Tag: cottage

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Enchanted Evening (Literally!)

No doubt there is no shortage of entertainment out here on the Baccalieu Trail. Take Friday, for example, when The Berry and I got to spend a night with faeries!

That’s right, Friday night was spent in an Enchanted Wood, complete with faeries, faerie dust, and friends. The Faerie Queen of Newfoundland (a.k.a. Lisa Day) and the Faerie Queen of Ontario (a.k.a. Soozi Schlanger) put on an awesome show and party, unlike anything I’ve experienced outside New Orleans.

Soozi is a singular woman with a singular talent, with an uncommon mix of talent, charm, charisma, energy, and history – truly amazing. She’s been on the road with Jordie (see pics below), and recently performed at The Ship in St. John’s. She is an artist, a poet, a musician and has a genius not unlike that of our own Clifford.

And what a show she, Lisa, and Jordie put on for us! Lisa read a wonderful piece of literature (an excerpt from the book she is working on), sang with Soozi and played the Cajun washboard. Soozi recited, sang, bounced around, smiled and laughed and put on one of the best shows I have EVER attended. It is quite the road show. It made me long for New Orleans again, and for when I had my entire life ahead and had dreams of road trips and free spiriting all over the world.

It left me with smiles and memories. It was a rare and special night where you meet someone and feel like you’ve known them all your life. And you end upa little more convinced that faeries and magic do exist!

And please folks, less than a week and you won’t hear me making this request anymore – from now until the end of the month, if you enjoy my blog, please vote for me for a TopBlogs award (no registration necessary to vote). Just head to this link, and my category is Best Business or Professional Life Blog, on the bottom left. Thank you!

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Sunset Sunday: Earning Your View

Sometimes you earn your view. Not that we’re not blessed with the sunsets we get to see most nights out our back window. But we captured this one on a hike last weekend. So I guess we’re doubly blessed – beauty in our backyard, more beauty surrounding us when we make a little effort and go out and enjoy nature. Happy Sunday, everyone. Only one month left til Christmas!

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Another First: Homemade Jam!

Doubtless I am settling into the quiet life around the bay! I made my first jam last night, made fresh from the wild cranberries we caught in front of our Heart’s Delight Cottages and the pears I picked at Sobey’s supermarket. It was the second time making berry jam for The Berry (sounds cannibalistic to me!), so she led the charge. Either way, it was a labour of love and local ingredients!

 

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Wood I?

Would I leave our guests to fend for themselves, having to bring their own wood for their fire pits? I think you know the answer to that! Everyone loves a fire, especially as the days are getting colder and shorter!

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Newfoundland Art Everywhere

Come to Newfoundland and you’ll be surrounded by opportunities to experience all the fine arts – singing, dancing, stunning paintings like those of our friend and artist, Clifford George. We have way more talent here than our small numbers would normally suggest.

But something you may not notice unless you look – all the folk art that many would take for granted. Like this little red dog, standing guard outside Clifford’s barn. He was carved by his friend, Stephen Legge, with a chain saw- I didn’t even know you could do such a thing! But take any time driving around our small communities and you’ll see all forms of sweet artistic expression popping up everywhere, making life just a little more colourful. Please let me know if you have a favourite piece or type of folk art – and if you have any pictures of it that you’d like to see on the blog, please email them! I’d love to share some more.

And don’t forget, there’s lots of ways to support local artists with your holiday shopping this season. I’d suggest starting at the Newfoundland Craft Council, and going from there!

And hey, can we maybe consider this blog to be a piece of Newfoundland art?? Maybe I’m stretching a little, but if you enjoy it, please consider heading to this link to vote for me for the Canadian TopBlogs award. My category is Best Business or Professional Life blog on the bottom left, and you don’t need to register to vote. Easy!

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Add a Little Romance

Maybe it’s because I had to spend last night alone as The Berry had a girls’ night at Heart’s Delight with some of her friends from town, but I’m in the mood to talk about romance. And maybe do a little promotion, too – hey, I am running a business here after all! We’ve had several guests now take advantage of our One Great Getaway special, and it’s so great when they do. I know I’m just at an old romantic at heart – I think I get more pleasure out of setting up their wine and cheese baskets than they do!

There’s only a few weeks left, so don’t miss out if you’re interested in a weekend filled with extra goodies. What I’m learning from being so busy in our first year running this business is that it’s so important to put your relationship first, and little things make a big difference. Plus, what could be more fun than watching the sunset in these baby blues with your loved one?

And finally (are you sick of it yet??), please consider voting me for the TopBlog awards if you enjoy reading my blog (click here, then find my category – Best Professional or Business Life Blog – on the bottom left, no log-in necessary). I write this mainly for pleasure, but what can I say – the positive feedback is nice!

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Surfing in New Melbourne

If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it! Turns out New Melbourne, less than hour away from the cottages, is the surfing capital of Atlantic Canada. Now, you may remember that Joe Friday and I boldly took to the seas last winter (don’t forget, there’s video!), but this is just a little more professional!

When we got there, we were amazed to see someone surfing in Newfoundland in November. But there he was, in all his glory, riding some the nicest waves I have seen – and I have travelled up the down the east and west coast of North America and been to many beaches all over the world. Little did I know we had some of the best in our backyard? Wow!

Finally, thanks to Alan for the pictures. If you remember yesterday’s post, he was brought to Ocean Delight as a surprise. And finally, I’ll be posting about this more soon, but a big thank you to all who voted for me for the TopBlog award – I made it to the final round, and am a bit embarrassed to have to ask you to vote again! Thankfully, it’s easy – no log-in or registration needed. Just head to this link, find the category on the bottom left called Best Professional or Business Blog, and vote for humble little Jerry by the Sea! Thank you!

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Tuesdays with Murphy: More Puppy Love

Another great thing about my new life at the cottages: there’s no shortage of lady four-leggeds making visits! This weekend, Annie brought out her humans, Alan and Susan, for a romantic surprise weekend (I think Jerry plans on blogging about them!). The humans were nice, but it was their guardian I was more concerned with!

We played and swam and talked to each other every chance we got. And although she can run faster than me, she is no match for me in the water. I guess that’s because I get so much practice, what with Jerry and The Berry needing me to fetch things in the Atlantic each day. Anyway, you know the drill – I let her beat me a few times. That’s the only way to be a gentleman!

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Spring of the Year?????

I went out to the garden this weekend and there it was – a rose in full bloom in November! Then I went to the front deck and there he was – a blue jay in full bloom in November! WOW in WWW – again! The wonders of this place never end.

We’ve learned that when they were trying to find out where they were going to put the golf course in Trinity Bay, they studied the weather patterns for the last 50 years for ten towns in the area. Turns out that Whiteway won, hands down. It has a unique micro-climate with the best weather in the bay. Proof that I’m not just blowing smoke when I say that it truly is special out here! And I’ll take roses and blue jays in November any day!

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Family Brunch (and Then Some!)

What a soul-lifting treat last weekend turned out to be. This table was set for a sunny brunch. The setting was perfect, and our company even more so – so much so, in fact, that ‘brunch’ turned into lingering over drinks and coffee and conversation all afternoon (while I should have been working!), and then a salmon barbque for supper while we watched the sunset and enjoyed drinks long into the night. In fact, I think this ‘brunch’ turned out to be over 12 hours long!The reason we lingered so long was the company. Now, when we have guests stay with us at the cottages, for all intents and purposes they become my ‘family’ while they’re here, and I try to treat them as such. So when the guests are actual family, well, you know how that goes! Of course Joe Friday’s my brother and he’s always here, but added to the mix were our niece Lisa, and her friend, Bill (dubbed The Most Handsome Man on the Planet), and our sister Maureen and her husband Pat.

It was a great night. We all stayed up past our bedtimes, and by the end of night were all noisily arguing politics – that’s almost the law when you’re part of a big Irish Catholic family! Of course, I have to make sure that I’m the on the opposing side of everyone else – I love the challenge! Our parents would have been proud!Overall, it was the perfect day, followed by the perfect evening, followed by the perfect night, with perfect company! Thanks, guys, for coming and spending the weekend with us!