Tag: Newfoundland and Labrador

Buoys of Summer*

Published on by J. Kelland Perry31 Comments

In a fishing village like Newtown, you will often see brightly-painted buoys adorning fences, rails and walls, particularly in summer.

While buoys of all types are still used for fishing. . .

. . . many are adapted solely for decoration.

As fall approaches, most of the buoys will be put away until next summer, but some embellish the landscape all year round.

buoysWhen creating the title for this post, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the Don Henley song, The Boys of Summer.

“I can tell you my love for you will still be strong
after the boys of summer have gone.”

Of course, if you are from anywhere besides the U.S., my play on words makes sense.
All other English-speaking countries pronounce buoy like “boy”, whereas most Americans pronounce it “boo-ee”. I wonder why.

And if that’s the case, how do Americans pronounce “buoyant” and “buoyancy”?

How do you pronounce buoy?
Do tell!

(And can you tell I’m not
ready for summer to end?)

*Summer Memories Series

A Pleasant Surprise: My post was WP Freshly Pressed

Published on by J. Kelland Perry23 Comments

Happy Monday, all!

When I woke up Saturday morning and picked up my phone, I noticed an unusual amount of notifications, including likes, follows and comments on my blog. Then I opened this email:

After blogging for nearly 15 years, I had finally made it to a “wider audience”. Thank you to all the new subscribers, and thank you for your lovely comments and likes. It means a lot to me. Maybe my fellow bloggers will one day receive this honour as well. I’m proof that it’s never too late!

If you haven’t checked out the post yet, here it is:

More Memories: Summer Lovin’*

Summer Lovin‘

Summer Memories Series: Inspired

Published on by J. Kelland Perry24 Comments

What is it that inspires our desire to create?

What moves an artist to draw or to paint a picture? What sparks the passion in a writer to pen a poem or a story? What is it that prompts a photographer to run for her camera and try to capture that perfect shot?

Here are a few things that give me continued inspiration:

1.  The ocean, which surrounds me. No surprise there, right?

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Every day, it is a slightly different colour, morphing between shades of blue sapphire, steel grey, or deep, dark navy with racing waves and frothy white-caps. On other days, it is as calm and flat as a mirror. The sea is a living thing: mercurial, organic, merciless, and endlessly beautiful. 

2. I’ve always had a passion for all animals (no, not just my cats! 😉 ). Horses, dogs, whales, and birds… …natural beings of the forest and untamed creatures of the sea and sky.

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3. Teaching children about Nature, and why we need to respect it, appreciate it and care for it is a spark for my imagination. I love answering their many questions…… and listening to them tell of their own experiences in the beautiful, natural world.

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Have you ever noticed how Children and Nature go so happily together?

“As a child, one has that magical capacity to move among the many eras of the earth; to see the land as an animal does; to experience the sky from the perspective of a flower or a bee; to feel the earth quiver and breathe beneath us..”

~ Valerie Andrews, A Passion for this Earth

“Children are born naturalists. They explore the world with all of their senses, experiment in the environment, and communicate their discoveries to those around them.”

~ Audubon Nature Preschool

Do you have special childhood memories of exploring Nature?

What fills you with inspiration? Do tell!

First posted on this date, August 5, 2015

Summer Memories Series: The Mighty Gander River

Published on by J. Kelland Perry14 Comments

Here is another favourite to add to my Summer Memories collection.

This post takes us back to an overnight stay on Gander River in June of 2023.

Whenever my husband Paul has to travel for work in our beautiful province, I often accompany him. Particularly enjoyable are the trips that take us somewhere we haven’t visited before. And when we can combine business and pleasure, the trips are all the more fun.

This time Paul’s work took him to a business associate’s cabin on the Gander River, to design an extension and renovation for the client. The long boat in the photo above took us there, the only way to access the site.

In spite of the high winds, and getting splashed by spray over the side of the boat, the temps were warm and the views were lovely.

Here below is a shot of the little guest cabin we stayed in on the property. So cozy!

The Gander River is well-known for its salmon pools and outfitting business. To learn more, check out this site.

Below: blue flag iris growing along the shoreline.

Time to eat, sit back and relax.

Our gracious hosts provided a delicious grilled steak supper and refreshments at the main cabin.

I would love to go back there someday!

Snapshots from a Summer Day*

Published on by J. Kelland Perry10 Comments

The Ragtag Daily Prompt today is Summer Memories! I thought I’d share this favourite evergreen post as an introduction to a summer series I plan to showcase in the next few months. ☀️

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*Ragtag Daily Prompt: Summer Memories

All poetry and images are my own.

The Women of Wild Cove: A Thought-Provoking Future for Only 99¢*

Published on by J. Kelland Perry

My latest novel in e-book format is only 99¢ for all of June!

“An intriguing view of the future … I was both thrilled and, at times, appalled with its methods of survival … I love novels that make you think.” – Marie Ann Bailey

“… A love story of the land, of its people, of friendships and of justice.”
– Carol Balawyder

“A  timely book – a dystopian future triggered by runaway global warming.” – Atlanta Reader

“Fascinating exploration of a peaceful matriarchal society in a deteriorating & violent world. The book is engaging and suspenseful and hard to put down.” – Luanne Castle

 “… An ambitious book that delivers on all fronts … great world-building … and dimensional characters who are easy to root for. I loved the feminist bent as well, along with the Eastern Canadian setting. All in all a great read!” – Carrie

“Two hundred years in the future, society and the environment has collapsed. The story follows the life of Kat, an 18-year-old girl who lives in a matriarchal society in Newfoundland … I found the story captivating and compelling.” – Marie

“Can women rule better than men? Highly recommended to readers who enjoy post-apocalyptic thrillers that raise interesting questions about human nature, power, and control.” – D.W. Peach

“The story balances world-building with real human stakes, and the final choices Kat faces are both heartbreaking and believable.” – Elsie

“A very thought-provoking book.” – Lulu

“A broken lawless world or one ruled by women that seems to work … I settled into my reading chair for what prior experience with this author told me would be a well spun tale.” – Jacqui Murray

*Available on Amazon Kindle, Indigo Kobo, Barnes & Noble Nook, and wherever fine books are sold.

Evergreen Post: Calmer Secrets Setting in Pictures

Published on by J. Kelland Perry14 Comments

This is Part Two of the Calmer Girls series setting in pictures.

Calmer Secrets takes place in Newfoundland in 1997-98, four years later than the first book. (The Calmer Girls Book One setting pictorial can be seen here.)

First, let’s take a look at Samantha’s school in Corner Brook, Memorial University’s Grenfell Campus on the west coast of the province. Samantha is enrolled in the Visual Arts program there.

Art Studio

Photography Lab
When Samantha returns to St. John’s during a school break, she goes downtown with Veronica and her friends. In one of the George Street clubs, she sees cover band, Cold Plate, and is reunited with her high school friend Kalen there.

George Street, lined with pubs, in downtown St. John’s

George Street x 2

x 3: The annual George Street Festival entertainment always draws huge crowds.

Later in the story, tragedy strikes.
The youngest character in the book is brought to the Janeway Children’s Hospital,
the one that existed at that time.
A new facility was built a couple of years later.

The Old Janeway Hospital

The New Janeway, built in 2001
The following photos depict Samantha and Ben’s boat tour experience out of St. John’s Harbour.

The Battery at the foot of Signal Hill

Samantha takes pictures of an iceberg like this…

…and puffins!
Check out this real boat tour short video:

Photo sources: Grenfell College, NL Tourism, Eastern Health, Pinterest, Google (public domain)

Thanks for coming along!

There is only now …

Published on by J. Kelland Perry12 Comments
jenniferkellandperry.com

There is only now.
An open window
a fresh breeze
to welcome
this bright and beautiful
April day.

– J. Kelland Perry

Sunday Snaps: April Evening on Perry’s Point

Published on by J. Kelland Perry29 Comments

As I have mentioned on my blog before, spring takes its own sweet time to show its face on the island of Newfoundland. The arrival is gradual, just as it is on most northern coastlines, with cold temperatures accompanied by the odd snowfall or sleet storm.

I love the anticipation of warmer days ahead. And there are still some lovely moments, particularly when the wind is light, the water is calm, and the sun begins to set. These photos were taken on the peaceful evening of April 2nd, and since then most of the snow and ice has disappeared.

Another reason I love spring here on Perry’s Point: the pleasure to witness the renewal of nature by observing our seabirds. Two weeks ago, it started—the sudden appearance of seagulls and other salt water birds pairing off to mate. Everyday, we now see them huddled—and even cuddled!—together on rocks and small islets off the point, or gliding through the water side by side: herring gulls, saddlebacks, black ducks, and pintails.

Seagulls squeal a spring duet

swim in pairs around ice and rock

glide as swans in graceful tandem

hush broken by caw and squawk *


*excerpt from Seagull Spring by J. Kelland Perry, April 2015

“April is the gateway to the joys of summer.” ― Fennel Hudson

“Oh, the lovely fickleness of an April day!” – W. H. Gibson

“The book is engaging and suspenseful and hard to put down…”

Published on by J. Kelland Perry8 Comments

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A new 5-Star review was published today for The Women of Wild Cove on Amazon & Goodreads, by Luanne Castle, Author. That makes 21 ratings and 12 reviews on Goodreads with an average of 4.24 out of 5, and 10 global ratings and 6 reviews on Amazon.com with an average of 4.4 out of 5.

The Women of Wild Cove by Jennifer Kelland Perry

“Jennifer Kelland Perry’s latest novel, The Women of Wild Cove, imagines a utopian community set within a dystopian world. This matriarchal village, one of several in the region, is self-sustaining (with bartering between villages) and peaceful. The book is engaging and suspenseful and hard to put down.

What fascinated me even more than the action of the plot and the characterization is to see how the community functions. These villages are a response to a world ruined by the greed and violence of a male-dominated society. As long as the community is not disturbed by the outside world, the peace holds-and the male peons and consorts seem content with their positions. But what happens when there is an outside threat? And the storyline begs other questions as well. For instance, is the tradeoff to get peace at the expense of the autonomy of the men? As a retired English lecturer, I predict that this novel would generate thoughtful and spirited class discussions.

Perry’s novel is in the best traditions of dystopian and utopian novels; however, she has interjected a thread woven throughout. The community collects the stories of women who have written down what happened to them, both in the “old” world and in their new world. Much of the stories are about the violence and abuse men perpetuated on women, making a strong case for this matriarchal society.”

Read from: Mar 25, 2026 – Mar 28, 2026

Shelved as: read, sci-fi, fiction


The e-book is 99¢ but only until the end of March!
*Available on Kindle, Indigo Kobo, Barnes & Noble Nook, Apple Books, and others.

Indigo: The Women of Wild Cove

Amazon: The Women of Wild Cove