How Entertaining!

Wow, do I really feel out of the loop - what a great feeling!!

It's a hot and sticky day here in Alberton, PEI, and Michael and I are using the free wifi at the local library.  The first thing I had to find out when I was finally able to get on the internet was the time of the men's 100m dash this coming Sunday (I'm rooting for Usain Bolt!). No matter that's its summer holidays and that it might be a gorgeous sunny day I'll be rooted in front of the TV rooting on Usain!

Yes, this is our island TV! We've left behind our 40" HD colour TV and we're watching our 3" x 4" black and white relic that Michael has owned since the 80's.  One channel, no Netflix. Whenever we're home it's on. We can tell by the volume and tone of the announcer's voice when something exciting is happening and then we run and squint at the screen. The vertical hold was causing a few problems one day but I've found that reception is much better in the living room with the antenna pointed southwest. Entertainment at its best!  If it weren't for the Olympics we would only be using the radio function (yes, it has a radio TOO!!) to listen to one of the local PEI radio stations - Michael especially likes the station that plays "music to set your traps to!" which is especially relevant as "setting day" for our local fishermen is next Thursday.  If I can get myself up at 5am we'll  go and watch.  Now THAT will be entertaining!

When we're not glued to the Olympic coverage we're taking in other forms of entertainment - here's a few examples:

 Our friend Julie's (centre) CD launch; she's also a server at the Albert and Crown pub. Over the summer she travels around the island with her band playing at a number of bluegrass festivals. Her band includes her mom who Julie calls her best friend. Family is #1 on the island and multi-generational get togethers (parties, drinking at the local pub, celebrations, musical groups) are commonplace. The people of PEI value their elders very much which is why many of our friends are "young people". This is very different from the way we are treated by the younger generation in Ontario....VERY different!

 Nothing beats gazing into the firepit!

Unless it's listening to Matt Minglewood, a well known Maritime musician.

A parliamentary re-enactment was quite impressive...

and getting to share an evening with the Hay Babies before they left for Europe was quite a treat!

No PEI summer would be complete without a jam sessions with Jay and Tammy at their recently purchased home in Skinners Pond.

 They also play at our local pub and it's just one big singalong with lots of folks getting up to sing at the extra mike or using Jay or Tammy's guitar to play along.

 The Alberton parade was good fun - we got to meet Miss Alberton in person when she came in to celebrate her win at the pub the night before the parade!!

One of my favorite entertainments was the STRONGMAN competition which took place during the local exhibition. During this contest the men had to lift a series of concrete balls of increasing weight up onto platforms!! Yikes! The final competition was lifting and carrying a 310 lb. field stone as far as they could. The fellow in the above picture carried the field stone for 183' which clinched the competition for him. He and the second place winner will be going to Quebec to compete in the national strongman competition!

So as you can see life is pretty entertaining around here. Even when there is nothing to do at all but sit and watch the weather!

Greetings from PEI - WARNING: PHOTO HEAVY POST!!

So I haven't been doing the greatest job at posting and staying caught up on your lives. I have two excuses errrrr reasons: 1) busy busy busy and 2) my internet stick is WAY MORE EXPENSIVE than I thought it would be. It costs $113 ($100 plus tax) for 1.5gigs which I can use up in no time if I'm not paying attention. Especially when I'm uploading and posting photos or doing a search for something.

BUT this morning I'm at the local pub using their wifi for FREE so I'm going to post a lot of photos while I have the chance. The owner of the pub, Steve, is such a great guy - he grinds fresh coffee beans when I come in and serves me coffee for FREE! Don't ya just love free stuff??

So to catch you all up to date: Michael did NOT get the job he interviewed for a week ago today BUT neither did anyone else. He was told he was the strongest candidate but needed to take a certain course which he will do hopefully starting in September. As no one had the exact qualifications they were looking for the job has been put "on hold" so we hope once Michael takes the course he can reapply and be hired. For now he's going to be working in the pub wherein I'm currently sitting and he just told me to say a big HI to the BLOGGING COMMUNITY!!  We're both very happy that he gets to stay in PEI for the summer - there's always a silver lining isn't there?!

The weather has been amazing - the complete opposite of last year when it was cold and rained almost every day! However campfires have been outlawed in a lot of areas due to the extreme dryness. It seems that the weather these days is always EXTREME - there is no happy medium. Is this the effect of global warming? Is this what we're to expect from now on?

Well, since this is not a blog about "global warming" I'll move on to other, less stressful, topics such as...mango smoothies, strawberry shortcake, sunsets, music nights, beaches....

today's pictures are just from around our homestead which we call Crofters Lane...

 This is my dad's brass knocker - it was on our amily house when I was growing up (he was in the navy during WW11); it looks right at home beside our front door and its nautical theme fits in well here on the island! Ahoy matey and all that...not that anyone comes to the FRONT DOOR!!

 My sister gave me this lovely fat ceramic bird one Christmas and it's found a nice home on the railing of my verandah.  AND it doesn't make a mess...

 Speaking of the verandah - I've given my rocking chair a new coat of paint and installed our lovely new fire burner on a side table. Notice one of the "mosquito-free" zones in the background! However, the earwigs like it so I've tied it in a loose knot so it doesn't touch the floor when not in use!

 I had a lovely fire the other night as I had collected a lot of paper and cardboard and wanted to get rid of it. Doing that reminds me of my dad - he had a large metal barrel that he used to burn all of our paper-based trash in when I was just a wee nipper...

My other "mosquito free" zone near the firepit but also in the shade. I bought this at the Tignish Co-op last summer and never took it out of it's carrier bag. It has a life of its own - I opened the bag and it literally sprang into its current shape - I nearly lost an eye! (just exaggerating a wee bit there!)

 One of my many favorite spots to hang around in...I was reading in it the other day and the wind was SO strong that day I was to-ing and fro-ing with no effort of my own. V e r y  r e l a x i n g . . .

Look at that sky! I think my house looks happy!

That's for the birds...in a good way :) I bought that ceramic bird bath on my birthday weekend in Niagara Falls and it has come HOME to roost, so to speak...

One of the many flowers/weeds growing in my overgrown laneway...

 My overgrown laneway - the hedgerows need to be beaten back a little...I'm worried that one year we'll arrive and the two hedgerows will have joined together and I won't be able to get through!

 But it's such a pretty space - it's one of the reasons I love my property so much...

 From the road - you can see how far our home is from the road - that's our wee forest and to the left that small shape is our house...well, really just the roof as there is a huge bamboo patch disguising it a bit...

I like this shot - it looks like the house has two eyes that are peeking over the bamboo patch...

Ok, that's it for now, gotta go spend some time in the sunshine!