywhere on the property.

We love the little red squirrels that come to the feeders.  They provide entertainment for the dogs who try to catch them and cost us a small fortune in sunflower seeds that we put out for the birds.  We had a couple set up home in the barn last fall and that was okay.  They didn't do any damage that we can see except for the mess from all the pinecones they brought in for the winter.  However, when momma brought her babies into our attic and we listened to gnawing and racing around we knew something had to be done.  After finding their entrance we set up a live trap baited with peanut butter.  You can imagine how excited we were when we caught our first one.  We were told to take it 20 km away from the house so off on a road trip we went to let the squirrel go.  In all we trapped and moved 5 peanut butter covered squirrels.  Finally the house was quiet and after 5 days we sealed up their entrance.

We had a visitor to our window boxes....a baby hummingbird.  The little thing was very tiny and seemed to still be learning how to use its wings.  There was an adult male dive bombing it so I sat on the deck for quite a while to try to keep it safe.  I am so glad I took the time to get my camera and take these pictures.  He has found the feeder now and has not returned to the planter.





     

 

 

Finally, the downstairs hall is finished except for baseboards and the stairs.  The drywall, mudding and sanding, and mudding and sanding, and mudding and sanding went on all winter.  Dust was everywhere and as soon as I cleaned it up there was more sanding and more cleaning.  I knew it would be a messy job but that still didn't prepare me for the reality of it.  Oh well, it is done now, the hardwood floor is down and everything looks great.  I just need to hang pictures and tweet some little things.  The before and after pictures show the dramatic change we made.  This really is our home, very comfortable and suits us very well.

 

 

 

Yesterday was a beautiful day so before dinner I took the dogs and a glass of wine down to the ocean.  This is such a beautiful property with amazing views out to the ocean.  There was a breeze that kept the bugs away and it was warm without being too hot.....just one of those perfect days you want to hold on to.

 

 

As I sat there, I was remembering another day quite like this one when I was down here with my Bose speaker, Ipod, my Kindle and a glass of wine.  I was thoroughly enjoying myself, reading a good book, sipping a great wine and listening to Japanese flute music...yes, I love Japanese flute music.  A good friend introduced me to it many years ago and it is still one of my favorite types of music.  Well, you know when you can feel someone looking at you...I had that feeling and looked up to see a seal bobbing in the ocean staring at me.  Being naturally curious, I suspect that it was intrigued with the music and came to investigate...perhaps another fan of flute music.  It was a very special moment.  Enough of that story and back to yesterday.  I love watching the gulls and cormorants and am always on the lookout for the seals.  The tides still fascinate me and I expect they always will.  The shoreline changes constantly throughout the day and it is something I never tire of looking at.  I watched the sea mist come in from the open ocean and I felt the air cool down dramatically.  I hated to leave but my wine was gone, I was getting cold and the dogs were getting hungry for dinner. There is always another day to wander back down and enjoy it all over again.



A Year Later

 

I can hardly believe we've been living here a year now.  We've been in awe of the beauty around us and thankful for our acceptance into the community.  It's been exciting and frustrating renovating the house but it feels like home and we can see the end is near.  We are so happy we made the decision to retire in the beautiful province of Nova Scotia and that we found the property we now call home in the village of Liscomb.

In anticipation of winter, we moved the Muskoka chairs back from the ocean so as not to lose them to the winter storms.  Tables were stored in the barn along with all the garden decorations...... we're ready for what winter brings!  So far we've been lucky and have had mostly rain.

The meadow changed significantly from last year.  It was being taken over by bayberry, blackberry and blueberry bushes along with so many wild roses that the grasses were being choked out.....decision time......to cut it back or not.  I started by cutting it back closest to the house by about 20 feet as well as down by the ocean but then I got on the tractor again.  I've cut it back drastically leaving only a swath of bayberry and the odd bush for interest.  We left the meadow in front of the barn all the way down to the old apple tree and sitting area.  We love the look.

              

 

We had friends visit in June and family in September and can hardly wait to see who visits next year. 

 

We've really made great strides with the renovations.  Both bathrooms have been renovated, the kitchen is installed with only some mudding, sanding and painting to be done and the livingroom hardwood floor is down.  As frustrating as the renovation has been, we love what we've done so far....well I should say we love what Irvin has done.  Whatever would we have done without him?  Now we will start the messy job of mudding and sanding the kitchen and halls.  I am dreading this job knowing that there will be dust everywhere for months.  At the same time I will be glad when it is done so I can get to the painting and wallpaper. 

 

 

       

 

I've cooked my first lobster, mastered fishcakes and learned how to make seafood chowder.  We ate so much seafood our first year that Michael cringes at the thought of fish now and doesn't want to see another lobster until next season.

 

 

 

Andrew, Irvin's son, took us out in his boat for a tour of the harbour.  It was great seeing what was beyond the island off our property and even more exciting to see our property from the water.  Next summer we are going to head out in our canoe to explore the shoreline....on a really, really calm day! 

 

 
 

Clam Bay is a really spectacular beach and holds a sandcastle competition each year.  Well, there are sandcastles and then there are sandcastles.  We saw the most amazing creations made from sand and offerings from the ocean.  It was a wonderful day and will probably be one of our annual events.

           

 

           

 

 

 Michael dragged the dory up from the ocean hoping it could be repaired but unfortunately it's too far gone.  It is such a shame it was neglected for so many years.  He was going to burn it but I suggested putting it under the big old tree by the barn. We've put garland and lights on it for Christmas and it makes such a picture.  Next year I'll paint it and it will look like new even though it will never see the ocean again.

 

Our second Christmas arrived before we knew it.  Time moves just too quickly, especially now that we are both retired.  This was a difficult Christmas for me.  I missed my family and friends.  Last year wasn't so bad, probably since it was our first in the new house and there was so much excitement around that.  This year was much different especially for me.  I was sad  I wasn't there Christmas Eve with my mom who is now in her 98th year, and I was sad I wasn't there for the chaos of the family dinner at my brother's.  I missed the children opening their gifts, Rick continually gathering up the ripped wrapping paper and stuffing it all in that large black plastic bag, Barb checking the turkey, talking to my nieces and nephew about this and that, letting our dinner get cold while we said grace,  popped the Christmas crackers and read our messages.  I missed mom insisting we all wear those silly paper hats that come in the crackers and I missed being so tired that I couldn't wait to get home and put my feet up.  Instead Michael and I had a wonderful relaxed day and cooked a ham for dinner instead of turkey.  We watched movies, talked about Christmases past and reflected on the future.  Perhaps we will head back to Ontario next Christmas, weather permitting, to be a part of what Christmas is all about...FAMILY!

 

This is the beginning of a new year.  We are getting ready to start the rest of the renovations.  I am working on another quilt, another original since I don't seem to be able to figure out the pattern.  A storm is coming in today.  It is snowing now and very beautiful.  My snowshoes are by the door and the trails are ready.  We are hoping Haydee and Robert will return for another visit and that Colin and Laura will come down in September.  Simone is supposed to stop in on her way either to or back from Newfoundland (I wonder if she would pick me up and take me with her..lol).  We'd love it if Nina would come down.  We never know who will show up but our door is always open.

 

We wish all our friends and families a healthy, happy and safe 2015.

 

Love Anna and Michael

 

 

 
 



Celtic Colors

Celtic Colors is an annual festival held in Cape Breton every October.  It offers music, art, food and so much more.  It's exciting for us to live so close that we can easily travel there to partake in everything.  We booked our campsite in the beautiful Margaree Valley near Baddeck which is centrally located to the concerts we prepaid to see, loaded up the car, hitched up the little camper trailer and headed up for 9 days of festival.  The campsite was next to a beautiful lake in a valley surrounded by mountains and the fall colors were magical.

 
 
  



Friday was a beautiful day so we decided to take the day and drive around the Cabot Trail to admire the colors.  We were not disappointed.  The Cabot Trail is magnificent at the best of times but seeing it in the fall was amazing.  Tourism Nova Scotia really should do more to promote this special time of the year.

 

Our first concert was Saturday night so on that morning I wanted to check out some beaches and do some beachcombing.  We drove up and down small mountain roads, and stopped at beautiful beaches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We didn't realize our wonderful trip would be short-lived due to car problems.  Without seeing one concert, we had to be towed back home (we arrived on Thursday and were towed home Monday)...thank goodness for CAA.  Never again will I complain when it comes time for our annual payment.  It would have cost around $500 if we didn't have that coverage.

 

The Ford is still in for repair and we are now preparing for winter and thinking about more home renovations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Out and about

Renovating a house takes so much time and this project for us has taken even longer than I ever imagined. In thinking back, one reason it has taken so long is that we took time to smell the roses, so to speak.  I really did think we would be doing much more touring around our new province but we found it difficult to leave our little piece of heaven here in Liscomb.  Now that is not to say we never leave home.  We are having fun doing what we want, when we want, whether that is working on the house or exploring Nova Scotia. 

 

Magical Peggy's Cove

 

 

 

 

.....not quite sure what I was expecting the day we went to Peggy's Cove.  I suppose I thought it would just be a tourist trap and nothing really very special...well I was so wrong.  As we approached the village the shoreline changed dramatically reminding us of our beloved Georgian Bay back in Ontario.  The village is very quaint and what you'd expect when thinking of a Nova Scotia fishing village.  The day we went there were several artists scattered throughout the village and across the rocks painting scenes that we are all familiar with.  It really is an artist's paradise.  It is also a place every visitor to Nova Scotia should experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If houses could talk

...I wonder what stories these houses would tell....they are everywhere in Nova Scotia, houses just left to fall to ruin. 

 

Just left to fall apart, hundreds, probably thousands scattered throughout the Maritimes.  We see them everywhere.  I've started taking pictures of these long ago beautiful houses and perhaps some day I can bring them back to life through my photography.

 

 

Beaches

 

Oh my......this is one of our reasons for moving to Nova Scotia, to be on the ocean.  There are so many beautiful beaches...some are like the Caribbean, others rocky....some easily found, others hidden away known only by the locals and yet others impossible to access other than by boat.  The dogs are confused by the salt water and I am not surprised since they lived on a fresh water lake back in Ontario. I love the ocean except of course when I see the jelly fish coming in with the tide. I am fascinated with salt water...love the smell of it, intrigued with the taste and mesmerized by the tides. 

 

 

 

 

 

  I could spend hours beachcombing, looking for those special treasures the sea washes up with the tide.  Poor Michael, he has to deal with the sea art I drag home, dry out and then display on the wall or in baskets on the tables.

 

 

 



 Oh, how I love living on the ocean!