Life has changed for many of us. Covid 19 stopped us in our tracks! I was on the path I had set out dreaming about. I had numerous contracts for lecturing. But like many all over the world, their plans changed.
I was okay with it. I am a firm believer things happen the way they are suppose to happen. Read on to learn more.
When we first moved to Cape Breton, our goal was to rent a place and travel. Be nomads, work on ships, live in different countries, and travel whenever we felt like it. But when we arrived, rents were pricy and the cost of buying a home was very very reasonable - under a $100,000 Canadian! So we bought a home and made it our own.
We enjoyed living there, and with travelling on ships while lecturing for long periods it was a perfect situation. Family was close by and it was always great to come back to our little home on an island. Our goal was to stay there for around 5 years and reassess.
Then Covid hit and suddenly no more travelling was allowed outside the Atlantic Provinces. We soon realized that maybe the island wasn't the right "fit" for us. After living in a large, diverse city for most of our lives, then moving to a very small town with little amenities that maybe we need to adjust and look for a happy medium.
Also there were other factors.
The big one being that the airport nearby (Sydney) closed because of Covid. Now it was not the best airport for getting out of during the best of times, nor did they have many flights in a day, but at least it was an option instead of driving 4 hours to Halifax.
Amenities and services on the island were minimal. We missed having a Costco nearby. We missed different ethnic restaurants. We missed the opportunity to attend big concerts and events. We missed being able to locate different services, like compost delivery for my garden, different lessons too.
Last summer we did a trip to the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia. Read all about it here.
We immediately connected with the place. It wasn't a big city, but it wasn't small town either. Halifax is only an hour and a half away. The vibe felt like parts of British Columbia that we loved. The area is a valley and is known for their farming, especially fruits/vegetables and their amazing wineries.
After a week here we both commented that this area would be a great option for a place to move to. Originally our goal was in maybe another 5 years to move to the area. But as Covid continued we knew we needed to do what was right for us.
Back in December we took short trips to areas all over the mainland of Nova Scotia to scout out areas to possibly live. Many were ruled out right away, and a few new areas were added.
We met with an agent and discussed possibly selling our home in Cape Breton and set out a timeline.
In January we travelled back to the Annapolis Valley for a few days to explore the area in the winter. Did we still love the area in the winter? Oh yeah we did!
We met with an agent in the Valley and started scouting out homes. At the same time we listed our home (pictured above). Our home sold in four days! And we had an accepted offer on a house in Kingston/Greenwood.
There were a lot of hurdles to cross now. Even though we had moved across the country with pretty much nothing in the way of possessions just three years ago. We now had a home that was fully furnished. Our only saving grace was that we did not have a lot of "extra" stuff. Thankfully Bernie agreed to hiring movers for the journey - new home was 5 hours away.
Back in late April we moved into our new home, in a beautiful neighbourhood.
We have settled in nicely. Our long list of little jobs that need to get done whenever you buy a place is getting shorter.
Since we are not travelling right now we have enjoyed doing things I have always wanted to do but had no time for.
The big thing is gardening. Anyone else love to garden?
So follow along as we continue to make our house a home and I will do up blogs about the process. The day trips, things we do here to keep ourselves busy. Volunteer work we have gotten involved with. And my gardening.
Hopefully soon, we will be back on the high seas, either as passengers or as a port lecturer.
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