Playtime with Papa

At 19.5 months old playtime with Papa means the world to Master J

who gets to wrestle, roll, jump and climb

a love of gardening

5 weeks ago my vegetable garden looked like this ...

and today ...

rhubarb transplanted from a friend's house survived (yippee!); potatoes jumped out of the ground, onions no longer thin and floppy, broccoli doubled in size; beans, peas and corn just poking their heads out of the ground, the same for 2 pumpkins planted from seed (at the very back of the garden), several tomato plants have flowered and are now in fruit, and the 2 green capsicum plants look a little sad - yet they do have peppers on them! (will have to keep watering)

PEI - the gentle island, a great place for families

First impressions

• WOW the earth is RED! (Anne spoke of it!)
• Lovely LUPINS (I bought seeds to plant)
• A gentle and not so gentle breeze blew everyday
• Islanders are "kindred spirited"
• Aahhh ... smell the sea air
• So wonderful to be at the ocean (a distant memory from NZ)
• mmmmmmm yum ... LOBSTER!
• GREAT for families - we stayed in Cavendish
• Go early - mid-June when the tourism spots open, because peak season will be very busy
• It's a long way from Quebec city!
• We'll be back again (next year, I hope)

Must do's

• Read an LM Montgomery novel while you're on the island
• Enjoy a Lobster supper http://www.lobstersuppers.com
• Walk along the beach or boardwalk
• Go cycling
• Kayaking
• Toy Factory (for locally made wooden toys and a great selection of educational type wooden puzzles) http://www.toy-factory.ca
• Buy locally made preserves http://www.preservecompany.com

Sightly over-rated

• Cow's ice-cream (I thought it was more about their brand and merchandise than great tasting ice-cream ... sorry Cow's ... Tip Top from NZ is still #1 for me!)
• Too many Anne of Green Gables sites and memorabilia for my liking (better to enjoy LM Montgomery's books and use your imagination!)

PEI - The gentle island

this morning at the park

Park Play-dates are a great activity for toddlers ... every now and then we enjoy going to a new park with other mums and their kids.  This morning we only had to travel 5 minutes by car for a 9.30am start, and were home again around 11.30pm for lunch and a nap!  Don't forget to bring your sand toys and snacks!  If there is not an organised activity in your neighbourhood why not consider asking a few friends or mums with children living close by to join you at a local park for two hours one morning during the summer time.  As a parent, I believe it is important to be able to connect with other parents and spend time together to enable our children to learn good interaction and socialising skills.

the colour purple ...

The colour purple reminds me of my friend, Ali (back home in NZ) because it is one of her favourite colours ... here in my garden the violas, lilac trees, iris, petunias and more are in full bloom ... enjoy!