Halloween at Beaver Dam

On what will be our last weekend in Canada for some time, we revisited our great friends out at Beaver Dam to celebrate not only Halloween but the close friendships that have developed between us. The wonderful people in this shot (along with Jacqueline and John in Fredericton - see previous post) are the reason we have stayed much longer in Canada than originally planned and the reason that we will be coming back next spring after our visit home to Australia.

L to R, Ross, Di, Bev, Debbie, George, Barb, Cathy, Doug and Blair.

George decided to recreate the old days when we all had much more hair.

Blair and Doug enjoying great wine, Australian (of course), and a good laugh.
It was a very funny night.

And finally just as a reminder that winter is on the way, we were greeted by flurries overnight and a forecast of 5 to 10 mm through today.

Thanks again to the gang in Beaver Dam, we will miss you. See you next year.

Stay safe and well

Ross and Bev

Jacqueline's Birthday

Last Sunday we helped Jacqueline celebrate her birthday. As regular readers of the blog will know Jacqueline has been our dear friend and supporter since before we left Australia. She found our house for us, helped us out with furniture, took delivery of all the boxes we posted to Canada before we arrived, met us at the airport when we did arrive, took us on our initial shopping trip and helped us move into the house, and now that we have moved out of the house at Beaver Dam has been generous in the extreme by letting us occupy the basement apartment in her house.

We shared a great meal, good wine and a superb chocolate cake. Jacqueline and John about to attack the cake.

A wonderful birthday night was had by all of us and we wish Jacqueline many, many more.

Thanks for everything

Love Ross and Bev

All Hallow's Eve

All Hallows Eve or Halloween is celebrated on 31 Oct however, the festivities start much earlier here in New Brunswick.  Last night we went out with our friends to King's Landing for a night of fun and laughter.  On arrival we were met by the headless horseman.

As we progressed further we were entertained by ghostly aparitions who all had a story to tell.

Sadly the jilted bride still visits on this night still carrying her wedding cake complete with rat. 

Bodies were bountiful and were surprising agile as one walked past.

After navigating the realistic horror we all headed for the bar for a soothing drink before supper was served.  Cathy and her parents enjoyed a calming ale.

There were gremlins everywhere and the frightening creature below had the most piercing scream.  She really did a good job of jumping out of hiding places.  Her scariness turned out to be rather good for business as there was more  than one drink went flying and it was usually spilt over someone. 

Once seated we were entertained by a variety of ghostly stories and musicians dressed in all manner of clothing. 

It is always such fun to spend time with our great friends. 

On 1 November we will departing Fredericton and travelling to San Antonio, Texas for the winter.  

Best wishes to all,

R & B

Grand Manan Island (continued)

Grand Manan has interesting features dotted across the Island as can be seen by the welcoming tree that we passed on our way to our accommodation.  We were also treated to seeing a pair of pheasants who took their morning and evening walks around our unit.  

The unit we stayed in was called John's Flat and we were on the bottom floor of this house you can see below. 

While the Island is small both in area and population there are many religious denominations represented and a surprising number of churches scattered along the road system which travels from north to south. 

Over our 24 hours on the Island we were able to appreciate the discipline and hard work required by all who live on such a small island and who depend so heavily on the sea for their survival.

Best wishes to all,

R&B 

Grand Manan Island

Before departing New Brunswick we wanted to visit Grand Manan Island which is accesessed by driving to Blacks Harbour and then a ferry ride to the Island.

The Grand Manan Ferry takes 11/2 hours to travel the 50 km waterway and it is a very pleasant trip.

This ferry was built in Holland and makes several trips a day.

We arrived at North Head on the Island and disembarked at Pettes Gove.

Fishing (along with tourism) is one of the main industries on the Island and there are numerous Atlantic Salmon fishing farms to be seen.

We were booked onto The Inn at Whale Cove which is a very pleasant location and this is the view from the bedroom.  To see more of this location have a look at http://www.whalecovecottages.ca/

The spa bath was a good way to wind down at the end of the day and as you can see Ross really made the most of this.

More of Grand Manan to follow.

Best wishes to all.

R&B

Thanksgiving 2011

This our third Thanksgiving in Canada and we were so pleased to be able to share this day with our great Beaver Dam friends.  Debbie and George invited Doug, Cathy and us over to their home and we were treated to a great evening of delicious food and fantastic company.  This is the start of the feeding feast. 

No evening is complete without a bottle of bubbly and the task of opening the bubbles fell to Ross.  He was supported in this task by Cathy and Doug.  As you can see he shut his eyes and offered a silent prayer that the champange would not explode over us all.

We had a great evening with dear friends and we have so much to be thankful for.

Best wishes to all.

R&B

King's Landing - NB

King's landing is an Historical Settlement which depicts the one hundred years transformation of a young colony into a vibrant nation.   There are many old homes all of which have a rich history.   During the summer months some 200 people work in this settlement and dress and cook in the same manner as it was done in the 1880s.  

The oven below is an original made in NB and continues to be used today to bake breads, biscuites and all manner of foods.  Many of the produce used in this cooking is grown on the Settlement.  The day we visited, each house was cooking something that would be used for Thanksgiving Dinner which was celebrated on 10 Oct.

The houses are furnished with many original wares.

The scenery is truly beautiful and it is so peaceful to walk around and enjoy the opportunity to step back in time.

The Gristmill is being restored to working status.

There are a couple of churches in the Settlement and this is St Marks which still conducts weddings.

Of course no Settlement would be complete without a pub and below is the Kings Head Pub were we have had the opportunity over the last 2 years to celebrate an early Christmas with our dear Canadian friends.  On 21 Oct we will be visiting this pub again this time celebrate the ancient ritual of All Hallow's Eve.  

To see more of this interesting place have a look at http://www.kingslanding.nb.ca/ More to follow.

R&B

Mc Adam Railway Station - NB

The village of McAdam is located some 45 minutes drive from Fredericton and is the home of the historic McAdam railway station which in its day was a very important railroad centre.  To day it stands as a grand reminder of bygone years. 

The station has been brought back to its original design and hosts a restaurant which provides both formal and informal fare.

The obligatory Moose trophy adornes the enterance way.

To learn more about the Mc Adam Railway Station have a look at http://www.mcadamstation.ca/

More to follow.

R&B

Australian Background

As you all know we set up the blog basically for our Australian relatives and friends to see what we were up to on our North American adventure and University exchange. So as winter closes in here in New Brunswick we thought that it might be appropriate to show our North American friends a little of where we come from. So for all at home please bear with us.

The following shots are of our house in Jerrabomberra, New South Wales - just across the border fron our National Capital, Canberra. ( a bit like DC and Virginia). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canberra and http://www.visitcanberra.com.au/en/Visitor-Info/Facts-and-figures.aspx

Around 2005 the drought and water restrictions forced us to remove most of the lawn and replace it with shrubs and mulch.

As well as making most use of paving and shade.

 

Just as a reminder to us all of the power of nature, it was only 3 years before that we had a tragic bushfire that burnt in excess of 500 houses and killed 5 people. This shot was taken at 3 in the afternoon mid summer, we were lucky that Jerrabomberra somehow was missed and the sub division avoided damage. 

We are lucky that we live in a loverly part of Australia and the countryside south of Canberra on the way to our ski fields at Thredbo and Perisher is spectacular. These shots were taken around the village of Bredbo between Canberra and Cooma and the water is the Murrumbidgee River. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murrumbidgee_River

It is a historic area with many reminders of the early days and the hardships.

Down on the river itself for a bar-b-q  and while Debbie, John and Bev prepared the food, Lauren and Ross took Murphy and Herbie for a swim.

We have also found some shots from the Hunter and Barossa wine districts that we will put up next time.

Cheers Ross and Bev