The Queen Visits Halifax and honours the Canadian Navy

On the weekend my husband and I went downtown to check out all the ships that had come to visit from all over the world in honour of the Queen's visit to Halifax, Nova Scotia.



From military to civilian ships, everyone sailed in for the event. We even got to tour that big vessel in the photo above.



State of the art navigation systems and a crew of only 19 people, we were thoroughly impressed!



We wanted to tour this mammoth American ship that I could not entirely fit into my shot, it was that big, but we walked all the way over there only to find out that we were just a little too late to get a tour. Bummer!


Kelly & Eric, my sweetheart, Mike & Jen

Then we all took a ride on the ferry to Dartmouth, my first time on the ferry which is the cheapest and easiest way to get a tour of the harbour.

I did not go down for the big celebration of the Queen's arrival on Monday, the weather turned absolutely miserable! It got so dark, rained horribly and everything cooled off. The poor Queen stuck downtown in that weather, how absolutely miserable for her.

Yesterday however my husband came home and said he really wanted to go down and see the Queen's inspection of the navy ships in the Bedford Basin so we dashed out of the house, me in my shorts with a light wind breaker because it was warm and muggy.



In the parking lot of China Town Restaurant in Bedford we sat on the rocks and waited for the Queen's arrival. I had many ships to photograph but they were so far away! Can you see all the sailors on the bridge waiting for the Queen? Click here to enlarge.



Ships came from all over the world and were decorated with colourful flags.



Even helicopters showed up to make sure everything was nice and secure for the Queen. Notice how everything is getting darker? On the water the air got very chilly and the fog started to roll in and OMG, so did the pain. Still, we waited. I wasn't leaving now!



There was a great turnout and even up on the Bedford Highway people stood and waited for the Queen.



Finally, she arrived! That large vessel on the right is the St. John's and that was the ship she was on. Click here to enlarge. She went all through the basin inspecting the ships and then went back to the harbour. My husband and I went into the restaurant to eat some hot and sour soup and warm up. I was chilled to the bone!

Then we went downtown to meet our friends Mike and Jen. People had lined the street the Queen would be driving down for hours and we just happened to be in the perfect spot when she drove by:


Click here to enlarge 

That is her hand waving to us in the window as the car went by, I couldn't believe it! I never thought in a million years we would catch up with her downtown and get a glimpse of her considering we had been having a lovely leisurely lunch all the way in Bedford. I am sure she wondered what that crazy woman was doing out on a day like today in shorts and a light jacket!

It's been quite the amazing last few days but I am ready for a break! Oi the pain. Life is just like that in Nova Scotia though. You spend half the year inside stuck and then other half of the year out trying to catch up on everything you missed. Me? I am ready for a vacation!

Grand-Pré National Historic Site

Yup, I told you I have been busy! How weird! This weekend our friends Mike and Jen (see below) called us up and wanted to take a spontaneous trip to the valley. I am always up for an adventure! We went to Grand-Pré National Historic Site and wandered the grounds which was free to do.


Aren't they a lovely couple?

Everything has gotten so green here in Nova Scotia. We have actually been getting sun even though on this day it was very cloudy and we even hit a big storm on the way home.



The epic poem Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie by Longfellow about the expulsion of the Acadians from Nova Scotia is so real to people from here that some do not realize she is a fictional character, not a real woman. Here is the statue created in her honour. Now that is the power of poetry!



My husband had not been to this park since he was a young boy. Here is it taking a moment to remember climbing this very tree when he was a little one.



It was so nice to be out in Nature with friends together, giving me something to photograph other than food and my garden.



Speaking of food, we drove to Kentville and stopped by Rosie's for lunch. Sadly there were many flies inside which made eating very challenging and the food was not that great. At least I got a break from cooking for a day!

We tried to stop by a vineyard that grows organic sparkling wine on the way back but we showed up just in time for one of the employees to take down the "open" sign at the side of the road. Oh well, something to do some other weekend!

Mount Uniacke House

Last Friday Shelagh from Alice in Paris Loves Art and Tea took me out for a whirlwind tour of a Nova Scotia gem: Mount Uniacke Estate Museum Park. The grounds are stunning with tall old trees and a beautiful lake.



Shelagh treated me to a fancy Pete's Frootique picnic by the water. Sadly I got a little sunburned, I forgot that can happen here in Nova Scotia!



We got a tour of the house, look at how beautiful this dining room is! I love the elegance of a beautiful meal like this. I told you I wanted to go back in time, here it really feels like you have stepped back to previous centuries.



This is the original family's matriarch's wedding dress, before women were married in white. So lovely.



The original patriarch was a giant, literally. Look at that chair of his in his study!



We even had a moment to do a little ghost hunting with dowsing rods. Sadly for us that the family here was obviously quite happy and not trying to communicate. I sensed no cold spots, sadness or oppressive energy. This family lived here very happily and then quietly moved on to the other side.

I do love the conveniences of today but there is something about the elegance of the past that I miss. When I was a very young girl, I think I was only four, I was in a manor similar to this one somewhere in Canada. I walked up the red carpeted spiral staircase and thought to myself, "I remember this. I remember life being beautiful. A life very rich." I am sure I have lived before during these more aesthetically pleasing times. How wonderful to connect with the past in a house that has all its original furniture, art and linens from centuries ago.

Perhaps I was the ghost wandering its halls?

Blessed Full Moon

The world around us has turned green (which I love) but the sun is getting intense even as it bounces of the full moon in Capricorn tonight! And to top it off, there was an eclipse this morning.

My advice? Take it easy. Hide away from conflict. Enjoy the moon from your deck or window without a lot of drama. And boy, drama wants to find you. Don't let it! It can wait another day.

Life has been so busy for me lately I did not get to do a dreamboard this month but did want to contribute with sending out some blessings to everyone. I found out that June is known as the Green Corn Moon so in honour of that fact I will be posting a lovely corn and jalapeño salad on my foodie blog next week to honour the sacredness of corn and the heat of the sun.

Enjoy green. Eat spicy foods. Stay away from intense situations. Laugh. Love the sunshine but don't get sunburned like I did with Shelagh yesterday. Honour the light even in the dark. The harvest is coming. Summer is here.

The Happy Book

This week for The Happy Book Club what makes me happy is the fact that some of the troublemakers in my area are selling their houses. This is the house that had a TV on its yard so long that someone threw it into our little river where it remains even to this day. Yes, someone dragged it out but then someone kicked it back in. I took this photograph the other day and it will not be garbage day for another week. What are the chances that mattress will be getting thrown down the hill into the river before then? Chances are pretty good I would say. Nice way to make a first impression for selling your house.



I almost did a jig when I saw this sign, these are the people with the crazy parties that have made everyone on our street miserable for two years. Her son who was causing all the trouble including burning down their kitchen was finally old enough to kick out and now she is selling and moving away. Thank the Goddess! People on Facebook have mentioned that maybe my cleansings are working, wouldn't that be amazing?



What would make me even happier is if the residents of this house would move too. They caused so much trouble the police blocked off the street and went hunting for people in the middle of the night. These people are next on my list for wishing out of the neighbourhood.

Of course it would make me most happy if we were the ones moving but it is clear we are here for at least another year, probably two. That does not make me happy. Having less idiots in my neighbourhood though will make life much more bearable. So I'll take it.

The Blessings of the Summer Solstice

The night before the solstice we had a big lightning storm which was so exciting! I put up my post about it Monday morning. To my amazement, I went outside to check on my garden which seemed to be doing nothing and found all sorts of surprises!

Above you will see the first sprouts of my pumpkin patch! Growing my own pumpkins is one of the coolest things I have tried to do in a long, long time. As you all know I am crazy about Samhain/Halloween and to grow my own lanterns and make my own pumpkin pie from my garden? Could there be anything more exciting? I really didn't think it was going to happen but maybe I have inherited my mom's green thumb after all?



Then I went and checked on the two little strawberry plants I had planted two years ago and look at what I found!  So many strawberries!



I was going to go to the store and buy some over-priced zero-flavour strawberries and this is what I came home with instead! I really didn't think those plants would last but they are taking over my side garden and creating quite a strawberry patch which I thoroughly approve of. I did not bake with these, they were so delicious I just had them with some milk and a tiny sprinkle of sugar. Heaven!



Last but not least are my little white morning glory seedlings sprouting up from the earth! I really was afraid these were not going to take root here but they seem to be doing very well. No sign of my ornamental grass or moon flowers yet but I will remain hopeful. How could I not after all of these summer solstice blessings?

I just had to share what's happening in my garden. I really thought nothing was going to grow and be successful and am so happy to be wrong! I think the combination of the energy from the storm mixed with the heat of the summer solstice infused everything with living energy. How cool is that?

Blessed Summer Solstice!

Summer is officially here! And you know, I am loving the heat! Which is weird, I usually loathe it. Anything that keeps me from being cold is now my friend.

I thought it would be neat to talk about planting from seed since this is the first day of summer. I bought these seeds for white morning glories and moon flowers via ebay. Now, you know I have no idea what I am doing right? I was all set to just plop them in the earth but then read that they should be soaked ahead of time. So I put them in water the day before and then strained them and I was ready to go.



Then I dug a little ditch along my fence, added some really good compost soil, added the seeds and gave them some space, topped it with more soil, patted it down and gently added some water.

No sign of them yet but it has only been a week! I have no idea if they are going to grow. I have been watering them here and there but the beautiful morning doves that have moved in to our backyard may have pecked them all up! At least I tried, right?

I really wanted these climbing flowers to cover my ugly chain link fence and give me some privacy in the backyard. Moon flowers open at night and give off their scent under the moon. Wouldn't that be amazing?

Last night we got our first big thunderstorm this year. I missed those. In BC the weather is very gentle and quiet except when you get one of the crazy windstorms. No thunder, no lightning. Very rare. My husband and I stood at the door to our deck watching the light show. I asked the the skies to refill our batteries (kindly of course) and charge us up with good energy.



May we all soak up the sun's energy and blessings.

Blessed Summer Solstice to you!

The Happy Book

Do you remember me writing about this bird feeder for The Happy Book? I bought it and put it out two weeks ago to help entice bird to come and visit. Well the other day I was in the backyard and my husband was outside and not moving but had a giant smile on his face. I looked down and there were two young mourning doves! I thought for sure that I was going to scare them away with my nervous energy but as I spoke to my husband, they waddled my way! Then they went under our deck:



They were so cute and comfortable together, not scared at all. So I went inside and filled some bowls up with water and seeds for them. We left them alone. I figured that was the last I would see of them.



Yesterday after filling those containers with plants I was in my kitchen baking a strawberry rhubarb pie when I looked out and there she was! I do worry about her companion not showing up but once again, she was completely comfortable and unafraid.

Mourning doves are all about letting the past go. Releasing the pain and moving on to the future. Yes, I know this is a lesson I am learning but maybe them showing up is telling me I am doing a good job. That I have finally taken a step into my future. It could also mean that I do still have the power of manifestation! Those two little birdies on the water bath look a lot like these little guys.



Then I came home one day and saw this for sale sign on the property of the neighbourhood troublemakers' lawn! Oh joy, oh bliss! To go through a summer without fear of someone hiding from the cops on my back deck this year would be wonderful. I checked their listing online and their house is in good shape which means it probably will not be bought by another druggy household, fingers crossed.

These are the special things that made me happy this week and they were big! For me, nothing is more special than birds. I love them dearly and to have them show up on our property brings me much joy. Nothing bothers me more than idiots that ruin everything for everyone else. Perhaps all the cleansings I have done have finally pushed them over the edge and they will be getting out. Whatever the reason, this is big progress and it makes me very, very happy.

Hexed is back!

Shannon and I talk all about the return of True Blood on episode 17th of Hexed! Did we ever have a lot to catch up on and also talked about one of my favourite shows that they're reshowing on TV: Moonlight. Oh joy, oh bliss. I don't enjoy watching anything more than once but this is the exception. Well that and Buffy and Gilmore Girls, not a heck of a lot on this summer to watch so I am breaking my no-rerun rule for a while.

Oh to get back to stories about vampires and the supernatural... feels like coming home. 

The reluctant gardener refuses to get her hands dirty!

One of the reasons I am so resistant to gardening is my loathing of dirt and mess. This is a perfectly example: my nice white kitchen sink covered in potting soil for my tomato plants! And, it got all over my kitchen floor too so of course I had to clean it which meant even more work. I have to wear gloves too, I hate my hands getting dirty.



But then I see my tomato plants hanging from my clothes line, basking in the sun and I know it is worth it. I bought lots of other plants too, even another blueberry bush! This time a Northblue blueberry bush to go next to my Duke blueberry bush to help with cross pollination or something like that. Remember, I have no idea what I am doing in my garden! I am totally just giving stuff a shot and seeing what happens.



Now it feels like summer! To have our deck chairs out and now we have a matching table, I can go out there and write in my journal with a glass of iced tea. Gardening and food give me something to write about since my life is pretty quiet and almost completely solitary these days. My husband brought up a large bag of soil so this week I hope to plant those veggies and strawberry plants into my containers for my deck garden. I like the idea of them being safe from the pests on the ground and just going out there to plunk a pepper or a piece of lettuce from off my deck.

I will fill the containers while on my deck, this way no soil will get into my house! Dirt belongs outside. :)

Lupins in the black hole

Ah lupins... They are everywhere here. I remember when we were out west and my husband recognized a lupin in our garden he told me to pull it up immediately. Which I did for over a year and a half! Once they are in, they are not going anywhere.

Last night I dreamed that in the middle of my lawn was a giant black ball. Someone said it was a sinkhole. Instead of it sinking, everything around it cracked and broke until all that was around me were pieces of the earth suspended around me and we were in outer space, this dark hole the only safe ground left.

I am definitely not as grounded here as the lupins. I have not set my root system deep underground, holding on forever. Yet I feel that the earth under my feet is completely unstable. I blame BP and the oil spill. Never before have I ever felt the Earth to be in such danger.

So what can I do? How can I connect with earth that I feel is going to shatter and break apart? Funny, considering Nova Scotia is made up of stone and clay. Built to last longer than me, for sure.

My husband bought me more gardening tools and supplies this weekend. My green journey will continue despite my chronic anxiety.

Embracing a blogging makeover

Thanks to my dear friend Judith, I have been inspired to give my blog a facelift. I have been yearning for green so much in my life and have been learning to let go of the reluctant gardener inside and really embrace this new fascination. I hope you like my new look!

The Happy Book

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Well I did it! I bought a mock orange and planted it in my garden! This makes me very happy, perfect for a Happy Book post. Our mom grew one, Jamie has been growing one and now I am! Mom was disappointed that there were no buds on it so I probably will not be getting flowers this year but that is OK. I will probably be stuck here a couple more years anyway, might as well improve on this garden I have inherited and make it my own.



If you click on this photo, you will see the little notes pointing out where the five pumpkin seeds are (it is kind of hard to tell in this photograph). I wanted to make a five pointed star and bless my little pumpkin patch which was hard to do as I was getting eaten by mosquitos, covered in dirt and not wanting to ruin my camera. I could not plant them where I wanted to because they would be in full site of the hooligans on the street who would no doubt be more than happy to steal my pumpkins.



I hope they will get enough sunlight where they are. I created as tall a mound for them as I could (I was running out of soil), gently compacted the earth and then sprinkled with some water. Fingers crossed I will have a pumpkin patch in the autumn! I will be buying strong trellises for them to grow on so they do not take over my yard. We have friends who grew them one year and had pumpkins all over, including dangling from their trees! I actually would like that in a way, talk about spooky!

It must be from being cooped up all winter that I am finally being drawn to my garden. My first year I bought eight tomato plants and none of them went red because we got zero sunlight. Last summer I just didn't care. This summer, I figure I might as well try, there is nothing else for me to do here and I can only spend so much time in the kitchen. As a result I am going to pick up some more tomato plants and this time hang them off my deck in a basket. We are finally getting some sun and maybe if I am lucky I will have beautiful red tomatoes this year!

Growing my own food, wow, could there be anything better? That just takes my foodie-ness right off the chart. I am following the energy even though I am covered in mosquito bites. I will not be bullied out of nature.

Wishcasting: What leap do you wish to take?

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This week on Wishcasting Jamie asks us: What leap do you wish to take?

I dare to leap into the past. I can't help it. After watching Northanger Abbey the other night I was reminded of how much I dislike the present in a lot of ways. I would never give up the freedom and rights we have these days of course but there was a romanticism in the past that is gone today.



This illustration comes from the book above. It is my mother-in-law's mother's Coleman's Mustard Cookbook. She used to draw in it as a child. It is quite charming and horrifying in a way, some of the sexist comments about housewives makes me want to scream. But the days of ladies whose lunch in elegant dresses? That would be nice.



Although a lot of the food of the past is considered very unappetizing today, I will seek out the gems from these Recipes Only Magazine from the 80s.



This week for my foodie blog I am taking on jelly molds and a crab souffle. If you wish to leap into the culinary past you can join us here. I am still skeptical that recipes of the old will impress me today but I am willing to try. I am bored of my present, mistrusting of my future so I look to the past for inspiration.