Fairview is poised to be a next big thing, I read that somewhere. So one early morning last week I took a short and quick walk along Dutch Village Road to gather some baseline data.  Really all I did was snap a few nugatory photographs . The Church of Scientology's Life Improvement Centre was on one side of the…Read More

Last evening we sampled a couple of events. First was the first birthday for The Halifax Examiner. Many of my readers find this blog because Tim Bousquet has been very generous, including links on the Examiner site. If you are not a reader of his daily take on the news, you are missing a treat. And…Read More

Many folks have a fascination with derelict or abandoned buildings. They have the authenticity of a primary document. And the best examples have a delicious melancholy that is particularly tasty when you are young. In the 60s and 70s I would often stop at abandoned houses in the countryside. I was not a particularly bold adventurer but…Read More

For a while now our Lieutenant Governors have been doing a good job of opening Government House to all Nova Scotians. This afternoon was an excellent example, the annual Garden Party.  It has been happening for over 100 years, but until the last decade or so it was an invitation-only event. Now the LG and his wife "are…Read More

Have you been noticing all the rhododendrons blooming in front yards and back gardens?  We are coming to the end of the prime bloom season so now is the time to acknowledge their bright patches of over the top colour (don't make me remind you of the unbearable whiteness). We saw these specimens yesterday at the…Read More

Shelburne was an instant community (like Halifax and Louisbourg). One day it was wilderness and suddenly it had 10,000 residents and was the largest town in the east.  Of course this was in the 1780s,  when Loyalists left the revolting colonies to the south, and the town has never been as big since. For me the creation…Read More

Last weekend we were in Yarmouth. On the last few visits we've walked the Collins Heritage Conservation District to marvel at the big Victorian homes so this time it was interesting to take note of more modern architecture. Yarmouth is a special place and if you have never spent any time there you should make an…Read More

We have spend the last few days travelling in the southwest of the province.  Our goal was the NS Association of Garden Clubs convention in Yarmouth but we took our time going and coming. I will probably have some things to say about the communities we spent a little time in, but this post is…Read More

On Saturday I was transfixed when I opened Twitter and saw an amazing image of  of a team of oxen plowing a green field with the harbour and Halifax in the background. "So cool!" tweeted Mental Health NS and I agree. The oxen, Lion and Bright of course,  were there to break ground for the…Read More