A few firsts and a few lasts and a definite re-do...

Whoever said retirement was a time to slow down and take it easy never met me, or my long list of goals.

I was raised by two do-it-yourself parents. Mum grew up in a tiny fishing village on an island. Self-sufficiency was as much a part of her life as dried salt cod. Dad was raised on a small farm on the north shore of Nova Scotia. “Make do” and “fix it yourself” were as deeply ingrained as his love of fresh oysters from the bay. So it should come as no surprise to anyone that if something needs doing or fixing, I’ll give it a try.

Where does this month’s topic of favourite firsts come into play? Well, let me tell you.

When we had our dream home built, I lobbied to leave a few projects undone – hubby and I were free labour, and it would be fun! Right, sweetie?!?

So we built our first garden shed – and we’re still married. It’s now been roofed and painted to match the house but I neglected to take a photo and I’m not at home right now, so…

I don’t fear contradiction when I say this will be the last garden shed we build.

Since the shed was soooo much fun we next tackled our first sundeck. We’d helped with other deck constructions but had no help with this one (aside from Son1 and d-i-l affixing a few planks). Mogget loves to race from one end to the other. I feel safe in saying we won’t be building another sundeck.

Scaling back from the monster shed, we next had a go at our first chicken coop. (Full disclosure, we had previously built a modified chicken tractor but it was not a permanent structure, was about one quarter the size, and unlike our new coop, could not serve as an Airbnb for an adventurous soul.) We’ll finish the interior in the next couple months so to be ready for our laying hens. Is this the last chicken coop we ever build? Only time will tell.

Lest you think all my recent firsts were manual labour related, I also touched the Mediterranean Sea for the first time while visiting a friend in Cyprus. I can confidently say my first trip to Cyprus will not be my last. And – Cyprus was my favourite first.

Luanna Stewart has been creating adventures for her imaginary friends since childhood. She spends her days writing spicy contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, and historical romance. When not torturing her heroes and heroines, she’s in her kitchen baking something delicious. She lives in Nova Scotia with her patient husband and two spoiled cats.

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Guess who’s moving in next door?

Nicole Bennett is used to bad luck—it’s kind of a family curse. She’s spent the past year stitching her life back together after losing her dream job. Well, it paid the rent. Now stuck working at her family’s grocery store while wrangling a demoralized dad and a spoiled-brat sister, the last thing she needs is for the man who wrecked her life to move in next door, even if it is for only three weeks. So what if he’s sexier than sin and makes her believe in fairy tale endings?

Ross Calvert’s life in the fast lane crashed when he lost his job and fiancée. All he’s got to show for years of hard work are a sleek sports car and a closet full of designer suits – minus the closet. Determined to salvage his relationship with his best friend, he trades in the corporate life for a brief stint as a caregiver. The decision was simple—until he discovers the tempting vixen he wronged lives next door. Maybe she’s what he needs to reboot his life.

What starts off as a no-strings fling soon veers into making promises that might be impossible to keep.

If you enjoy steamy, small town romance with laughter and snappy dialogue, don’t miss the first book in this exciting new series. Buy If I Didn’t Care and escape to MacLeod’s Cove today!

                 

Leaving the armchair to travel

I so love travelling. Planning the trip fills me with excitement and anticipation. I study maps and I read up on local history. I analyze hotel and restaurant reviews. Do we rent a car or use public transit? Can we fit in a castle visit AND a winery tour? How often does the ferry run? Sketching out an itinerary fills weeks of my time with dreams of picnics, evening strolls, relaxing hours in a pub.

But that’s just for armchair travelling.

On my actual trips, I’m stressed about packing, anxious about flights (not the flying, just everything before and after – checking in, luggage restrictions, etc.), worried that the plans which looked great on paper will fail spectacularly, leaving us stranded on a railway platform at 2am.

I’m pleased to way no disaster struck on our last bit of world travel. We may have encountered the occasional snafu (I now understand the jokes about RyanAir) but minor hiccups only add to the experience.

We cruised the Rhine and Moselle rivers, starting with a couple days in Zurich. Our hotel was located in a business park – not the most scenic location. But we set off on foot to explore and came upon a bike expo. We thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with the locals doing what locals do, and ate the most delicious bratwurst.

After the cruise we took the EuroStar to the UK, detrained in London, navigated the ‘tube’, got to the wrong platform so went in the wrong direction for a couple stops, got over to the correct platform retraced our steps (all while lugging three suitcases and a backpack) and eventually ended up at Stansted airport – which is an experience in itself.

We flew to Cyprus aboard that RyanAir flight I mentioned. It was the first time we used that carrier and so were unaware of their bizarre way of doing things. After a stressful couple of hours in three lines and a near-jog to the gate we settled in our ‘interesting’ seats and were ‘entertained’ by the continuous sales pitch from the flight crew. It certainly was…ah…memorable. (Cyprus was amazing and worth another visit but with a different airline.)

So while the actual trip didn’t match the paper trip exactly, I’m rather glad it didn’t. The minor hitches, and the accompanying bursts of adrenaline, only added to the travel memories.