Robert Paterson's Weblog

Leaving - Thinking of all before and after me

As I get ready to leave my home on PEI, I have been thinking of the others who left this place too. We have all been stewards of this magical place. 

Click on any photo to see it larger.

Here is an overview of the connection back to Charlottetown after the building of the railway. The Bunbury Road that now crosses Fullerton Marsh and goes onto Mermaid and points East, ended at the main house. It would have gone up what is now Premier's Lane. The Bunbury Road was in effect the driveway to the main house!

Getting to Charlottetown was not easy then. Before the railway bridge, you would have crossed to Charlottetown by ferries running from either Southport or Kelly's Point. The remnant of the old road to Kelly's point, can be found today at Cotton's Park that runs to the water.

This map below is earlier still and shows the detail of Lot 48 before the railway.

The Brook was dammed to drive a shingle mill. The dam is till there as is the pond but the mill has long gone. This was a full on working landscape then. Not only farming but shipbuilding as well. At least 7 schooners were built here as well. The Bovyer estate ran in 1798 all the way to Kelly's Point on the West and to Fullerton's Marsh to the East.

By the 1930's the farm had shrunk in size but had become one of the most modern and important farms in Canada. J Walter Jones, later Premier of PEI, had married into the family and had developed the best dairy farm in Canada. One of his cows, Abegweit Milady, held the world's record for butterfat production. One of his bulls brought an unheard of price of $25,000 in the late 1920's. In 1931, he was awarded the Master Breeders Award from the Holstein-Friesian Association. It was the first time this award was ever presented to an individual. Jones was also one of the pioneers in the silver fox industry.

Here is how the home farm looked in 1936 at its peak.

The Bunbury Road runs from left to right [West to east] the main drive is in the centre. The small gap at the beginning is a small barn. I bet that this was for winter and the mud season giving access to the main road. What is now Premier's lane runs from the bottom left to the house forming a wonderful circular drive in fron of the old house - which had to be pulled down in 1972. You will just catch the railway line in the bottom left. The Bunbury Station was a few yards away to the west.

Here is the home farm in 1958.

Jones had been dead 4 years and the farm would have been on the turn.

Here is the site today taken by Google.

At this level not much has changed. But at a detailed level it has. The old house had to be pulled down. The new house was buit in the early 1970's by Lloyd and Marion Palmer. They also extended the old barn to the right [East] of the new house - the shiny roof. Lloyd built a half mile horse training track on the green field on the right. I still mow the track and walk my dogs every day there.

The best feature of the site remains the drive way.

Since we have owned the property, we have added a Granny Suite to the West Side side of the house and a Sun Room/Dining Room to the East. We have also rebuilt the barn and made it into a guest house - but I get ahead of myself.

The property now includes the driveway and the wood on the right of the drive and the area immediately surrounding the house. We do not own the fields. But we are as it were in the country.

Here you can see how close we are to town. About 7-8 minutes. You can also see how close we are to the shoreline. In the summer the dogs and I walk there all the time and on hot days even swim!

So what is this place? It is redolent with the history of the Island. It has been loved and cared for by only 4 families since the Bovyers bought it in 1788. What was 895 acres is now only 3.3 but it is the heart of the place. We hand it on in our own turn. 

Many blessings to Jason and Lori.

 

Only 8 months to go til we get back to this

Now there is no excuse for you not to come to PEI this summer

One of the hurdles about coming here was the travel - Now Delta fly direct from Boston every day in the summer and 3 times a weekend direct from New York! There are direct flights from Halifax, Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, Detroit.

We offer more than a vacation - we offer you a haven - a refuge from the busy world where you can relax and find yourself and those you love again.

Where the biggest decision of the day is what book to read (This is what it is like inside) or what deserted beach you might try.

We have only got 2 weeks left for you to rent in July (July 5th-12th & July 19th-26th) and in 1 week in August (August 23rd - to 30th) - Here is the what we offer.

Here is a view of the property looking North with the Hillsborough River behind the house - we are in the middle of the country but only 8 minutes from Charlottetown

Our Barn in a magic moment

We are in the grip of winter but this is to come - our place after a summer storm - you can be here this summer if you want.

Google Earth has improved their satellite views

It's fun to see your home from space. My bit of paradise

Want to live in a peaceful place on PEI?

Writing a thesis or a book? On assignment to PEI? Looking for a special place? Well we are looking for a special tenant!

Here is a picture of the wing that we built onto our house a few years ago for Robin's parents. Our wonderful tenant has finished her thesis and is now going to BC. The Wing it is now available for rent, furnished, starting in October. It is 1,000 square feet. It has 2 bedrooms, a large living room and a large kitchen/dining area. The rent is $600 a month. The rent includes heat and cable. You pay for electricity - between $40-$60 a month.

It was designed for my late father in law who was disabled. It has a ramp and a walk in bathroom with wide doors enabling wheel chair access.

The wing is attached to our own house as you can see - so we are looking for someone who seeks a quiet life.

We are in the midst of the country, 3.2 km from the Hillsborough Bridge along the Bunbury Road but only 8 minutes from downtown Charlottetown. There is ample parking and 4 acres of property plus a walking track and access to the river.

Here is the view from the living room window (reversed)

Here is the kitchen facing south and west.

Here is the living room that faces south onto a large deck looking up the treed drive.

If you are interested or know someone who may be - please contact me at "robatrenewdotcom"

Father's day - My Bliss

This is my idea of bliss!
A fried breakfast and the dogs in bed

OK - when you get to my age "Bliss" gets modified from what it might have been in earlier times. The Dogs might have had to move over.

The first X rated film I ever saw was Tom Jones with Albert Finney. The part that really struck me though was the first scene with Hugh Griffith.

Jones enters the manor and spots a writhing pile of dogs. From it emerges, still drunk, Squire Weston wonderfully over played by Griffith. Oh to sleep in a pile of dogs!

Just a fantasy here as Robin has this odd idea about dog hair in the bed. (The Cat can sleep here but not the dogs - go figure)

Your Summer Cottage Vacation on PEI

Yes its that time of year again when you ask yourself -"Where can I really relax? Where can we go and decompress this summer from our hectic life in the big city?""

Well, as many of my friends & family know, the answer is at our barn.

Here is the link to our updated Weblog site that will show you what to expect

Christmas - A man's work is never done - but behind every man .....

Well Cynthia - beat this if you can!

The New look House

Now we can park - note the helper in the shot

James cleared Lisa's deck

Steve can return

Thank you Robin

Christmas 05 - Winter Wonderland!

When visitors think of PEI they usually imagine us in summer - lush green vistas.

But us locals experience winter for 5 months of the year.

Here is the morning after our first storm of the year.

The main house

The wing

The barn

We have been digging for about an hour - 3 of us and I will post some after pictures later - after I have taken some more wood in. Oh the life in the country!