It’s Springtime Somewhere!

Sunday Snap: It’s Springtime Somewhere!

While many of you are appreciating warmer weather now, it’s still pretty chilly in our region and our cats are getting a touch stir crazy. Yes, they’re allowed to go outside year-round, but fur coats or not, they aren’t too enthused about staying out in the cold for very long. 

I promise you, Vivian, although it doesn’t seem so, spring has indeed arrived. Before you know it, the snow will disappear, the grass will turn green, and you and sister Maisie will be back in your favourite place: outdoors on Perry’s Point, prowling around.

This is one of my best-loved photos of her. I like everything about it, but particularly the background and the way her hind feet are still perched on the post.

This and other photos of Viv in the garden originally appeared here: Vivian’s View From Here: On The Prowl

Have a lovely Sunday, everyone!

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Sunday Snap: Old

weathered

“Some old things are lovely warm still with the life of forgotten men who made them.”
~ D. H. Lawrence

“Old age: the crown of life, our play’s last act.” ~ Cicero

“If you survive long enough, you’re revered – rather like an old building.” ~ Katharine Hepburn

Sea Star

seastar

Sunday Snap: Sea Star

There’s treasure children always seek to find
and just like us
you must have had
a Once-Upon-a-Time.*


Did you know?
 Marine scientists have replaced the starfish’s common name with sea star because it’s not a fish. It’s an echinoderm, closely related to sea urchins and sand dollars. There are 2,000 species of sea star living in all the world’s oceans. The five-arm varieties are the most common. Sea stars have an eye at the tip of each arm.

Common name: Starfish (Sea Stars)

Scientific name: Asteroidea

Type: Invertebrate Carnivore

Average life span: Up to 35 years

Weight: Up to 11 lbs

 source: National Geographic

 

*from Curtains by Elton John & Bernie Taupin

Glitter

Sunday Snap: Glitter

 “All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.”
~ J.R.R. Tolkien

One of my favourite winter snaps. First published here on February 25, 2012.

Flippery Friend

Turn that frown upside down, little fellow.

Seals have been paying us frequent visits around the Point this winter.

I’ve shared snaps of a recent visitor on Instagram this week, as well as a little whitecoat on an earlier Sunday Snap, but today’s pic is a favourite from the post Calm in 2016.

I’ve lost count of how many times this particular photo has been pinned on Pinterest.

Wishing you all a pleasant week, my friends!

High School Speak-Out

Last Friday, I had the honour to serve as one of three judges in our local high school’s speak-out competition.

Held and sponsored by Badger’s Quay Lions Club, this year’s event boasted nineteen students competing from Pearson Academy, the highest number of participants in all of Atlantic Canada. Good on you, teen citizens!

Purpose of a Speak-Out:

• To provide youth with the opportunity to practice and build skills through public speaking
• To encourage youth to have a public voice in issues of concern to them

And the winners are:

Left to right: Leah Lewis, Megan Kelloway, and Bridgette Burry

Bridgette, 3rd place. Topic: The dangers of drunk driving.

Leah, 2nd place. Topic: Being “Seventeen” in today’s world.

Megan, 1st place. Topic: How cancer in a family affects the children. As the winner, Megan will go on to compete at the regional level next month.

Megan had us teary-eyed (her mom survived)
Leah had us laughing with her take on Seventeen
Boys took part but were outnumbered by the girls.

What stood out about the winners: plenty of eye contact, how well they articulated their thoughts, and how animated and relaxed they were with the audience.

19 participants (plus a few more) attending the event from Pearson

I thought all the students did very well with the preparation of their chosen material. As per speak-out regulations, however, several excellent speeches received penalties for exceeding time limits.

I enjoyed this event immensely and would love to be invited back again, and I’m super-encouraged by the high level of participation and interest in public speaking demonstrated by our local youth.

Has your child ever competed in a public speaking event?
Share your experiences with me below.

Sunday Snap: Grates Cove

Grates Cove in Summer – jenniferkellandperry.com

I love the horizon I captured in this photo for two reasons: its misty summer haze and the slight curvature that it exhibits.

This picturesque little fishing village is my mother’s hometown. My father’s maternal roots are here as well, so many of my relatives are from Grates Cove. Some live there, while others have summer homes.

A National Historic site recognized for its acres of rock walls, it has also been reported that Grates Cove has the highest number (per capita) of mainlanders buying houses to live, in all of Newfoundland.

To learn more and see photos of the rock walls, visit my blog post from 2013: Grates Cove
To see more photos from around the province, visit my dedicated page: Newfoundland and Labrador

Daily Prompt: Horizon

Do you have relatives living in tiny villages?

Happy…and Busy!

It’s a cold and snowy day here at home, but the following warms me down to my toes.

I’m thrilled to see another powerful 5-star review on Amazon for Calmer Secrets!

Take a look:

“Calmer Secrets is a fascinating and mature, well-written second look into the lives of the Cross girls which takes place some four or five years after the events of the first book. The time gap and the substantial content in each novel support Jennifer Perry’s decision to split this story into two books.
Samantha is all grown up, Ben is gone, and against her self-centred, irritating sister’s advice she tumbles into a relationship with old friend Kalen – who has turned into a hot rocker. Their mother continues to wrestle with her issues, and the charming Henry, Veronica’s four-year old boy, is Samantha’s darling. The scene is set for a gritty, realistically told and engrossing unravelling of events, and old secrets, which will change everyone’s lives.
The gripping story kept me helplessly reading on, late into the night. Hints are dropped, with a thud, or a tickle of the mind, and I yelled at Samantha not to be such a fool, at Ronnie for her attitude, at Kalen, at Ben, at Darlene, at Cash… the only one I didn’t yell at was little Henry.
*Much* is explained as the final secrets are revealed and the ends of the story are resolved, and one begins to understand the complexity and depth of these beautifully crafted characters.
This is an excellent novel of family, love, and the damage that secrets can do. Highly recommended, but you have to read the first book first. Together, they make an epic story of ordinary life.”

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1D4NN653C42PN

*Comments are closed because I’m feverishly writing this week and trying to minimize distractions. See you on Sunday!

Christmas and The Great Coast

The Yuletide is upon us! To my friends, followers and bloggers all around the world, I wish for you and your loved ones a holiday filled with all the joy the season has to offer.

Today, I’m sharing “The Great Coast,” a 3-minute short film by One 50 Canada Society, documenting their epic sea journey from St. John’s to the Torngat Mountains and to Nunavut, the newest, largest, and northernmost territory of Canada.

I love how the photo below introducing the video is of where I live: Newtown, Bonavista Bay, NL, and at the 1:36 mark we get an aerial view of Newtown. Great coast, indeed!

Stay safe, have fun, and see you all again in 2018. ❤

Where’s My Backpack Travel Theme: Love

Snow & Ice

“Our familiar garden by the sea has transformed . . . each bramble and bush laminated in a thick, crystalline coat, every amber blade dressed in its stiff raiment of frost. With a watchful step, I venture out on the crust of snow.” – Jennifer Kelland Perry, Endless Chill

Has winter arrived in your backyard?