A Simple Life In Canada - How To Guide Part 1

This is Part One of a Multi-part Guide.
Please check back tomorrow for the next installment. And thanks Dad for giving me a great reminder to write about things that might be useful to people. Here's photo of my dad taken on a nice hazy summers day last year. He's the best!

What does that mean to you, living the simple life? Does it evoke memories from your childhood of picking peas in your grandparents garden and chasing fireflies or frogs on warm summer evenings? Do you think of the Amish people with their wonderful farming and craft filled communities devoid of cars? Or is it something much closer to home for you, as close as growing herbs and lettuce in your garden? Because we're all individuals and at different points on the path of life we all see and experience things in ways totally unique to us. And that doesn't change if you decide to abandon the modern day rat-race and head for the country. Even out here in Nova Scotia you won't find 2 farmers who do things exactly alike. Some like chickens, some like vegetables, and some just farm trees.

My point is this; before you can even begin to make plans to move towards a simple life you need to assess what that means to you. You need to have at least a goal to work towards and then you'll be able to put the other necessary steps in order. What exactly do you want out of life? I find that the simple steps for this are as follows:

Have a Goal. It's okay if this evolves and changes over time.
     *Why do you want this?
     *How will it benefit you?
     *What steps do you need to take?
     *Can you afford it?

Decide how long you'll take to achieve your goal.
     Sometimes our dreams are tempered by the fact that we need to put a roof over our heads and food in our bellies while we're working towards something better. And that generally means for Canadians that we have to work at a paid job and work on our own projects in our personal hours. It's the trade off of hours available for work vs. a need to get paid. Sure, we'd all like endless time for our own projects but the reality is that most of us can't do that. We need at least a small income.

Make a Plan.
     Having something written down that shows the logical steps will help you to organize the work that's necessary. Just as a builder needs a set of blueprints and an understanding of the progression of a build (permits before walls,walls before plumbing etc.) so we need a plan that allows us to make the most efficient use of our resources. It helps you avoid some of the pitfalls by considering what could go wrong and making plans accordingly. Plans shouldn't be written in stone but they should provide a framework for you to build upon.

Do a realistic Budget.
     Sure we can all make our budget look good on paper, but saying you'll only spend $200 on groceries and eat lots of pasta and then actually doing it are 2 very different things. Maybe you hate pasta but didn't think it would be so bad. Who knows. I'm simply suggesting that you take into account that things may change in price, medical bills might happen, the car may break down. Be realistic and plan for some emergency funds to be set aside if you at all can.

And Last But Not Least ...




Get To Work!
     Nobody is going to feel as passionately about your goal as you do. It's your baby. You're the one with all the hopes and dreams so it's up to you to take the leap into the unknown and be adventurous! Learn new skills, try things you've never done before, make new friends and invest yourself in your project. When you can commit yourself to something it's more likely to be finished and finished well. It's not going to be easy for the most part but it will definitely be worth it.


Periodically, whether it's once a week or once a year, you need to sit down and go over the written plans and goals you have. See how you're doing and if there's anything you want to change or add. Take a look at how much you've accomplished and be honest with yourself about how you're doing. This is a good time to modify your goals and then start off re-energized and re-focused. If things haven't gone as planned figure out why and take steps to get back on track. Maybe you need to go in a different direction or get some help from a professional. Maybe you simply need more time. As the saying goes 'Rome wasn't built in a day'. The point of having goals and projects is to improve your life in some way. Otherwise why would we do them? And anything that's worth having is worth the effort to get it, even if it takes longer than you planned on. If you're getting discouraged then break down your goal into smaller goals and keep track as you accomplish things so that you can see yourself making progress.

Just remember this... every pyramid was built one block at a time.

Good luck with your goals for 2014 and beyond. Check back tomorrow for more information about starting a simple life in Canada.

Beautiful Family Home For Sale in Greenwood / Kingston, NS

This home is now available for even cheaper and immediate occupancy! Close to schools and a wonderful layout for a family. Check out the listing, under $300k!

Our very great friends, the Wolfs Family, have just received a late posting and so they're moving from Nova Scotia to Saskatchewan in 10-12 weeks. Consequently their beautiful 4 bedroom home is now on the market. It's priced at $319k although personally I think it's worth quite a bit more. SO if you're looking for a beautiful family home that is walking distance to schools and is in a lovely family neighbourhood, close to CFB Greenwood and all amenities in this lovely part of the Annapolis Valley,  check this out!

 http://www.realtor.ca/propertyDetails.aspx?propertyId=13057264&PidKey=-294211285

Justin, our realtor friend also has several other listings suitable for families moving to Nova Scotia. Good family neighbourhoods, nice comfortable homes, and Justin knows this area really well so he can give good honest and practical advice. He's a man with good morals and integrity, not a 'used car salesman' type realtor, so I highly recommend him. He's internet friendly and that really makes it easier if you need to arrange things long distance. So call Justin today and tell him Elizabeth sent you.

We're so sad that the Wolfs Family are possibly the nicest family you'll ever meet. If you have the great blessing to get to know them then your life will forever be changed for the good. We're going to miss them terribly but know that they'll be happy in Saskatchewan and their extended family will be so happy to have them closer to home. It's hard to live in the Maritimes when your other family live out west. But having said all this...we're still going to miss them. But we know one thing will always be true...

Friends For Life

Our Gardens- Week 1. Nothing but dirt.

That's how a garden starts out...dirt. All the hours of tilling, raking, weeding, tilling and raking again and not much to show for it. Of course it's lovely to walk across it and sink in 4 inches to the cool moist fluffy soil below, but seeds have got to get planted! So here's a few pics of our garden as of today, June 15th 2012. Planted are potatoes, Provider green beans, Spanish Onions, Wisconsin pickling cukes, tomatoes, zucchini, Paris Island Cos (romaine lettuce), Detroit beets in the same row as french breakfast radishes (you pull out the radishes in 20 days and make room for the beets to grow, works well for carrot rows too), Laxton's progress peas and I think that's it so far. I'd have to check my map. Yes, I have to make a map so I remember planting dates and where everything is. While I'm planting I say to myself "Oh I'll remember that I planted beans here" and then I always forget. So having a map is good. It allows me to see what's going to be done where and to plan for fall plantings. But despite all the work the only things in the garden showing signs of growth are the chicks. It's taken a lot of work to get it all tilled but the planting of main crops should be finished this weekend. Then the greenhouse can be planted and the fun begins! Our first harvest of lettuces and radishes will be in 3 weeks and will be quickly followed by peas, beets and beans. I'll leave some row space for later plantings of all of these so that I get a continuous harvest but I did plant 2- 50ft rows of peas and beans just so that I could harvest lots at once for freezing.

At our home garden we've got smaller quantities of celery, lettuce, greens, peas, peppers, beans, corn and tomatoes growing. It's nice to walk outside and have fresh veggies and herbs for the table so I'll make sure I plant some new things each week. The 4 Jubilee (yellow) tomatoes I planted in manure by the garden shed are doing really well and are getting taller so I'm expecting good things from them. And the same for the small patio tomatoes that are in pots on my deck. The first flower clusters are out and if the bees do their magic we should get a good crop of tomatoes from them too. The biggest concern with them is keeping them watered as the small pots dry out easily. Sort of like the garden, it takes a lot of water to get it deeply watered. The main garden has soaker hose as seen in the pics and the home garden so far has overhead sprinklers. We'll see how that works as the garden grows.

I must say though that the petunias I grew have turned out to be fantastic so far! Definitely will try to keep seed and see if I can repeat them again next year.

The pics in this post are from top to bottom:

1. Our Main Garden with the soaker hoses along the rows.
2 & 3. Chris's bottom half and the meat birds, now 3 weeks old, enjoying some sunshine and a snack in their chicken yard.
4. The hen houses alongside the gardens(don't worry, we skipped planting potatoes right outside their door) are open for ventilation.
5. Some lettuces in the home garden.
6. Petunias on the front door step.

In pic 4. you'll notice that the hen houses have the sides open. The dryer the hen houses stay the healthier they are, so we open the side panels during good weather. They only need cleaning once a month because the hens are mostly outside and so the litter stays dry. You can see inside the hen house in the picture and it is still clean and fluffy after 2 weeks of use. We use wood shavings for the litter on the floor. To keep out the rain they are covered with a tarp and during the winter we'll be cleaning them out weekly to maintain a dry and healthy environment. I'm considering using peat for bedding too, it'll make great compost! We use diatomaceous earth in their litter and in their dust baths to prevent lice. The hens and Wyandottes go off into the woods for the day and return on their own at night. The meat chicks though are confined to an outdoor pen 25 feet by 25 feet with shade and grass. And if you're a chicken person you'll have noticed one buff orpington chicken with the meat birds. She's out chicken that got sick and is there to have a warmer and safer recuperation with higher protein feed and lots of fresh water.

Well that's the report on the garden for now. Hopefully it'll be looking a lot more green in the next few weeks with veggies and not weeds. Wish us luck! And yes...I remembered the sun screen today :)

Wild Critters in Nova Scotia - Snakes

You might be wondering about the wildlife that lives here in Nova Scotia. Well, compared to other places we've lived there's not much. Certainly this area has been long settled by humans so the vast deer populations are no more. I thought we'd discuss some of the supposed menaces over the next week.

So let's begin with snakes.

Around the world there are approximately 125,000 fatal snake bites per year. But in North America the snakes are generally less venomous (poison injecting). Various rattle snakes, water moccasin, coral and copperheads are all natives of North America and pose a threat to humans, livestock and pets. But just how much of a risk? In all of North America there are approximately 8000 bites to humans by venomous snakes annually and of that number about .1% die, or 8 people. Why such a low number? Not every snake will inject venom, many will in fact give you a good chomp the first time to get you to clue in to what you're doing to tick the snake off. If you don't smarten up then they'll give you a second nastier and juicier shot. Some snakes are more poisonous than others...even within the same family. Rattle snakes vary widely in how much damage their venom will do. But besides the issue of the exact species of snake...it also depends on where you get bitten (closer to the heart or head is very bad) whereas a foot is better because you can slow the spread of the venom and give your body a chance to fight back. It also depends on if you're being given a glancing blow of a full on bite and injection of venom by a large snake. If you're a small person, child or pet then that's not as good as if you're a horse or a 250 lb man.

Either way, clearing your immediate home site of potentially deadly snakes is a good idea. Having them live out in the fields miles from the house is one thing...having nests in your woodpile or pasture is another. Why flirt with danger when you can just take care of the problem using the age old solution...bird shot. You don't have to worry about having the anti-venom if you don't get bit in the first place.

So, back to Nova Scotia. You'll be pleased to know that there are NO VENOMOUS SNAKES here. And in fact most snakes remain tiny, averaging a foot or so in length with 3 feet being the very largest for a few individuals. Certainly not the rattlers seen in the west. Yes, Alberta has the black widow spider, prairie rattle snake and even scorpions that are native. Nova Scotia has little grass snakes.

Venomous snakes abound the world over, but not here in Nova Scotia. Here's an identification of our local snakes courtesy of the Government of Nova Scotia.

The Garter Snake - common to all areas of Nova Scotia and widely distributed in Canada. We have the Maritime Garter in Nova Scotia. This little snake is brown with 2 lighter stripes down it's sides and averages 45-65 cm in length. Eats toads, worms, frogs, salamanders, fish and small birds. Found near water and hibernates from Sept. to Apr.




The Eastern Smooth Green Snake averages a foot to a foot and a half in length, eat spiders, snails, moths and other insects and are great tree climbers. This little green guy is commonly found on lawns and gardens in town as well as near water in the wild. They hibernate Oct. to late Apr.




The Norther Ringneck Snake has a yellowish band around his neck and a yellowish belly. They average only 25-35cm and eat salamanders, frogs, worms, insects and other small snakes. This woodland / wetland snake is active at night and hibernates from Sept. to mid May.



The Northern Redbelly Snake has an orange to red belly and a back in varying shades of grey, brown or black. The average size is 30 cm but occasional 90 cm snakes have been seen. They eat mainly slugs (I love this snake) and live in grassy areas near water. Active in evening, night and cloudy day times, they hibernate from Oct -Apr.




The Northern Ribbon Snake is black or brown and has 3 yellow stripes running down it's backand sides. Averaging a foot and a half to 2 feet long, this snake is easy to identify. It eats insects, spiders and amphibians and lives near quiet streams, pools and wet areas. They hibernate from Oct. to late Apr. and are active during the day.

Poor and Homeless in America - Did we create this problem?

Really, this covers people in many parts of the world. Europe, Asia, Africa, the Pacific...homeless or extremely poor people are everywhere. Here's an interesting report to view from the BBC if you've got a half hour. But it does show a political bias and seems to blame the bad things that are happening on a lack of welfare programs and employment. And while I whole heartedly agree that the imbalance of wealth is causing some real suffering, I also believe that the education and daily living skills we give our kids, that ability to make do and make the best of a situation, the desire to work for the basics, these are the foundations of a community that can weather storms be they economical or physical. Increasing resilience is important in this next generation of spoiled and coddled children who can barely hold down a 1-5 job at the grocery store because it might interfere with their 'personal life'.

Now I'm not saying that all poor people are lazy. But some families and communities definitely have an accepted idea that it's ok to not work year round or to just not work at all and live on welfare. This kind of culture is evident in many places. And it's this lack of expectation for something better that leaves people trapped in a mindset that poverty is someone else's fault. It's such a complex problem and there really are no magic pills or easy fixes. It's going to take years to educate people so that they want to move forward and so that the work and skills they'll need are there for them.

That's part of the reason that I'm so much into self-sufficiency. If communities can form around the basic idea that we all work together and we share the skills we have for the benefit of the community, then that's great. I'm not talking about communism where we are all equal; Communism does not work. I'm thinking about a community where we all do our own thing and are largely self-sufficient but where we trade and barter too. Those who work hardest and have better skills will do better but those who are less skilled. Sure they won't have all the luxuries but at least it will be a decent life and everyone can reap the fruits of their own labours. The sick are taken care of, children are taught to work and are treasured, the elderly are valued for their wisdom. We all look out for each other. Sigh. This can only happen if we are willing to accept that we are not all equal but that we have a common goal. It's how villages work, and what's the world really but a collection of villages all linked together.

If I had my way, I'd find some like minded people and buy a piece of land (I found a great piece near here that's almost a hundred acres for $45,000) for us to live and farm on. We'd legally divide it up and build our own homes and farms. I'd have some say in who my neighbours are and I wouldn't have to worry about people stealing my firewood or letting out the goats because they would understand and respect our farming philosophies. We'd all have our own homes and farms but maybe we'd trade my honey for your eggs. If this sounds interesting to you...let me know! 2 more families would be really welcome and I can send you pics of the land. :)

But since that seems unlikely to happen right now, we just focus on teaching our children the practical skills that many have forgotten. No teenager wants to be learning how to grow and cook beans when he could be out with his buddies, but we really hope that in the future it will turn out to be useful information and that by building both character and work ethic we have children who are happy and successful adults no matter what they decide to do with their lives. Maybe if some of the people featured in this video had a garden or some food stored away, they could have weathered the tough economic times better or at least bought themselves some time to figure out what to do. Maybe they would realize that food in the cupboard is more important than payments on a new car or computer. Maybe they'd remember that times have been tough before (think great depression in the 30's) and people had sayings they lived by like this one:

Fix it up, wear it out, make do or do without.

Happy Friday!

Yes I'm happy. My beloved husband comes home today! I know I'm sappy...I miss him after 1 day and by the end of the week I really really want him home. I know there are plenty of people who do this all the time, spend the week days away from their families, my father included. And I know that military wives sometimes won't see their husbands for months on end. I have the greatest respect for them because it's a hard thing, especially if you have children. But it's just a temporary phase in our lives and we'll appreciate each other more when we're together I think. Do you think it's true that you appreciate something more if you have to really work for it? What about appreciating a beautiful sunrise or the smile on a child's face? I guess it all comes down to what we find important. What we take the time to enjoy and where we find beauty are very personal things but if we slow life down and have the time, we can find beauty in many different places. So when making life altering changes such as moving across the country or even from one country to another, it's really important to understand the things that are important to you. It helps you to understand the sacrifices of leaving things behind and helps you plan for the future. When my parents moved to Canada in 1988 we had no family here, only one uncle who had moved here years before and never been heard from again..last name Purnell. Anyone know of him? In southern Alberta perhaps? Anyways, there are some things that we hold dear and other things that we can learn to live without. Lots of the material possessions can be left behind, some family keepsakes have to be kept, photographs kept or digitized, livestock re-homed, grown children left to fully unfurl their wings, and family relationships that will change due to long separation. Staying in touch has never been easier, from phone calls to video calls using skype, talking to our loved ones does not mean writing letters that may or may not get delivered. When the pioneers moved out west or from Europe to Canada the only real way to stay in contact was through letters and eventually the telegraph but that wasn't cheap and so it wasn't unusual to go for long stretches without hearing a single word. Sometimes only a letter announcing the safe arrival of a new baby or the wedding of a daughter, the really big important events. Now we can call to announce that the baby tried her first solid food or that they got a good report card. Or maybe we call for no real reason at all. That's good too.

Today I'm appreciating the simple pleasures in life. My family whom I love, a working vehicle, food on the pantry shelves, dry firewood, health, friends who love us, and the beauty and peace that comes from living in Canada.

Home Sweet Home

How wonderful it must have been for our ancestors to be born, marry and live out their lives in the same village. I'm sure there were some who went to seek adventure and their fortunes elsewhere. In my family tree for example, we've got people from Scotland in the 1700's who moved to the wilds of Canada. But many people were content to remain settled in their lives. I want that. To own my own little farm and have a place that I can grow old in with my wonderful husband at my side and the kids popping over for a visit. Give me a quiet simple life where I know all the nooks and crannies of my house and all the seasons in my garden.

Do you think that there aren't people like that anymore? Perhaps we're moving at such a fast speed in our modern society that homes are just where you're temporarily living. My god parents were neighbours as children so when they fell in love and got married about 35 years ago it was easy...she moved in nextdoor. Maybe it's an English thing because here's another English example. Meet Georgina Brown. She's been living in the same home for over 100 years in the little Hampshire valley she loves.

How glorious it must be to love a place so much and to have the chance to stay there forever.

Steve and I love Nova Scotia. It's home to us now. And while we still have a lot of settling to do, we know that this is the place we're meant to be. Would we recommend it to our friends? Yes, but only the not uptight ones. They'd hate the laid back attitudes that prevail here. Not a hectic city life at all and rush hour lasts for about 10 minutes from 4-4:10 at one traffic light in town beside CFB Greenwood when all the military personnel go home. Oh, and traffic on Commercial in New Minas is always horrible. Apart from that it's easy going, friendly, and we like it. It's a good lifestyle for retirees and people who want more quality of life and less quantity of dollars. You may not spend your life getting rich here but you'll have a good life nonetheless.

It's a lovely Friday!

First Frost-October 28th. It was definitely frosty over night and we awoke to clear blue skies so you know what that means...cool weather. Time to wear socks with the ol' sandals. It's going to get to about 7 degrees c. today but warmer next week. It hovered right around freezing overnight.

The kids all have a pro-day today so no school. You'd think that was a bad thing but it's ok really because I have a bunch of chores ready and waiting for them. After chores are done the girls and I are going to do some baking. Bread, granola bars and oatmeal coconut cookies. I'm trying to rotate my food in the cupboards to keep it fresh and coconut is one of those things I usually buy and use more at Christmas so before I buy more, I need to use up my current supply. Cookies it is!

I just finished reading The Man Who Talks To Horses - the autobiography of Monty Roberts aka. the horse whisperer. It's a great read if you're into horses. I always wondered why it was necessary to use a bit in a horses mouth because it seems cruel and why some people who supposedly love horses would use harsh treatments and whips. And now I know. It's fascinating to read the beginning of an idea and see how it spreads and starts to change how we humans do something. Proof that man's ideas are still evolving and that we're capable of adapting to new thought processes and trying new things. But I think that it's easy for us to stay in our own comfortable ways of doing things and not take the risk on something new or different. Even if the potential rewards are great I think we get scared of failure. And that's why I admire those who are explorers and pioneers in their fields. Some of them risked their reputations, their livelihoods, friends and family to dedicate themselves to the pursuit of truth and ideas they felt strongly about like religion, science, exploration, human behaviour, medicine. And in the end their life's work could yield great results or none at all. But are there really 'no results'? Even those who failed to prove their ideas left a legacy of research for others who would follow and know what to try differently or how to build on the research as it stood. So really, no effort is wasted in the pursuit of truth and knowledge.

Steve noticed yesterday that he sees people around that look like people he knew on Vancouver Island. I guess he got used to going to the store and knowing people. When he was growing up he likely knew everyone in town, it was a small and friendly community. As the town grew and became a city he knew less people but still a good percentage from working, church and existing friends. But heer of course we moved knowing nobody. Steve says it's like being in the witness protection program where you move to a new home, job, and community. I laughed and told him he needs to move more often but not having grown up and lived in the same community for 55 years I don't have the same sense of belonging and familiarity to any one place. I can see how that's a good thing though to have established roots as opposed to my ability to adjust to a new place. It's good to have both experiences in our family because we can make informed choices. We know that we want to find a farm and move there once and for all so it's a big decision to find the right place. We are at the point in our lives where we want to have a place that's our own and that we can grow old sitting on the front porch together or reading in front of a warm fire on cold winter nights. I'm sure that's the dream for most of us.

What are you studying at the moment? Anything interesting? Steve is working on an idea for a book that he's planning on writing. And I really have to get cracking on mine too so I've borrowed Christopher's laptop for the morning. Thanks Chris, today you're my favourite son :)

Well I'm going to get on with writing. Any suggestions on what you want to learn about? e-mail me at fairesfamily-at-gmail dot com if you can't leave a comment below. I hope you all have a bright and happy day and I'll talk to you later.

Weird and Wonderful Nova Scotia Quirks

Here is a list of different things that we've noticed about our new home so far and we'll keep adding to it as we go. Not all the differences are bad or good...it's just a different way of doing things and after all, these people have been here a long time!

There is a slight accent. It's a very very soft newfie with regular English words.

People honk at out of province plates as a way of being friendly. This kind of threw me at first but now I don't notice.

Banks are open really terrible old fashioned hours. Here in the valley it's 10-4 Monday to Friday. I think there may be some later hours open till 6 and a TD in New Minas open 12-4 on Saturdays but I still have to confirm that. No 8-8 banking and certainly no Sunday banking. It's a bit of a pain if you work 8-5 because it means the bank is basically never open. There is Money Mart though if you don't mind paying 3%. DO NOT USE the Cash Store. They wanted to charge us nearly $50 in fees to cash 2 cheques and at Moneymart it came to about $15. Still, having your pay direct deposited is a good idea if you can.

Roads are lumpy. Seriously lumpy. You see a sign telling you that there are bumps ahead and wonder exactly which ones they're talking about. Not all roads are bad, just some areas are much worse than others. The main highways are pretty good. Worst roads in Canada from our drive across though...Ontario.

Street signs tell you the roads that come off the one you're on but not the name of the one you're on so it's easy to get lost if you're a newcommer. I think the hwy's guys just assume that you turned onto this road so you must have seen a sign at some point and know where you are. Well, house and street signage is hit and miss so we're constantly getting turned around. Also, they sign intersections in small signs and often right at the intersection, not before, so if you don't know that's your turn you blow past it and have to turn around and come back again. And the street signs and maps don't always agree. It could be signed Bridge Street when you map says Hwy 10. I don't know if having a GPS would help but we have been around long enough now to have a good idea of where things are so we don't even really notice anymore.

School buses here for the kids are free. Woo Hoo!

Kings County, while closer to the cities and having good shopping, is very much a paper pushers delight. They have regulations for everything. I'm not kidding, the SPCA came by yesterday to give me a hand out about our dog. Her house must be 6x8 feet with a hallway and sleeping area, doors 11x13, insulated...... she must be walked twice per day for 20 minutes, given 20 feet of tether and not allowed outside for more than 16 hours at one time.... good grief! Do they think we have no common sense. It turns out that even though she sleeps inside, if she is out for 20 minutes she needs a dog house.
The county rules for building, zoning, permits, and other home building things are tight and well defined in Kings County. In contrast, Annapolis county is much looser and there are properties with no zoning at all. Depending on what you want to do with your property and how close to the city you want to be this choice of counties really can be a deciding factor. Property taxes also vary greatly, being perhaps 4 times larger in the HRM (Halifax Regional Municipality) than in other areas. I'd estimate that depending on your home, land size and zoning, an average property bill in rural areas will cost you $500-$600 per year whereas it will cost you $1200 in a town or village (because water and sewer are provided) and maybe $2000 in HRM. That's very subjective though so do please check it out.

On the subject of signs, they sometimes tell you the next town instead of the final destination of that road, so have a map with you.

Sales tax is 15% here and provincial income tax is higher than other provinces. But if you have children they get free dental under 10 years old and your Child Tax Credits have a provincial bonus. All in all we'll come out ahead by a couple of hundred dollars a year on our taxes.

Gas is cheaper than Montreal and northern Ontario but about the same as Vancouver Island. Not really that cheap. But not as bad as Europe.

Milk is super expensive in the Maritimes. From the moment you enter New Brunswick the milk quotas start and you'll be paying on average $7 for a 4 litre jug. Or bags if you prefer . Remember those milk bags from the 70's and 80's...they still have them here in Nova Scotia. You can usually find milk in plastic jugs too but they're not transparent like in BC. 2 litre jugs will cost you about $4.35. So be warned.

Meat is relatively expensive here but fair quality as supermarkets go. Buying from a local farmer is definitely the way to go as it's better and cheaper. Some butchers locally also are good value for money.

There are lots of small farm markets and stands in towns and villages all over the valley. Most are great. But we went to Evans and found it was really not nice so I'd recommend avoiding it. Otherwise these little markets are great for seasonal produce.

Health care is of course free and you can call to request forms to register in Nova Scotia. There are no provincial premiums so that saves us $108 per month over BC. Your previous provinces health care covers you for 3 months after you move here.

Heating your house is done by wood, electric, furnace oil or a combination. Natural gas is still relatively rare. Oil tanks must be replaced every 10 years and firewood is about $200 per cord delivered for hardwood or $100 if you cut it yourself.

High speed internet is really slow in the country and smaller towns. But in the city there is fibre optic and it's slowly making it's way out to other areas. We're keeping our fingers crossed. It costs about the same as other places in Canada and you can bundle you tv and phone together.

Cell coverage is actually not bad all things considered and you have a good range of companies to choose from.

If you're touring around you'll see the occasional "Look-Off" that we discovered is a scenic view or Look-Out.

There are some unusual regional recipes. My friend Pam gave me an awesome book of them and the history that goes with them. I'll have to go find it and share some with you. The book is lovely and very interesting. Now where did I put that.....??

The road surfaces can be red or black/grey. Sometimes both on the same road.

Libraries are all interconnected so you can order a book that's at another branch, very nice.

You don't buy school supplies for Elementary kids, just pay the school a fee of about $40, for us anyways. And Kindergarten is called Primary in NS.

There's some confusion regarding dinner/lunch and supper/dinner and I haven't figured that one out yet.

Most roads do not have embedded cats eyes or reflectors.

There are graveyards EVERYWHERE! Little 6 person family plots to full churchyards right on the main road. It's really quite different from a city where the cemetery is hidden behind trees and bushes and has flat stones. Here most of the stones are upright, looking more like olde England. Some properties come with their own cemeteries too. At least they make for quiet neighbours.

Fences. There aren't any. About 90% of yards do not have a boundary fence. Our back yard and those of our 4 adjoining neighbours just blend together into one large space. Looks nice, but I wonder about the practicality. Maybe neighbours don't worry about property rights so much here. I'm not sure. Either way I'm going to build a run for the dog so she has an enclosed place to go.

Dirk Becker's Fight and Grass Farms of Nova Scotia

Dirk Becker and Nicole Shaw's fight to keep their "Urban Farm" has attracted media attention the world over and I've posted about it several times before as I've met Dirk and believe in the principle of what he's doing, to fight for the right to keep his livelihood and grow food in an 'urban' (that's debatable) area on his acreage. While I believe in the rule of law in most cases, I truly believe that this is one worth fighting mostly because if the back handed way that Dirk and Nicole have been dealt with by their local gov't. It's not really any wonder that an activist would then turn around and fight back is it? I'm amazed that he and Nicole didn't take up arms sooner. All the City of Lantzville has done is make folk heroes out of Dirk and Nicole and bring more attention to their cause. The City (a lot of Lantzville is actually rural and not paved) and mayor in particular look like a bunch of bullies. Here are a couple of videos I thought you might find interesting.

The reason I'm still writing about this issue even though we're now 7000km away is that this is a problem that affects everyone in Canada and in the developed world in general. Don't think it happens in Nova Scotia? Steve and I are constantly dismayed and shake our heads when we drive around the beautiful Annapolis Valley at the hundreds of 'grass farms'. That's what we call the rural houses that are surrounded by acres of neatly trimmed lawn and nothing else. No fence, hay fields, sheep, or anything resembling a vegetable garden. Just one small house and 3 acres of grass. There's a nice house on the way to Berwick that I swear has 12 acres of grass all beautifully cross mowed and not an animal in sight. People buy the houses and then sit back to enjoy the peace and quiet of the country, riding the mower for a couple of hours a week and that's fine but what about those of us who want to grow food and can't afford rural property that's suitable for agriculture because of the property prices being driven up by people from the city buying it and then not using it wisely.? What happened to understanding that we are stewards of the land? Isn't there some sort of balance? Don't we recognize where we're heading as a society? Sadly, the answers to these questions and others about our consumerism is mostly 'no' , we don't get it. For the majority of people things like 'Peak Oil' and 'Peak Water' are just topics for discussion amongst us cranks and conspiracy theorists. As long as WalMart has shelves filled with stuff and the grocery store is full of cans and veggies they feel secure and smug in their own little world and think that life will always be like this. They simply don't understand that something like 'peak phosphorous' means commercial growers won't have unlimited fertilizer for their crops so yields will decrease and prices will go up. That affects everyone. We all eat. Well, those of us who can afford it.

We're biased of course because we've experienced this personally when living on Vancouver Island and so we're living here in Nova Scotia now where land is still more affordable so we can provide a better life for our kids and grandchildren. And we love the people here too.

Well, that's my mini rant for today. Watch the videos and comment.

Why Choose Nova Scotia?

We're SO excited, it's now 3 weeks until we begin our trip to come to our forever home. I think that growing up in a place and having a home is wonderful, and we want that for our children. But we also know how special it is when you choose a place to call home, because it's been a very deliberate and well thought through choice, at least it has for us.

We chose Nova Scotia after more than 2 years of thought and research. Everything from employment rates, cost of living, weather, schools, society values, to the friendliness of the people. If we wanted the cheapest land we would have decided on New Brunswick but farming and raising a family are, in our opinion, best done in a rural community where there are caring neighbours and friends for the children to hang out with. You don't have to live right in town to be part of a community.

We have a home to stay in while we look for our perfect house and location. And then the fun begins! We'll be like the early pioneers and get a crop in the ground in the spring, cut the next winters firewood and work on making the house livable in the summer. It's going to be one of those ongoing projects so priorities will be the very basics. Walls, floors, roof, insulation. Plumbing is next. Then heat. Depending on the situation I can see us working room by room to gradually increase the habitable area. Trust me, after living in a little motor home for 3 months even 2 rooms is going to seem like a lot of space! And a lot depends on the state of the house we start with too.

There is a different feeling that comes from doing your own renovations. A sense or permanency and belonging. You are making a house into a home that will see laughter and tears, weddings, babies, family dinners, Christmases and we'll watch as the seasons change and the years pass. We'll watch our family grow and change. And if we are really lucky we can pass our home along to another generation who will find peace and contentment under it's eaves.

Now I know that all seems like a "nice dream". But we already know how much time, effort, planning and perseverance it takes to do a whole house renovation. This dream is built upon a foundation of hard work over time. All farming is like that, the things you do today affect you tomorrow and next year. The one wonderful thing with renovating a home or farming your own land is that you can reap the fruits of your labours and leave the world a better place than you found it.

And that's what this whole journey is about.


***UPDATE*** More info is available on this topic in the August 26th blog entry called 'Why we chose Nova Scotia... ' and we'd like to invite you to follow our blog by clicking the button near the top left of the page of just check back when you can to see what's new with us. We love living here so far and we're sure that the best is still to come. We're happy to answer questions, just leave us a comment and we'll answer.

We have now lived in Nova Scotia for 8 months, my how the time flies! Survived our first winter, and getting ready for gardening this Spring and Summer and the bugs that will surely come with the warmer weather.  We bought 42 acres in Torbrook Mines in the Annapolis Valley and will be building a house and starting our own farm. Why not 'Follow' us and see what everyday life is really like here in Nova Scotia.

Kindest Wishes,

Elizabeth, Stephen and Family

Have fun reading.

Where do we go from here? Nova Scotia!

** Note, this post should pre-date the one about trip plans...sorry for any confusion - Elizabeth***

While our plans of rejuvenating the farm in Hilliers were dashed, we're still optimistic that the future can hold wonderful things in store for our family. The dream is not dead, it's just changed a little.

Here's what our original introduction said about us.

One family learning to be self-sufficient on Canada's beautiful west coast. We hope you enjoy following our story as we turn a run down and seriously neglected little rented farm into a thriving and vital part of our community here in Hilliers, near Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. We have a large market garden and raise chickens, turkeys, cows, goats, sheep, alpacas and bees. Oh and let's not forget the most important thing...we raise our family here too.

That all changed with the owner selling and the new owners bulldozing everything.

Despite of all this the motivation to create a vibrant and flourishing small family farm is still there! It just looks like we'll have to start over again somewhere else. So we're looking to get our own place in Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotia?!?! What? Isn't that at the opposite side of the country?

Well, yes it is. Infact, from here to there is about 7100km. Since we're planning a few detours to see family, see our beautiful country, and to have fun along the way, it should end up being a bit closer to 7500km. I'll work it out and let you know. Ok, here's the map.


View Directions to Halifax, Nova Scotia in a larger map

So the plan is to take our motorhome, 4 children, the dog, the goat, 2 cats and one trailer and drive 7000+km in search of a place to call our own. We'll need some help along the way I'm sure so we're going to look for some sponsors, sell pretty much everything we have, and we'll keep you posted each step of the way.

Coming soon...a tour of our current home, our Vancouver Island Bucket list, and how to do all sorts of stuff on a budget while travelling.

Trip Plan-Working out the budget and fuel costs

We're working out some things at the moment for the big move namely:

-How to pay for it
-When and where to go
-Where to live once there
-Where to get a job

Here are the maps we're using for planning on Google. You'll notice a number of stops in both BC and Alberta that seem out of the way...we'll post the itinerary so you can see why we're doing a bit of back tracking.

First let's do up a budget of sorts. Obviously these figures will vary as we gauge the Motorhomes actual fuel consumption and decide on stops of interest along the way. I'm making a general assumption of $10 per person per day for food, 10 mpg for the motorhome towing a trailer, gasoline price of $1.35 per litre and $100 per night for stops at campgrounds of which there are not likely to be many. SO here are the numbers:

10 mpg=.235 litres per km so a trip of 7100 km needs 1668 litres at $1.35=$2252 OUCH!!

If we can improve the gas mileage by even a little by simple things like good driving habits, properly inflated tires, a tune-up, keeping a speed of 80-90km/h then we should be able to get a few more mpg. Here, I'll show you how a little can make a difference. Say we can get 3 mpg better...
13mpg=.18 litres per km. x 7100 = 1278 litres at $1.35 = $1725 so we'd save $526.

Of course if the price of fuel goes up even a little it makes a difference too of about $16.68 for every penny increase at the pumps so if gas hits $1.50 then we'll be paying another $250. See how a few simple things can add up quickly? That's why we're going to make and track our budget so we can see where all the money is going.

Budget

$2250 Fuel
$1000 Food
$ 200 Ferry
$ 500 Repairs, upgrades and maintenance of motorhome.
$ 400 Campgrounds
$ 400 Admissions
$ 50 Parking and Tolls
$ 50 Animal food
$ 200 Interior upgrades such as foam and bunkbeds.
$ 500 Used trailer frame or shell
$ 300 Lumber to build trailer and animal pens.
$ 200 Insurance for trailer and motorhome
$ 150 BCAA membership (to cover towing if we need it)
$ 50 Sani-dump fees, propane refill
$ 40 New propane tank
$ 10 Memory card for camera
$ 50 Souvenirs

Total Budget for this expedition $6250. But that is still way cheaper than paying a moving company $8000+ and still paying for the 6 of us to get there which is another $3000 minimum. I know we'll try to cut the budget down as far as possible but your help would be greatly appreciated too. If you'd like to support us financially you can donate using paypal. If you go to our website novaappliance.com you'll see a payments page where you can give. We really appreciate it and we promise to not squander your money. Every dollar makes a difference.

We are also offering advertising space on our trailer. We have both sides available to feature ads up to 16x7 feet. Cost of advertising is $100 per square foot with the signage provided by you. All sponsors and advertisers will be featured both on our blog and our new Youtube channel starting next week and you can use us in your own company promotions.

Please e-mail us at fairesfamily@gmail.com for more info.

Have a fantastic day! We're off to Chamainus to finish the reno's at a friends place so her family can move tomorrow.

Updating the blogs and sites

I'm spending a few minutes today re-doing the blogs (this one and Nova Appliance) a bit and catching up on what's going on in the world.

Hi World.

Laundry is washing too so I've got a goal to get 3 more boxes, tubs or bags or stuff laundered, sorted into either sell, burn or keep piles and re-packing the keep stuff or putting it into circulation. That should keep me busy for a bit. Also on the agenda....sort out one drawer in my dresser. Yes you heard me right, only 1 drawer. I'll see if Steve will do one of his and then we'll be on our way to having it sorted out by the end of the weekend. I'd also like to get 2 boxes from the storage area of our bedroom (piled against one wall) unpacked and sorted out into either keep and re-pack or sell. It's that simple. Garbage obviously goes out and there is no 'Maybe' pile, not today.

The pig barn is shoveled and manure relocated to a neighbours farm for use on his grape vines. Since we're moving and cannot use it I'm happy to see someone else get the benefit of it. His truck did get mired down so it was a fun family moment of getting the truck and trailer up out of the mud and back onto solid ground.

Since it's Date Night (Friday) I am planning something fun. Not exactly sure what yet since the kids are having a sleepover, but maybe dinner in bed with a movie and pizza for the kids. Anything other than pork!

We still have lots for sale so let us know if you'd like some.

So to review. The work for this afternoon is:

A. unpack, wash, sort and re-pack 3 bags/tubs of clothing/linens from the pile.
B. sort out 1 drawer in the dresser
C. unpack and sort 2 bedroom boxes

I'm writing this all down so that I'm accountable to someone. Thanks for helping me to de-clutter. I'll let you know how it goes.

Met a new friend online who lives in Nova Scotia so now we're giving some serious thought to the Annapolis Valley region. She's been very helpful answering all those weird little questions that come up and it's so hard to find the answers for online.