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Family Day 2012

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:10:13 -0500

What a great Family Day weekend! Helped out at the church breakfast, practiced with Keltic Knights in preparation for the St. Patrick's Day Family Ceilidh at the KofC Hall on March 17th. You are all invited to come and hear us play. Then I met up with the rest of the family at Angela & Bill's and enjoyed board games and a great meal. We got to hang out with Marc, Nicole and Dino for the evening and most of Monday with more cards. A relaxing family time.

Land Registry Search

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:27:09 -0500

We spent a very enjoyable afternoon, last week, discovering a few things about our property. Over the last 176 years we think this property has been owned by 5 families. There are some things to be sorted out.

I mentioned in another post that the land in this area was doled out in lots. If you were fortunate you could get a 200 acre of great farm land. In 1836 a fellow by the name of Samuel Smith received Lot 40 in Southwold. The Talbot Road cut through the lot. Samuel began to divide the lot into smaller portions. One 50 acre piece, called Part of Lot 40 south of the North Branch of the Talbot Road (SNBTR) was sold to William Drake the Elder in 1836. This piece was at the very south end of the lot. We believe this is our Part of Lot 40 SNBTR.

The Drake family was the first to clear the land and begin farming. William the Elder sold or gave it to his sons William and Thomas in 1842. The land records sometimes tell the money that changed hands but those bits of information were not included for these two transactions.

Arbour's History

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:30:05 -0500

I had the good fortune of meeting Stephen Francom, Manager/ Archivist at the Elgin County Archives. We have been interested in getting to know more about the history of our property. This entire area is part of Col. Thomas Talbot's land grant, and we would like to go back as far as that to see who owned the land etc. Stephen has given us some advisce and we are going to go to the Archives well prepared to start our search. It shouls be fun.

Talbotville's first settlers arrived in 1817, however it wasn't called Talbotville but Five Stakes. Col. Thomas Talbot, with the help of Sir John Graves Simcoe, secured a land grant of up to 5,000 acres. He pitched the government by saying he would bring settlers in from Europe and the United States and for every 50 acres settled upon he, Talbot, would get 150 acres. He also promised to grow and export quantities of hemp for the ropes of the Royal Navy.

When you are born to privelledge you get these good deals. He was born in Malahide Castle in the County of Dublin in 1771 to wealthy connected parents. He was in the army ar 11 years old and eventually ended up in Upper Canada as the confidential secretary to Simcoe. Simcoe being the governor of the time recommended Talbot get the grant.

Elgin County's Ports

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:51:07 -0500

Elgin County's 120 miles of Lake Erie Shoreline boasts four Ports, many beaches and marinas Port Bruce, Port Burwell, Port Glasgow and Port Stanley offer easy access to fishing, sailing and all types of water sports.

Port Stanley is the largest of the ports. It has one of the finest stretches of beach along the north shore of Lake Erie, winning awards for it cleanliness. Kettle Creek offers safe shelter for leisure boats that moor at the marinas. It is great fun to sit and eat an icecream ad watch the sailboats move in and out of the marina. Great deal of the fun is in watching the King George Lift Bridge, the oldest lift bridge in Ontario, lift the bridge so the large masts can pass.

The Port, as the locals refer to it, is home to the terminal railway which offers rides along the old London and Port Stanley rail line.

Buy fish right from the fishing boats, wander through the boutiques and art stores, enjoy the restaurants and outdoor patios , and go to the theatre. Port Stanley is a great place to spend some time.

Historic Sparta Shops and Galleries

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:13:07 -0500

One Elgin County spot we always send folks to visit is Sparta. Sparta is just south of St. Thomas and was settled by the Quakers after the War of 1812. It became a thriving village. Several interesting enterprises have lovingly occupied the historic buildings and made Sparta a great place to spend an afternoon.

Sparta Candles occupies the old General Store that was built in 1838. They produce their own unique candles that they only sell in Sparta and online. As well, they have many home decor items of interest.

Sparta House Tea Room is another quaint historical building built in 1836. It was the original hotel. It was purchased by an English couple who have braved the ghosts to create a charming tea room and restaurant that serves great English style lunches (Ploughman's Lunch, Cornish Pastie, Bangers and Mash etc.) Yes, there have been ghost sightings. Sparta House was featured on a tv program that explored their spectral guests.

Steed Lavender Farm is just on the outskirts of Sparta, a 45 acre farm with horses and beautiful lavendar gardens. It is well worth a visit to see the beautifully gaardens and smell the lavender.

Online Booking

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:19:37 -0500

If you will just glance to your right, you will see the latest addition to Arbour B&B website. Yes, you can now book directly online without having to call or email. If you still wish to email or call please do so, we love to hear from you.:)

The one draw back is that the system can't handle booking the Guest House, so you will still need to call or email about Guest House Bookings.

Elgin Art Galleries

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:01:03 -0500

Each year, Shelley McVittie from Cobblestone Gallery, produces a great map of Elgin County called Back Road Elgin. (See tiny version in picture beside) Shelley is the first one to point our it is not to scale but regardless of scale it is an invaluable. Because Arbour is on the map we have maps to give our guests and they love them.

The map lists many fine businesses throughout the county and show you where they are located. Today I and just going to mention the Art Galleries, six in all. Five of the galleries are found on Back Roading Elgin the with is loccated in St. Thomas.

Shelley's Cobblestone Gallery, Lydia Harder Pottery, which is found at Cobblestone Gallery, Peter Robson Gallery, Pinecroft Pottery, and Winter Wheat can be found on the map.

People also enjoy the St. Thomas-Elgin Public Art Gallery and we are confident they will enjoy the gallery, new to us, Romantic Designs Artist Studios.

Elgin has so much to offer Art, Theatre, Railroad History and so much more.

St. Thomas, Railway Capital of Canada

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:21:48 -0500

If you love trains, climbing on them, riding them and learning about their history, then you have to come and visit St. Thomas the Railway Capital of Canada. Many railways, London and Port Stanley, Michigan Central, Wabash, Grand Trunk, Pere Marquette, and Canadian Pacific came through St. Thomas. In 1906 they report some46 trains daily.

Year round you can visit the Canadian Southern Railway Station built in 1871 and lovingly being renovated back to its former glory. The Railway Museum is close by in the former Michigan Central Railway Repair Shops, built in 1913. The museum has locomotives, cabooses, passenger and luggage cars that you can see up close.

Come and visit us and take in Railway Nostalgia Days in June 23 and 24, 2012. Thomas the train arrives in July when the Museum sponsors Day Out with Thomas July 13-15. July 20-22.

You can get a ride on the Port Stanley Terminal Railway. It runs on a portion of the tracks of the former London and Port Stanley Railway.

St. Thomas and Elgin County are a must for all railroad enthusiast, young or old.

Elgin Theatre Life

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:12:07 -0500

Within 20 minutes of our door you can get to 5 theatres that offer fantastic entertainment. Three of those theatres are right in Elgin County. I am not even counting the number of places that you can go to on a regular bases and see fine singer/songwriters from around the world. In February we are going to see Bedside Manner in Aylmer. It is a great theatre, very intimate.

The Princess Ave Playhouse has Steele Magnolias and Keys for Two coming up. Princess Ave is another beautiful little theatre that has just had some improvements to the building and the sound system. It is a great place to see a live concert. The Board at Princess Ave Playhouse announced that the WIngfield plays, all of them, will be performed there over the next year. Watching Rod Beattie in action at that theatre will be incredible.

The Port Stanley Festival Theatre is offering "Back in '59", "Dating by the Book". Sexy Laundry, Having Hope at Home, and Storm Warning. A great place to spend a summer evening after a great meal in one of the Ports many restaurants. I'm partial to icecream after the play.

Planning a Wedding?

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:27:33 -0500

One of the most important decisions you have to make is, who are you going to have perform the Wedding Ceremony. You need someone who will make it so very special.

Jennifer is a Wedding Officiant and is gaining a great reputation for getting to know couples and helping them to plan a beautiful and meaningful Wedding Ceremony.

"We wanted to leave a testimonial for Jennifer Paul-O'Donnell. She was our officiant for our wedding.. She was amazing, she helped us with our vows and made them personal. She showed up early the day of the wedding made sure everything was set and ready to go... she was AMAZING and we would highly recommend her.. thank you so much!!"Tasha and Dan

You can get more details on our site.

Valentine Special

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:06:04 -0500

Ladies please read no further. This blog posting is for MEN ONLY.

Guys, this is your opportunity to treat that special someone to a Valentine they will never forget. Bring her to Arbour B&B anytime between February 10th and February 18th for a two night stay. Your stay includes a candle light cheese fondu with wine from Quai du Vin, two gourmet breakfasts, relaxation in the hot tub, and two nights in our comfortable Queen room with ensuite.

During the day, take a trip to the boutiques, art studios and wineries in the area. Your sweetheart will love you for it; wine, romance and shopping planned by you, just for her!

Go to the B&B Specials for all the details.

Romantic Designs

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 09:45:16 -0500

I am torn as I sit here with my tea and look our kitchen windows. The sun is dazzling, there is no doubt, but the temoerature is -14 C. It is breath taking in more than one sense. Look at that sky! As beautiful as it is I would much rather match the blue with green instead of white.

Jenn and I found a little gem of a place today called Romantic Designs Artist Studios. It is located in the old Marlatt Lumber building. The building has been very nicely renovated into "Wellington Square". It is worth a visit when you visit Arbour B&B. Daniel is an Artist and photographer while Sharon is a sculpture. We purchased a beautiful sculpture of a very elegant lady reading. It will go in one of our peaceful garden retreats that are ideal for reading. She needs a name but we haven't decided on that yet. She didn't turn blue because of the cold.

Ash Bore Wins

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:24:06 -0500

July 12, 2010 I posted the first blog. Yeh, I have not been posting regularly, but I'm determined to improve - a New Years's Resolution.

The first blog was about the Emerald Ash Bore. I was lamenting that it had started to take hold. Well, it has finally done its worst, as we have had to cut 35 ash trees down this fall and winter.

It has completely changed the look of the south side of the property. It has been very hard for us to witness but we must carry on and make the best of the new situation. There will be a change in the wild flower garden as it no longer has total shade. On the other hand the pool will get far more direct sunlight which can only heat things up faster.

A new strategy for shade on the deck has to be found. We have decided to wait until the summer months to see exactly what we are up against, so we can make the proper decision.

Meanwhile, we have had to find a home for a tremendous amount of firewood. Finding a home is complicated by the fact that you don't want to spread the desease, so, the wood can't go too far away. Luckily a couple neighbours have wood burning stoves and were more than happy to take a great deal off our hands. We will have plenty of campfire wood for years to come.

Dave Gunning performs Arbour B&B's first House Concert

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:17:34 -0500

Monday April 11, 2011

Jennifer and I were so pleased that Dave Gunning started off our series of House Concerts. I can’t describe him as well as Robert Reid (rreid@therecord.com) of the Waterloo Record can so I have included part of his review of Dave’s performance from the night before our concert. The whole article can be seen here

Quadruple threat Gunning gets the attention of Registry crowd

How many East Coast Music Awards does a recording artist have to win before Juno jurors take notice?

The question would be rhetorical were it not for someone as abundantly gifted as Dave Gunning.

The singer/songwriter from Pictou, N.S. won three East Coast Music Awards, including male artist of the year, in 2008 for House for Sale. He won folk album of the year honors in 2005 for Two-Bit World.

His latest release, We’re All Leaving — his eighth solo album since 1997 — has garnered three 2010 nominations.

Gunning was pleased as punch to return to the Registry Theatre for the third time since 2007. It was his second Folk Night at the Registry appearance, building on his double bill with Maria Dunn two years ago.

Six String Nation Guitar

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:15:08 -0500

Friday December 17, 2010

Back in October we were fortunate to have Dave Gunning, Jeff Wiseman and Jowi Taylor spend some time at the B&B. As a result of that visit Jowi Taylor came back to Elgin County to make his presentation at a school and then do an evening at the Arbour.

We invited a few friends and Jowi gave us his terrific presentation. Our friends were delighted to hold the guitar and play the guitar during the rest of the evening.

Thanks to Jowi for taking the time to come back to visit.

Six String Nation Guitar.

New Hot Tub

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:10:01 -0500

Wednesday November 3, 2010

Through the summer and fall we have been looking at hot tubs and finally found, at the International Plowing Match, the right fit for us. It is a Softub, made right here in Canada. It is perfect because you can easily move it to any location on the property. It doesn’t have to be hooked up permanently in one spot.

The heat for the spa is generated from the pump itself and it easily keeps it at the 100 - 104 degree temperature recommended.

Its winter home is on the upper deck. This makes it very accessible to both the B&B/Guest House and our side as well. The last two groups that have been in have raved about it. It will be a real addition to the B&B.

In the summer we will put it over on the pool deck for people to enjoy.

If you are interested check out www.softubcanada.com

Great Fall Weather

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:06:55 -0500

Tuesday Oct 19, 2010

Another glorious fall day has dawned, it was hard to sleep in with all that brilliant sunshine - but I managed. The view outside our window is so typical fall in Southern Ontario. The leaves are covering the ground with lots more to come. It sure is a lot of work to get them up but so far we are keeping up. We have a fantastic machine that sucks up the leaves and shreds them. We use the shredded leaves all year round in the garden.

Princess Ave, Dave Gunning, Jeff Wiseman, and Jowi Taylor

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:04:32 -0500

Monday October 18, 2010

When we came back to St. Thomas from Cayman I got involved with the Elgin Theatre Guild at the Princess Ave Playhouse. It is a gem of a place. It was a church built in 1907 and sold to the Elgin Theatre Guild in 1987. For the last 23 years it has been home to a great variety of plays, put on by local community players, and has delighted the city’s theatre goers.

Over the last year or so the ETG has spent a great deal of money fixing the beautiful stone structure and keeping it in excellent repair. Last Sunday the ETG sponsored a fund raising concert to help them with the upkeep of the building. Two super Canadian singer songwriters, Dave Gunning and Jeff Wiseman, took to the stage and captivated the 140 people in the audience.

Jenn and I were fortunate enough to have Dave, Jeff and their manager Bob Bale, staying with us Sunday night after their performance. We had the pleasure of sharing some more songs, stories and laughs through the evening. When we were joined by Jowi Taylor later in the evening all of us enjoyed his amazing stories about his Six String Nation Guitar.

Emerald As Bore

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 22:52:06 -0500

Monday July 12, 2010

Twelve tree have had to come down so far all due to this tiny little insect. What happens is very simple. The Ash borer lays eggs in the crevasses of the bark and when the larvae hatch they bore into the tree. They munch away at the cambium and the phloem. This effectively cuts off the flow of water that the tree needs to survive, and over a two year period the tree dies. We can see many other trees in our ash grove that will soon have to come downs as well.

The insects natural habitat is in Asia and Russia but was accidentally transported with some cargo in the late 1990s. The global nature of trade has not been kind to habitats around the world. They first appeared in the United States and began to fan out over North America.

A ten kilometre swath of trees was removed in the Kent Chatham area to try and stop their movement further into Southwestern Ontario but it didn’t work. Reports of the ash borer are already coming out of Ottawa.

The only thing we can do now is to replace our ash with some different varieties and hope no other insects are accidentally transported into North America.