We are having a group birthday party every month. Elma Birt and Linda Kurylyk are celebrating this month. We will make a cake and have a ukulele troupe from Charlottetown come in to play for us. Last time round we had a miniature horse come and visit but it will be hard to top that experience.

Annie Leard has been knitting up a storm since she came here. She has lost count of how many pairs of socks and mittens she knit this past year. But she doesn't knit on Sundays. She has agreed to teach Julia how to turn the heel on a pair of socks. Knitting keep Annie busy. Marion says she  has to take the needles from Annie at bedtime. Orla says it's cheaper to buy them but hand knit last indefinitely if you don't put them in the dryer.

Annie's husband's family had mills all over the Island in the old days. Her home is in Westmoreland, a mile from Crapaud on the Leard Mill Road. When she lived there the saw  mill was still going. The original Leard  homestead  of Eldon's great grandparents was across the pond from their home. Seven brothers and two sisters lived there. The seven sons grew up to have  grist mills all round the Island,  up west and down east. The miller features in many fairy tales such as  Puss in Boots and  Rumpelstiltskin. The miller was an important person.

We had a sweet visit from a family of cats. The father, mother and three kittens. The kittens were just the sweetest little mewing darlings.

And now it's time to work on our newsletter. Winter is fast approaching and we are developing some activity ideas. If you are reading this please leave us a comment.

Julia Purcell
Activities