our thanksgiving

The one brilliant part of having Canadian Thanksgiving a month and a half early, is that by the time I actually get around to posting about ours, all of my American readers are just getting ready to celebrate. We'll just pretend like I plan it that way. Our Thanksgiving this year was, as so many of yours will be, a quiet and intimate one. And while this was our first Thanksgiving away from family, my cousin and her husband recently moved not too far from us, and it meant that we were able to have some family over! I know that so many of our celebrations will look differently, but I've come to find that, for myself at least, keeping things feeling normal helps. I didn't need to set the table, or roast a turkey, or even bake a pumpkin pie, but I did. And in doing so, Thanksgiving felt as it should. I puttered around the days before, working on the table, arranging flowers, planning a menu. Then the day of was slow and lovely. The kitchen filled with all of the scents of onions softening and the turkey roasting and a pie cooling. It really was just a slow, lovely day. There was no rush to do anything. The guys watched football, and at one point, everyone but a couple of the boys had nodded off while I laid cutlery and ironed napkins. At the end of the day, as the sun was setting, we all sat down for a small dinner. We lingered until the last of the wine had been poured, the tapers low and dripping, and afterwards, since we weren't quite ready to be finished, we settled in to watch a movie with our pie. Save being able to enjoy the company of our family, it was the perfect day,

When it comes to decorating our house for Thanksgiving, I keep things quite minimal. I do always love my pair of pheasants, particularly during the fall. I also tend to add a few pumpkins here and there, as well as some potted cabbages and kale, but that's about it.

My parents sent me a beautiful bouquet (they know my tastes so well!), and I used that for my centerpiece. I hollowed out a squash and then rearranged the flowers in it. I added a few extra roses that I had picked up from the store, as well as a few foraged bits from down by the river. 

I stocked the bar in the Butler's pantry - a bottle of wine to sip on in the afternoon while I cooked, a couple ingredients for some simple autumn cocktails... It's just nice to have a couple options on hand.

Because the day was so slow, I really enjoyed being in the kitchen. There wasn't any need to rush. I put some music on, poured my glass of wine and settled in.

A pumpkin pie was a non-negotiable. I really didn't need to make it. It probably would have only been missed by only me, but it would have been sorely missed. I even took a little bit of extra time and did a decorative edge of little acorns.

To keep things easy, lunch was simply butternut squash soup (I kept it warming on the stove) and some cheese to nibble on. Everyone could help themselves as they were hungry, and I could continue doing what I was doing.

Then for the table. We sat at the round table in the family room because we don't often sit in there.

I kept the place settings fairly simple.

 I loved this mustard yellow fish set I had recently found, and I played off it a little with some golden velvet ribbon and matching tapers. I always love a little brown and white transferware this time of year, so I tucked one of my platters under the centerpiece.

As for dinner, a simple roast turkey with herbs from the garden, apple and sausage stuffing, buttery mashed potatoes, sautéed green beans with garlic and cranberry sauce (with cranberries from the bog down the road!). 

The next day, in true day after Thanksgiving fashion, it was pie for breakfast. We slept late and then wandered about the countryside on an afternoon drive. 

We discovered a beautiful new beach.

I still find it so interesting seeing the pine trees on the beach.

We drove through the village of Chester.

We even stopped for a hike to admire the foliage and stretch our legs for a bit. The boys ran wildly down the paths, stepped across stones in the very small waterfall, and climbed trees.

However you will be celebrating Thanksgiving, if you are, I hope you have a lovely weekend. It may be different, but it can still be special, because there's so much to be grateful for.

Wishing you all a Thanksgiving that's rich in gratitude and full of contentment, from our family to yours.

day trip - chester, nova scotia

This past week, following an announcement from our Premier declaring all parks and outdoor spaces open for the good of our mental well-being (to be enjoyed at a safe distance, of course), we packed a thermos of tea, piled into the car, and promptly headed to the coast.

The Chester Basin has been on our list of places to drive to for a while now, and it would take more than some grey skies and threatening rain to keep us home.

While I did expect a pretty town sort of set in a bay, and a lot of nicer newer cottages, I didn't expect to find so many charming older homes. I was delighted. As we rounded the inlet and the roads narrowed, the homes with their low roof lines and groomed hedges encroached on the lane ways. They were tucked around the basin and sat proudly on the hill on the other side overlooking the water. So many beautiful homes. I just wanted to get out and wander. Those are my favourite kinds of places - the ones that make you pull over, grab your camera and start walking, not minding if it starts raining, always saying to yourself, "Just one block further, then I'll turn back."

I'm looking forward to returning when the leaves are out and the vines are climbing the picket fences and I can sit on the patio and have a lobster roll.

They had the sweetest library and reading garden.

I absolutely loved the choice of colours for this museum.

I even spotted my first bulbs poking through.

And the first Magnolia blooms!

I think this one is my favourite so far. It reminded me so much of the low cottages in 'Sconset.

I just loved the lower room with all the windows (I imagined it as a cozy sitting room), and the little area above with the bump-out (which also in my imagination, was off the master bedroom).

It had the best view.

Others reminded me of Long Island.

And of course the town had the most charming building for their flower shop. I would take it in a heartbeat.

From there, it wasn't much further down the Lighthouse Route to Peggy's Cove, and with a whole day to waste and a little tea still warm in the thermos, we carried on. We couldn't actually visit the lighthouse as it was still closed off, but just driving around the cove was breathtaking. It was the perfect day to enjoy the waves.

It was grey and wildly harsh, rugged and yet so beautiful all at once.

All the while we just kept looking at each other saying "I can't believe this is where we live now. That we can just head out for a drive and find ourselves in places like this."