In Hertford, Hereford and Hampshire ?? & 'Didn't we have a lovely day'

In Hertford, Hereford and Hampshire, Hurricanes , Hardly Happen    ( My Fair Lady )..........Really ?


It seems that wherever we go some bizarre  twists of nature follows. I kid you not? and if Paul's reading this I hasten to add I am not complaining.I am merely making observations.
 It appears that to Paul I'm always complaining..... Moi !. Mind you I was  living in Mexico at the time and o.k so yes I admit I had my moments. Oh and if my memory serves me correctly most of my 'complaining ' was done in his eatery. Mmmm, you can draw your own conclusions? ( sorry Paul you started it )


Anyway I digress...............................Hurricane Irene? We spent 3 years in Mexico, never saw a hurricane. We have been back in Canada 2 months and we have hurricane Irene to look forward to. Who'dathunkit? As of this moment it looks like Washington, New York and The Carolinas are going to be hit which I can't begin to imagine the damage that it will do.We will see the periphery of the storm , high winds and rain and yes we are still in the motor home.We don't move until the 1st. Bad timing or what? I'm just hoping Irene doesn't head further west then it could be catastrophic. Not that I want anyone to suffer but the thought of it touching land here in Nova Scotia is certainly not a happy one.


As I mentioned, bizarre things do follow us around like........
When we first moved to Alberta? worst flood for 50 years.The town we lived near was evacuated.


Or not shortly afterwards, the worst May snow fall for a similar number of years. The wet heavy stuff as I recall.We had power outages for weeks.


Then there was the plague of grasshoppers. Crawling carpets of hungry hoppers eating every blade of grass they could find.


Then there was the dense, smoke filled skies from the B.C fires.......... 


Oh and lets not forget the mad cow outbreak not long after we first arrived in the country.   England was in the midst of their most serious outbreak of foot and mouth disease in a long time when we left and i have to say I did feel a tad uncomfortable.However I do believe they said that it didn't come from Europe. Phew.

So there it is. Just sayin'?!?!

Didn't we have a lovely day

"Didn't we have a lovely time the day we went to Bangor

A beautiful day we had lunch on the way and all for under a pound you know.

But on the way back I cuddled with Jack and we opened a bottle of cider

Singing a few of our favourite songs and the wheels went around

Elsie and me , we finished our tea and said goodbye to the seaside

Got on a bus, Flo said to us, oh, isn't it a shame to go

Wouldn't it be grand to have cash on demand and live like this for always

Singing a few of our favourite songs as the wheels went around." 

Well not quite the song but we have had some great days out. Some friends we have just met said to take a trip to the Annapolis Valley as they said it was beautiful . They weren't wrong ! It is indeed a beautiful part of Nova Scotia.

Wolfeville

Wolfeville

On our other day trip, we decided to take a whale watching and nature cruise from the harbour. It was a gorgeous day (yes again)  and we had a tremendous time.  However not a whale in site but we did see some porpoise so all was not lost. The commentary was very informative with a comprehensive history of Halifax and some interesting nature tidbits. 
The views from the boat were spectacular and as it was such a nice day the sail boats were out  in force which made for a considerable photo op. I think I took 109 photos. Thank goodness for digital cameras.

Lunch on Cable Wharfe after the boat trip
We're not in the photo.I took it for the view.

Can'y you still hear the noise on the Pier
As we took a breath of sea air
Having a go at every side show
We passed along the way, we had
Our fortunes told,when it turned a bit cold
And a go on the tombola
It was such a surprise 'cause I won first prize
When the wheel went around.


As sung by "Fiddlers Dram"

62 houses later ......

Halifax wharfe

So , having pondered over New Brunswick and decided that it wasn't the place for us. we decided to take a day to check out Halifax, Nova Scotia. New Brunswick just wasn't bustling enough for us, but our first look at Nova Scotia just felt right. After all where else were we going to go ? We are as far east as we can get there's no more land left!

Halifax harbour

 Having made the decision to move we upped sticks and changed our location to another camp site just outside of Halifax. Setting off again in the motorhome was not, as you can imagine done lightly. I have had it up to my armpits of this nomadic life style.

Lunch

So, yes 62 houses and three weeks later we have found a house. 62 because our realtor kept a tally and told us. She also told us that she has been a realtor for 20 years and we have set a new record for her..... do you think she was trying to tell us something ? ........ She did actually say it with a smile on her face , I don't think she could quite believe it herself I know we couldn't ........ apparently people tend to view around 20 houses before buying. Mmmm I wonder what  that says about us ? either we are very picky or we really should buy a lottery ticket. Our sights are set way to high for our cheque book.


We have been lucky with realtors both here and in New Brunswick. Tracey and Nancy have been really great people and have both been tireless in our quest a to put down roots again and I think we have made two really great friends along the way, which is the biggest bonus of all.

This leg of our journey however has been an interesting one. Last night being one of many unforgettable moments here in Nova Scotia ...................... The heavens decided to bless us with a deluge of rain followed by quite the barrage of thunder and lightning. Unfortunately...... we leak. Well, that is 'the old girl" leaks , it's the Royal 'we'      ( old girl being a term of endearment for the camper in case you don't already know) Both our beds are at the back of the motor home right underneath a window and as we discovered last night the windows leak. Water comes in and collects in the window well and then heads gung ho for our beds. We spent the night mopping up the water, trying to catch it before it got through to the mattress. This was a continuos process and we quickly ran out of dry towels to mop up with. We tried everything to stem the never ending  flow but to no avail.Hence we stayed awake until around 4 in the morning wringing out soppy towels, when the torential rain at last abated. We have since plugged the leaks.....I hope.


The following day got no better. We had arranged to meet the house inspector at 10.30 only to receive a message that he had fallen down the stairs or some such and couldn't make it. We had however to go to the house anyway as we had to get a water sample for testing. Not long after leaving we thought we were kicking up quite a lot of dust in our wake so decided to check it out. As it happens the problem was at the front not the back end of the car. Steam was coming out of every possible nook and cranny imaginable and when we did manage to get the bonnet ( sorry I'm slipping back into my mother tongue), hood it didn't get any better. It looked like the radiator hose that housed the thermostat had broken.We knew this because the thermostat was just hanging there in the joint.Oh and just to add insult to injury it was raining again.


Now remember we had no phone and haven't had a phone since leaving Mexico.Talk about feeling disconnected, well we could talk about it just not on the phone. Anyway there we were stuck in the middle of nowhere......... but!..... thank goodness for our Canadian Good Samaritans. Several people came to our rescue and we were soon given a lift to the local auto mechanic .


The mechanic was himself a joy to behold! Mr Negative couldn't even begin to describe him........' No, I don't come out on calls '. ' No I can't tow you back '. 'No I can't fix it I'm booked up for weeks '..... O.K. then? What do we do now? We had  left Nancy not that long ago but we had no phone to call her and she was the only person we knew. Mr Happy was not offering any solution and to be quite honest we were flummoxed. So, there we were at what I can only describe as a Mexican stand off...... and we had never had one of those even when we lived in Mexico.


Eventually after prising words of more than one syllable out of Mr Grumpy one of the other guys thought that it sounded like we could cautiously drive the car to the garage so he offered to take us back and have a look and to cut a long story a little  shorter we ended up back with Mr Crabby and after much cajoling he offered to get us the part (which they said could be delivered that day surprise surprise) AND he also said that he might fix it before the close of day. When he said that I think we were both gob smacked . By the time we picked up the car Mr Cantankerous turned into at least Mr Amiable and 165 dollars later we were on the road again.


What a day.................


To top it all Barney has decided that he likes bringing us little gifts in the middle of the night. The first time he announced himself and delivered a rather large ( dead, thank goodness) mouse to us. Right on the floor in between our beds. The second time I heard this strange  grinding noise and turned the light on to find him chomping on the head of a mouse in the same place.

Butter wouldn't melt ?

 I found the body later on the drivers seat. The last time topped it all. I woke up to find what I thought was  a really big mouse on the floor. When I got out of bed I discovered that it was a live squirrel. Unfortunately when I tried to catch it with a towel it shot passed me  and we couldn't find it. So we went back to bed and could hear it running around the camper. I haven't seen it since so I gather it found it's way out of Barneys window. I wonder what he will bring in next?

That behind us we now have brought ourselves back into the civilised world yesterday we purchased   a cell phone each at last. Ah,I feel so much better now that I can phone and text. I haven't had my own phone for three years. It will take some learning again and I am hopeless with gadgets .... they just seem to have a mind of their own where I'm concerned. 


We hope to be in our house by September 1st by the way. Can't wait. I have to tell you though that Nova Scotia is one of the most beautiful places we have ever been to and  I have to admit that before we came here we really had a poor view of  Nova Scotia.I don't know why but there it is. However the scenery is quite spectacular and the ocean coves are quite breath taking.

It is great to be back in Canada..... just love the Canadian style...they are some of the most welcoming warm hearted people we have ever met.......... and just for all my non Canadian friends.................. I love you too. It's just that Canada feels like home.

Peggys Cove

 Oh,and a couple of shots of the new house.

The front view.We have plans at a later
date to convert the garage into a living
space with patio doors onto a deck
at the back. But that is for later.

The driveway.

Garden? Well one day.Not till
next year though now.

The hunt is on.....

Shediac Bay on a rainy day.

So we have been here almost two weeks. We are in a camp site in Shediac, of which my only word to describe it is .... adequate. Yes guys my camping experiences just get better and yes I am whinging Debi! The inclement weather has not help improve my thoughts on living in a motor home at all... it sucks.

The famous Shediac Lobster ( just for you Nan?)

All this is not conducive to looking for houses. Everything looks so much better in the sunshine and yes I know the old adage.... if you like  it at it's worst bla bla.


It's quite a culture shock being here in the east, especially having lived in the west. New Brunswick is the only bi lingual province and it's very obvious not only in the language but in the style too.The language is a strange french ( Acadian) patois and the french style here is very,........... the only way I can describe it is 'dated'. Remember I am commenting on what I have seen so far and even the locals say that here is quite different to the french in Quebec ( or France for that matter) I am sure my French Canadian friend will have something to say ,won't you Carol?

We had been in touch with a realtor before we arrived so our first task was to see if we could meet up and have a chat. As it turns out Tracey has been great...... I have to say that, apparently she reads the blog. No, seriously Tracey is great and has been really helpful and seems to be on the same wave length which helps a lot.
We still haven't found a house yet and we have seen at least 25 if not more. Tracey said that some of her colleagues asked her why she has showing us so many and I guess that that implies why hadn't we seen anything we liked also.....I think her answer was...because they're all crap that's why. Having said that , this was after only day two when we were looking at a particular 'French' ( Arcadian ) area. The decor was straight out of the 70's and 80's, all dusky rose pinks and 'twee'. Some of the houses even had 70's style bars in their basements. One also had a car radio set up under the bar and coloured glass lights...... for ambience I imagine?Mmm whose imagination I wonder. We decided to give that area a miss after that.We thought it might be a tad difficult to 'fit in'.

They are obviously trying to
 create some  trendy boardwalks.

We have had some time on our hands in between house hunting so thought it might be nice to get out and about. We went to St John on the Bay of Fundy coast. It was actually a sunny day so I can't blame how I felt about St John on the miserable weather but unfortunately we were disappointed. St John is largely industrial. There are some lovely parts I'm sure but as a general picture I felt it was industrialized.

Our next trip was Prince Edward Island. It only took us 1 1/2 hrs to get to Charlottetown . The road from here to the Confederation Bridge is a really nice highway and there just isn't very much traffic here. Wherever we go the roads are always quiet.Where is everyone? ( out west probably ?).

Confederation Bridge. A little
cloudy and rainy at first
 but it soon cleared up

The bridge is 8 miles long and the worlds longest bridge over ice covered waters. It is an amazing piece of engineering. Be that as it may, it is a toll bridge and it must be the most expensive flipping' toll in the world too.We nearly had three fits when they told us the price.... they let you over for free but they get you on the way out...... $ 43..... Won't be going over there too often.

Having said all that P.E.I is indeed beautiful. Very countryfied, lots of quaint little hamlets and lush green fields as far as the eye can see. The roadside are pretty too with multicolours of wild lupins growing everywhere. 

This is a sight you see
all over the province

This is the Canada Day long weekend so the campsite has filled up somewhat. I really don't get this camping lark. The motor homes are tucked up next to one another. Some have built decks . They put their patio furniture facing the trailer next door and sit there most of the day. What am I missing. There isn't even a view to reflect on.Oh well, each to their own I suppose.


We feel like we are getting to know the areas now but still trying to get our heads around being back in Canada ( Massachusetts you spoilt us) Shediac it seems is a very seasonal town so a lot of places close for the winter. The views around here are exceptional with lots of bays and water inlets and to get to the bigger shops in Moncton is less than half an hour away.


Hearing French being spoken wherever we go is strange. I didn't think it would be quite so much but it is more like the norm.Having said that as soon as they know you are English they switch and we haven't felt uncomfortable at all and the people are really friendly. 


So we are still pondering...................... a lot to ponder.

The wharf at Pointe du Chene,Shediac

Pointe Du Chene

Day20 Monday...Oh Canada

We crossed the border at 11.45am. No border problems, they didn't even come inside. Our days journey was tedious. The roads were remarkably quiet all the way to Shediac, which is where we are at present.Typical of our journey nothing runs smoothly. The camp site is doing extensions so the place is a little muddy... great. They also told us that we may not be able to get WiFi which would have made me one unhappy bunny. As luck would have it we can get a signal otherwise we would have had to have found somewhere else tomorrow. I just couldn't cope being without the internet. Anyway we will see how it goes.

We worked out that we have done a total of 7,300 Kms or 4,536 miles. We travelled the length of Mexico and travelled through 13 States and 1 Province.It took us 20 days with a 5 day stop over in Massachusetts.....Phew.


The weather ...... don't know if I should even tell you this for fear of getting the mick taken out of me but it is  grey,cloudy and chilly and dare I say reminiscent of good old Blighty.


Oh well as the song goes......

Gray skies are gonna clear up,

Put on a happy face;

Brush off the clouds and cheer up,

Put on a happy face.

Take off the gloomy mask of tragedy,

It's not your style;

You'll look so good that you'll be glad

Ya' decide to smile!

So to leave on a happy note...heres Hannah. One lucky pooch.

Hannah with Raquel and Bob.

Day14/15/16/17..Heaven I'm in Heaven

Bob and Raquel's house.
Setting up the badminton net
for The Dodwells v The Mullaneys.
 They won!

We arrived at Raquel and Bob's house in Plymouth Massachusetts on the 14th Tuesday. We have had such a fabulous time that nothing I could say would begin to do it justice. We have been bowled over by Plymouth , had a blast in Boston and  been captivated by  Cape Cod. We watched Vancouver Canucks loose to The Boston Bruins, played badminton on the lawn, ate at some fabulous restaurants ( including Chef Bobs) and laughed endlessly whilst playing Mexican train ( a type of dominoes). All this and much much more . Five days of endless pleasure. Where do I begin?

Raquel and her infamous martinis.

We have had a guided tour of Plymouth which is a fabulous town.It is like stepping into a Disney movie all quaint and pristine with chocolate box houses and picture perfect ocean views. We had lunch at East Bay Grille overlooking a perfect view and eating food to die for. It was a little cool at first but the sun came out and it was perfect.

Musselicious.

The Mayflower

Our tour included of course the very famous Plymouth Pebble, Oops sorry Plymouth Rock. In this case although disappointing in it's size this is one case of where size really doesn't matter. Plymouth Rock signifies the founding of the colony by Pilgrims of the famous Mayflower in 1620.Plymouth was where New England was first established and is one of the oldest municipalities in The United States.

Nooks

Nostalgia oozes from every orifice of Plymouth as you meander it's memorable nooks and crannies. It will certainly be etched in our memory banks forever.

and crannies

Checking out the new
Italian restaurant.

Boston was next on out agenda and it was decided that the best way to see the city was on Bostons most famous 'Duck' tour. A 'Duck' is a World War amphibious vehicle.Renovated for sightseeing purposes. It tours all the places that make Boston the birthplace of freedom and a city of firsts.It then takes you into the Charles river for a view of the city from a different angle. I have listed some interesting trivia if you are interested in trivia this is for you ? if not skip it...you're choice.

1632

The first windmill is built on Copp’s Hill.

1632

The first public anti-smoking law is established.

1634

Boston Common becomes the first public park in America.

1635

Boston Latin School is established as the first public secondary school. It is still operating.

1672

The first U.S. mail route is opened between Boston and New York.

1704

The first regularly issued American newspaper The Boston News-Letter is published.

1714

The Union Oyster House opens. It is the oldest American restaurant still operating under the same name.

1716

The first American lighthouse is built in Boston Harbor.

1765

The first chocolate factory Walter Baker Company is opened in Dorchester.

1780

The first State Constitution is created.

1784

The Bell in Hand Tavern opens. It is now known as the oldest pub in the U.S.

1806

The first African-American meeting house is constructed. It is the country’s oldest existing black church.

1827

Francis Leiber opens the first swimming school and pool in America. Among the first students to enroll is John Quincy Adams.

1829

The first school for the blind is established as Perkins Institute.

1835

The first public school for African-American children, the Abiel Smith School, is opened.

1837

Samuel Morse invents the electric telegraph based on Morse Code, a simple pattern of dots and dashes.

1838

Boston becomes the first city to establish its own police department.

1848

The Boston Public Library becomes the first publicly supported free municipal library in the world.

1865

Robert Ware of M.I.T. begins the first professional training program for architects. Prior to this, architects trained in Europe or learned through apprenticeship 

1875

The first American Christmas card is printed by Louis Prang.

1876

The first telephone is demonstrated by Alexander Graham Bell in Boston. 

1877

Helen Magill White graduates from Boston University and becomes the first woman in the United States to earn a Ph.D.

1879

Mary Baker Eddy founds the Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston.

1881

Boston YMCA staffer Robert J. Roberts coins the term “body building” and develops exercise classes that anticipate today’s modern fitness workouts.  

1896

Fannie Farmer publishes “The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book” – the first cookbook in America. Her cookbook provides scientific explanations of the chemical processes that occur in food during cooking and also helps to standardize the system of measurements.

1897

The Boston subway opens as the first underground metro in North America. Today it is affectionately known as the "T” and is run by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

1897

The first Boston Marathon is run.

1903

The first modern World Series is played in Major League Baseball as the Boston Americans beat the Pittsburgh Pirates five games to three in a best of nine series. 

1928

MIT professor Vannevar Bush constructs a Differential Analyser, an analog computer that could solve differential equations with as many as 18 independent variables. This is one of the first advanced computing devices used for practial research.

1944

Harvard professor Howard Aiken develops the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator – the first automatic digital computer. 

A 'Duck'

 It was such a fabulous day I can't begin to describe everything , let alone remember all the places we saw so I think it best if I at least try to do it a little justice in pictures .

 Her we are on our 'Duck' tour.

Now this was one place I was really excited about............Any guesses as to where/what it's significance is?.........

Just let me say one word.........Cheers?

The John Hancock Tower.
Photo by me the other stuff
I stole from Google.

In 1972, Cobb's design of the Hancock Tower took the glass monolith skyscraper concept to new heights. The tower is an achievement in minimalist, modernist skyscraper design.

The sky is reflected on the mirrorlike facade of the John Hancock Tower

Minimalism was the design principle behind the tower. The largest panes of glass possible were used. There are no spandrel panels, and the mullions are minimal. Cobb added a geometric modernist twist by using a parallelogram shape for the tower floor plan. From the most common views, this design makes the corners of the tower appear very sharp. The highly reflective window glass is tinted slightly blue, which results in the tower having only a slight contrast with the sky on a clear day. As a final modernist touch, the short sides of the parallelogram are marked with a deep vertical notch, breaking up the tower's mass and emphasizing its verticality. In late evening, the vertical notch to the northwest catches the last light of the sky, while the larger portions of glass reflect the darkening.

A major concern of the architects while designing the tower was its proximity to Boston's Trinity Church, a prominent National Historic Landmark. Their concern led them to redesign the tower's plans, as there was a public outcry when it was revealed that the Hancock Tower would cast its shadow on the church.

John Hancock was one of the original men who signed the Decloration of Independence and was supposed to have signed with quite a flourish . Hence the Americans can be heard to say' put your John Hancock here' meaning your signature.

All interesting bits of useless information I know and I have more.........

Trinity Church...I think?

This is T.D Garden. The home of The Boston Bruins. For those of you non American or Canadians. They are the hockey team that just beat the Vancouver Canucks in game 7 of the final to win the Stanley Cup.A bit like the F.A cup in England, Stephen said.

Boston in the evening light.

The three of us also in the evening light.

Now here's a great story.........Look at Raquels shoes........ Can I tell this story Raquel? O.K , so suffice to say Raquels feet hurt so she bought a new pair of shoes . As you do? .............I say no more........... I wont tell them how much they cost Raquel ...............

But just let me say that when my shoes began to rub blisters in the past I bought a pair of flip flops to ease the pain . Mine cost $5.00.......................

Raquel in a pair of $5.00 shoes no! aint gonna happen. 



Friday Raquel and Bob had to go into their workplace so we headed for Cape Cod.

If you're fond of sand dunes and salty air,

quaint little villages here and there,

you're sure to fall in love with Old Cape Cod.

Patti Page 1957

Our car was having a quick fix at the local mechanics ( nothing serious). Raquel let us borrow her car for the trip , so we did it in a posh car , such a nice change from the yellow banana.

It seems since the 1957 song Cape Cod not a lot has changed. The villages along the way are still quaint. Province Town or "P-town" as it is known is the furthest town in Cape Cod and something I didn't know was that it has a very large gay community and rather than me describe it I stole this information off the internet for you. It gives you a much better picture  than I  ever  could.

Provincetown is proud of its rich heritage, history and natural resources.  Provincetown is America’s oldest art colony, the birthplace of American playwriting,named “best gay resort town”, and is a bike ride from two of America’s best beaches.  

Additionally, we are proud that PTown is the number one destination for same sex weddings in America.

Where is Provincetown is an easy question to answer. It’s all the way at the end of Cape Cod at the very tip of Massachusetts. But the more interesting question is what is Provincetown. By definition it is a small coastal New England town, but culturally Provincetown is a concept, a living idea, an institution of free thought, imagination, creativity, fun, freedom and equality. The gay community is represented in all its forms throughout the season, kicking off with Memorial Day Weekend, which coincides with “Baby Dyke Weekend”, a self-named phenomenon of young lesbians that come to party and play in Provincetown.  The heat rises in July with Circuit Week  (buff gay men dancing to disco music) followed by Bear Week (big, hairy guys “woof” it up at tea dance) and then Girl Splash (young lesbians dance the night away at one of the famed bra parties), and August kicks off with Family Week (gay and lesbian families finger paint and enjoy puppet shows). At the same time the town’s visitor population is rounded out by families, Europeans, couples, and fellow Cape Codders - straight and gay  - now, that’s diversity! Province Town This is me now...........P town is a very touristy town.It is a very busy town, full of crafty cutesy shops and artsy cafes and restaurants. Well worth seeing and we are so glad we did. It was somewhere we have heard of but never thought we'd visit. Next time we come I would love to see Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket  and, oh  a million other places too. So as Schwarzenegger said 'I'll be back'. Our last day with the Mullaneys was as every other day had been......a delight. It was a gorgeous day and you can walk to downtown Plymouth from their house. Through the woods and by the babbling brook.... honest I'm not making all this up it really is that beautiful. I will let you into a tiny secret though. Locals call it Taxachusetts.... it's an expensive state. Just thought I'd tell you before you all sell up and move to Massachusetts . Oh well nothing's perfect. Coffee and breakfast midway through the walk.  You've just got to have an incentive ? Both dogs came with us too. Hannah is one lucky dog she has settled down really well and had already learned how to use the new doggie door so she can come and go as she pleases. I see on F.B that she has already got a new doggie bed and her own toys............ We do miss her but she couldn't have got a better home. Our final day finished with the opportunity to go with Raquel and Bob to Bobs daughters high school graduation party just a short drive away in Millbury. We have been very fortunate to have spent time with new friends.I know Raquel and Bob will read this so I just want to tell them to stop reading now..... Stop reading now you two. We couldn't have spent the past few days with nicer ( translation into American...awesome ) people. They are the quintessential good hosts..... Thank you for making us welcome, for being great tour guides and thank you chef Bob for some great meals.... When we find somewhere to live I hope we can return the favour. I knew you wouldn't take any notice when I said stop reading............