April 26

Awake and up at 6:50. Had a light breakfast and after reading for a while caught the 10:00 bus to Chichester. I walked around the south gate walls and the Bishop’s garden. It is a very pleasant morning and about 15. Hardly a trace of wind. I attended the 11:00 service at the Cathedral and even sat in the same seat as the last time I was there. I feel like a regular. At the end of the service, an older gentleman sitting next to me asked me where I was from and so began the story again. This time however he had actually worked for Thompson Corp.for many years and had lived in Toronto for several of them. Sadly though he had never visited NS.

Right after the service I walked down East Street to St. John where I knocked on the door of Stephen and Jane Riley, friends of Eric and Barb Ruff of Yarmouth. We had been corresponding by email for some time and today was the day that finally we would get to meet in person. Eric had said they were very nice and he did not exaggerate. They treated me as if we had known each other for years. They have a lovely home just outside the town walls built in the 1800s. They have a wonderful backyard that is filled with gardens and a lovely birdbath which is a memorial to Jane’s parents. As it turns out her mother was born in Canso NS, the daughter of a minister. She moved to New York in her twenties to become a dancer and eventually appeared on stage. We had a lovely bottle of rose and talked in their backyard for about an hour. It was so pleasant as they have flint walls about 8 feet tall and this creates their own little micro climate. There is also a sculpted hanging on the wall that reminded me of Eric. I’ll include it in today’s photos.

Dinner was served about 2:00 and it was a marvellous shepherd’s pie with peas and cabbage, followed by a dessert of cheeses, grapes and a lovely red wine. After dinner we talked again for quite some time and then left for a walk around the town including a Catholic church which I had been unable to find and a section of the Roman walls that I had not seen before. They also took me to St. John’s Chapel, a former church now managed by trustees. One of the features of this chapel is a three tiered pulpit, quite rare. Two of the pictures today shows Stephen and Jane preparing to deliver not a sermon but a rant and one of myself. Back to the house for tea and biscuits (not cookies) and finally they showed me a shortcut to my bus and waited with me until it arrived at 5:10. They have travelled extensively in Nova Scotia, visiting with Barb and Eric and just touring around by themselves. They are true adventurers, not afraid to take the road least travelled and often find themselves in places others might not go, but they have wonderful experiences when they do. I hope that when they return to Nova Scotia, Carol will have the opportunity to meet them and maybe the six of us will get together. There is a picture of Stephen and Jane as well as one of their backyard included today.