Happiness is a Cottage by the Sea
Despite the late-night shenanigans from the young hooligans sharing our floor we managed to get a decent night’s sleep and woke up the following morning ready and eager to go and pickup our fur babies from the airport. However, a quick scan of our emails put paid to our plans and snuffed out our excitement.
We had received an email from Jet Pets informing us that they had prepared our pets for their flight the previous evening even going as far as to take them to the airport ready for loading onto the plane only for the airline to bump them off the flight due to a lack of space. Live cargo does not take precedence over freight and luggage it would appear! So, our pets had to suffer all that distress for nothing which was both heartbreaking and frustrating in equal measure.
According to Jet Pets this is something that had been occurring with the airlines with growing frequency due to the pandemic, whilst the temptation to throw our hands up in the air and shout for fudge’s sake here we go again was overwhelming we knew it would be pointless. We were at the mercy of the airlines yet again!
You do not have to understand. You just have to have faith …faith in destiny.
Naturally, we were upset that we were not going to be reunited with our fur babies that morning especially after three long months of separation but in amongst our distress we were able to find the blessing in the situation no matter how deep we had to dig to find it. Jet Pets were able to get them on another flight for that evening and all being well we would be picking them up at 10am the following morning, what is one more day of waiting in the grand scheme of things.
What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise.
Pets or not we had to check out of the Chateau ‘Bedford Transit Van’ that morning and make our way to our next Air BnB in Annapolis Royal which was a two-hour drive away. Our time in Annapolis Royal would signify the beginning of our house hunting adventures in Canada and would also give us a fantastic opportunity to explore what this part of Nova Scotia has to offer.
Although we were gutted that we would not be taking Lola with us that morning we did not let it dampen our excitement over moving on to somewhere new again and from what we had read our next destination was going to be a cracker, we were heading to what is arguably known as one of Nova Scotia’s most historic towns. Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia – Cradle of Our Nation
After breakfast we loaded up the Warlock and quickly discovered that having bought half of the pet store the previous day, we would have had the square root of stuff all space to put Lola and her travel crate anyway. The issue with the airline had worked in our favour! It meant that we would not have to try and cram so much into one day and would have the room to transport everything we needed, the time to get the cottage organised, get shopping supplies, and get ourselves settled and ready to give our beautiful pooch the undivided attention she deserved, that there folks was our blessing in disguise, and we were going to take it.
The few hours it took us to get shopping and get to Annapolis Royal went by in a flash and before we knew it, we were pulling into the parking space of the most charming and quaint cottage we have ever stayed in, even the slate grey cloud filled skies, the shroud of mist and the wintry conditions could not detract from the bright cheery lime green exterior of the Lilly Pad, not that we wanted to hang around outside and truly appreciate it though because it was nobbling! We are a little bit mad but not certifiable.
The inside of the cottage was crammed full of character, with uneven and in some places sloping wooden floors that made you feel like you were walking like a drunkard, exposed beams, a mezzanine, and views to die for of the Annapolis basin right in what would be our back yard for the next month.
The lower level was open plan on a small and cosy scale but despite being diminutive in size the amenities did not suffer because this cottage had everything that we needed, fully stocked kitchen, washer/drier, shabby chic furniture, a comfortable bed, and a TV with Netflix. It was tranquil and pleasant with a familiarity to it that felt like coming home, we knew deep down that Annapolis Royal was going to hold an incredibly special place in our hearts.
Home is not a place. It is a feeling.
With our limited worldly possessions unpacked for the first time since we entered Canada, Lola’s bed and toys unwrapped and waiting for her and a chicken stew prepared and simmering slowly in the oven (Yay we finally had a kitchen where we could cook) we sat down on the sofa with tea and biscuits and gazed out the window and watched the ebb and flow of the basin while the cottage filled with the mouth-watering aroma of dinner. With all that we had been through over the past few months this moment felt rare and magical and we were going to cherish it.