As a result of some off-season enquiries, we have come up with posted Low Season rates for the ‘shoulder’ season starting in 2012. This is the time when we’re open, but not typically as busy. If you’re thinking of holidaying to geocache the Confederation Trail, this would be the season to visit so your holiday $$ go farther and the hotspots are a bit quieter. You can still get tickets for the shows, go to the beach and eat ice cream… all at a fraction of the cost. Bring some friends to share the fun – the cottage is perfect for two couples and a single (on the big comfy couch) so get a group and give us a call! You can find us on Twitter (@landsharkz), Facebook (Landsharkz) and LinkedIn (Helen Edley and Chris Edley).

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We thought our first order of business was going to be replacing the washer and dryer (because of the length of time for the machine to run a load), but after talking to a couple of appliance dealers, we found out that compact 24″ washers take longer and there’s nothing we can do about it! Because a larger machine won’t fit, we’re leaving our next-to-new set alone and we’ll tell folks to start a load when you go to bed or go out and it will be done next time you check .

Opening the cottage means spring cleaning… a general cleaning freshens everything up, windows are polished, a few dead flies vacuumed up and all linens and books unbagged from winter storage. In addition, deck furniture is brought out and cleaned off, the BBQ is cleaned and checked, propane filled and loose deck steps nailed in place.

Safety check!: We replaced the battery operated smoke detector with a wired in model and purchased a new fire extinguisher. We had Jorgen from Nissen Propane come by to service our lovely Napoleon fireplace so it’s as good as new again. We asked about a CO2 detector but found out that we don’t need one because we don’t have anything in the cottage that could emit CO2. Ok, that’s good news.

Reno: We gutted the queen bedroom and are putting it back together with a new window, new walls and new floors. We are leaving the door, but that’s about it. For the past 2 years, we couldn’t figure out which outlet the switch by the door operated. When Chris tore out the walls and looked at the wiring, we found that it wasn’t hooked up to any of the plugs. Ok, that’s fixed!

Yard Work: We weeded ‘Luke’s Pit’, the fire pit built in the summer of 2010 with a lot of design and sweat coming from our teenage son Luke. Photos of this amazing fire pit will be added to the gallery on the next round of updates. We removed the lower limbs from the trees on the property to make it easier to clean and mow under them. We pulled out a ton of debris from under the hedge bordering the field – a mini CITO, with out the CI . Random shrubs scattered around the property will be removed and one nice bed will remain over by the road/parking area. Gloves and a small weeding ‘claw’ will be left handy in case anyone needs some gardening therapy!

Birds:  Our feathered friends are often coming by to check on us. Yesterday, I stopped by Queen Street Meat Market to pick up some cooked lobster and came home with the lobster… and 8 hanging mesh bird treats. One is outside being enjoyed already and the rest are in the freezer, ready for cottage guest to put out to feed our feathered friends. Make sure and tie it on tightly if the winds are going to be picking up – we had a big blow last night and this morning I found ours on the lawn!

More news with the pics!

Helen

To keep things safe and sound, we turn off the power and the water, close everything up, secure anything outside (so it can’t blow around) and lock ‘er up for the season. That means we have the pleasure (and the pain) of opening everything up in May and getting it all ready for the season. Helen and I are really looking forward to our trip out to PEI this spring. May can be such a nice time of year… the sunshine is starting to make its annual come-back to warm things up for the summer, the eagles hang out close-by each morning, and everyone is getting into the sunshine mood.

We did a ton of work on the cottage last year… this spring, the main items on our agenda are walls, trim and a nice new window in the queen bedroom. We’ll also do a bunch of smaller maintenance work. We’ll post some more nearer to May. In the meantime, have a safe winter and we look forward to your visit.

Cheers,
Chris

We were really impressed with the neighbours. This was the first time we had met them and they are a fantastic bunch of folks. We of course, (like a few others there) are CFA’s… for you non-islanders, that’s people who “come from away.”

We almost have the bunkie ready to go. Our friend Jason will be installing the paneling and then we’ll paint the floor and install a door. This past week we insulated it, installed a vapour barrier and a ceiling, as well as roughed in plumbing and electrical. I’ll finish the electrical when the walls are paneled.

We still have a few things to do though! Besides completing the bunkie, when we get back in July we want to paint the exterior and put up some decorative shutters. This will make the cottage look so much more inviting. We are also planning to clean up the fire pit. They say don’t envy your neighbour’s fire pit… too late – I did. Now we want one like that too! It’ll be soooo nice.

’till next time,
Chris

Yes folks that is sand… as sandy as sand gets. Prince Edward Island soil and sand has quite a significant level of iron in it, giving it a distinctive red colour. The sand is beautiful, soft and warm. Its great for building sand castles and it’s home to little crabs and moon snails. The beaches are stunning. The afternoon sun warms the dark red sand, and when the tide creeps in, the waters of the Northumberland Strait are warmed to your toe’s delight.

Did you know that the high iron content in the PEI soil make the island one of the world’s best locations for growing the potatoes.

Check out the red sandy sand our photographs!

Cheers,
Chris