Finally... PEI!

You know you need to work on work-life balance when your personal blog that's supposed to be a fun, regular hobby has sat idle over over a week, and your IN box is overflowing with more than 600 emails -- ugh!!  Ahhh, but summer, and PEI.  Time.... time to relax, time to catch up, time to daydream...

From the first glimpses of the red, green and golden beauty from the sky, I could feel my muscles relax and my blood pressure lowering!

This beneficial effect was quickly enhanced by land therapy via open fields, children playing, our beautiful old lighthouse and the stunning colours of yet another unique sunset, all of which I availed myself as soon as possible after landing.

Indeed, whether it's watching my not-so-little-anymore kids running in the open field behind our house, and commenting on how tall the trees are growing ("Mom, I remember when they were this small!", remarked Simon, amazed), or catching a glimpse of no fewer than 4 red foxes on the way to the drive-in theatre, or enjoying an instagram-worthy brunch at a neighbour's house, spending time on PEI is time well spent.

And then there are the adventures, like spending a night in a tree house in Crapaud, or "biking" through the washed-out road down by the Harbour to the farmers' market in Morell...

The serendipitous connections that the island seems to foster are also fun: Two weeks ago I spent a few days in Fonthill, Ontario, facilitating an assessment workshop for teachers there.  This week the B and B owners I stayed with flew into Cable Head and delivered my nightshirt, which I had accidentally left behind -- turns out they are both pilots, and, stumbling across the website I designed for the airpark owner a few years back, decided to fly down and check the place out!!

We enjoyed a (veggie for me) burger together at the BBQ on site later that afternoon, and joked about the excellent service provided by the BnB pyjama deliverers!

My "Office" in Town

But it's not ALL play and no work; one of my favourite weeks on PEI is the week the boys go to Art Camp at the Confederation Centre in downtown Charlottetown. (TB to 2013 here!)

In addition to being super fun for Alex and Simon, the week also affords me the opportunity to spend several undisturbed hours at Beanz, a pretty great little coffee shop (with the most amazing and delectable assortment of homemade squares!!!) a hop, skip and a jump from the Arts Ctr. 

And hey, speaking of Beanz, check out the swank new outdoor seating in the pics below -- Beanz patio got a facelift! 

Installed in my mobile office along with a tasty double fudge cream, choco-- oops, er, I mean, a nice, healthy salad, I spend my precious wifi-accessible hours doing some professional reading, taking online courses (Jo Boaler, here we finally come!!), or catching up with emails. (The backlog and overflow has gotten so rediculous that I recieved a notification from my provider the other day that they were going to stop sending new mails if I didn't get things under control soon!!!)

Inclusive PEI
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​When not slaving away at my laptop, I stroll the streets of Charlottetown, enjoying this year a new sense of inclusion in the capital city of this once fairly homophobic province while running my errands or just sauntering around this picturesque Birthplace of Confederation.

Now it seems "we love you LGBTQ folks" rainbows are everywhere.  Amazing what an openly gay leader can do for  place's climate of inclusivity!

At 3:56 p.m., I pack it up and hustle off to pick up my babies, and then it's off to the beach, or the lighthouse, or tonight, a treehouse on the Island's south shore!!

The days pass quickly while drifting slowly along -- I feel very blessed to have this place to come to at regular intervals throughout the year.