Greetings from Nova Scotia
Mar 23rd 2007 | 8:01 am
#16
Thread Starter
Forum Regular
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 128
Re: Greetings from Nova Scotia
I think by and large it probably is very peaceful and safe. However we have heard from a few sources that there are significant problems of domestic violence and abuse within rural populations in NS. This information was volunteered in research my husband was doing for work purposes as it indirectly links to his profession so it is unlikely that visitors to the region are going to be assailed with this info. I believe it is better to gain a realistic picture of somewhere I intend moving to and not a sanitised version associated with tourism. Having said all that, I still want to move to NS and do not suppose the problem is much worse than rural communities in other countries.
Mar 23rd 2007 | 8:01 am
#17
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 69
From: Bedford
Re: Greetings from Nova Scotia
Hi everyone
Hubbards is hot! (actually freezing cold for Brit sensibilities) Flew in on Monday and at the moment it still feels like we are on holiday. We are here for two months to do some intensive (we hope) research into living in NS out of season and also to network for job purposes. We have no phone in our rented property which is making things a little difficult, particularly as response to emails is snail pace or not at all. We are going to purchase a cheap pay as you go so that should make things a little easier. We didn't realise we couldn't just purchase a Sim card here and put it into our cell phone. Trying to avoid the temptation to go and view some of those luverly properties for sale as it might lead to overexcitation before we have anything sorted on the job front! It is interesting to see some of the surrounding properties close to houses we saw from the ouside last year. With no leaves on the trees you can see all the crap (excuse me, NS collectibles) rusting away in front gardens.
On a drive around the Aspotogan Peninsula this morning we saw what looked like an eagle (very big, black and white and bald) perched on what we thought was a rock in a frozen inlet of the ocean. On closer viewing the rock turned out to be a dead seal trapped in the ice. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't get that in the East Midlands. Must away to do some research If I can tear myself away from the ocean view tempting me from every window
Hubbards is hot! (actually freezing cold for Brit sensibilities) Flew in on Monday and at the moment it still feels like we are on holiday. We are here for two months to do some intensive (we hope) research into living in NS out of season and also to network for job purposes. We have no phone in our rented property which is making things a little difficult, particularly as response to emails is snail pace or not at all. We are going to purchase a cheap pay as you go so that should make things a little easier. We didn't realise we couldn't just purchase a Sim card here and put it into our cell phone. Trying to avoid the temptation to go and view some of those luverly properties for sale as it might lead to overexcitation before we have anything sorted on the job front! It is interesting to see some of the surrounding properties close to houses we saw from the ouside last year. With no leaves on the trees you can see all the crap (excuse me, NS collectibles) rusting away in front gardens.
On a drive around the Aspotogan Peninsula this morning we saw what looked like an eagle (very big, black and white and bald) perched on what we thought was a rock in a frozen inlet of the ocean. On closer viewing the rock turned out to be a dead seal trapped in the ice. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't get that in the East Midlands. Must away to do some research If I can tear myself away from the ocean view tempting me from every window
We are pretty close to where you are staying and hope you have a good time.
Have you looked in places like Chapters for a mobile phone. They were selling Virgin pay as you go for about C$70 the other week when we were in there. We bought one from Telus when we first got here, cost about C$75 and you can get top up cards from C$15. You can also buy something called a 20/20 card from newsagents (there is one on the top floor of Halifax shopping centre). Costs about C$11 and you can use it for local and international calls.
Sounds like it was a eagle you saw - there will be fields of them over the next month or so. Close to Annapolis Royal is one of the best places to see them. Have a few small birds back in the garden already so Spring is finally on its way.
Dark underbelly? Are you referring to the drug problem and smuggling along the coast? Lots of empty properties for sale that have been seized by the Crown on the coast up by Sheet Harbour.
Have fun and enjoy your trip.
Mar 23rd 2007 | 8:10 am
#18
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 7,536
From: Out of the Dog house and living the good life
Re: Greetings from Nova Scotia
I think by and large it probably is very peaceful and safe. However we have heard from a few sources that there are significant problems of domestic violence and abuse within rural populations in NS. This information was volunteered in research my husband was doing for work purposes as it indirectly links to his profession so it is unlikely that visitors to the region are going to be assailed with this info. I believe it is better to gain a realistic picture of somewhere I intend moving to and not a sanitised version associated with tourism. Having said all that, I still want to move to NS and do not suppose the problem is much worse than rural communities in other countries.
Mar 23rd 2007 | 8:15 am
#19
yeah....I can do that !
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 78
From: Kingston , Nova Scotia
Re: Greetings from Nova Scotia
Hi.....and welcome to the ....eh.......dark underbelly..????
Sure I'm missing something here, living in a decidedly rural area......Have noticed this: People are incredibly friendly,have time to talk, expect you to make time for a chat, some live somewhat frugal (but from what we have seen in 9 months , no less friendly or agreeable).Other things I've noticed, EVERYBODY and their dog plays one or more instruments and jam sessions are part of everyday life....and , are you ready for this , involves everybody, including kids and teenagers !!!!(shock , horror, gasp!) A few tips ? Whilst driving , slow down......then slow down some more.......it's the done thing here. Also look out for pedestrians.....another of those ...eh...dark traits people here exhibit..! Bald Eagles are almost as numerous as seaguls in some areas around here, as are Racoons, Skunks ( you'll KNOW when you smell one....TRUST me !) , Porcupines and Deer. We also occasionally hear Coyotes at night. No idea what the jobfront is like as I work elsewhere. Any info you require , just ask ! Ps. We live near Windsor.......a truly dark and forbidding place ......
Bo
Sure I'm missing something here, living in a decidedly rural area......Have noticed this: People are incredibly friendly,have time to talk, expect you to make time for a chat, some live somewhat frugal (but from what we have seen in 9 months , no less friendly or agreeable).Other things I've noticed, EVERYBODY and their dog plays one or more instruments and jam sessions are part of everyday life....and , are you ready for this , involves everybody, including kids and teenagers !!!!(shock , horror, gasp!) A few tips ? Whilst driving , slow down......then slow down some more.......it's the done thing here. Also look out for pedestrians.....another of those ...eh...dark traits people here exhibit..! Bald Eagles are almost as numerous as seaguls in some areas around here, as are Racoons, Skunks ( you'll KNOW when you smell one....TRUST me !) , Porcupines and Deer. We also occasionally hear Coyotes at night. No idea what the jobfront is like as I work elsewhere. Any info you require , just ask ! Ps. We live near Windsor.......a truly dark and forbidding place ...... Bo
Mar 23rd 2007 | 8:17 am
#20
Concierge
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 47,662
Re: Greetings from Nova Scotia
I think by and large it probably is very peaceful and safe. However we have heard from a few sources that there are significant problems of domestic violence and abuse within rural populations in NS. This information was volunteered in research my husband was doing for work purposes as it indirectly links to his profession so it is unlikely that visitors to the region are going to be assailed with this info. I believe it is better to gain a realistic picture of somewhere I intend moving to and not a sanitised version associated with tourism. Having said all that, I still want to move to NS and do not suppose the problem is much worse than rural communities in other countries.
The area you are talking about is one my husband (the Canuck) is very very familiar with. It is called the Valley and the standard joke is how all the kids' kids look like their grandfather or their uncles. Also the culture in that area is 1956 forever as Jim is fond of saying. Women are to be kept in their place and if force is needed then so be it. Yes the younger generation is changing at least the women are but it is difficult to change the men. After all it is a culture that "fits" them. The Valley is around Greenwood, NS where my husband was stationed for 12 years.
PS the stepson is dating a woman who was his girlfriend back in the '70s. She had to stop seeing him because her father didn't like the fact that he was "not one of them" and treated her and her mother with courtesy when he visited. She subsequently married a valley boy and was beaten so badly over the years that she had permanent physical damage. Once her father died, she divorced the husband.
Last edited by Rete; Mar 23rd 2007 at 8:21 am.
Mar 23rd 2007 | 8:52 am
#21
Thread Starter
Forum Regular
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 128
Re: Greetings from Nova Scotia
You must have bought the good weather with you. It's 13 degs here in Bedford this afternoon, sun is shining and the ice has all melted.
We are pretty close to where you are staying and hope you have a good time.
Have you looked in places like Chapters for a mobile phone. They were selling Virgin pay as you go for about C$70 the other week when we were in there. We bought one from Telus when we first got here, cost about C$75 and you can get top up cards from C$15. You can also buy something called a 20/20 card from newsagents (there is one on the top floor of Halifax shopping centre). Costs about C$11 and you can use it for local and international calls.
Sounds like it was a eagle you saw - there will be fields of them over the next month or so. Close to Annapolis Royal is one of the best places to see them. Have a few small birds back in the garden already so Spring is finally on its way.
Dark underbelly? Are you referring to the drug problem and smuggling along the coast? Lots of empty properties for sale that have been seized by the Crown on the coast up by Sheet Harbour.
Have fun and enjoy your trip.
We are pretty close to where you are staying and hope you have a good time.
Have you looked in places like Chapters for a mobile phone. They were selling Virgin pay as you go for about C$70 the other week when we were in there. We bought one from Telus when we first got here, cost about C$75 and you can get top up cards from C$15. You can also buy something called a 20/20 card from newsagents (there is one on the top floor of Halifax shopping centre). Costs about C$11 and you can use it for local and international calls.
Sounds like it was a eagle you saw - there will be fields of them over the next month or so. Close to Annapolis Royal is one of the best places to see them. Have a few small birds back in the garden already so Spring is finally on its way.
Dark underbelly? Are you referring to the drug problem and smuggling along the coast? Lots of empty properties for sale that have been seized by the Crown on the coast up by Sheet Harbour.
Have fun and enjoy your trip.
Mar 23rd 2007 | 8:57 am
#22
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 7,536
From: Out of the Dog house and living the good life
Re: Greetings from Nova Scotia
Thanks for the info on phones. Must get one sorted soon. OH managed to get himself lost coming from Halifax last night and I was demented by the time he arrived back over an hour past when he should have done! This wouldn't have worried me at home but I had him mugged, car jacked, in prison and all sorts of other scenarios which perhaps should remain X rated!! I though I might have had to even go and knock on someones door....and then what would have happened to me? Oh the perils of an overactive imagination when you are a stranger in a strange land. I must not watch Deliverance again, I must not watch Deliverance again.......
Mar 23rd 2007 | 9:46 am
#23
Thread Starter
Forum Regular
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 128
Re: Greetings from Nova Scotia
I think it's really useful to have different peoples experiences to gain a more rounded picture of an area. As Rete in her post identifies, the very thing that attracts us to a place ie, a rural idyll, may contain elements that are resistant to change as it suits some to maintain the status quo (I know still rocking all over the world) Windsor sounds like a really nice area. It looks like it is near Wolfville which we really liked on our last visit.
Mar 24th 2007 | 9:13 am
#24
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,656
Re: Greetings from Nova Scotia
Hi.....and welcome to the ....eh.......dark underbelly..???? Sure I'm missing something here, living in a decidedly rural area......Have noticed this: People are incredibly friendly,have time to talk, expect you to make time for a chat, some live somewhat frugal (but from what we have seen in 9 months , no less friendly or agreeable).Other things I've noticed, EVERYBODY and their dog plays one or more instruments and jam sessions are part of everyday life....and , are you ready for this , involves everybody, including kids and teenagers !!!!(shock , horror, gasp!) A few tips ? Whilst driving , slow down......then slow down some more.......it's the done thing here. Also look out for pedestrians.....another of those ...eh...dark traits people here exhibit..! Bald Eagles are almost as numerous as seaguls in some areas around here, as are Racoons, Skunks ( you'll KNOW when you smell one....TRUST me !) , Porcupines and Deer. We also occasionally hear Coyotes at night. No idea what the jobfront is like as I work elsewhere. Any info you require , just ask ! Ps. We live near Windsor.......a truly dark and forbidding place ......
Bo
Sure I'm missing something here, living in a decidedly rural area......Have noticed this: People are incredibly friendly,have time to talk, expect you to make time for a chat, some live somewhat frugal (but from what we have seen in 9 months , no less friendly or agreeable).Other things I've noticed, EVERYBODY and their dog plays one or more instruments and jam sessions are part of everyday life....and , are you ready for this , involves everybody, including kids and teenagers !!!!(shock , horror, gasp!) A few tips ? Whilst driving , slow down......then slow down some more.......it's the done thing here. Also look out for pedestrians.....another of those ...eh...dark traits people here exhibit..! Bald Eagles are almost as numerous as seaguls in some areas around here, as are Racoons, Skunks ( you'll KNOW when you smell one....TRUST me !) , Porcupines and Deer. We also occasionally hear Coyotes at night. No idea what the jobfront is like as I work elsewhere. Any info you require , just ask ! Ps. We live near Windsor.......a truly dark and forbidding place ...... Bo
Mar 24th 2007 | 11:10 am
#26
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,656
Re: Greetings from Nova Scotia
My Aunt married and her name is now Mrs Scotland imagine if she moved there it would get even crazier.
Mrs Scotland is a Scot living in Scotch Village, New Scotland
p.s. sorry I'll stop crashing the thread.
Moonraker have a great time in NS xx
Last edited by or4ngecrush; Mar 24th 2007 at 11:12 am. Reason: he he
Mar 25th 2007 | 4:57 am
#27
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 7,536
From: Out of the Dog house and living the good life
Re: Greetings from Nova Scotia
Mar 25th 2007 | 11:35 am
#30
Forum Regular
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 71
From: Windsor, Nova Scotia
Re: Greetings from Nova Scotia
Hi Moonraker,
We are an English family 2 kids who moved to NS 3 months ago, would you believe it we also live in Hubbards ( opposite Post office N0 10318), Blue Ford ranger pickup outside, yellow house. Pop in for a coffee if you are passing would be good to meet up with fellow expats, any way we can help settle let us know. We are moving to nr Windsor next week as we have just bought a house so hope we meet up soon.
Cheers
Mark + Tania
We are an English family 2 kids who moved to NS 3 months ago, would you believe it we also live in Hubbards ( opposite Post office N0 10318), Blue Ford ranger pickup outside, yellow house. Pop in for a coffee if you are passing would be good to meet up with fellow expats, any way we can help settle let us know. We are moving to nr Windsor next week as we have just bought a house so hope we meet up soon.
Cheers
Mark + Tania
