This is one of my favourite summertime posts. It features Vivian K. Perry and was shared in 2017. We still love and miss you lots, Viv! I also love the scenery of Barbour Tickle here in Newtown.
Welcome back for the Big Reveal.
On Sunday, I asked “What has gotten Vivian so concerned?”
Scroll down to find out!
On an especially gorgeous Saturday last month, Paul and I decided to go out for a row in the Serendipity, a lovely little punt built by our late neighbour, Ben Perry.
We came up with the ‘brilliant’ idea
to try to take Vivian along.
We did everything we could to coax her aboard,
but she was having no part of it.
In fact, she almost lost her mind that we were going,
with or without her.
She cried to break her heart as we left.
Bon voyage!
Your loss, Viv.
Rounding Perry’s Point…
…and down through the Tickle
Part of a wedding photo shoot.
You never know what you’ll see
when you’re out for a row.
Leaving the Tickle,
we set out for Bennett Island.
In case you were wondering why there are no lifejackets,
the water is very shallow here.
Vivian missed out,
but thank you for coming along!
When I came across this post of mine from EXACTLY ten years ago to the day, I couldn’t resist a reblog. I know many of you are sick of winter about now, but I thought Vivian and Maisie might brighten your day a little. And there’s another reason. We still miss these two so much, it brightens our day as well.
Hey, everyone, I’m back!!
Vivian K. Perry here, to tell you all about the
snowstorm forecast for most of the island of Newfoundland tonight and tomorrow.
We’re well acquainted with winter storms in this neck of the woods, but I think we are in for a mother of a blizzard this time, with 30 to 50 centimeters and high winds promised for central, and for us, before it’s all over!
Here are Maisie and I, first this morning, and second, how we will weather the storm:
Besides all of this, there is still work to be done. Please watch this little video clip below of me in Paul’s office. He puts me in a bed on top of his printer when I get lonely for his company. Be sure to turn up your volume so you can hear me purr.
Stay warm and see you all next time after we dig out!
… Life used to be so hard … now everything is easy ’cause of you.” 💕
💙🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾💙
I know, I know. Lou and Gord don’t go out in the yard. They are indoor cats. However, we are considering buying leashes and harnesses to take them outside when summer comes. We’ll see!
*Our House, a song by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Hi Everyone! It’s been a while since I tossed a Blogger Bouquet or featured a Friday Fiction post. My guest today, Darlene Foster, makes for a perfect opportunity to feature both. A fellow Canadian blogger and writer, Darlene is the author of the Amanda Travels middle-grade fiction series. The latest in the series is Amanda in Ireland: the Body in the Bog.
Darlene Foster grew up on a ranch in Alberta, Canada, where her love of reading inspired her to see the world and write stories. Her Amanda Travels series features spunky Amanda Ross, a twelve-year-old girl who loves to travel. All ages enjoy following Amanda as she unravels one mystery after another in unique destinations. Darlene is retired and has a house in Spain where she writes full-time. Her constant interest and enthusiasm for everything keep her young at heart. When not travelling, meeting interesting people, and collecting ideas for her books, Darlene enjoys spending time with her family in Canada and with her husband and entertaining dogs in Spain.
The blurb for Amanda in Ireland: The Body in the Bog
Twelve-year-old Amanda Jane Ross is invited to be a bridesmaid for her cousin’s wedding, in Ireland! She falls in love with this emerald isle the moment she lands in Dublin. The warm, friendly Irish people immediately make her feel at home. Towering castles, ancient graveyards, and the stunning green countryside are filled with fascinating legends, enthralling folktales, and alarming secrets.
Things take a dark turn when disaster strikes. Amanda wonders if there will be a wedding at all. As she joins the search for a missing horse, she stumbles upon a world of screaming banshees, bloody battles, and dangerous peat bogs. The closer she gets to the truth, the more dangerous things become. Will she become another body in the bog?
Thank you for joining me today, Darlene. I love that you do, but may I ask why you include an animal in each of your Amanda books?
Darlene: I have always been an animal lover. We had all kinds of animals on the farm, including a pet antelope, and later I had dogs and cats as pets for my kids. I now have two adorable rescue dogs here in Spain. It was only natural that Amanda would be an animal lover too. In the first book, Amanda meets a camel called Ali Baba when she visits the United Arab Emirates. Ali Baba became a favourite character for many readers. There is a dancing pony called Pedro in Amanda in Spain, Rupert the bookstore cat in Amanda in England, and Joey the abandoned puppy in Amanda in Holland to name a few. Kids have an affinity with animals and they add something to the stories.
I remember that camel Ali Baba in your first of the series! What are some of the books with animals you enjoyed as a child?
Darlene: Black Beauty by Anna Sewell immediately comes to mind. I loved that book so much. Others I loved were Old Yeller by Fred Gipson, The Yearling by Marjorie KInnan Rawlings, and Beautiful Joe by Quinn Currie. I tear up thinking about these books even after all these years.
Yes, you mention a couple of my own favourites there. Is there an animal in Amanda in Ireland?
Darlene: Yes there is. A beautiful horse called Aiofe.
Excerpt:
After leaving the airport, Amanda enjoyed the drive through the countryside, past rolling green hills, fields dotted with black and white cows, and white-fenced paddocks.
Taylor pointed to the left. “Over there are the stables where Roisin keeps her horse.”
“Do you own a horse?” Amanda’s eyes widened as she pushed up her glasses.
“Yes. But I don’t get much time to ride her anymore. Would you like to meet Aoife while you’re here?” Roisin opened her phone and showed Amanda a picture of a gorgeous white horse with a dark brown mane.
“That would be awesome. I love horses. And she’s beautiful. How do you pronounce her name?”
Roisin grinned proudly. “Her name is pronounced Ee-fa. Almost like Eva with an f. And it means ‘beautiful’.”
Darlene, I wanted to mention that I have another of your books on my “To Be Read” list: “You Can Take the Girl From the Prairie: Stories about growing up on the Canadian prairies”. I’m looking forward to that one as well.
Happy October, Friends and Followers! It’s been a busy few weeks for me lately, but I didn’t want the date of September 27 to go unnoticed here on my blog, as it marked the first anniversary of our adoption of Louie and Gordie.
Gord and Lou in the first months
In some ways, their Gotcha Day seems like only yesterday. But then I think of how much these two little darlings have flourished in the space of a year. Remembering how Gordie was so skittish and food insecure, and how at first he didn’t know how to use the little flap door to his litter box, it seems like eons ago.
And then there was Louie’s behaviour when we first brought him home, hiding under my treadmill or the spare bed until he felt more comfortable with us.
Nowadays, they are both well adapted to life here with us on Perry’s Point. And we can’t imagine a single day or night without them!
They are still young cats at ages two and four, so we look forward to many more years—and anniversaries—together.
Jennifer's Journal 