St Dunstan's Basilica

Our first visit to Charlottetown was a couple of weeks after we arrived on Prince Edward Island.  We went for a walk after lunch and visited St Dunstan's Basilica.  It was a hot afternoon and pleasant to escape the bustle of the tourist crowds and step into the calm of this beautiful church.  Stepping inside, the eye was immediately drawn to the Rose window and altar.  The stained-glass windows, light fixtures and pillars depict almost three hundred angels.

St Dunstan's Chapel was the original wooden church on this site.  It was constructed in 1816 and dedicated to St Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, who was an Anglo-Saxon saint, from Glastonbury.  The original church was later replaced by a larger wooden cathedral in 1843. 

The cornerstone of the third cathedral on this site was laid in 1896.  It was built in the form of a Latin cross and was dedicated in 1907.  Six years after its dedication, it was destroyed by fire.

The fourth cathedral was reconstructed from the walls of the former one and the interior was completed in the English Gothic style.  Completed in 1919, it was the largest cathedral in the Maritimes.  Ten years later, on the centenary of the formation of the Diocese of Charlottetown, Pope Pius XI honoured the financial sacrifices made by the Islanders to resurrect this church from the ashes and granted St Dunstan's the title of Basilica, one of only twenty such churches in Canada.

The exterior part of the Basilica was difficult to photograph, due to crowds, other builidings and trees.  It is French Gothic in style and topped by spiral crosses on the spires.

I don't feel that my photos did the building justice, so if you would like to see some better images, please visit the Basilica's webiste here.

Making Waves

I started knitting this shawl a couple of weeks ago.  The pattern is Gwindra from Blacker Yarns.  It is a modified garter stitch pattern, which knitted up quickly and had added interest with the addition of the blue contrasting stripe.

The cable and lace edging adds a new dimension to this pattern and is a little more challenging to knit.  I have found this fairly straightforward, as long as I concentrate on the pattern.

The edge has grown slowly: with a 22 row pattern repeat, which is then repeated 28 times, there are a lot of rows to knit.

I've had a sense of waves of cable and lace forming as the pattern grows.  I still have a number of rows to knit, but I'm getting there.

Nature Trail

I've read that exercising outdoors puts us in touch with nature, which brings a sense of wellbeing.  We have recently exchanged pounding the pavements of a large city for a boardwalk on the island we now call home.

Our morning walks offer us sights of seabirds on the beach and the first glimpses of autumn colour.

Chipmunks abound and stuff their pouches with tasty treats left by walkers.

This one looked like he had a bad case of mumps after filling his face with as much as he could carry.  

We have yet to identify this bird, which we couldn't find in our bird guide.

But we do know what is in this nest - osprey chicks, which we can hear calling to their parents.  They are too far away for a good photo and their nest is on the top of a telegraph pole.

Nature offers such riches and puts us in touch with the subtle change of seasons almost before it is happening.  

In Search of the Red Squirrel

On our first walk last Thursday, we were delighted to discover that there are red squirrels in the area.  In fact, one had been leaning over the railing of this bird box, but sadly, the camera took too long to focus, so I missed the shot.

Here he is running down the tree.

And hanging off the edge of the bird box.

When we returned on Friday, we went armed with almonds to entice them out from cover. Though shy at first, the temptation of a tasty almond was too great.

I had the camera on and ready, so I managed to capture this photo.  Here he is with the almond in his paws.  Though we have been back twice since, we haven't seen red squirrels this weekend, so can only assume that they are so stuffed with peanuts (lots of people leave them) that they are sleeping off their overindulgence!

Bird Boxes of PEI

One of the first things that we noticed on our new walk was the abundance of bird boxes.  They seem to appear at almost every turn and each has unique features.  

Take this one, for example, a very desirable des res, complete with chimney and veranda.

And this one, nicely situated in a shady spot, close to the water.

This one has a larger balcony on which visitors were leaving peanuts - mostly enjoyed by the squirrels.

Then there is the more modern townhouse complex with a shared open-plan aspect at the front. 

Some might favour a more 'cabin in the woods' feel, complete with rustic fence.  

On the other hand, there is the modernist architecture of this box, which has a 1960s feel about it.

I'm not sure who would call this one home, but they must be large, judging by the size of the entrance. 

This one looks more like a rustic shack.  

Here, another with a similar feel to the first box seen on our walk - clearly a popular choice.

For the female nest-builder who wants a more girly pad, there is this cute pink house.

And finally, a little white box with a tinge of blue - seaside colours for a coastal location.  

Which one is your favourite?

Our Morning Walk

We set out on Thursday morning to explore somewhere new and decided to walk the boardwalk.  We parked close to the beach and headed west towards the lighthouse.

We saw an inviting path to the lighthouse, but chose to continue on our route.

At this time of year, there are many beautiful wild flowers blooming.

I saw cow parsley amongst other varieties (I definitely need a wild flower guide).

In the distance, a light buoy to mark the harbour entrance.

Wetland habitat along the shore.

We passed the lighthouse and continued our walk.

We reached the shelter of the trees, which gave us protection from the blustery wind.

The boardwalk continues to wind its way and all that we hear are the sounds of nature.

It is a lovely walk because we can see the shore for almost the entire route.

Seaside goldenrod in bloom (I have yet to identify the purple flowers).

Wetland habitat, where we saw many birds.

And on towards the end of the trail.

The path ends in a rugged spot where we can stand and listen to the waves.

Looking across, we can see the Confederation Bridge in the distance.  It is hard to believe that we have been islanders for almost three weeks.

The view back towards town.

The rocky sandstone shoreline, for which PEI is famous.

The perfect end to a pretty boardwalk and a walk which is set to become a firm favourite.  We enjoyed it so much that we returned yesterday and retraced our steps.