Thursday 22^nd November

This morning Vivian cooked us an omelette to set us on our way as our day was looking quite busy.  Unsure as to how long it would take to reach certain points on the island, we wanted to allow enough time to appreciate the scenery and call into any interesting looking places before winding our way back home.

The drive to North Cape was suggested as a route that provided plenty of scenery as well as being an easy drive.  We meandered along and found lovely homes set back from the road in the middle of a huge green lawn. We lost count of the number of white wooden churches which also seemed to be kept in immaculate condition.

We dropped into a working woolen mill where Bob was able to purchase a lovely scarf and beanie.  It seemed to be a small operation and the owner told us they primarily export their finished products to Japan. 

Upon our arrival at North Cape we found some interpretive signs which gave a good overview of the many windfarms which dotted the point. This site is managed by the Wind Energy Institute of Canada which is a not for profit, independent research and testing institute. Its mission is to advance the development of wind energy across Canada. It has access to a multi-seasoned wind resource making it an excellent choice for testing wind systems of any size. We were able to see part of one of the wind generators at ground level which gave us an idea of the enormity of these “windmill” type structures.

North Cape is famous for its natural rock reef where the waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Northumberland Strait meet. We understood that offshore lies the longest natural rock reef in North America, where at low tide it is possible to walk for about one kilometer off shore, but in the throes of winter the water freezes into ice – such a contrast.

Upon arrival back at our hosts home we were greeted with a fully lit and Christmas decorated house.  It was so welcoming and we are now really thinking that Christmas is getting so much closer.

Wednesday 21^st November

We came to Amherst not knowing anybody, but leave behind a group of lovely new friends who have made our stay memorable – what more needs to be said?  Thankyou Amherst!!!

We picked up our hire car in Moncton and drove over the Confederation Bridge to our next stop, the home of ATC members, Carl and Vivien Wright in Summerside, the second city in Prince Edward Island.  The bridge is 12.9 km long and is the longest bridge in the world over ice covered water.  It seemed to go on forever and just as we thought we were at the finish, another part came into view.  It is not easy to see anything from the bridge in a car as there are large jersey barriers on each side which blocked our view.

After meeting our hosts and dropping off our bags we headed into Summerside to have some dinner at Gentleman Jim’s before coming back and tucking into bed for an early night.

Tuesday 20^th November

This morning we were on a mission to get those lamingtons ready for the lunch, so Bob and I formed a production line to dip the cake in the chocolate, roll in coconut and then place them on a rack.  It is near impossible to come to the end of the batch without having coconut in the chocolate however Bob is much neater at doing this than me.  He remembers watching his mum do it ever so many years ago and must have paid attention to the process.

We took the completed lamingtons to the luncheon and joined many others at this weekly event which draws many people from Amherst together.  A few older ladies commented that the cakes reminded them of Mocha Cakes which are rolled in a white icing instead of chocolate.

As it was our second last day in Amherst we visited the museum, which we found to be small and not too overcrowded with information.  The attendant gave us a very informative talk about the history of Canada and the importance of four local men who were part of the Fathers of Confederation. The Confederation was the process whereby the Federal Dominion of Canada was formed on 1 July 1867.  The United Province of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick united to form the new Dominion. Immediately after union, the United Province divided into two separate provinces, Ontario and Quebec - so three colonies became four provinces.

The First Nation people in this region are known as the Mi’kmaq and there was a display of some of their work.  One piece in particular drew my attention, it was a basket crafted from porcupine quills.

We had fun upstairs in the museum where there were many hats and shoes which begged to be modeled. A beautiful display of the Nova Scotia fibre arts included some intricate cross stitch pieces primarily from one woman – and a very clever on at that.

Tuesday night John and Aileen returned home so that we could spend our final night with them.  We ordered a take-out meal and just relaxed, had a few wines and caught up on some NCIS episodes.

Monday 19^th November

A bit more shopping this morning as we have been invited to a parish meal at the Catholic church tomorrow and I have decided to make a batch of lamingtons in order to give the locals a taste of an Australian icon.  We had to look up the history of this cake in case anyone asked us how the name was given to it.  Better to be forearmed with this information, rather than be embarrassed and not have a clue as to its origin.

I found out that about 90 people attend and while I may not have this many, tomorrow morning Bob and I will form a production line to dip the cake in chocolate and roll in coconut. I made 3 good size cakes today, so I hope they all get eaten, otherwise John and Aileen will have them in the freezer for later.

During the beautiful crisp sunny afternoon we took to the streets of Downtown Amherst to capture a few final photos.  We were loaned a book titled “Historic Amherst” and it contains many photos of some of the older buildings taken in the early 1900’s.  As a change from just taking a picture of a building, I decided to take the one from the book and then match it with a photo from today – some buildings have remained much the same, while others have had either additions or modifications over the years. It was a fun way to have a good walk, stop and talk to many locals who stopped us as they thought with book in hand we were lost and appreciate the charming buildings.

Tonight we were invited to a meal at Barb and Jim’s home to have Chowder made in the Maritime fashion.  We began our meal with some prawns coated in crumbs, followed by a beautifully presented plate of various sushi bites.  Following this we had a bowl of the most delicious and flavoursome chowder, a fish soup containing so many delights from the sea including prawns, crab and lobster.

A dessert followed named after a Tennessee mountain range called Ozark. It was a cake like pudding with apples and nuts and drizzled with a caramel type warm sauce.  It seems like the region is going to be remembered by us from all the food and hospitality events we have attended.

Sunday 18^th November

After attending Mass at the local church we were given a little Amherst badge by a former mayor, invited to a luncheon on Tuesday with the parish and then had breakfast at a local cafe with John and Aileen. On the way to the cafe we passed this wooden structure ( a former tree I imagine) with faces of prominent former Amherst identities carved within.

From there we attended a “deceased estate and antique” auction in the same hall as the farmers market on Friday.   Unlike some auctions we have been to in the past, the auctioneer was sitting perched atop a stool on a table at the end of the hall reigning supreme over all the goods on offer.  It quickly became apparent who were the serious bidders and in what goods their interests lay.  We were amused at the little nods of the head signaling a bid and the low prices the auctioneer stooped to in order to begin the bidding.  I bemoaned the fact a number of times that I was not able to bid or buy anything lest it tip the suitcase right off the scales in a few days time.  Regardless of my inability to have another sample from Amherst we certainly had no trouble filling in a very cold Sunday afternoon.

Saturday 17^th November

Today the Baptist Church in the main street held an international food fair, so we went along and made it coincide with lunch time.  There were 15 different countries represented and some had food which beckoned us back for a little more, while others were interesting and similar to what could be found in some Asian take-away shops.  The atmosphere was lively and there was much bustling by guests between all the stalls.  We sat with a couple who were extremely chatty – and we found out he was a local real estate salesman – so of course he was talkative as it is their job to be this way.

Some of the countries represented were Cuba, Thailand, Ireland, Canada, Congo, Croatia, Japan and India.

The rest of the afternoon was spent preparing for the curry night. John and Aileen had no trouble being treated as guests in their own home – it was a novel way to get to know them a little better and we had a wonderful night together sharing many anecdotes.  We realise we have more in common with the Canadians that what may separate us  - our humour in particular is certainly shared, understood and appreciated.

Friday 16^th November

Today I shopped locally for a few food items as we have invited our home exchange partners, Aileen and John together with their friends Barb and Jim (with whom they are staying while we are here) to join us for a curry night.  I find that this is a way to entertain whereby guests can help themselves, I get the opportunity to have a good play in the kitchen and most of the items are readily available.  I found some scallops so I will be cooking a curried scallop recipe much like the one which is contained within the famous Tasmania curried scallop pie – I just won’t be making a pie out of it. One of my favourite recipes for desert is sticky date pudding, so this will feature as well.  We attended a local farmers market in Amherst where I was able to buy some fresh carrots which a lady told me had been freshly dug that morning after she had fed her 100 pigs!!  I gathered a bunch to make a creamy carrot soup for starters.

This market was held in a local hall and is an opportunity for locals to sell their produce, handmade crafts, jams, preserves and baked goods.  I was unable to resist buying a few small Christmas trinkets to take home for both our Christmas tree and stocking fillers for the grandchildren.

Thursday 15^th November

Moncton is a city located in the adjacent province of New Brunswick but is only about 70 km from where we are staying in Amherst. We had arrived at the airport here a week ago and wanted to return to look over the city. It is known as the geographical centre of the Maritime Provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island). Moncton has a population of about 150,000 people and is a commercial, distribution, transportation and retailing centre.  There are also 37 call centres in the city employing over 5000 people.

While trawling through their Champlain Mall we found these two shops, both named Laura, and as this is our elder daughter’s name I couldn’t help but take these photos.

 

Our neighbours here, Bill and Sandy Kane had invited us to share dinner with them promising to have mussels on the menu.  Bill is retired and does most of the cooking as Sandy is a nurse and while they are here in Amherst she works night shifts. He cooked at least 5 kg of mussels in a large pot with a lovely flavor of garlic, onions and wine.  They were so easy to eat and enjoy.  This was followed by an array of salad, hot vegetables and pork spare ribs glazed with a rhubarb jam – beats Colonel Sander’s in the “finger lickin’ good department”.  Sandy had made a light lemon fluffy pudding to be then followed by her home-made chocolate peanut clusters, decadent and delicious.

Bill and Sandy have travelled quite extensively and also enjoy cruising so we had a few stories to compare on that note as well. The beauty of dining with neighbours is that the stagger home is only a few metres  and particularly for Bob as he and Bill tested that dark rum in a few different ways!!

Tuesday 13^th November and Wednesday 14^th November

These next two days have been earmarked to visit Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia. I had browsed online for a hotel in which to stay and while hotels serve their purpose we are not huge fans for a number of reasons. We find that they have a “sameness” about them, that is you expect to see a room with a bed, a television a separate bathroom, wardrobe with the ironing board and iron stacked neatly (NEVER to be used by yours truly!!).  The other downside for us is eating breakfast in a hotel environment.  The array of foods is usually way out of our comfort zone for morning consumption, however the selection often will lead to us having just a “little taste of this” and a “little taste of that” and before we know it we are leaving for the day feeling weighed down with a carbohydrate overload.

I then had a “flashbulb moment” and remembered the online club we had joined a number of years previously.  This club is the “Affordable Travel Club” and was begun here in Canada quite a while back.  www.affordabletravelclub.net. The idea behind the club is to provide a bed and breakfast to fellow travellers and to share your knowledge with them of the local area as well as any other travel hints and tips which have been amassed during your own travels. There is a very small fee to be paid to the hosts.

I contacted a couple in Halifax who were listed in the online directory, mentioning it was a very short notice request, and to our delight the reply came back very quickly letting us know they would be happy to host us and would even come out for dinner with us.

We met Joan and Donald a well travelled couple in their very cosy home right in the middle of Halifax following an afternoon of looking at some of the city in the 90 minutes left on the parking meter.  The port was very close and the information office had told us a little ferry crossed the harbor every 15 minutes, so armed with camera and high hopes of capturing all that the harbor view offered we took the ferry ride from Halifax to Dartmouth. The attendant at the gate told us that because it was Tuesday all seniors travelled for free – bonus.  Now that my biological clock has ticked over to the magical 60, I also must have it emblazoned on my forehead as well.  It was fun before I was 60 when people took me for a senior and assumed that because I was with an older husband that I too was 60+.  It is not so funny now that I must look like a senior and don’t even have to mention it.  We have to be grateful though that there are benefits at some points in our travelling career.

The little ferry started chugging out into the harbor after doing a 360 degree turn and headed toward Dartmouth.  Out came the camera to capture some of the highlights, and on went the flat battery light.  No more needs to be said.

Our evening with Joan and Donald was delightful as it also included meeting their son Steven and daughter-in-law, Yuki who had both travelled through parts of Australia.  The following morning Joan cooked us a lovely breakfast which included delicious blueberry pancakes with maple syrup – we certainly felt as if we were experiencing Canadian living in an authentic way.  We entered their home as strangers and left as friends – a very positive way to enter into the ATC.

The morning was very wet and uninviting to walk and see any of the local sites so we spent time in a local shopping mall gathering a few gifts as well as a new iPad for Bob to play with. We were delayed on our exit from Halifax by a truck full of timber which had crashed on the highway.  The rain was quite heavy, the line of traffic getting longer and no reason could be seen for the hold up.  We were stuck for well over an hour before we could move and head for home. It was such a relief to get back home to kick off the shoes and relax.

Sunday 11^th November

Today we attended the local Remembrance Day service and while the day was chilly it certainly didn’t deter people from assembling at the cenotaph to pay their respects to the fallen as well as hearing a few words spoken by a few significant people from Amherst.  

The pipe band was wonderful as they proudly wore their Nova Scotia tartan.  The police and fire service also marched along with quite a number of returned service people wearing very polished medals and marching as upright as possible.  A sombre and moving time to witness

.

Saturday 10^th November

The local papers have a section listing the local events over the next few days and as a home exchange couple we do like to attend any community happenings which attract our attention.  The first stop today was a drive to Springhill about 30km from Amherst which was hosting a Turkey Burger and Christmas Decoration sale.  

As soon as we entered the Salvation Army hall a lady approached us knowing we were not locals.  We were warmly welcomed and enjoyed our first turkey burger with copious cups of tea which kept coming.  I was able to buy a few handmade special Christmas tree decorations which will always remind me of this visit.  Springhill was the home of the country singer Anne Murray whose records I collected back in the late 70’s and 80’s.  She built this centre as a way of thanking Springhill for their support and it in turn puts all the money into charities in the town.

The neighbours in our street came over with a plate of muffins and an invitation to dine with them this week.  They were also helping at their local church serving turkey dinner and extended yet another invitation to us.  We thought this was a better option than eating at home, so drove into the venue only to be greeted by our exchange partners as well.  They are staying locally while we are in their home and it seems the town is one big friendly community and it doesn’t matter which church you belong to, whenever there is food to be eaten, everyone rallies.  Aileen and John brought along the friends they are staying with and now we have an invitation to “supper” at their home as well.  The hospitality is unexpected but ever so appreciated.

The local paper also mentioned a musical afternoon at the Sunrise Seniors Hall in Lower Shinimicas, so as Dr. Google told us it was about 30 km from here on back roads we decided to see what was on offer.  We found it to be a hall full of very active older folk (average age 75) who were dancing to an 8 piece band.  Some of the dances were waltzes, but many involved quite a bit of jumping and hopping around.  We just enjoyed the moment and I was mesmerized with the gentleman playing the “washboard”.  I thought they only belonged in museums, however this one crept out!!

Monday 12^th November

The town of Amherst has some lovely homes built around the end of the 1800’s and early 1900’s which we decided to view.  They are mostly two or three story buildings with attics, otherwise known as “dormers” on the 2^nd floor and I suspect basements as well.  This time of the year presents a seemingly never ending battle with the leaves from “fall” which multiply on the ground (or I suspect the home owners think they do). 

We saw quite a few people raking up and bagging these leaves, but I am sure if we walked passed the house tomorrow there would be more laying in wait. The walk is about 4.5 km from where we are staying so when we arrived in town we made a beeline for Tim Hortons, a Canadian establishment serving fast food, coffee and donuts.

For a little background on Tim, he was born in Cochrane, Ontario in 1930.  He was signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1949 and played hockey for 22 years.  Outside the rink, Tim was just as sharp.  He realized that his hockey career would not last forever and sought to find a clever way to add to his hockey salary.  After many summers trying to make an off-season living, Tim decided to try his luck in the coffee and donut business.  The first Tim Hortons franchise opened in 1964 in Ontario.  Today there are more than 3000 restaurants in Canada and USA.

After re-tracing our steps home again the sun had come out and we had to dispense with a few layers of clothing – it was about 17 degrees – quite a contrast from yesterday at about 5 degrees.

 The Joggins fossil cliffs are the preservation site of age old tree and footprints of creatures as they froze. We took a 30km drive through some rambling countryside to see these cliffs and the interpretive site, however the building was closed for the winter.  Undeterred we found a cliff side walkway which led us to a beach/mud flat which enabled us to see the remnants of the trees and to also see a few people enjoying the walk along the beach.  From the number plates of the cars in the car park I think others like us had driven there expecting to go inside and learn more about this site which I understand to be UNESCO listed (United Nations Education and Scientific and Cultural Organisation).

Friday 9^th November

I slept in till 11 am, so interrupted sleep on the plane caught up with me.  We found the local supermarket, stocked up on groceries and took off for a walk to downtown Amherst.  It is a town with a population of about 9500 residents, quite a number of beautiful Victorian cottages along the main street, some very large murals and a few towns close by with notable features as well.

Interesting use has been made from tree stumps - they have become people and stand quite regally in prominent positions around town.