We are absolutely thrilled to be LIVE with PEI Cottages and Hotels!  Our first on-line booking site… Check out the link on the bottom right of the screen.. in alphabetical order, of course!

Check out our latest link to the story of a shipwreck that happened right here off Priest Pond!!  Click on the link on the bottom right of this screen.

Well, it’s been awhile.  Busy with cleaning and getting things up-to-date for the summer.  All the leaves are out on the trees, and some are even blossoming.  The road verges are lined with beautiful lupins - pink, purple, mauve and white.  As Murray found out the other day, standing downwind of the lilac bush in our back yard is “scent”sational!  Soon the rugosa roses will be blooming.  This year we plan to harvest the bounty of rosehips that our bushes yield and dry them for brewing tea and potpourri.  Rosehips are an excellent source of Vitamin C and did you know they are a member of the apple tree family?  Our fruit trees made it through the winter - it’s a miracle!  Time to fertilize and stake them.  The prevailing winds take their toll on young trees.  My bleeding hearts are blooming right now too.

We are in the last two weeks of the lobster season.  Father’s Day is on Sunday - maybe you should think of a lobster feast for dad!  I might just do that.  The work on the Priest Pond bridge is winding up.  Hopefully it will be open in the next two weeks.  I will never again take that bridge for granted!  More of our summer friends are arriving, with the rest coming in early July.  The weather in May was a bust, but June has been a bit better.  Having said that, we are still building a fire in our wood stove, yesterday as a matter of fact.  Hopefully that will be over soon!  Until next time…

So far, the one thing that bugs me about June is the rain!  We’ve been told that during the month of May we had one third of the rainfall that we normally receive.  Guess we are making up for that.  The only positive thing about it is that the moisture brings out the foliage, almost overnight, and everything becomes lush and green.  The rich, red earth in the tilled fields contrasts with the vibrant greens and becomes a feast for the eyes!  Oh, how I love this gentle island.

Speaking of June bugs, they’re out.  Those chubby, rufus-coloured, winged creatures that come out at night, crashing against the windows, at times, and especially gathering around lights.  Then they end up on their backs, struggling to take flight once again.  They used to terrify me when I was a kid.  Now they’re just annoying, but kind of cute, in a creepy way.

We had our first guests of the season last week.  They really enjoyed their stay and plan to return to PEI, hopefully to live.  Even though the Department of Transport put lots of signs up to direct people to our place, it has been slower than last year.  No drive-bys,  just as we predicted.  Looking forward to July, that’s all we can do.

As a point of interest, we are providing some links to info about special events in the region.  Thank you for visiting our website and keep us in mind when you’re planning your summer vacation!

We had a beautiful Victoria Day weekend, or as Canadians call it “May 2-4 Weekend”, the unofficial start of summer.  I think the “2-4″ refers to the copious cases of beer that get drunk on this weekend.  But, as luck would have it, that liquid sunshine is back.  The farmers will like it, though, it’s a little dry.

Our reservation calendar is starting to look a little busier.  Seems kind of slow this year, but then we aren’t having as many “drive-bys” because of the bridge closure.  We had our second lobster meal yesterday - scrumptious!  The black flies have made their annual appearance and Murray has the marks to show it.  Mowing the lawn means lots of bites for him and a feast for the black flies!  With the rain we are having, the mosquitoes will no doubt be buzzing around in a few days.  The hummers are still humming about the feeder, sword-fighting over the nectar.  Murray made a joke the other day.  What does one hummingbird say to another?  Hi, hum here often?  It was silly enough that I laughed at it! 

My, how time does fly.  As we go into the last week of May, summer is on the horizon.  How are your plans for summer vacation going?  Hope they include us!

Yes, they are back, and not the four-wheeled variety!  Saw our first one yesterday.  He was looking for nectar in my regular bird feeder so I guess it’s about time to get the hummer feeders out.  We got one that sticks on the window so I will try it and see how it works.  They are such curious little creatures, and very bold.  Even the dogs don’t seem to bother them or keep them from fighting over the feeder.  I love birds and think we would have more but Seamus and Mollie take too much delight in chasing them. 

The weather, well, what does an islander love talking about more than the weather?  Not much, except maybe politics.  Here in PEI, and on any island I daresay, your day is ruled by the weather.  The fishers and farmers most certainly, but even we need to know what the weather will be so we can hang out laundry, or mow the lawn, or plan a trip to the beach.  There has been a north wind blowing over our little corner of the world for the past three days and it doesn’t seem to want to let up.  Tomorrow is supposed to be nice though, sunny with a high of 19 or 20 and a west wind.  As the fishers say, if you’re going to have a wind, “west is best”.

We are in the process of painting the sunroom.  It seems to be taking longer than we expected but should be finished soon.  I like to call the old colour “butterscotch”, and we didn’t really like it very much.  Now that the sunroom is undergoing a spruce-up, the “butterscotch” in the dining room is sure to go too.  The amount of work needed to keep an old house in shape is unending.  But, it is a labour of love, for the most part.  Until next time…

Not much sunshine these days.  We hope that the great yellow orb in the sky will show itself soon!  On the plus side, the trees and grass are starting to turn green, The Greening I like to call it.  Some fields are already planted and there are tulips and daffodils everywhere. 

I hope all the moms out there were well rewarded for their status on Mother’s Day.  Moms need recognition for everything they do for us.  I just heard Sir Bob Geldoff speaking on Canada AM and he stated that when the women of Africa are recognized for their full potential and worth, the potential of the rest of the continent will follow, or words to that effect.  That’s pretty profound.

As stated in a previous post, the Department of Highways is working on the Priest Pond bridge.  If you are coming our way on the north side of Route 16, you will see a black and white sign just before the Souris Line Road.  It directs you straight ahead, around the barrier.  Proceed that way and we are about 4 km past it - watch for the blue Priest Pond sign on the right side of the road.  If you are on the south route coming from Charlottetown, turn left onto the Souris Line Road (you’ll see a PetroCan station).  Go all the way to the end of the Line Road and turn right, going around the barricade and we are about 4 km down the road.  Again, look for the blue Priest Pond sign on the right.  If you are coming from the east on the north route, you must detour left down the East Baltic Road and follow the detour route signs.  You should come out onto the Souris Line Road and follow the detour signs to the end of the Line Road.  Proceed as above for coming from Charlottetown.  Coming from the east on the south route, you will turn right onto the Souris Line road at the PetroCan station and continue as above.  If this sounds confusing, it is.  Best call us ahead of time so we can talk you through it.

We are honestly questioning the wisdom, or lack of wisdom, for choosing this time of year to do this job.  The list of adverse effects for the area is a mile long.  Obviously, the government doesn’t listen to it’s people.  That’s all for this post.  To top it all off, our internet service is intermittent at this time.  If you can’t get through to us by email, give us a phone call.  We look forward to hearing from you!

The calendar has turned to another month.  The lobster fishing season is underway and hopefully this weekend we will have our first feed.  This week I have something of importance to share with you.  The Department of Transportation will be closing the Priest Pond Bridge on May 7th.  Traffic flow will be interrupted for approximately 6-8 weeks, more likely 8-10 weeks.  Clients travelling from Charlottetown will still proceed to St. Peters and follow Route 16 on the Northside Road.  Just don’t pay attention to any detour signs, although at this point we are not sure where they will be placed.  Those who would normally proceed through Souris to Red Point and turn left on the the East Baltic Road, will no longer be able to do so.  You will likely be accessing the Northside Road via the Souris Line Road.  We have been told by the Department of Transport that they will be placing signs for us on that road so you shouldn’t have a problem finding us.  We are keeping our fingers crossed that it won’t affect our business much, but all signs are pointing to some trouble during the bridge outage.  We will be posting revised directions for you as soon as we learn more about where signs will be placed and detours established.

If that wasn’t enough, our MiFi (WiFi) system is being recalled for battery malfunction.  We will be without it for 6-8 weeks (coinciding with the bridge outage, great!) but are being given a turbostick for temporary use.  This significantly affects our computer usage so if we don’t respond right away to your emails, it’s not because we are ignoring you!  We are unsure at this point how we will be affected by this but hopefully will know more after today.

So, that’s enough news for today!  Stay tuned….

One of the most unusual activities on PEI at this time of year is watching a boat float down the road.  And, come to think of it, seeing a boat parked in someone’s yard!  Lots of boats going down the roads these days.  That, and farm equipment.  The farmers are getting into the fields a little early this year.  The experts are predicting a dryer summer, which is great for keeping the black fly and mosquito population down, but not so good for the crops.

I’ve espyed lots of robins, grackles, starlings and flickers combing the lawn for grubs.  There seems to be an abundance this year.  We are supposed to get some rain soon so I’m sure they’ll be even happier.  It is nice to wake up to the sound of birds, and after this Friday, the drone of boat engines will join the chorus.  I can’t wait to wander over to the cliffs in the morning a see the fleets moving about on the sparkling blue waters of the Gulf.  I love May and June for that. 

Mother’s Day is coming up soon.  Lobster suppers are quite popular here for a special meal out, or at home if you get some from the pound.  The traditional feast is boiled lobster, with or without melted butter, rolls or biscuits, and potato salad.  Yes, it’s a meal fit for a queen!  Cottages are open in June.  Why not come for a visit and taste the tender treat for yourself?