We have loved our time in Barton, NS. It is beautiful, more peaceful and it is slower paced, however, our zippy Ontario ways do not just disappear.
First,the landscape is beautiful. Shannon’s 25 acres show such diversity. Night times display the stars with an intensity that we have not seen for years. The countryside is hilly and we can see water at nearly every turn. 
Second, we enjoyed the tourist things. We had some good meals in Digby and especially at Bistro East in Annapolis Royal. We also had great meals at home thanks to both Zoe and Shannon. Shopping was fun in Annapolis Royal particularly at bookstores. We saw some incredible asian items at Far Fetched and Japanese Gallery. All the stores were run by enthusiastic, interesting and friendly owners. My favourite tourist activity was stopping at a replica of the Maud Lewis house and talking to the man who built it as he talked about Maud. The real house is now in the Halifax Museum but the original was two kilometres down the road from Shannon’s house.
Finally the work was rewarding but we hardly made a dint. I originally thought that we could get a room done inside the house but the weather was beautiful and we focused on the outdoors. The mowable property was mowed by Zoe. We trimmed trees, weeded gardens, picked apples and made applesauce. We explored the property trying to identify the parameters; we identified as many plants as possible, sometimes via pictures to Nancy Christie. We had lots of brush burning fires. Bill and Shannon tried to keep her equipment in shape with limited success. We were using materials hard. The meadow has many “Islands” made of trees and bushes but not mowed between and thus an island of an apple tree, 5 hazels, a laurel bush, and a spirea joined with blackberries, wild roses, goldenrod and asters developed. Four of us took 5 hours to clean one of these islands, creating hours of fuel for the fire pit. Maybe next time we will go in the winter and focus on one room.
If any one is interested in a work-cation in Nova Scotia. I think it can be arranged.
Sandy
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