Wanderlust and Words

Here in this little Bay, Full of tumultuous life and great repose, Where, twice a day, The purposeless, glad ocean comes and goes, Under high cliffs, and far from the huge town, I sit me down. (Magna est Veritas, Coventry Patmore)

“Curiouser and curiouser the world makes me curiouser”   Unexpected sights from the last month – enjoy! Look Up, Look Way Up . . . Keep It Zipped! 

I chose my current housesit solely on the basis of location – I couldn’t resist spending over 3 weeks beside the sea! And looking after a little dog was fine with me as I had such a perfect location for dog walks. The Littlehampton seafront stretches for at least 2 miles. There is glistening sand at low tide and roaring waves at high tide on a windy day. One of the most amusing features of Littlehampton’s seafront is the UK’s longest bench that twists and turns around obstacles and does somersaults and loops at others. PS Bayley is lovely. Very well behaved and a constant companion.

Local Happenings  A Blaine Lake couple loved sour cherries and Saskatoon berries so much that they started a business, Cherry & Berry Delight , to share their taste for locally grown fruit. I’ve been told that the Sour Cherry and Saskatoon Berry Pastry Filling is particularly good. They deliver for free in Saskatoon. Enjoy perogies and cabbage rolls in support of Station 20 West on Jan. 25 . The Saskatchewan Environmental Society is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2020 with a series of fundraising events to ensure their ongoing sustainability. First up is a series of musical events : Jan. 14 – Appetizers & Music by Jay Semko Feb. 25 – Dinner & Music by Jay & Jo Mar. 24 – Dinner & Music by Eileen Laverty Apr. 21 – Dinner & Music by Rick Fines Cheesy mushroom appetizer from Hearth Food for Thought  I am absolutely delighted that Hearth restaurant has been noted as one of Canada’s top restaurants . I think they make great foo...

I had an outing to Harrogate last week and one of the highlights was a pot of tea and a mince tart at Betty’s Tea Room . Harrogate was a spa town where you came to take the waters at the Pump Room . There are several springs in Harrogate providing water with a high mineral (sulphur, iron) content that was supposed to cure whatever ailed you. My personal opinion is that it was primarily an excuse for a holiday and a chance to enjoy a very social occasion. You’d meet up with your friends to take the waters and then stroll in the parks and visit the shops. And afternoon tea at Betty’s was surely the place to see and be seen. The tea room turned 100 in 2019 and is still pretty impressive – the fireplace and comfortable chairs are in the ladies’ washroom! Harrogate is still a lovely place to visit – lots of green areas, lots of fancy shops selling soap, perfume, and clothing. You can’t drink the waters any more, but you can buy soap and lotion made with it. They’re ...

The Industrial Revolution brought wealth and prosperity to Leeds as it grew into one of Britain’s largest cities. The sign of this wealth are still present in Leeds today in its remnants of Victorian architecture. If Saskatoon’s shopping malls looked like Leeds’ Victorian arcades , I’d go shopping a lot more often! The height and the intricately detailed carvings make them a sight to behold. And they’re possibly even more beautiful at this time of year with the Christmas decorations in place. The Corn Exchange was built between 1861 and 1863 and has an elliptical domed roof. It’s now a shopping centre for independent retailers. Leeds Town Hall is an imposing columned building. It now houses Leeds’ art gallery and library. One of its most impressive features, to my mind, is the Tiled Hall Café , which used to house the library’s reading room. Not only are the walls entirely finished in tiles, but it has a barreled mosaic ceiling and busts of great men (sorry, no ...

Local Happenings  Mayfair United Church is hosting a Christmas Baking Walk at 10 am , Dec. 14 . Get there early to choose your favorites as supplies run out fast! Celebrate Christmas at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market on Sunday, Dec. 15 . Santa will be there from 11 am-1 pm, and there will be live music and lots of good food and artisanal products. The Food Centre has introduced a new business development program for women entrepreneurs and women business owners in the food processing industry. Awesome ’s program goal is to advance women entrepreneurs through skill development, opportunity identification, manufacturing advice, and export marketing. Reading Matter  There are lots of books I’d like to read in Civil Eats’ Food and Farming Holiday Book Gift Guide . Here are two of them: Food Town USA: 7 Unlikely Cities that are Changing the Way We Ea t by Mark Winne looks at cities that are making progress in building local, sustainable, equitable food systems. Two...

I am currently house and cat sitting in a small residential community that is almost equidistant to Leeds, Harrogate, and York. There is excellent bus service so although I’m in a small village overlooking pastures and hedgerows, there are lots of places to visit. I spent a day in Leeds yesterday and my first stop (obviously!) was at the market. I walked out of the bus station and straight into an immense covered market selling everything you could possibly imagine! At 10,000 square feet with large outdoor and indoor areas, there are 800 stalls where you can buy everything from fruit and vegetables to mattresses and furniture. There are also numerous small cafés as well as a news agent, a florist, and a hair salon. The cafés seemed to be popular with construction crews and other labourers. Rambling from one hall to another brought to mind a similar maze of stalls and goods in Middle-Eastern souqs. I found the variety of goods amusing but did notice some sta...

The Christmas tree has gone up by the war memorial in Clifford where I’m currently staying and I’m looking forward to going out for a walk every evening as different residents are taking to turns to decorate their windows as a living Advent calendar . This has put me in the Christmas spirit so here are some suggestions for supporting local when you purchase drinks this Christmas. Christmas Spirits  Black Fox Farm & Distillery’s liqueurs sound yummy – raspberry, honey ginger, and sour cherry. Lucky Bastard Distillers has everything from Christmas orange vodka to seabuckthorn & wildflower honey liqueur and bitters. You have three options for cider. Crossmount Cider Company has a winter variety pack that includes ginger apple, winter spice, and crisp and gold. Purchase your cider from Prairie Sentinel Bottleworks and you’ll be helping to support endangered species. Petrofka Orchard has soft apple cider. Living Sky Winery has fruit wines, liqueurs, and cider. Th...

I’m not an avid train person, but I really, really enjoyed a visit to York’s Railway Museum and would highly recommend it to anyone of any age who visits York. Queen Adelaide's carriage I lucked out and arrived just in time for a half-hour talk about the royal carriages , starting with Queen Adelaide’s, which was a glorified stage coach on wheels, through Queen Victoria’s, and up to the train the royals used to travel around Great Britain during World War II. All royal insignia had been removed from the train for additional security, so one older woman unquestioningly boarded the train thinking it was the one she was waiting for. She was very unhappy about being asked to leave before she’d finished her paper and had a cup of tea. Queen Victoria's carriage King Edward's carriage The displays are an important reminder of how train travel signified everything from seaside holidays to deliveries of fresh fish. A display of WWI ambulance train...