Back in the USSR...

Well, actually, back in Ontario. It figures that the first Halloween we have in our new house, in our new province, in the new neighbourhood, and I'm back in Ontario on business. It feels a bit strange being here. Jeannette has had a few trick and treaters, so that should make the work that she put into decorating feel worthwhile. I'm very glad for that, and the neighbours who took the time to dress up and drop by to make her halloween a good one.

It was interesting talking to somoeone who talked about driving to London to visit their grandchildren. At first I thought 'geez, that's a long drive'. Then I realized that it;s only 6 hours from Ottawa. Amazing how quickly you become aclimatized to your new surroundings. I'll be glad to get back home tomorrow night. I miss it already.

Oh, one other thing...

BOO!

Orange is the colour of hunting season

You read correctly. Orange is the fall fashion colour of choice, because to wear any other colour would be...well...ill advised. Hunting season has started, so the sound of gun shots can be heard from the adjoining acreage. This means that walking the dog and enjoying the woods around the house is out of the question until February 28th, when hunting season ends. In the meantime we'll be wearing our orange vests and leaving the deer calls behind. By the way - what does a deer call sound like?

Ah the country. Peace and...peace and...PEACE AND...QUIET!

It's no wonder legends like that of the Screaming Banshee have existed throughout history when you sit on a porch in the evening. As the last of the late night cars descends into the distance, and the quiet returns again you soon realize that you are not alone. Owls, Coyotes, and creatures that make an odd rustling noise - not big enough for bears, not small enough to avoid making an odd rustling noise - slowly begin their symphony. A symphony that can sound like you are being surrounded, and hunted. Calls from one position, and answers from another, sound like the chatter between 2 or more predators seeking to surround you. So it's no wonder that people who travelled the forests late at night would be scared stiff at the sound of a bats sonar, or the call of a wolf. They didn't have Discovery Channel to explain what those sounds were. They only had the legend of the Banshee.

Milk, eggs, a pound of ground beef, and a bottle of red wine

Yes, you read correctly. That's a shopping list that you could fill in one store. Of course, we wouldn't need the eggs because we have our own egg production facility - one egg per day, mind you.

So, welcome to the 21st century. Here we can conserve fuel, time, and personal energy by being able to get supplies in one fell swoop - kind of like the hawk that keeps attacking the local poultry, only with 4 tires and a radio. But wait, that's not all. Soon there'll be a Petro Canada that will become a NSLC authorized agent. That means we'll be able to gas up, get groceries - albeit convenience store level groceries - and pick up a little something to go with dinner, all at the same place.

Now, to most of you out there this probably seems like a thinly veiled dig at Ontario for staying in the dark ages by preventing the corner store from carrying liquor of any kind. Far from it. Well, not far far from it, but far from it. What it means to us is that we don't have to drive all the way to Windsor or Sackville just to get a 6 pack of Alexander Keith's for the game. It means we can drive 10 minutes, instead of 20. It means reducing greenhouse gases, and frivolous fuel usage. More importantly, it means we can forget to stop on the way out of the city, and still get what we want close to home. Bravo NSLC. Bravo.

All things look brighter in the morning light

As the sun slowly advances from dawn to high noon, the natural world comes alive with colour and splendor to make any artist run for canvas and brush. Even in the fall, as flowers and colourful leaves are slipping into memory there's still plenty to see. These photos were taken this morning in our garden. There was a light rain last night, which left a few beads of water that caught the sun, and called out to be captured.

Wasn't that a party - part 2

Halloween is only 4 days away, and that means Halloween parties this weekend. Our neighbours, Philip and Sharon, pulled out all the stops and got the neighbourhood together for an evening of great food and socializing.

The 'hot' item on the menu was Jason and Roxanne's Jalapeno poppers, which Jeannette found especially good in groups of 2, though her sweating taste buds might argue the point. Philip cooked up some awesome skewers, with chili, hash brown casserole, and Martha's pasta dish making up just some of the various offerings.

Philip and Sharon also rated the halloween decorating on the street, with Darryl winning the Grand Prize for the best display on the street, and Martha being awarded the best combined Halloween/Christmas theme. We were honoured with an award and trophy for Best Halloween Decorated House Newest Neighbours thanks to Jeannette's work on the porch.

Thanks Philip and Sharon for a great time. There's something in the air about Christmas and New Years, I hear.

If they were alive today they'd be 300 million years old

Joggins Nova Scotia is the home of the oldest recorded reptile fossils. These reptiles would become dinosaurs 100 million years later, following a fair growth spurt I would suspect. The reptile in question is the Hylonomus lyelli, and it is similar in appearance to a gecko and about 30 centimetres long. Scientists have found numerous fossils left behind after the animals became trapped in hollow tree trunks, and then buried under layer after layer of sediment. One can still their voices calling 'throw down a rope!' and 'Guys. Guys! This isn't funny! Whoever pushed me is going to pay for this.'

The ferry is a fun way to travel

Back to the ferry for a minute. The ferry has always had a certain mystique about it. Something to do with driving your car onto the ship, snacking and sightseeing the whole way across, and then driving your car onto a part of the planet which would otherwise be impossible to get to by car.

Ferrys now have satellite TV, slot machines, and french fries with gravy - mmmmmm. They also have state of the art navigation systems that enable it to travel in the most hostile of conditions. Conditions that would probably mean you wouldn't be ordering french fries with gravy.

It's nice to know that the old ways of navigating are still around though. The seagull escorts, for example. They stayed with the ship the whole way, floating just above the bow of the ship. It was almost as if they were watching for rocks as we went. Of course, once we got to the other side there was the familiar sight of a lighthouse standing tall and prepared for action. Comforting sights, both.

You don't suppose the seagulls were actually looking for french fries, do you?

It only took 12 kilometres of concrete to unify a nation

Well, okay, Newfoundland needs a bridge too in order for the whole 'unify a nation' thing to be true. How about 'It only took 12 kilometres of concrete to link PEI with New Brunswick'? Or, 'It only took 12 kilometres of concrete to unify a part of the nation with another part'? Doesn't quite have the same ring to it, does it? Oh well...if it got your attention that's what matters. It's like headlines in newspapers, movie trailers, and political speeches - they don't have to be entirely accurate, as long as they get you to read/watch/listen. Still there? Okay.

Anyways, the Confederation Bridge was built to bring New Brunswick (and the rest of Canada) together with PEI. Those 12 kilometres of concrete connect a beautiful island world with the rest of the country. No longer cut-off from New Brunswick, and the rest of Canada, PEI has a link that enables it to provide more opportunities for islanders, and still maintain the essence that makes them who they are. It's a pretty cool drive too, especially the bump in the middle.

In Memory

Jeannette's 'Great Uncle Bobby' was laid to rest today in a pastoral setting close to the place that he had called home as a child, and every summer as an adult. Robert Burke Ness was a good friend to Jeannette's mother Roberta, and will be missed by family, friends, and his extended family. His friendship and generosity will always be remembered, and appreciated.

Anne doesn't live here anymore

We travelled to Cavendish, a town about 30 minutes from Charlottetown this evening to have dinner with Jeannette's Great Aunt Pauline. The town is the home of Avonlea, and after September it is a virtual ghost town. Cottages, amusement rides, restaurants, even the local Petro Canada are all dark and closed until May. It's a strange thing to see all of those buildings quiet and unused. Apparently it's quite the opposite come summertime when the area is jammed full of tourists.

It's free to come in, but it'll cost you to leave

We're on our way to PEI today. We're taking the ferry from Caribou (Pictou) to Woods Island. A round trip costs $69, all in. But the interesting catch is that it costs nothing to get on the ferry to go over. The only time you pay is when you want to come back. So, don't spend all of your money while you're there, or you'll be staying to wash dishes until you raise enough.

Turn left where the old Taylor place used to be.

Seriously. We found this in the UK, and it happens here too. When you are given directions they usually involve landmarks. Landmarks that are, in some cases, no longer there. A reference to something that's been gone for some time is more common than you might expect. So you have to be prepared with a map, or some other way of finding your way around when the situation arises.

How do you know when you're almost here? Look for the barn and stables as you come down the hill.

My new car!

We were at a fundraiser for the Newport Corner Community Centre on Monday night. We attended a similar event at the Ardoise Community Centre a week earlier. The event is an auction/raffle type affair where you buy tickets that are numbered - 25 for $5.00 in this case - and items are arranged around the room with a container of some kind associated with each. When you find an item that you want to 'bid' on you simply place a quantity of tickets in the container. At the end of the viewing/bidding period a ticket is drawn from the container and the number called out. If you have that number you get the item. Simple.

We were completely shut-out of the Ardoise event. Not even the chocolate macaroons were meant for us that day. But Monday I was the lucky guy who drove away with the car. It's a pretty sweet ride, and looks great on the bookshelf...er...in the driveway.

Jeannette brought home what she wanted as well. The Outhouses Address Book, a $10 gift certificate to Shur Gain (a feed store here), a Dooly's Windsor license plate for the front of the Vue (Dooly's is a bar that has pool tables, etc. There are a bunch of them here), and a bag of potting soil.

Next time, I'm hoping for the 5 litres of oil and the windshield washer fluid.

The Bridges of West Hants County

When you're cruising along the winding road towards home, or away, glancing at the horses and cows as you go you'll come upon one of the bridges in West Hants County. There's a strong possibility that it's a single lane bridge. While it saves on construction costs it can be a bit interesting to encounter another vehicle at the same time. What are the rules of the road in this case? I'll let you know when I find out.

Nothing lasts forever

The fall colours in the valley are everywhere, but with the recent high winds here in Ardoise we've lost quite a few of the leaves from the trees. It's only a matter of time before we'll be looking for fall colours on the ground only.

18 holes of fall goodness.

There's nothing better than being among the fall colours on a warm sunny day. Well, how about playing a round of golf at an awesome golf course in the Annapolis Valley. Well, that's what Jason, my neighbour, and I did today. Probably because it was a workday the course was fairly open, with little pressure to hurry up our game - which came in handy when I was looking for errant shots in the woods, which happened a fair bit but it couldn't ruin a great day.

Use it or lose it.

According to Einstein we only use 10% of our brain, and there are numerous examples that some of us use far less than that. Recent studies have shown that it is possible to get back some of your brain power through various exercises. A few months ago I was able to buy a Nintendo Wii - a very hard thing to find, still - and we've had numerous people try it out. People who would otherwise not give a video game a second glance have played for hours, because it's actually fun and interactive.

Stephanie is into the puzzle type games. There is a title for the Wii called Brain Academy. She does very well at it. Me not so much. I haven't actually used my brain this way in a long time. But after playing it a few times I found that doing the activities did get much easier. Practice, and stretching those areas of the brain where cobwebs have formed really did pay off.

Well, you don't have to go out and buy a Wii to test this theory on yourself. There are websites that have brain activity content that you can use to get back some of that brain power that you've lost, or is in hiding behind your high school prom memories. Lumosity is one example. It offers a free trial, so you've got nothing to lose but the cobwebs. What will you do with your revitalized mental acuity? You might remember where you parked the car next time you're at the mall.

The mystery of the missing hen may be solved.

This evening Jeannette was sitting on the porch having a read when a hawk swooped down to steal one of the remaining hens. There was much screaming and cowering that ensued, but ultimately both hens were saved. If you were to come by the house and look at the front part of the porch you would find quite a few feathers adorning the plants. This is the result of the combat with the hawk.

In the end, we had 2 frightened hens, one startled Jeannette, and one hungry hawk.

Why do we get better gas mileage in Nova Scotia?

Could it be because we don't have a flat, aerodynamic-as-a-brick license plate on the front of our cars. I'm not sure whether it makes a difference or not, but the car does look a lot cleaner without that front accessory.

So we've now moved from the 2 plate system in Ontario to the single plate one in Nova Scotia. It's meant an MVI (Motor Vehicle Inspection), new insurance (1/3 the cost of the same coverage in Ontario), and a new drivers license. All of this was done without any headaches, hair pulling, or fist pounding. What a nice change that is.

Has anyone ever told you that the air in your tires needs changing?

This used to be a common ploy played out on unsuspecting car owners at service stations. It looks like it may be a reality soon, and 'air' that you'll be changing to will be nitrogen.

We took our cars to a local service station to have them inspected for registration transfer to Nova Scotia, and we got into a conversation about nitrogen in tires. As it turns out there is a major change coming over the next few years as the big auto companies are introducing nitrogen filled tires on all brand new models. The rims are fitted with a sensor that's part of the valve stem, and this system will constantly monitor tire pressure. Nitrogen, apparently, does not change pressure, unlike conventional 'air'. This means that if you have 32 psi when you start off you will still have 32 psi after driving for 30 minutes. Great. Less expansion of the tire, less wear and tear.

There are a number of other advantages to nitrogen, including the fact that it doesn't degrade the tire composition, isn't effected by cold since the moisture content is so low, improves fuel economy.

The down side to this new system is that working with it will take considerably longer, and could result in much higher costs to the consumer for routine tire rotation and tire changes. This is as a result of the increased work involved in removing the tire from the rim, and then recalibrating the tire sensor computer to account for the movement of the wheels from one location to another.

The other problem is that nitrogen will cost money. $5 to $8 per tire. This means that service centers, dealerships, and gas stations may say that you're getting nitrogen, but how can you tell? Without a sensor gauge, that costs $1000 to buy, you'll have no way of knowing whether you spent $32 for nitrogen, or $32 for plain old 'air'.

I wonder if helium would have been better. That way you could release a little from the tire, and if your voice didn't sound like Alvin the Chipmunk you would know that you got 'hosed'.

Condos come to Windsor

30 odd minutes (truthfully, 45 minutes) from Halifax is an old textile mill that's being converted to condos. Windsor is a city of approximately 4000 people, and predominately 50+ year old homes, a library (with wireless internet access), an Atlantic Superstore, The Woodshire Inn (see previous post for info), and some incredible views of the Minas Basin (pictures to come, once I have high and low tide for comparison). It's also close to the wine region near Wolfville - home of Acadia University - and the agricultural heartland of the Annapolis Valley.

The old textile mill is being converted to loft condos, just like in any major city across North America. It will be interesting to see how the project progresses, since it's not your typical venture for this area. I'm sure that the residents of Windsor are somewhat mixed on the whole thing. It means putting a building that is no longer viable, from an industrial standpoint, to use, but also means that the city has come west to Hants County.

Who knows, there may be a few Haligonians who won't mind the commute to be close to everything that the area has to offer.

Is there really a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?

I'm not sure. I was too busy taking pictures of the rainbow to find out. As luck would have it I was outside just as this rainbow was forming. It gave me just enough time to run into the house, grab my camera, and get back outside to snap off about 10 shots as it built and then faded out. It was lucky that the clouds broke enough to allow some sunlight to shine across the field as well.

Now, if I could only find that Leprechaun.

How do you know when your dial-up is really slow?

When your feet go to sleep waiting for your email and facebook to load. Did we mention that we have a dial-up connection? We're exploring satellite based internet through Xplornet but we currently enjoy a consistent 28-32kbps connection. So, if you find we're not as responsive as you'd expect that might be the cause.

What do you get when you cross a cat, a drizzly day, and a warm fire?

A nap. If watching a cat lounge in front of the fire doesn't make your eyes droop and sends you searching for a pillow then nothing will.

Superman and Clark Kent are never seen together. I wonder if...

Okay, maybe they aren't Superhens, but since the game of count the hens started a few weeks ago we've been trying to guess which one is coming back. In order to keep track of them we've photographed them - also ensuring that they are, in fact, different hens, and you clearly see that they have very distinct features. Now we can compare these images to the actual hens that are wandering around the yard, and if the third one shows up while the second one is away we'll be able to tell, hopefully.

Excuse me, do you have the time?

Have you ever heard this question? Don't you want to ask, 'time for what?'

Anyways, with all of the various time zones that we're dealing with we opted for the tried and true multiple clock approach so that we can ensure that if we call you it won't be at 5:30 in the morning there. It also means that we have a train station like feel to the living room, which is okay by us.

BTW - we didn't include UK time since the clocks are only 12 hour ones and we would need a 24 hour clock to keep it all straight. Besides, I think we can add 4 to the Atlantic time to come up with the correct time there. At least I think we can.

Isn't it ironic?

Remember the song about all things ironic - like rain on your wedding day. Okay, not so ironic, but these last few days I've been experiencing a little climatic irony. For weeks we've had nothing but clear skies at night. Skies that were filled with stars, and nothing but stars. Yet, as soon as my Meade 144mm GoTo refractor telescope arrived on Thursday it's been overcast and rainy. So, isn't it ironic that when you finally get the chance to see the stars there are no stars to see? Maybe I should call AM and see if she wants to revise the song? ...I think she hung up on me. Oh well, it still seems ironic.

When was the last time your grocery store thanked you for shopping?

Other than some points scheme when was the last time a store paid you for shopping there? Well, the Atlantic Super Stores recently ran a customer appreciation week where, when you spent $100 or more, you got $10 off. We've thankfully taken advantage of their offer a couple of times over the last week or so, and it was such a refreshing change form the usual way of doing business that we'll happily shop there again and again. We do feel appreciated when someone acknowledges us, don't we?

Sure, now you give them Family Day!

We've been in Nova Scotia for a little over a month. More importantly, we left Ontario after a lifetime of waiting for a stat holiday in February. Dalton McGuinty, who won the Ontario election yesterday by a convincing margin announced today that the Liberals were implementing Family Day, a stat holiday in the coldest darkest days of winter. Congratulations Ontario! We're glad to be here, and hope that something similar comes east.

What's the best part about exploring a new area?

Finding the best places to eat.

In the month or so that we've been here we've found some great seafood, awesome beef, and incredible local (no, really, local) vegetables. We've also found some great spots where you can have the pros prepare a memorable meal for you. One such place is the Woodshire Inn in Windsor, about 15 minutes from us. The decor is stylish and modern, with a very inviting outdoor area that we will be sure to visit on a sunny day for lunch. The service was welcoming, knowledgable, and efficient. The menu was varied, and the food very tasty. Best of all, this whole package came at a very reasonable price. Definitely a destination on our list of places to visit again.

Wanted: Trick or Treaters

Halloween is all over the stores now, so that means we must be close to the big night of handing out sugary treats to tiny witches, ghosts, and spidermen. But wait...here in the country we don't have any children nearby to shell anything out to. Our neighbour has offered to supply 5 kids for the grand event, however, they are going to have to knock on our door quite a few times to get up to the 120 or so handouts that we're used to. I guess we could just give all of the candy out in one shot, but a track around the house and costume swapping seems much more interesting.

Boo Hoo!

Thanks for giving

For the past few weeks emails have been exchanged in the hopes that we could get together with an old friend - sorry Jen, that sounds worse than it should - who moved to Nova Scotia 10 years ago. Jen and I have been friends since high school. Well, the phone rang yesterday and last night we finally had the chance to get together and catch up over an awesome Thanksgiving dinner complete with turkey and all the fixins. James also makes a mean squash soup - mmm good (with apologies to Campbell's).

We had a great time with Jenny, James, Peter, Sharon and, of course, Rocky and Molly and look forward to getting together again over a box of wine (now that we know the secret to extracting every ounce out of it).

Hey, who took the water?

The Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world. So when you look into the Minas Basin, essentially a bay fed by the Bay, the water is either in or out. The picture above shows a part of the basin - taken from Look Off - waiting for the water to come. And come it will, at an astounding rate of between six and eight feet per hour. It represents a billion tons of water moving into and out of the bay. How long does it take to fill your bathtub?

A new world, and new sights

Jeannette and I spent the afternoon driving around the Wolfville and Minas Basin area enjoying the Fox Hill Cheese Farm, Hennigar's Farmers Market and Paddy's Brew Pub. We also went up the hill to Look Off (yes, Look Off, not Look Out). Here are a few pics from the drive.

BTW - the Irish Stew at Paddy's is awesome, and the Swift Stout was as close to Guiness as you'll get this side of the Atlantic.

One other thing - Jeannette and I are going to be camped out at the pumpkin patch waiting for "The Great Pumpkin" if you're looking for us on the 31st.

The bigger the truck the bigger the load.

Don't you absolutely hate those Toyota 'pick-up truck philosophy' commercials on TV? 'A man with a load on his mind is more troubled than if he has a load on his truck', or something to that effect - sheesh!

Anyways, the truth is, a truck can certainly make work a lot easier, or at least faster. As you may recall, we had been hauling the wood that we'll be burning throughout the winter in the Vue. Philip, our neighbour, offered the services of his truck so we get the remaining 2 cords in just 2 trips. All we need to do now is stack it. That's all. Just stack 2 cords of wood in nice neat rows that will be protected from the elements all winter. A journey of a thousand logs begins with the first splinter.

Who you calling chicken?

Jeannette spent a little quality time with our lone hen last night. She doesn't seem to mind a hug now and then, though Logan chasing her makes her very upset.

She is the sole remaining member of the trio that greeted Jeannette and Stephanie upon their arrival here back on August 20th. The others, while possibly dropping by for a meal now and then have returned to their wild roots (do chickens actually have wild roots?). We are grateful that this one decided to stay and provide us with an egg every morning. Lucky the house didn't come with cows - that would be hard to explain.

You just can't get a winning team, no matter how far you go.

In spite of all of that preparation, packing, travelling, unpacking, and wishful thinking the Toronto Maple Leafs still lose here in Nova Scotia. Stephanie and I watched hopefully last night as the Leafs started another season, buoyed by a clean slate and a new province. We were definitely disappointed when the loathed Sens tied it up to force overtime. We were devastated to realize that all of that work moving here had been in vain - the Leafs still lost. Maybe we should move to Europe?

Oh, that's what the heck that was!

It turns out that the Wild Turkey that we saw the other day was actually a Pheasant. That's what happens when you take someone from the land of Racoons, Squirrels, and the occasional Possum and put him in a world filed with real wild animals. My apologies to the Pheasant, who would probably prefer not to think that he/she looks like a Wild Turkey. I'd also like to thank Alan for clearing this up for me.

What the heck was that?

When you've lived in the city your whole life you get used to wildlife like Racoons, Squirrels, and the occasional possum (at least by the lake, anyway). Here in the country there are new species ready to be encountered. Deer, Red-tailed Hawks, and, since we're nearing Thanksgiving it seems rather ironic, Wild Turkey.

We were sitting on the veranda decompressing after the day when all of a sudden there was a loud noise in the woods behind the house and a great big Wild Turkey flew out of the long grass. Scared the heck out of us, because it was particularly quiet just before.

Shortly after, a tabby cat came out of the same tall grass. That would have been one heck of a meal for that little feline.