Time for Tea?

That's precisely what Craig and I made time for last weekend. We called in at the Telegraph Tea Room. Good friends of ours Terri and James, recently opened the doors of their new business. Having emigrated from England like ourselves, they fell in love with Nova Scotia and decided to set up home in a beautiful old house and have been working hard over the past few months. With the custom built extension (take a look at this link) and the arrival of the furniture on the slow boat all the way from India it was 'show time'. Their products are fair trade and organic! I have mentioned Terri before in a previous blog post, a Horticulturist by trade with years of experience under her belt, she spent a long time choosing the perfect location, which has wonderfully rich soil. They have exciting plans for the garden, which sound amazing. She is already running gardening talk classes in the evenings.Drinking organic tea in real English bone china cups, it was such a treat to relax and chat in a cosy, relaxed homely environment. Already a popular spot, frequented by newcomers and impressed regulars, their tea room is quite the talk of the town. I hope we will be able to visit again soon as we head into Spring. Hazel x

First 'official' day of Spring in Canada!!

It's true Spring is here! At least according to the radio station this morning as I was drinking my early morning cup of tea. Of course this date does not have anything to do with the weather and I don't think we will see a daffodil or even a crocus for a few weeks yet in Nova Scotia, though I will keep my eyes peeled and shall try to have my camera at the ready :)

Archie is perky though and so keen to get outside and investigate as the patches of grass gradually get bigger as the snow melts away.

Here comes the green grass!!

It is now light when we have breakfast and the girls are enjoying a few days off school on March break.

Jemma is, as of yesterday, properly registered at St Mary's University and will be studying for a Science Degree as well as introductory Japanese, a huge passion of hers for quite a few years now. She is so excited at the prospect of living in the City, being independent and going to Uni.

For the past couple of weeks I have been a little pre-occupied with my own health. Born with a rare genetic liver condition 'Glycogen Storage Disease' Back in the 60's and 70's not much was known about the disease and after being diagnosed at 18 months old the Doctors at that time could offer no help or treatment and my Mum was told that I wasn't likely to make it past 10 years old! I was monitored up to the age of 11 when we moved to Norway. Since then I never managed to find a Doctor who was interested and coped with the symptoms by myself by carefully watching my diet. Just a few weeks ago I had a slightly worrying routine blood test and decided to 'google' GSD out of curiosity and was amazed to find a number of people on line with this rare condition. I have joined GSDlife as well as a group on facebook, for people with type 3. I have been intrigued and uplifted by the stories I have read and the support available. Babies are now being treated 'properly' with cornstarch and there is on going research being done to help the younger generation. This is such wonderful news and something that I just had to mention this week. There is still no cure, but hopefully in time there will be.

Not only is it Spring but I also have a Saturday off work tomorrow so am taking the girls on a long overdue visit to the Mall. We may have a nice bit of girly time checking out the new Spring fashions. It will be nice to see some pretty pastel shades in the stores again in anticipation of those milder days to come.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend :)

Hazel x

Back from Cuba!!

I am so lucky to have been able to visit Cuba for the second time, I just love the place! We arrived back home at 6am Friday morning after a week away. As it was our 20th year together and also my birthday, Craig and I took a holiday on our own for the very first time since the girls were born! Kind of a second honeymoon. I admit I had my worries about leaving Jemma and Amber home alone, which is why I didn't write a blog post before we left. You can't be too careful on the internet, or is that paranoid? We kept the number of people we told to a minimum. Even though they are 15 and 17 and very sensible, the neigbours kept an eye on the house and it was a regular school week for them, with just one snow day. Archie was well looked after, the house was tidy and they are now experts at keeping the woodstove going. We were told on our return that they had both been poorly for a few days. Amber even had a fever, but Jemma was a good nurse and took good care of her little sister :)

Our holiday was wonderful, most days were warm and sunny. Staying on Cayo Coco in an all inclusive 5 star resort meant that the food and drinks were in abundance with just about everything you could imagine available. Fresh tropical fruit, salads, vegetables, grilled seafood prepared right in front of us, special cheeses etc. For those wishing to indulge the selection of sweets was spectacular too, including the flambe bananas, just watching the chef cook those was a form of entertainment in itself! We were fortunate enough to get a 'honeymoon' upgrade with a special room actually opening out onto the beach!

The view from our room!

Friendly waiters and bar staff made for a romantic, fun and memorable trip. Walking on the beach first thing in the morning was like being in a different world and just a 3.5 hour flight away from home.

Now we are back things have quickly returned to normal again, with a ton of laundry to catch up on I decided to take the bedding and towels to the local laundromat for a hot wash this morning, taking the pressure off our septic system!

Craig was back at work within a few hours of being home, driving all the way back into Halifax for an emergency meeting! I had a busy full day at work yesterday, now the cafe has re-opened the customers have been flooding in despite the still falling snow :)
We both feel refreshed though and well rested after a good dose of sunshine and romance.

Hazel xx