Steed & Company Lavender Farm

Steed & Company Lavender Farm

July 23rd, 2015

While visiting the quaint, historical village of Sparta, in Southern Ontario, we noticed a sign that drew our attention immediately. 

With such a distinguished name, we had to investigate!

We just knew that we had to check out my namesakes - and the Lavender Farm for which they are famous in the surrounding area. 

Having parked the car in the provided lot, the first thing we saw that charmed us was the sign inviting us to follow the pathway to the store and gardens.

The short path followed a cedar fence which took us to our first view of the lavender field, with its gentle scent that wafted towards us in the breeze. 

Stepping inside the store, we were met with a beautiful fragrance that left us in no doubt about where we were. On display is a variety of lavender products from soap to essences, culinary to potpourri - and a range of gift sets available to delight the eye. 

Instinctively I knew that the establishment would be overseen by a woman of elegance, and I was not disappointed. Suzanne was serving a couple of customers when we first saw her but, as soon as she was free, I introduced myself and told her that we shared the same last name. We fell easily into a conversation about origins and family histories and soon realized that, if we were related, it would be through several generations lost in the mists of time. Suzanne's ancestors hailed from Ireland, though her husband, Jim, did mention that he thought they may have sojourned in England for a time. It was such a delight to meet them both, and they made us feel very welcome.

The Lavender Fields were just gorgeous and I would like to have sat in one of the provided Muskoka chairs, or on the metal bench for a while. It would have been a great place in which to meditate in the subtle breeze.

Jim took time to chat with us

We came across Jim a little later when we found him out in the field pruning some tree branches on the perimeter of the property. During our conversation, we learned more about the locality, and discovered some of the reasons why they had moved into this area. He told us how they had made alterations to the house, which was adjoined to the store. It's a beautiful home, which is obviously lovingly-tended.

Harry Potter - a wizard of a dog!

Of special delight to us was the presence of Harry Potter, their treasured friendly dog, who quietly and happily allowed us to pet him. He followed us into the field and joined us while we were talking to Jim. 

As we left for the parking lot, we espied a few bee hives tucked away in the corner and realized that this was probably the source of one of the ingredients in their Lavender Honey Dijon Mustard, and Lavender Syrup.

If you are ever visiting Sparta, or the surrounding area, we would thoroughly recommend that you include this little jewel in its beautiful setting. You will receive a friendly welcome and leave with a sense of peace and tranquility. 

Alan - with Suzanne

Patsy's Prize Pub - a Tilbury Treasure!!

Patsy's Prize Pub - a Tilbury Treasure!

July 21st, 2015

Another perk of house-sitting is that it brings you within the vicinity of friends whom you have not seen for a while. 

This morning, we set off for Tilbury to have breakfast at a new establishment owned and run by our friend, Patsy. It's called the Queen's Head Coffee Pub - a British Restaurant situated on the corner of Queen and Prospect Streets. Patsy had told us of her venture and we knew that it had only been open for a week, but we were eager to go and try it out, while satisfying our desire to see our friend again. 

Jenn and Katy

The Coffee Pub is open Tuesday to Saturday for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. Serving iced coffees, specialist coffees along with a healthy yogurt parfait, fresh Belgian waffles, mini muffin omelets, (the breakfast menu) the staff greet you with a smile - and you can watch them prepare your fare, right before your eyes! Jenn and Katy add their own personalities to the ambience of the restaurant, while Patsy is as welcoming as ever. 

Patsy, with Mark

A delicious breakfast!

We chose fresh crepes with raspberry sauce, fresh fruit and whipped cream! The maple syrup added to the deliciousness of the experience, and the presentation was wonderful! 

There are several beers on tap, and the coffee is second to none, supplied by the Fire Roasted Coffee Company. 

The open door to the bank vault can still be seen

The building had originally been a bank, and the inner brick wall has been carefully preserved , with the vault - with its open door - now housing the supplies for the running of the restaurant. 

What we found appealing is the British memorabilia, which adorns all walls and window ledges. From buses to cabs, Union Jacks to road signs, it is unmistakably proud to associate itself with all that is authentically U.K. 

"Off With Her Head" - Poor Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard!!

Arsenal - my brother's favourite team!

Of great interest to me was the special place awarded to the Arsenal Football (Soccer) Team. This was the team that my brother supported, and to which he was devoted right up until he passed away in March of this year. (You may not believe this, but just over a week ago, I was chatting with him, in spirit, and asked if he could send me an unmistakable sign that he was aware of my thoughts about him. It didn't register at the time, but later I realized that he had totally delivered an answer to me - we had no idea that the coffee pub would feature his favourite team!!)

Anyone visiting, or passing through, Tilbury, will do themselves a great favour if they drop in to this homey restaurant - for a meal, or just a coffee or a beer. You won't be disappointed!!

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Visit to Glencoe, Ontario

Visit to Glencoe, Ontario

The Village of Glencoe, formerly know as Dundonald, is nestled neatly among corn fields in the area of Middlesex, Ontario. It's about
10 minutes from where we are house-sitting in West Lorne.







Our hosts told us that this was the nearest place to go for groceries, so we thought we'd check it out. We had been to Glencoe in Scotland, so we were interested to visit its name-sake, here in Ontario. We were not disappointed!




The first building that I noticed, being a railway enthusiast, was the old station that sits proudly beside the main street. It has been lovingly preserved and was inducted into the North American Railway Hall of Fame in 2010 as the 'Best Restored Station in North America'. (Search for Glencoe or page 46 on this DayTripper link). The restored station is now viewed daily by many Via Rail passengers who pass through and stop at Glencoe along the busy Toronto to Windsor Route.

Artifacts have been preserved inside the station, itself

The main street is representative of many old towns in Ontario in that its main stores are to be found on the roadside, and they have escaped the 'box-store' trend that has been the death knell of so many rural towns. Not only are there hanging blooms from the lamp posts, but there is a tangible sense of pride that is present in the way that most of the buildings and gardens are kept.

Presbyterian Church

At one corner, there are three majestic churches that dominate the intersection - reminders of the heritage of the founders of the community. I find it interesting to note the size of these buildings compared to the population at the time when they were first erected.

St. John's Anglican Church

United Church

As mentioned, the homes that we saw as we entered the town were resplendent. Some of them were tucked away on side roads, but many of them were on the main road.

I loved the colour of the leaves on this tree

We thought that this decorated pump was a great idea, making creative use of the cedar fencing.









I think we also found the smallest lending library in the world!

Once again, we have found that, if we take the time to look, we'll find little gems dotted all over the place. 

Here's a little bit of history, for those who may be interested. 

Designated as a train stop on the Great Western Railway in 1853, the hamlet of Dundonald was first established by two land owners. In 1854, when the first train stopped at Dundonald, the hamlet was not surveyed but contained two taverns, two blacksmith shops, a lumber merchant, a coppersmith, a shoemaker, a tailor, two grocers, and several rail employees. The hamlet boasted a population of 75 residents. In other words, it was a typical pioneer town.

The name of the hamlet changed to Glencoe in 1856 just before an official survey of the community was performed. The village of Glencoe was incorporated in 1873 with a population of 650 people and 75 businesses.

Over the early years of the village of Glencoe, several large fires destroyed the early wooden buildings that lined the community's main street.

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Bathtubs & Drones!

Bathtubs & Drones! - June 19th, 2015

Whenever we are due to get our car serviced (in Sault Ste. Marie), we try to make an early appointment and add a trip to Lake Superior to make a complete day of the journey. We are never disappointed. 

The mist over the many lakes up here is always a sight to behold - and is one of the reasons we like to leave early. 

Early morning mist over Horne Lake

Today, we made Bathtub Island our destination. We had been told about this little gem of the North two years previously, when we were visiting the nearby Pictographs.  At that time, when we first waded across the water dividing it from the mainland, the water was warm  - but the same cannot be said for today!

Found just south of Katherine Cove, on Hwy. 17, Bathtub Island gets its name from the depression on one end of the island that fills with water from the waves. Approached through a short trail through the trees, you are met with lots of sand dunes through which you pass to get to the sandy beach. This beach stretches for well over a kilometre along the shore of Lake Superior to just past the Sand River. 

Anticipating a nice, sunny day (though cool, with expected temperatures of about 18 degrees Celsius), we made sure we packed our bathing suits and towels, a couple of snacks, and our books so we could settle in for several hours. We already have a couple of beach chairs which we keep in the trunk of our car during the summer. ('Be Prepared' - as my scoutmaster used to say!).

We noticed that there were several people already in place when we arrived, so we ventured to a more secluded area to get changed, then chose our spot, staking our territory by the action of firmly planting the chairs in place! 

Just before we were ready to cross the shallow water space to the island, we heard a sound like the buzzing of a large insect. Looking up, we found the source of the sound - it was a drone! This was the first time we had seen one in real life, and we made haste to chat to the young man who was controlling it. Curtis generously shared his knowledge about drones, how they worked, cost of purchase and running costs etc. It was interesting to know the the model he had was capable of traveling 2 km from its control panel, and that it could travel really fast. The landing gear was raised when in flight so that the camera could have a 360 degree, unfettered view. It was fantastic! 


We learned that it runs on lithium batteries, which usually last for about 15 minutes. Curtis has only had his 'new toy' for a couple of months, but he has already put in 100 hours of flying time. We watched him fly it for about 10 minutes and then exchanged e-mail addresses so he could send us some pics and short movies that he took of us! We loved the way he could make it fly out over the lake and around Bathtub Island, while looking at the view from above on his iPad, attached to the control panel. 

Leaving him to his fun, we braved the coldness of the lake water and made our way over to the island. The water didn't reach our navels, so it was only the lower part of our bodies that went numb! 

The wispy clouds made for a very photogenic view of the panorama that surrounded us. It's such a beautiful spot, and the natural 'bathtub' is magical, though rather cooler than the first time we visited. Mark was hoping for some time for us to have the island to ourselves, so we went back over to the mainland to bide our time. 

One of our pleasures is to sit in nature and quietly read our books. This was the moment when I realized that I had left my reading glasses in the car! Having come to terms with the reality that I had robbed myself of this pleasure, I decided to replace it with another and went for a long walk along the water's edge until I reached Sand River. On the way, I met a man and his son who had been fishing. We got chatting, and found that they lived in Barrie - just around the corner from where we used to live before we moved to Elliot Lake! Small world! 

Upon my return, I found Mark still engrossed in his book. When I asked him how long I'd been, his response was, 'About 3 chapters!' Mark is always quick on the uptake! 

By now, although there were several people on the beach, the island was un-peopled and ready to be claimed! Once again, we braved the cold water, and made our way over. Where the rocks meet the water, it can be a little slippery.
For about 45 minutes, we had the island to ourselves and were able to explore it from different angles. It truly is one of the most amazing places, and we've pledged to return here in August, when the water has had a chance to warm up a bit more. 

This short panoramic video captures the beauty of the island and surrounding area. 

On the way home, we saw some wildlife - a bear, a couple of moose, and a deer (much to Mark's delight). A stunning sunset followed us as we approached the turning for Elliot Lake. 

Courtesy of EarthSky

We were treated to a magnificent view of a crescent moon, with Venus and Jupiter appearing above it in a clear evening sky. Our phone/camera doesn't take pictures well at dusk, so this is taken from the EarthSky website. 

It was a fitting end to another perfect day. 


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