Hi it’s our anniversary 44 years married. 2pm 27 th July 1974. We got married at St. Andrews Methodist Church Cleethorpes on a cold cloudy but dry day. We had our reception at the Grimsby conservative club as it had a big hall to fit us all in. We left there for our honeymoon to Lincoln opposite the cathedral; and then on to Shropshire the next day. Here we stayed at The Feathers Hotel Ludlow for 3 nights. We then went camping but our car broke down! My parents and Uncle Phil Aunty Babs came to rescue us and we travelled back to Grimsby in different cars!
So today we celebrated by going whale watching! It was a hot clear day and not too much of a sea swell. We went to Gloucester Massachusetts. Cape Ann.
We spent the morning at nearby Bearskin Point and Rockport. We came here 5 weeks ago!
The whale watching was fun.

The first humpback whale wasn’t far from Gloucester port but it only came up briefly for air and dived twice quickly again. They gave up on that one! We sped off in the ship to find a mother and calf. They were very obliging especially the calf, and we watched them for a long while.

Lastly we travelled on again to find 2 larger humpbacks hunting fish together. They may be both pregnant and have been together for 2 weeks.
We got good pictures of them diving together. So we were very lucky and were out at sea for 4 hours.
When we got back to Gloucester we were soaked to the skin right through our pants! As it was rush hour we decided to stick it out and go to a nearby restaurant for our dinner.
Eventually after a nice celebration meal we headed back to our hotel, still soaking wet!
Hope you like our photos all taken by grandad. Xxxxxx WE LOVE WHALES
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🚢⚓️🐳🐳🐋🐋🐋🐋
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It only took us two and a half hours to drive here from Brunswick on the motorways. You have to pay a toll a few times but cost us about 6 dollars all in.

We took it easy and stopped for lunch at a crackle barrel restaurant, the first one this time in USA. We had a salad and I had lemonade.

We then went to the house in Concorde where ” the little Women” book was written and where Louisa Alcock lived for 20 years…Orchard House. We had a guided tour around the house and were told all about her life and the family she came from. There were 4 girls and their father was an educated and their mother a social worker.

They were in the fore front of anti slavery movement , treating black people as equals and helping them to escape slavery. The father taught black children in his school and let his own daughters be educated and to follow their dreams. So encouraged suffragette movement and also insisting black women had the right to vote. All this was ahead of thinking at the time and the family were very influencial in the community. There is much more to learn about them ask me if you’re interested in their philosophy and beliefs.

The house tour lived up to my dreams and I found it much more interesting than the tour of Anne of Greengables in PEI

Concord is steeped in history. It is where the American revolution began and the first recorded battle against the British.

This is the house of concords black heritageThe Robbins House – There are highlights about Brister Freeman, whose home was in the town forest …

I saw posters in houses saying ” black lives matter” from the black lives matter movement.
Well I was immersed in history today and really enjoyed stretching my mind.

To finish ill leave you with some photos from the Maine botannical gardens that we saw.

 

We will be home very soon now and whale watching tomorrow, hope we manage to see a whale!!! love and kisses xxx

Today we again visited these amazing botanical gardens and saw different flowers and butterflies than we saw 4 weeks ago.The garden had filled out with bedding plants, the roses and poppies had finished and it still looked amazing.Beautiful butterflies…We had a healthy lunch chowder and summer strawberry saladOtis and Louis look what we saw on the way back, the biggest lobster ever! That wouldn’t fit in our aeroplane to bring home!I will upload more photos of the coastline near our motel tomorrow

Love you all and will see you all soon, I’m missing you all so much xxxx

The last two days we have been travelling and are now in Brunswick Maine USA

I was too tired to sort out my photos and write the blog yesterday but I’m catching up with things today.

Here are pictures of a heron and  an egret we saw near Yarmouth in the south of Nova Scotia , the day before we left on the ferry.

Our ferry  was very smooth and comfortable. We chatted to an English couple for most of the 2 hour journey and also met a UK man (with a voice box) from Bristol who was cycling round the world. He still has 2 more years to go! He was in his seventies I think.

We arrived by ferry in the fog to Saint John New Brunswick ,late morning. Our hotel was there but we really wanted to go back to Hopewell Rocks. If you remember, when we got there on the Fundy Coast 4 weeks ago the tides were wrong and we got there to see the rocks at high tide…..Well yesterday we had a 4 hour window to explore them while the tide was out. We have a new sat nav and we programmed it  for Hopewell Rocks. We were doing really well time wise and noticed we were going a different route from last time over “rocks road”

To our surprise we ended up on an unpaved road we continued for a couple of miles and took a wrong turn we think…. and ended up on a hilly mud track! So frustrating and bumpy for our backs. We turned round and eventually found a tarmacked road that took us to the main road we needed to be on, We had travelled through a forest!

Nevertheless we did not go back that way. Hope you like the Flowerpot rocks. we were so amazed by them and explored the beach for ages. there were so many people there too, its a very popular venue!

Back in Saint John we refound the fog and it was still thick fog  there as we left this morning.

Today the journey seemed long but it took 4 hours travelling plus stops. We are now in USA and have gained an hour in time.

We briefly visited the nearby coastal islands all joined by causeways and took a few pics.

Hope that lily and Otis enjoy their last at day at school and nursery tomorrow.

xxxxxx

Yesterday I didn’t write a blog page. We chilled out back in Annapolis Royal

It was market day and lots of different stalls and buskers playing. We strolled around the stalls and craft shops in the sunshine. We ate our lunch at Leos café again and then wandered around the remains of the fort along the river and into town again sitting on benches on the boardwalk.

Back in Digby we had dinner in the town and came back a bit tired but happy.

Today it was foggy but hot and occasionally torrential monsoon like rain in the heat. It was very humid and the sky was  cloudy foggy or blue skies, what a mixture.

We travelled to Yarmouth and saw the town in the grey cloudy atmosphere. We followed the Evangeline Trail for quite a few miles and saw a heron and an egret. There seemed to be quite a few French speaking towns around the South West.

Later on we went back to Digby to do our washing and for an ice-cream… and then to bear river again to watch the tide come in.

Tomorrow we catch the ferry to Saint John New Brunswick, I hope the crossing isn’t too choppy

love to you allxxx

 

Today we were so hot with temperatures up to 29*c and high humidity making us sweltering hot. We travelled to historical Annapolis calling at Bear River first.

At bear River we found craft shops on stilts over the tidal river water. Along the Acadian coast there is one of the largest differences between low and high tides.

At Annapolis we visited the historical gardens and kept in the shade of the trees. Grandad took many macro pics of the beautiful summer flowers. the lakes and rose gardens were especially lovely.

There is a reproduction of an authentic Acadian house in a position they believe it would have been situated facing the marshy river.

We wandered around the town after a lovely salad lunch at Leos café. and then later on back in Digby we walked along fisherman’s wharf to see the mackerel fishing bats returning at high tide.

We ended the day by driving up to Prim Point where the ferry leaves to cross the sea to St John. The cliffs and lighthouse and rocky coastline were impressive as were the wild flowers 

xxxxxxx

Hi we made it quickly on the motorway from Halifax via Peggys Cove all the way South and West to Digby.

We are in a private bed and breakfast in the grounds of a ladies house. Lovely place but no WiFi and no coffee machine or kettle.

I am quickly writing this in a fish food restaurant. The port is world famous for its fishing fleet and landing scallops.

I’ve just eaten some wrapped in bacon and with maple syrup and whiskey. Soooo out of this world delicious.

The area is very picturesque. I will have to down load some photos in a few days when I have a hotel with WiFi.

Lots of love and I’m feeling a bit better today…Mum xxxxview from our restaurant table, we’re sitting outside in the sunshine xxx

The weather today was heavy rain and foggy, not a good day for holiday pursuits!

After breakfast we decided to find indoor things to do nd so that is why we went to Shearwater Aviation museum in Dartmouth near Halifax.

On the way there we crossed the bridge in Halifax and couldn’t see a thing of the coastline, too misty.

At the museum we were given a 2 hour guided tour…just the 2 of us with one guide, Jim, who had been in the Canadian Navy and on huge aircraft carriers. He made it so interesting and I found (to my surprise )I could sort of understand all he told us about helicopters, submarines and aeroplanes of all types used in world war 2. Grandad really enjoyed this and asked lots of questions. Grandad was also very knowledgeable and the man responded to this and went out of his way to show and explain extra things to us.

 

We then went on to Fisherman’s Cove a “quaint restored 200 year old active fishing village” It didn’t quite live up to the description but was quite good with colourful cabins that were gift shops. It was beginning to get very humid and yet still misty.

We headed back to Halifax and found the viewing platform for the two suspension  bridges. There was a park near to the MacKay Bridge built in 1970.

The older bridge near the 3 red chimneys is the MacDonald Bridge built in 1955.

As visibility was still not too good, we went back to the hotel for a rest and this evening we went for a little drive and saw a blue heron.

We move on to Digby tomorrow. Our last stop before we head back slowly to Boston.

Love to you all and looking forward very much to seeing you soon.xxx

 

Nova scotia ha many coastal towns and harbours to explore. We visited this one a UNESCO world heritage site. We firstly went up to the opposite hillside that was a golf course and asked there if we could take photos.
Then we wandered through the streets and along the water front.

 

Our next stop was to photo 3 beautiful churches at Mahone Bay

After a snooze back at the hotel we went up to Peggy’s Cove but this time the fog beat us there. We wandered round the cove and it was still beautiful and quaint

Tomorrow we hope to explore Halifax. NS Thunderstorms are threatening for the next 2 days but we have been so lucky with the weather for the last 4 weeks over here!

xxxxx to our 6 grandchildren love Grandma and Grandaddy

We travelled from Sydney to Halifax Nova Scotia today along a super highway that was mostly dual carriage way.

We stopped twice; for coffee and then for lunch….an omelette

After a rest and finding the best western hotel at Chocolate Lake mmmm! We went to Peggys Cove. It was a lovely afternoon and we needed to have our fix of photography.

Hope you like our photos and YES we found another lighthouse.