Sydney for the Day Sabatinis at Night

We miss the sail in.  We check the bridge cam and sure enough we are docked and the sun is shining, but there is a risk of showers.

Nothing planned until noon, but I want to go ashore and explore our old town.  

check these booths for tours first thing

tourist information booth

The pier is a great spot to explore.  Lots of shopping, and all made by those selling it.  If you are interested in an independent tour there are two booths right at the gangway that can sell you tours, but get off early to secure a spot.

There are not a lot of taxis here but the ones that are here are keen to do tours.  I did hear some people state later that they took a taxi and the driver did try to say the meter was the price per person.  Note this is NOT the case, it is per ride.

But the terminal has free WiFi, tourist information, an atm, washrooms, lots of great shops and a wonderful restaurant called flavour.  

Walking to town is easy, but a bit uphill, and around 10 min walk.  Now Sydney's town center doesn't have a whole lot to do for tourist.  There is a museum, and a few shops, and restaurants and quite a few pubs.  Really the main sites to see here are further afield.

Head out to Louisburg, Baddeck, Cabot Trail, Glace Bay Miner's Museum - but do a tour here.

Today four of Bernie's 7 siblings are coming in to meet us for lunch, along with a niece and nephew and great niece.   We had a wonderful visit with all of them.  Many who we have not seen since we moved a year and a half ago.  

Also Dominique showed up after she finished her shift and crew drills.  It was lovely for her to meet the family and they all hugged her and said she is now their family too.  How sweet.

We left with Dominique and went and grabbed a drink with her before returning to the ship.

Bernie has a nap and I get a cocktail and head up to the top deck to enjoy the sailaway.  It is very picturesque!  

Tonight is dinner in Sabatinis but not until 830.  So we have a nap and head down for dinner.  Note when trying to make reservations no time slots were available.  Just show up and talk to them as they seem to have open slots that don't show up on app.  

Dinner was amazing.  We love the new menu and really missed it on the Majestic.  Service was outstanding.  Some of the best we have ever had.

Of course after a big meal we can't go to sleep, plus we had a nap.  So off we go to Skywalkers where we dance the night away.  And there were quite a few people there.  

Releasing Wildlife - Volunteer Work

You may remember that we posted a blog about our volunteering work we are doing for Hope For Wildlife.  You can read it here.

Today we got a message from Ashley that they had some animals to be released that had recuperated and they were set to be released in our area.

Oh YES!  This is the icing on the cake.  The day we dream about.  Every week we transport animals that have been injured, abandoned by a parent, or been hurt by humans.  Today is the best as it is the day the animal is well enough to go back into the wild.

So we drove to the center in New Minas (about a half hour away) and picked up two animals set for release.

The first was a snapping turtle who was getting released near Middleton. 

We went back to the park that it was found in and travelled down a quiet path along the water and released him.  Here is the video.

We then continued down the road a bit to Lawrencetown Nova Scotia to release the Woodpecker.  He was very anxious to get out.  Here is how noisy he was in the car ride.  He was pecking hard to get out.

We parked right across from where he was picked up after striking a window and getting injured.  There were lots of trees and no windows in the areas.

Here is the video of the release.

He flew away, right up into the trees and then chirped away.  It felt like he was saying thank you.

Thanks for following along in our journey.  Make sure to subscribe to get notifications when a new blog is put up.

Creating A New Garden

 

Like I mentioned in my last blog, one thing I have really enjoyed doing during this pandemic is expanding my knowledge of gardening.

Last year I had a nice garden and started a lot from seed.  This year my goal was to really embrace the new space and start fresh.

Now this is what the garden looked like when we bought the home.

Large trees, which filtered out light sun in areas that need to be pruned.  (Someone is coming this week.)  

A yard that had two large dogs and three young kids who enjoyed it.

We first started with setting up some new raised beds that I had ordered from an Ontario Company called Raised Garden Beds.  With the cost of wood being so high and the fact that wood rots it was a no brainer.  

Then it was a matter of filling up the beds.  We started with layers and layers of plain cardboard.  No shiny printed cardboard.  Remove all the labels, tape and staples.  These beds used up all our moving boxes easily.  The cardboard kills whatever grass/weeds.  Also it is great food for things like worms that then compost it and create great nutrients for the soil.

The we added logs, sticks, untreated wood and then a ton of leaves from all over our property.  Again all these things will help contribute to the health of the soil.  Big thing is they help absorb water and save on watering.  Then they also will break down over a long time and created great nutrients for the soil.

But the big thing is good garden soil is not cheap.  Since plants really only need about 12 inches of soil to grow, why spend lots and lots of money to fill a 26 inch bed entirely with soil.

We had no problem finding numerous sources that could deliver top quality soil to us in bulk.  Here is the soil being delivered - 33% compost, 33% top soil and 33% peat moss.  

We spent over a week moving these 10 cubic yards of soil into the raised beds, into other beds around the property and creating new beds.

I rigged up trellis systems by using 2 T posts and galvanized steel fencing (2x4), hooked up to the T posts with zip ties.  I also found a baby crib on the side of the road waiting to get picked up by the garbage and will use the crib's side rails as a trellis for my squash to grow up.

We live in climate zone 6b.  Although it is much warmer here than Cape Breton the last frost date is around the same time - Late May!

But as soon as the beds were ready I planted my cold weather crops - peas, carrots, lettuce, beets, spinach, kale, onions, leeks and radishes.  Most were direct sowed, but I did start some ahead of time by seed indoors (onions, leeks and lettuce).  I also sowed my corn but that is under plastic to protect them.

After living here two days I had set up my growing shelves with grow light sand started the seeds for my warm weather crops.  Tomatoes and peppers were my big things.  

This last week I direct sowed my melons and beans.  Planted out my squash, pumpkins and zucchini. I also planted my herb garden starts that I didn't start from seed.  

Pepper plants - 4 varieties

My tomato starts.  I drill holes in red solo cups and plant the seed low with little soil.  Then as it grows I add more and more soil allowing the roots along the stem to grow out into the soil creating a stronger plant.

Now I just watch the forecast and cover if necessary.  But things look good for the next two weeks. 

Life's Curveballs and Embracing Those Curveballs!

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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Halifax Bound for Two Nights

 

We are up early and packed up the car.  I made a reservation at a lovely restaurant for brunch today.  All local food and it did not disappoint.  It is called The Flying Apron in Summerville.  Check out these amazing eggs Benedict. 

Here is our routing today.  

We booked two nights accommodation in Halifax at the Lord Nelson Hotel and Suites.  It is located right across from the Halifax Gardens and they had a great rate for Nova Scotians.

I did upgrade to a Garden Suite that had a separate living area and a view of the Gardens across the street.

It was a lovely room and we so enjoyed the air conditioning.  Again we are going through a heat wave at the moment.

Right away I notice two things.  There is only one remote, but each room has a tv.  Also the internet WiFi signal is almost non existent.  Kind of reminds me of the old days on cruise ships (or at least not any I have been on in a while).

I call down to the front desk to report both issues.  They promise to resolve both right away and to call the IT guy.

The remote appeared soon, but the internet signal was horrible.  You can see in the picture below the door to the suite.  I had to stand at the door just to get one or two bars.  Sitting on the couch or in the bedroom I had no signal.  I could see that the router was in the hallway about 40 feet away, but there were a few doors and an alcove in between that I am sure was causing issues.  

We walked down to the waterfront and enjoyed a lovely meal and a stroll.

We went out for dinner and when we came back the signal was still nothing.  I will deal with it in the morning.

The next morning I notice that there is a sign on the desk for the guests from the manager.  It states if you have any issues please email her or call her and then her details.  So I phoned and left a message.

We then went out for the day.  We did some shopping, some touring around and then again because of the heat we were wiped out.  Back in the room around 3 pm and still no signal.  By now I am frustrated.  I emailed the manager and no response.

At 5 pm I called back down to the front desk and stated my ongoing issue.  Of course they had no record of it.  I asked for a WiFi booster to be installed.  The IT guy appeared (who was also the guy that checked us in)  He agreed the WiFi signal is poor and installed a booster at the desk.  

I am disappointed that the hotel did not deal with the issue on my first two requests.  This style room obviously needs a booster and the fact that they promote this room for business trips where you can work from the room is sad.  

The hotel overall was lovely, the rooms were very clean, the location was great and staff wonderful.  Would I stay here again? Maybe, but probably just in a regular room.  

We had a great time in Halifax.  We have a lot of friends and family here in the city but this trip we decided to just focus on us. There will be other trips to the city.

I know there are tons of great things to do in Halifax.  We have cruised here four times. We have stayed here numerous times and played tourist.  Make sure to search the blogs for our previous stays here and what you could do if you only had a night here.

On the Tuesday morning we were up at a crazy hour!  Like 4 am!  We both were awake and decided well we may as well head home.  We actually were missing home.  In the car by 5 and home by 9:30 and that included a stop for breakfast.

We had a great staycation in Nova Scotia.  We really really really like the Valley and plan to go back.  For now we are going to focus on the house, the garden and preserving all the food that the garden is putting out.

Thanks for following.

Saturday August 8 - Bay of Fundy

After a yummy breakfast with a nice coffee we are ready to take on the day.

It is another HOT day.  We are into a long hot stretch.  I think it has been like two weeks with no real rain and in the 30s every day.  It is even hotter down here in the valley.

It is great having the hot weather, but whenever we are wandering outside it does zap the energy levels.

We head East to Windsor and visit Fort Edward.  A small but important fort, or what remains of the fort.  We walk around and learn more about this fort.  

It was a fort set up by the English in this strategic spot to protect possible attacks from the Acadians to the newly acquired Halifax.  It was also an area where some of the Acadians were taken to and then departed from to places around the world.

I also learned that this was a spot where the first Jewish battalion came and was trained.  From that first group the first premier of Israeli came from.

We tried to visit a museum here but because of Covid they are limited to how many can enter and a family had just entered.  We took a seat outside on a bench.  But after 15 minutes we gave up.  Just too hot to sit outside and wait.

We park downtown and check out some of the stores.  A few are open, but most close around 1 pm on Saturdays.  Small town vibe.

After an iced coffee we set off to the Bay of Fundy Interpretive Center.  The Bay of Fundy has the biggest tides in the world.  This site offers an excellent vantage point to actually see the tide rushing in. 

So these pictures are how it looked when we arrived at the center. 

Make sure to check the tide schedule for the appropriate time to visit.

When we arrive you can see the sand bar, and the pylons, and the sides of the banks.  See picture above.

You can see the water rushing in and within a few minutes the sand bar is covered.

Then you see the pylon filling up with water around it.

Soon the whole river is covered and the sides of the bank are rising.  CRAZY.

We pull out our lawn chairs and enjoy the view with some cheese and crackers and fresh strawberries.  Damn life is good.  A small snack to tie us over.

We drive back to Wolfville and search out a place to eat.  

We end up at a Japanese/Chinese/Thai restaurant.  It was okay.  Certainly have had better but it hit the spot.

Back at the airbnb we open up a bottle of wine and relax outside watching the last few golfers on the 9th hole.  We discuss our plans tomorrow and when to head out.

Thanks for following.