Nova Scotia – Page 26 – Just An East Coast Girl

A taste of Maritime goodness

I just had to…

It’s been a few years since I have made this tasty treat. Not because I didn’t want to, but because it was not something that was available in China or Brazil where we were living the last few years. And anytime we were home, it was out of season. The last time we had Rhubarb was in 2010.

This is one Maritime treat that I have been anxiously waiting for. What is it?

Rhubarb and a delicious Rhubarb Custard pie…and muffins too!

Serve warm and topped with a little vanilla ice cream and a cup of coffee. YUM!

It’s the First Day of June and the start of a brand new week too…Have a great one!

An Apple a Day…

The Apple Blossoms are in bloom this week as the 83rd Annual Annapolis Valley Apple Blossoms Festival kicks off the tourist season for another year in this area of Nova Scotia.

It’s been years since we’ve been to this. Actually I can’t recall if David and I ever went. It was something I looked forward to each year with my parents when I was a kid. We’d pack a picnic lunch ( egg sandwiches come to mind ) and find a perfect spot on the grass to watch the parade.

The Apple Blossom Festival is a springtime celebration of the Valley’s traditions and agricultural heritage from Digby to Windsor and all the little communities in between. Some of the highlights are the Grand Street Parade, and Children’s Parade, the pageant and crowning of Queen Annapolisa, musical performances, and fireworks.

The Annapolis Valley’s apple orchards are starting to bloom and we didn’t want to miss it. We wanted to go… BUT alas…it just didn’t work out!!! Oh well, guess I will plan on it for next year…

( not my photo but one that captures the beauty of a Valley Apple Orchard perfectly)

And even though we didn’t go, and even though it will be Fall until the apples are harvested…I just couldn’t resist making a homemade apple crisp to enjoy this weekend.

It’s for the dogs…

and cats too!

There is a lot of stuff happening along the South Shore this weekend. Things that we wanted to try and fit “everything ” in. We’ve been so busy working at our lawn and garden project and Saturday is a prime day for getting lots of work done on that. We were hoping to get sods for a our front lawn to lay today but looks like it’s gonna be Tuesday now so that freed up a bit of time.

So what’s happenin’

Yard Sales, and LOTS of them!!

One huge one, the Annual Shaid Tree Animal Shelter Yard Sale!

We have never gone to it. We’ve donated stuff before, but this year I wanted to go. It’s held at the Exhibition Grounds in Bridgewater and for weeks prior many volunteers and organizers give their time to receive donations and sort and categorize and price items for sale. It’s a 2 day event with a cost of $2 per person to go to one of the BIGGEST YARD SALES in the area. There’s clothes and books and Christmas things and bedding and dishes and antiques and toys and furniture and sports equipment and plants…you name it, it’s there! And cheap!!! There’s really something for everyone. And the really great thing…the proceeds go to the Shaid Animal Shelter to use as they care for dogs and cats and try to find good homes for them.

LOTS and LOTS of people there today, enjoying a beautiful Saturday morning along the South Shore!

The Frenchy’s Culture

Since 1972 Guy’s Frenchys has been Atlantic Canada’s used clothing leader. With 17 stores (and growing!) New merchandise is distributed every hour on the hour and a tried and true Nova Scotian knows what it means to go digging through bins of clothes and be excited to find treasures. Brand names, that certain color or fashion or “in style” item you have always wanted or been looking for at a fraction of the cost of new clothes.
It only takes a few stops at Frenchy’s to get addicted to this culture. There are some that enjoy Frenchy’s day trips, making their run to ALL the Frenchy’s stores along the South Shore. There are some that become so good at Frenchy’s shopping that they don’t settle for nothing but the very best, high end fashions.

If you haven’t had the experience you NEED to discover the Guy’s Frenchys difference. Remember… if the sign doesn’t say Guy’s Frenchys it isn’t an authentic Guy’s Frenchys outlet! That’s important!

Give it a try, I hear Saturdays and Sundays are THE BEST times! Me… I like Monday’s and Friday’s BUT I don’t go often because it’s a little bit addicting once you get started…

And today…well…

Today was a “shorts” find day ( and 2 shirts and pajama pants)

Have a great weekend!

Just a taste

There is no shortage of delicious, fresh ( not frozen) seafood in Nova Scotia. Just because it is available here doesn’t mean it’s cheap! My favourite seafood is lobster, scallops, shrimp…and then of course fresh haddock.

So, something I decided when we moved home was that I am going to indulge…ok, maybe enjoy is the better word. I am going to enjoy this tasty goodness that our province is known for whenever I get the opportunity. What that means is it will be my first choice if the price is right and the opportunity to have it is there. It doesn’t have to be in abundance but I will savor and fully enjoy it. BECAUSE that is part of Nova Scotia culture!

All that being said, When James had chance to buy 5 pounds of FRESH scallops, I said YES, please! A little expensive…BUT I made myself ration them out to 6 small bags to make them last and so when we want to, we can have just a taste. I put 5 bags in the freezer…

And tonight made us just a taste of delicious scallops, FRESH off the boat in Lunenburg. Panfried in a little butter, toss in a few shrimp and cream sauce…SERVED over rice with a kale salad… YUM!!

LOVE Nova Scotia seafood!!

Oceanview

We have so many amazing views of the ocean along the South Shore of Nova Scotia. You can take a different route every day or follow some of your favourite drives. I never get tired of it!

A beautiful Sunday afternoon, and after lunch with friends we went for a drive along the coast. This time to Oceanview Gardens and Nursery in Chester. This is a unique nursery with just about anything imaginable. Not only do they carry your typical garden supplies and plants and flowers, but they have giftware, statues and furniture and unique things that I’m sure couldn’t be found anywhere else.

It’s not a spot I would probably purchase things…I just love to look!!!

Here are a few things that caught my eye today…

Lots of color!

We finished our drive with dinner at the Fish Shack in Lunenburg with an amazing view. Picton Castle and Bluenose and the best fish and chips around!!

Opportunity

The right place at the right time. I TOTALLY forgot!!!

Forgot that the Tall Ship, Picton Castle was scheduled to sail in to her home port of Lunenburg this afternoon. But then David and I were so busy with yard work despite the crazy weather in the Maritimes today. Snow in Moncton, Snow in New Germany. Cold and wind and rain and sun and hail. REPEAT … in Bridgewater. I just forgot.

Our son, James worked today at the Old Fish Factory in Lunenburg ( yes, it’s two jobs again this summer) and after he got off work, he and a friend went to a perfect location to watch her sail in… Town of Lunenburg and wharf in the background and just beautiful color…ONLY problem he didn’t have his camera, just his phone.

The Barque Picton Castle is a three-masted tall ship best known for her international voyages to exotic, remote island ports around the world, deep ocean sailing passages and award-winning seamanship training program. It would be an amazing experience and opportunity to be on board and part of this program. The ship is currently on the homeward bound leg of her sixth world circumnavigation voyage. The Picton Castle will be in the Port Of Lunenburg for about a week before beginning the Summer 2015 voyage, an East Coast Canada and US tour to Virginia.

If you’re in Lunenburg this week stop by the waterfront and have a look…she’s a beauty!

WELCOME Home Picton Castle!

PS~ Sunday afternoon we stopped down to the Port Of Lunenburg so we could get a few pics.

WELL…Isn’t that what this first long weekend is for?

David is back to work this holiday Monday. It’s not a holiday at Michelin but he did take a vacation day tomorrow so we will be back hard it. It’s kinda good he’s working so I can have a break because we’ve been busy. AND…we both just aren’t used to it. Our muscles aren’t used to it after 4 years of not having a home to look after. But when he got home this afternoon, he wanted to get back at it!

So what have we been doing? Why, gardening of course! We, like many people in Canada use the May long weekend as the weekend to get their gardens in shape. Flower gardens and landscaping as well as vegetable gardens and even potting flowers. Usually by the middle of May the risk of frost is gone…usually…so it’s safe to plant. I think this year however, I will wait just a little longer for my flowers.

This year’s project, take back our lawn and gardens!!! OUTSIDE projects and lots of them, Being away is not helpful to lawns but then I don’t feel really bad because our neighbours’ lawns aren’t much better. Between a ban in chemicals that are allowed on lawns and a certain weed that has overtaken all the lawns in our area, our once beautiful lush green lawn is a hill of weeds so…

Get rid of the lawn, get rid of the mature overgrown shrubs, make bigger gardens, rock the hill and then concentrate on growing lush green grass in the spaces that are left…smaller spaces that are left. This weekend we got started!

First thing, take out the shrubs!

GONE!

Get some new mulch for the gardens as we cut them bigger!

Plants for the gardens are gonna have to wait…I can’t make up my mind what I want. The bark is all in though and we started on the hill.

Abby’s loving these outside days.

Border blocks from our friends at Bergman’s Concrete arrived.

Oh…and we did get time to enjoy a BBQ! Yum, after working really hard, a BBQ tastes soo…wonderful!

And back at it tomorrow!

How did you spend your long weekend? Gardening, travel? Hope you enjoyed it.

In Search of Nova Scotia’s BEST Fish & Chips!

TODAY is Friday and the start of the first long weekend of the season. It’s gonna be a nice one too…bring it on!

This weekend also kicks off the second edition of my quest to find the BEST fish & chips places in Nova Scotia. Last summer we did this and there were just so many places we didn’t get chance to try that I decided we need to do a little more investigating.

Fish & Chips is a staple food along the South Shore of Nova Scotia. We LOVE our fresh haddock and we can be pretty picky about it. There are so many great spots along the coast where it is a feature on the menu. So once again this summer starting this weekend ( from the May long weekend until Thanksgiving weekend) we are on our search for “THE BEST” in Nova Scotia. Some places we went to last year may have to be re-visited just in case there was a change, but we are hoping to try some new spots too.

…BUT you’ll have to wait until October for the RESULTS!!

Have a great Victoria Day weekend!

What do I see?

“David, what’s that?! We have to go back!!” That’s what I said the other day when we were driving along the river to go to a market to pick up some meat to BBQ. I wanted a closer look, I had never seen these birds here before. At least I don’t think so…not up in a tree like that and so many of them.

And yesterday…Looking out the window what do I see?

This little guy pecking away at anything and everything. It was fun to watch him. First he was on the telephone pole ( I wasn’t quick enough to grab my camera) and then he flew down to the crab apple tree and was dancing all over the place pecking away and then he was on the ground. Just a little guy… a newbie…I think he was getting used to the whole idea and what and how he should do it. 😀

Spring is such a wonderful time of year! It’s gonna be a nice few days…gotta get out and enjoy it!