What is Vivian staring at?
What has gotten her so concerned?
***
“The problem with cats is that they get the same exact look whether they see a moth or an ax-murderer.” — Paula Poundstone
“That’s the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.” ― Ray Bradbury
“What greater gift than the love of a cat?” — Charles Dickens
Summer here in Newfoundland and Labrador is gradually drawing to a close.
It was a lovely one – and still is – and now, Environment Canada is predicting a warmer than usual fall. I’ll take it! I’d already been dreaming of a sunny September so that is more than welcome news. We are in the process of painting our house, so good weather is gladly received for that as well.
Today I’m sharing pics I took in July of Barbour Tickle here in Newtown. Along the tickle lies Barbour Living Heritage Village, which has been offering a taste of history to tourists since 1991. From the NL Tourism site:
“Venture along the coastal loop to Newtown, known as the Venice of Newfoundland to explore with local guides and experience life in the outport. Tour the active village by day, dine at the Olde Shoppe Restaurant, enjoy an evening of live music or theatre…Visit the Barbour Living Heritage Village today for a Newfoundland outport experience.”
Tours and events are wrapping up for the season very soon, so if you’re planning a visit, better make it this weekend!
Find out more about the Barbour site here.
My Season’s End Newsletter will be emailed out next week. If you’re not on the list yet, please click on the tickle photo below to add yourself. You will then be eligible to enter a Reader Gift Basket Giveaway for a Kindle Fire, a $25 Amazon eCard & a bottle of wine to be drawn at the end of September.
See you next month!
The flower that smiles to-day
To-morrow dies;
All that we wish to stay
Tempts and then flies.
What is this world’s delight?
Lightning that mocks the night,
Brief even as bright.*
*This is the first stanza of The Flower that Smiles Today by Percy Shelley, one of my favourite poems. Read the entire poem and a brief analysis here.
And a favourite quote:
“Man’s life is brief and transitory, Literature endures forever.”
― Rory Stewart, The Places in Between
Flowers of primary colours: travel theme by wheresmybackpack.com
Photos: jenniferkellandperry.com
One summer day, when my son Brian was just a little boy, his Aunt Sherry came to babysit him.
When I got home from work, I found a note stuck to the fridge. It read: “Took Brain to the beach. Sherry.” We all had a great laugh over the funny spelling. (Yes, my boy is smart, but that’s beside the point.)
Fast forward to the present. Last week, he had some time off, so he came to visit for a couple of days. The weather was perfect and off we went. We took Brain Brian to Lumsden North beach for some practice on his golf swing.
This is one of his favourite pastimes when he visits. I’ve blogged about beach golf here before, when they used the beach right next to our house as a driving range and the sandbar as a target. Check out the photos here.
The next morning was even warmer and more beautiful, so for a change, we headed out to the beach at Cape Freels.
Momma got bored watching, so she went for a walk.
Too bad she didn’t bring her own brain to the beach. She forgot to turn her iPhone the proper way for the following video! Oh well, if you watch it on your phone, it’s fine. And black bars or not, it’s still pretty, and the sounds of the wind and waves will help you feel the warm sun and the gentle sea breeze on your face.
Happy Friday, everyone!
Will you be going to the beach this weekend?
Happy Canada Day, my fellow Canucks! Thought I’d share a post – and a fond memory – from another Canada Day weekend.
Okay, this is the first time we ever had friends come to dinner – in a CANOE!
Another wonderful thing about living the coastal life. 🙂
Although Calmer Girls is a fictional tale, its Canadian setting certainly isn’t.
It was fun writing a pair of novels set in my birthplace of St. John’s, Newfoundland, and perhaps the following pictorial will better explain why it had inspired me. After all, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words!
All of these locations are featured in scenes throughout the first novel. Calmer Cove is not included as it is semi-fictional.
Samantha and her sister took their first ride in Ben Swift’s T-bird to Signal Hill and along the harbourfront. Later, Samantha took pictures of a cruise ship in the Narrows.
Thanks for visiting my hometown, which is, in my opinion,
one of the most vibrant and colourful places on earth.
Photo sources: NL Tourism, Government sites, Wikipedia, Google (public domain)
Spring takes its own sweet time
to show its face here
on the northeast shore of North America.
Life lies dormant, still deep in hibernation
beneath a fresh blanket of snow and a glittering sheen of ice.
We wait for the arrival of warmer, softer days later in the season,
when the sun shines bright
and full of promise,
giving a welcome glimpse of what is to come.
As we do every year around this time,
we look forward to our coastal world’s transformation and rebirth.
***
A special remembrance today:
Here is our neighbour, Ben
(in the boat above)
from a popular commercial for Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism.
It has played all over the world many times.
This scene in the video is from Barbour’s Tickle here in Newtown.
This post is dedicated to the memory of our beloved neighbour, cousin and friend, Benjamin Perry.
(August 4, 1936 – March 24, 2016)
~ A brief look back at Book One before the release of Book Two ~
Hey, all! Vivian K. Perry here, showing off in a short video on Perry’s Point yesterday.
Don’t be concerned about all my meows – I’m always that vocal when I’m having fun.
Near the end, see the panoramic view from the point, and my lightning-fast sprint back home!
Jennifer's Journal 